Canadas prime minister and opposition leader had the same target audience this week as they launched their campaigns in Toronto for the May 2 general election: immigrants.

Sikhs made up three-quarters of those attending Stephen Harpers Conservative rally last Sunday in Brampton, a suburb north-west of the city. Next day, Michael Ignatieff, opposition leader, visited the citys Chinatown, then went to a Liberal rally in Mississauga, which adjoins Brampton and is also home to a big south Asian community.

Article source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f00c165a-5bd2-11e0-b8e7-00144feab49a.html

VANCOUVER The Supreme Court of Canada decided today to hear an appeal involving a legal challenge of the prostitution laws by a group of Vancouver Downtown Eastside sex trade workers.

The nation’s top court ruled it will grant the federal attorney general’s application for leave to appeal a ruling last year by the B.C. Court of Appeal.

In December 2008, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bill Ehrcke ruled that the Downtown Eastside Sex Workers United Against Violence Society and a former prostitute named Sheryl Kiselbach did not have proper standing to take part a court case.

Ehrcke found that then 58-year-old Kiselbach was not entitled to private-interest standing because she is no longer a prostitute and didn’t challenge the laws when she was charged with prostitution-related offences.

On appeal, the B.C. Court of Appeal overturned the lower court ruling, finding Kiselbach and the society did have public interest standing to take part in the legal challenge of the federal prostitution laws.

The case was launched in Vancouver in 2007. The Supreme Court of Canada will likely hear the appeal later this year, although no hearing date has been set.

Last year, an Ontario Superior Court judge struck down Canadas prostitution laws, saying provisions meant to protect women and residential neighbourhoods had endangered the lives of sex trade workers.

An Ontario Court of Appeal judge suspended the trial court ruling, striking down the prostitution laws, until an appeal can be heard in June.

Prostitution is legal in Canada, but the federal government has made illegal to communicate in a public place for the purpose of prostitution, keep a common bawdy house or brothel and for pimps to make a living from the earnings of prostitutes.

nhall@vancouversun.com

Article source: http://www.vancouversun.com/Supreme+Court+Canada+grants+prostitution+appeal/4537173/story.html

OTTAWACanadas economy began the year as strongly as it ended 2010, posting a robust 0.5 per cent expansion in January that sets the stage for a strong first quarter of growth.

The performance was in line with market projections, but still was a mild surprise because many economists had worried of a possible payback after Decembers equally strong 0.5 per cent gain in gross domestic product. As well, retail sales were already known to have declined 0.3 per cent during the month.

But the auto sector, which had largely underperformed in December, came to the rescue with a 2.8 per cent pickup.

Scotiabank economist Derek Holt noted that while the overall advance was impressive, it is not likely to be repeated in February. In particular, the auto boost was exaggerated by shutdowns the previous month for retooling.

Its a total head fake. Its reflecting the unusually timed production factor in the auto and feeder industries like fabricated metals, he explained. Its not sustainable.

Still, the economy now is on track to record a growth rate of about four per cent in the first quarter, even with tepid data in February and March, analysts noted. Thats because any future growth is calibrated from a higher base.

The January data almost certainly means the Bank of Canada will need to revisit a lukewarm reading of the economy taken in January. It was off by about one percentage point in the fourth quarter of 2010, and now appears to be equally off for the first quarter.

The bank still has an official forecast of 2.4 per cent growth for this year, but the economist consensus now is close to three per cent.

That doesnt necessarily mean bank governor Mark Carney is primed to start raising rates at the next opportunity in two weeks, especially with the election campaign in full swing. There is very little pressure on Carney to hike rates, said Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist with BMO Capital Markets.

I dont think theyll feel a great deal of urgency, he said. The Canadian dollar has been stronger than expected and acting as a brake, and if anything, inflation has been lower.

The loonie rose further, 0.22 of a cent Thursday morning to 103.17 cents U.S. , after the GDP report was issued. As well, the economy is expected to cool going forward, in part because of the drag from reduced government spending and softening housing market.

Most analysts think the Bank of Canada will keep its policy rate at one per cent until January, although further upside surprises could move that date up to late May, after the election results are in. In January, Statistics Canada said growth was broadly based in both durable and non-durable goods, with makers of fabricated metal products and the auto sector posting the largest increases.

Manufacturing overall grew 2.8 per cent, compared with a 0.8 per cent gain in December.

The transportation and warehousing sector advanced 1.2 per cent, helped by higher rail shipments of iron ore and gains in the trucking industry.

On the flip side, output in mining and oil and gas declined 0.5 per cent, and retail sales slipped 0.1 per cent.

Article source: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/966428--canada-s-economy-shows-strong-start-to-the-year

Canada’s economy expanded in January by 0.5 per cent, the same pace as December, Statistics Canada said Thursday, fuelling speculation that the country would hike interest rates later this year.

The agency said growth in the country’s real Gross Domestic Product was driven by manufacturing and, to a lesser extent, by transportation and wholesale trade.

The finance and insurance sector, construction and real estate also increased, while mining and oil and gas extraction as well as retail trade decreased.

Manufacturing grew 2.8 per cent in January following a 0.8 per cent gain in December. Although growth was broadly based in both durable and non-durable goods, manufacturers of fabricated metal products and of motor vehicles and associated parts recorded the largest increases.

StatsCan said the increase in motor vehicles and parts production in January was partly a recovery from temporary factors which included shutdowns for retooling in November 2010 and unfavourable weather that hampered production in December.

“There was no mystery to the strength in January, as a surge in auto production powered manufacturing ahead,” said Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist, BMO Capital Markets.

Other industries that contributed to January’s rise in manufacturing were food, beverage and tobacco, and machinery. Output at refineries declined.

The numbers, which matched analysts’ expectations, reinforced the view by many that the Bank of Canada would begin hiking rates again, even before the U.S. Federal Reserve makes a move. However, most do not see the central bank making the move before the second half of the year.

“With economic growth in the two most recent quarters having likely topped the Bank of Canadas January forecasts by a full percentage point, bond markets are now pricing in too little in the way of overnight interest rate hikes in the second half of this year,” said Pascal Gauthier, senior economist, at TD Economics.

“We remain of the view that July is the most opportune time for the next hike. Once engaged, the hiking cycle will likely persist at a gradual pace of a quarter-point at each meeting for the remainder of the year, bringing it to 2.00 per cent by year-end.”

Article source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/canadas-economy-expands-january-20110331-063815-701.html

Canadas gross domestic product
expanded for a fourth straight month in January, led by a surge
in manufacturing.

Output rose 0.5 percent during the month, Statistics Canada
said today in Ottawa, matching the median forecast of 22
economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Gross domestic product
expanded 3.3 percent in the 12 months through January, matching
the year-over-year increase in December.

The results will certainly cause Bank of Canada to at
least revise up their growth outlook, said David Tulk, chief
Canada macro strategist for TD Securities, by telephone.
Youre getting stronger net export growth and perhaps a bit
softer domestic demand.

The Bank of Canada forecast in January that output expanded
at a 2.5 percent annualized pace between January and March, and
that growth will accelerate to 3 percent in the second half of
this year. Governor Mark Carney kept his key interest rate at 1
percent on March 1 and the bank said in a statement that policy
makers will carefully consider future increases.

The central bank predicts that exports and investment will
lead the recovery this year and take over from government and
consumer spending as the drivers of growth.

Stronger Manufacturing

The areas of the economy targeting domestic demand –
consumer spending and business investment — are a little bit
softer, whereas manufacturing, thats primarily driven by events
in the U.S., is a lot stronger, Tulk said about todays
report.

Canadas dollar was little changed at 97.12 cents per U.S.
dollar at 9:53 a.m. in Toronto, compared with 97.10 cents
yesterday. It earlier touched 96.83 cents.

Todays report showed that manufacturing expanded 2.8
percent in January, the largest jump since September 2003. The
gain followed a 0.8 percent increase in December. Fabricated
metal product makers and motor vehicles and parts factories had
the largest increases, Statistics Canada said.

Bombardier Inc. will have at least 300 orders for its new
CSeries commercial airliner by the time the jet goes into
service in 2013, up from 90 now, Gary Scott, the head of
Bombardiers commercial aerospace division, said March 14 at a
conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The economy is central in the campaign for the election
that Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper called for May 2
after his government was toppled by opposition parties. Harper
has said a fragile recovery is at risk because opposition
parties rejected the March 22 budget, which ended a two-year
stimulus plan while offering C$7.6 billion in new measures over
five years.

G-7s Fastest

Canadas economy grew at a 3.3 percent annualized pace in
the period from October to December, the fastest pace among
Group of Seven nations, Statistics Canada reported Feb. 28, due
in part to the biggest jump in exports since 2004. The expansion
had slowed to a pace of 1.8 percent in the third quarter from
5.5 percent in the first quarter of 2010.

Wholesaling rose for a fourth straight month in January, by
0.7 percent, while construction advanced 0.4 percent. Output in
the finance, insurance and real estate industry rose 0.5
percent.

Mining and oil and gas extraction declined 0.5 percent, the
first drop since September.

In a separate report, Statistics Canada said today non-farm
payrolls fell 5,700 in January from December to 14.84 million
people. Total hours worked grew 2.9 percent in the month, from a
year ago. Average weekly earnings grew 4.2 percent on the year
in January, the report said.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Doug Alexander in Ottawa at
dalexander3@bloomberg.net
Greg Quinn in Ottawa at
gquinn1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Christopher Wellisz at
cwellisz@bloomberg.net;
David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net.

Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-31/canada-s-economy-expanded-for-fourth-straight-month-on-factory-output.html

Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:44pm BST

Article source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/markets-canada-dollar-idUSTZOVEE7V420110331

By Randall Palmer

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian producer prices and raw material prices rose far faster than expected in February, but analysts said these price pressures have yet to turn up in consumer inflation.

Statistics Canada said on Wednesday that industrial product prices were up 0.7 percent in February from the month before, more than double the 0.3 percent forecast by analysts surveyed by Reuters. The rise was led by a 3.0 percent jump in prices for oil and coal products.

Raw material prices rose by 1.8 percent, more than three times the 0.5 percent pace forecast by economists. This was mainly because of price increases for nonferrous metals, animals and vegetable products.

Scotia Capital economists Derek Holt and Gorica Djeric said the increase in industrial product prices is not yet showing itself in consumer prices. “It remains the case that this is at the expense of margins instead of being passed through to finished goods prices,” they said.

“That continues to say to us that inflation readings that matter to the BoC (Bank of Canada) continue to be well behaved,” they added.

Research In Motion has reached a deal with Intellectual Ventures that will give the BlackBerry maker access to more than 30,000 patents held by the intellectual property company.

Consumer price data released on March 18 showed annual inflation running at 2.2 percent in February, with prices for the month up 0.3 percent. The central bank’s core index, which excludes gasoline and some food, rose a paltry 0.9 percent on the year and 0.2 percent on the month.

The Bank of Canada’s inflation target is 2 percent.

Continued…

Article source: http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCATRE72T30W20110330

Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:21am EDT

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/markets-canada-dollar-bonds-idUSN3119258320110331

Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:21am EDT

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/markets-canada-dollar-bonds-idUSN3119258320110331

Beginning of Story Content

Canada’s economy expanded in January by 0.5 per cent, the same pace as December, Statistics Canada said Thursday.

Canada’s economy grew by 0.5 per cent in January, helped in part by manufacturing. (Canadian Press)

The agency said the growth was driven by manufacturing and, to a lesser extent, by transportation and wholesale trade.

The finance and insurance sector, construction and real estate also increased, while mining and oil and gas extraction as well as retail trade decreased.

More to come

End of Story Content

Back to accessibility links

Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/03/31/business-gdp-jan.html