Prime Minister Stephen Harper as had been widely expected today dissolved the Canadian Parliament and called for snap elections on October 14th. Harper had been signaling in recent weeks that he was leaning toward calling early elections, with many Canadiana analysts noting that Harper’s Conservative Party had a better shot of winning now than if he waited until being forced by the opposition into a vote later, when the Canadian economy might be worse off.
Prime Minister Harper leads a minority government up in Ottawa and it is thus reliant on the opposition to pass legislation. The Conservative Party must win an additional 28 seats in the October 14 election to gain a majority in Parliament. Unlike our own endless election, the Canadian one will be a quick one but this is a critical difference between parliamentary systems and presidential ones. In a parliamentary system elections must be called within a certain period but can be called at any time within that period be it full or even partial term while presidential systems run on cycles. Though Canada passed a fixed date electoral law under Harper, the Prime Minister is exploiting a loophole to hold early elections. (more…)
The world’s glaciers are in retreat and perhaps no where else on Earth has the effects of global climate change been more visible than in Montana’s Glacier National Park and in Alberta’s Waterton National Park. When the area was first surveyed by naturalists in the 1880s, the two parks contained over 150 different glaciers. Today there are under 35 left and by 2030 there will be none. The pristine wilderness is a globally significant biological hotspot, protecting elk, moose, deer, mountain goats, bull trout and a host of other wildlife and plant species. It is also one of the most intact and diverse ecosystems in this type of climate in the world. It isn’t just natual beauty in peril, it’s also the aquifier in the Mountain West that depends on replenishments from the snow pack. That aquifier then grows crops and provides drinking water.
But just this week comes word of a new threat to the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which spans the border between Montana and Alberta. Multiple proposals for mountain-top removal coal mines and coalbed methane extraction in this area are threatening the Canadian side of the border. These include Cline Mining’s Lodgepole Mine, which the U.S. State Department has opposed due to “significant adverse impacts.”
If you care add your voice in protecting the Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park, you can sign this petition to the Right Honorable Michael H. Wilson, Canadian Ambassador to the United States.
The urban affairs organization, City Mayors through its website is launching a new service that all residents of 34 cities world-wide to rate their mayor. Fifteen mayors in the United States and Canada can be rated. Fourteen mayors in Europe plus two in Latin American and three in the Asia-Pacific region can be rated.
City Mayors introduces Mayor Monitor (MM), which allows residents and non-residents to rate the performance of mayors and highlight their ‘best’ and ‘worst’ decisions. Mayor Monitor uses the widely understood one-to-ten rating system, where ‘1′ signifies an extremely poor performance and ‘10′ ‘an outstanding one.
Over time, Mayor Monitor will provide a valuable track record of mayors’ successes and failures as well as their popularity among residents and a wider public. The results will be published on the City Mayors website and updated monthly.
In order to eliminate multiple, fraudulent and/or organised rating by political foes and friends of mayors, all submissions are processed manually and, if deemed questionable, cross-checked.
Links to the cities are below the fold. The rating process is simple and will take no more than a few minutes, if that. (more…)
British Columbia Exploration Rights Auction Nets $610 Million Canadian
From the Globe and Mail:
British Columbia has raked in a record-breaking $610-million in an oil and gas rights sale, the latest in a series of windfalls driven by a rush of natural gas producers looking to lock up land in the northeastern part of the province.
The tally from the one-day sale smashes the old record of $441-million set in May, and puts B.C.’s total land sale proceeds so far this year at $1.58-billion. That surpasses last year’s record mark of $1.04-billion, and ranks as among the biggest to date in Canada.
Beyond the sale money pouring into government coffers, the dollars to be spent by producers on the ground will provide an important boost to the provincial economy. Northeastern B.C. is already getting a jolt from a ramp-up in exploration in the region that has culminated with recent discoveries such as the Horn River and Montney plays.
“We are pretty pumped in British Columbia about what just took place,” B.C. Energy Minister Richard Neufeld said.
Predictions for Canada’s Natural Gas Production
From The Oil Drum, a look at Canada’s natural gas production. Canadian natural gas is important in a number of ways: It provides 17% of total US NG consumption and today contributes roughly 11% of the energy content in a barrel of tar sands oil.
A drop in property offences such as break-ins and motor-vehicle thefts last year helped push Canada’s crime rate to a 30 year low, according to 2007 data released by Statistics Canada Thursday.
Colombian-Canadian FTA
Canada and Colombia concluded a free trade agreement on June 7, 2008. Here’s the Canadian view:
“The Government of Canada is delivering on its commitment to open up opportunities for Canadian business in the Americas and around the world,” stated Minister Emerson. “The free trade agreement will expand Canada-Colombia trade and investment, and will help solidify ongoing efforts by the Government of Colombia to create a more prosperous, equitable and secure democracy.”
How Canada stole the American Dream Macleans compares life north and south of the 49th parallel.
To be an American is to be the best. Every American believes this. Their sports champions are not U.S. champions, they’re world champions. Their corporations aren’t the largest in the States, they’re the largest on the planet. Their armies don’t defend just America, they defend freedom.
Like the perpetual little brother, Canadians have always lived in the shadow of our American neighbours. We mock them for their uncultured ways, their brash talk and their insularity, but it’s always been the thin laughter of the insecure. After all, says University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby, a leading tracker of social trends, “Americans grow up with the sincere belief that their nation is a nation that is unique and special, literally called by something greater to be blessed and to be a blessing to people around the globe.” Canadians can’t compete with that.
But it turns out that while they’ve been out conquering the world, here in Canada we’ve been quietly working away at building better lives. While they’ve been pursuing happiness, we’ve been achieving it.
Cocky those Canucks? With good reason, it seems. They live longer, get longer vacations, get free health care, have cleaner cities. We do have the Stanley Cup, however.
Here is the Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 edition of interesting reads from around the world.
US-Czech Missle Defense Shield Plan Signed
The Czechs are against it. The Russians are upset. I am not sure it works. But this is the first that I have seen of my former professor in months. I suppose I am glad she is still on the job. She was a great professor. Secretary of State, not so much. A video report from the Associated Press:
Corruption Trial of former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra Begins
The former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra today went on trial in Bangkok’s supreme court accused of corruption. The criminal trial is the first against Thaksin, the billionaire owner of the Manchester City football club, since he was ousted from office in a pro-royalist military coup in 2006. The former prime minister is accused of having corruptly used his position to help his wife, Pojaman, to buy land. The full report in the UK Guardian.
Qatar Emerges as a Regional Broker
I was very close friends with Daniel Pearl. We were fraternity brothers at Stanford. We last saw each other in August 2001 in India and we had a conversation about how the Middle East was changing. Danny said, watch Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. That’s the future of Arab politics. Danny, as always, was ahead of his times. He was a brillant journalist even at the Stanford Daily. I miss him. This story in today’s New York Times highlights Qatar’s emergence as a mediator of disputes. It is not by coincidence either that Al Jazeera is based in Doha. In terms of liberalism, Qatar is hardly liberal but it is opening up.
Canada to Deport Robin Long
Canada as a haven for conscientious objectors may be ending. Canada intends to deport Robin Long. 25, a US Army deserter as early as Monday. There are approximately 200 Americans seeking refuge in Canada at the moment. More from Toronto’s Globe and Mail.
Germany Ponders Giving the Children the Right to Vote
Every German citizen should have the right to vote in national elections, even those under the age of 18, says a group of parliamentarians. They’ve proposed a law that would allow parents to vote for their children. Deutsche Welle covers the latest German lunacy.
Germany Detains Rwandan Genocide Suspect
Callixte Mbarushimana has been arrested in Frankfurt attempting to fly to Russia. He is wanted in Rwanda and France on charges of genocide. More from Deutsche Welle.
Iran Tests Its Missiles
Iran has test fired nine long- and medium-range missiles, including one which it has previously said could travel as far as Israel and U.S. bases in the region, state media reported on Wednesday. Separately, the Israeli media reports that the Saudis are not opposed to an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. More from Haaretz.
Slovakia To Join EuroZone in January 2009 Fistful of Euros reports on Slovakia’s official ascension into the EuroZone of common currency. Europe as an economic concept gains greater currency but it is in the political unity realm where citizens retain mistrust of Brussels. The Slovak krona will convert to euros at 30.126 to 1 — which is the current rate.
Male-Female Pay Gap in the Netherlands
Men still earn an average of 11.8% more than women doing the same job, according to research by Mercer and ADP in a report from Dutch News. However, in some industries women earn more than men.
Mexico’s Drug Wars Cost Two Officials Their Jobs
The capital city’s police chief and head prosecutor resigned Tuesday amid growing public outrage over a bungled bar raid that resulted in 12 deaths. The resignation of Police Chief Joel Ortega and prosecutor Rodolfo Felix came the same day the city’s Human Rights Commission issued a scathing denunciation of the deadly law enforcement crackdown last month on a club packed with teenagers celebrating the end of the school year. The full story in the Los Angeles Times.
Here is the Saturday, June 21st, 2008 edition of interesting reads and events from around the world.
Zimbabwe Election Update
The International Herald Tribune reports that Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is considering whether to pull out of the June 27 presidential run-off election, fearing it will be a charade. Meanwhile the BBC reports that Mugagbe remains defiant.
The Battle for Kandahar
An operation by local and international troops appears to have cleared Taliban fighters from the outskirts of Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second largest city in a report from the Financial Times. Below a report from Qatar’s Al-Jazeera on Afghan President Karzai’s plan to strike at the Taliban strongholds in Pakistan:
Thai Protests Aim To Topple PM Sundaravej
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will not resign, a spokesman said on Saturday as thousands of protesters besieged his office, vowing to stay until they forced the government from power. The Washington Post has the full story with analysis.
A Canadian View on McCain’s Trip to Ottawa
John McCain flew to Ottawa this week. Toronto’s Globe and Mail provides a Canadian perspective.
Japan-ASEAN Trade Pact
Japan ratified a free trade accord with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday as the country’s divided parliament ended its session. Agence France Presse reports that under the deal, about 90% of trade between Asia’s largest economy and the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, which has a combined population of 550 million, will be tariff-free within 10 years.
Conspiracy To Murder
A British author says a senior official from the Rwandan war crimes tribunal flew to London last week to question Linda Melvern about the secret confessions of a 1994 Rwandan genocide organiser the then PM Jean Kambanda that she obtained for inclusion in her recently-published book, Conspiracy To Murder. More from the Saudi Gazette.
Sarkozy: No To EU Expansion without New Treaty
European Union leaders were in Brussels on Thursday night to discuss what to do after the Ireland “no” to the Lisbon Treaty. French Presidnent Sarkozy was clear that enlargement must be put on hold. Der Spiegel provides the coverage.
This will be an irregular feature of By The Fault going forward entitled O Canada, news about the other half of North America. All future posts will be filed under a new category entitled suprisingly enough Canada. If you live in Canada and want to write about Canada, please let me know.
Canadian Unemployment Now Less Than the United States
I was chafe when people say the United States is the greatest country in the world. Yes, it is a great country but the greatest? Well statistically speaking it seems that the United States is not even the greatest country in North America. I give you Canada’s Jobs Report:
Canada’s unemployment rate has fallen below U.S. levels for the first time in more than 26 years – another sign that the North American slowdown is less painful in Canada than in the United States, at least for now.
Canadian employers barely created any jobs to speak of in May, Statistics Canada said Friday. Employment grew by just 8,400 positions, with part-time jobs rising by 40,600 positions, offsetting a big decline of 32,200 in full-time work.
The Canadian dollar touched a two- month high and rose for a second week as surging commodity prices and stocks at a record boosted the currency’s appeal.
Canada’s dollar has increased 0.9 percent so far this month, making it the fifth-best performer among the 16 most- active currencies. The Canadian dollar gained 0.6 percent this week, as oil reached a record above $127 per barrel yesterday. Commodities account for about half of Canada’s exports.
“Higher crude oil is a big positive for the Canadian dollar,” said Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo Bank in New York. “I don’t see that trend changing soon. There is a positive bias for the currency and that could take it to 97 cents per U.S. dollar.”
The currency rose to 99.93 cents per U.S. dollar in Toronto, from C$1.0052 on May 9. Canada’s currency yesterday touched 99.43 cents, the highest since March 19. The Canadian dollar strengthened 1.4 percent during the week ended May 9. One Canadian dollar buys $1.0007.
Canada’s consumer prices probably increased 0.4 percent in April, unchanged from the previous month, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey. Statistics Canada will release the report on May 21.
The currency is attracting investors as Canada’s economy benefits from rising demand for copper, gold, wheat and oil from the U.S. and emerging economies such as India and China. Canada is the world’s largest producer of uranium and the second-biggest exporter of natural gas. The oil sands in Alberta contain the largest crude deposits outside the Middle East.
At least half of North America is doing well. And this is in spite of having Stephen Harper as Prime Minister.
