A headline in the April 8 edition of the Regina Leader Post reads: “Province sees 4,300 fewer jobs, rising unemployment.”
Economy
Letters: Moe’s ‘scorching hot’ economy is mostly a lot of hot air
‘The tens of thousands who left Saskatchewan no doubt did so to escape our economy’s scorching heat,’ writes Nial Kuyek.
The Saskatchewan Party government’s 2023-24 Budget carries the bold title: “Growth That Works For Everyone.” This alleged growth clearly hasn’t filtered down to most Saskatchewan families.
An Angus Reid poll released April 6 revealed that 51 per cent of Saskatchewan respondents said they were in either “bad” or “terrible” financial shape. That is the highest figure among all provinces.
Angus Reid also found out 79 per cent of Saskatchewan respondents have cut back on discretionary spending — again the highest rate in Canada. Fifty-five per cent have delayed making a major purchase (e.g. house, car), highest in Canada.
If Saskatchewan’s economy is scorching hot, one shudders to think how families will cope when it is performing poorly.
People are leaving Saskatchewan in droves in recent years. Statistics Canada shows interprovincial out-migration as follows: 7,829 in 2021-22, 7,174 in 2020-21, and 11,412 in 2019-20.
Interprovincial out-migration has exceeded in-migration for the past nine years. The tens of thousands who left Saskatchewan no doubt did so to escape our economy’s scorching heat.
Moe should spare us his flaming rhetoric and focus on getting Saskatchewan back on track.
Nial Kuyek, Regina
Poilievre and his fatal flaws
Federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre’s fatal flaw is that he simply can’t resist shifting his pronouncements from the obvious to the ridiculous.
The latest example is his urge to see the social media platform Twitter add a “government-funded media” tag to CBC news accounts, as it has similarly done with other public broadcasters in Britain, Australia and the U.S. (where there is National Public Radio).
But after stating that this “transparency” is important because “Canadians deserve the facts,” he can’t help but declare that this would “officially expose” the CBC as “Trudeau propaganda, not news.”
This is also why these voters will also work to see that Poilievre never becomes prime minister. If Poilievre wants to target “government-funded” institutions and programs as illegitimate, voters should also be wary of any future fever dreams about defunding government-funded public services like health care and education in favour of commercially run private for-profit enterprises.
Mervyn Norton, Regina
Trudeau’s Jamaican holiday a problem
Justin Trudeau and his family spent the holiday season at a luxurious estate in Jamaica belonging to a wealthy family that made a large donation two years ago to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.
Someone out there, who truly believes in the ideals of the Liberal Party of Canada, should buy Mr. Trudeau a dictionary and highlight the definitions of words such as appalling, disgraceful, inexcusable, disgusting, unscrupulous, reprehensible, despicable, deceitful, hypocritical, sleazy, disingenuous, unprincipled, arrogant, pompous, condescending, egocentric and unethical.
Pierre Poilievre’s attack-dog polices and America-styled vitriolic criticism makes it difficult to support the current Conservative Party.
Lloyd Atkins, Vernon, B.C.
Economy
S&P/TSX composite gains almost 100 points, U.S. stock markets also higher
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Economy
Statistics Canada reports wholesale sales higher in July
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Economy
S&P/TSX composite up more than 150 points, U.S. stock markets mixed
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 172.18 points at 23,383.35.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.99 points at 40,826.72. The S&P 500 index was up 10.56 points at 5,564.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.84 points at 17,470.37.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.59 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up $2.00 at US$69.31 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$40.00 at US$2,582.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was up six cents at US$4.20 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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