Large number of Canadian soldiers deployed to help in areas dealing with flooding
Canada’s defence minister says about 26-hundred Canadian Forces soldiers have been deployed to help deal with flooding in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.
Harjit Sajjan says more could be deployed if needed, especially in the face of an approaching storm which could see water levels in the Ottawa River rise above the current record high. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the flood situation in Eastern Canada isn’t subsiding in large areas just yet.
Canadian economy faced tough times in February
Weakness in the mining sector, troubles for the transportation sector caused by winter weather and a derailment that cut a key rail line weighed on the economy in February.
Statistics Canada reports gross domestic product contracted 0.1 per cent in February following growth in January of 0.3 per cent. The weaker-than-expected reading followed the Bank of Canada’s move to downgrade its outlook for economic growth in the first quarter.
Ottawa backing off plan to give more time to respond to veterans
Ottawa is backing off a plan to give bureaucrats more time to respond to veterans seeking benefits and support for their service-related injuries.
The idea was floated last fall, when Veterans Affairs Canada said it wanted to give veterans a more realistic idea of when they could expect to hear back about their requests for assistance.
Conservatives touting record donation level
The Conservative Party of Canada took in a record eight-million-dollars in the first three months of the year, something Leader Andrew Scheer sees as a sign Canadians want a change in government.
That’s not only a record for the Tories, it’s a record for any political party. The Liberals raised 3.9-million-dollars, which was the party’s best first quarter in three years.