Creating Canadians: Liberals' Response to Syrian Refugees Playing With Opportunity Costs In Order to Create and Buy Votes

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-has-spent-32-million-on-flights-for-syrian-refugees/article28922757/

An older article but in light of the recent bewildering events of this "Sunny Ways" federal government, the opportunity costs it is incurring are staggering - all with the aim of buying more votes.  In other words the government is essentially "creating Canadians" out of these refugees to vote Liberal as their thanks. If the refugee claim system operated genuinely and for compassionate purposes, then compassion does not work that way.

Later it was released that the level of refugees flown to Canada ( versus walking across the border or making their way to Canada in the aim of a refugee claim) was 50,000.  According to this article on average C$1,500 was the cost despite lower commercial flight costs and a "markup" on behalf of our friendly "International Organization for Migration" (who?) Of 7.0%, this equates to $75 million.

NEB Approves Trans Mountain Pipeline: Let's See What Teeth The Liberals, Courts and NEB Have With This Now in Hand

http://nationalpost.com/commodities/energy/national-energy-board-recommends-approval-of-trans-mountain-pipeline-subject-to-16-new-conditions/wcm/e07a690b-2d74-430a-b378-d5d6cb704f53

Why is the Loonie Still Above $0.75 CAD/USD? A Government in Crisis, Denial Mode, Nonsensical Carbon Taxes On The Horizon and Resources Sector In A Shambles By The Liberals Own Doing

http://business.financialpost.com/commodities/crisis-of-our-own-making-regulatory-logjam-has-cost-100b-in-cancelled-resource-projects

Not only along with the Federal Liberals but also at the provincial level in BC and Alberta, Canada and its provinces are shooting itself in the foot....chronically.

Combined with a wishy washy outlook form our dear Bank of Canada Governor Poloz (citing a precarious real estate market, uncertain outlook due to trade agreements/tariffs and the unmentionable effect of carbon taxes - he's an economist, he should know better!), who seems to avoid panicking apathetic, heads in the sand Canadians.

What do the world markets (not) see?  Why does the Loonie maintain its $0.75 CAD/USD trading range?

Why is the Loonie Still Above $0.75 CAD/USD? A Government in Crisis, Denial Mode, Nonsensical Carbon Taxes On The Horizon and Resources Sector In A Shambles By The Liberals Own Doing

http://business.financialpost.com/commodities/crisis-of-our-own-making-regulatory-logjam-has-cost-100b-in-cancelled-resource-projects

Not only along with the Federal Liberals but also at the provincial level in BC and Alberta, Canada and its provinces are shooting itself in the foot....chronically.

Combined with a wishy washy outlook form our dear Bank of Canada Governor Poloz (citing a precarious real estate market, uncertain outlook due to trade agreements/tariffs and the unmentionable effect of carbon taxes - he's an economist, he should know better!), who seems to avoid panicking apathetic, heads in the sand Canadians.

What do the world markets (not) see?  Why does the Loonie maintain its $0.75 CAD/USD trading range?

Is "Sunny Ways" Governing Over For Justin?

After the resignation yesterday of Gerald Butts, Trudeau's trusted and sacrificial right hand man,  there is no shortage of negative federal Liberal news. 

As I scroll down the National Post phone app this morning, there are no less than six headlines about he SNC Lavalin affair and how the Liberals have botched the responses, messaging and strategy behind what actually was said between Wilson-Raybould and members of the governing Liberals.

The article that broke this consecutive string was another Liberal related articel titled, "This Photograph (and others) of Harjit Sajjan cost Canadians $161,000".   

How many more gaffes can this government perform before even the most apathetic Canadian voter casts his/her vote elsewhere come October, 2019?

Sunny Ways? Did it ever start?

Finally The Media Has Recognized the "Problem" of Canada's Housing Affordability - And It Is NOT a Supply Issue

https://business.financialpost.com/diane-francis/money-laundering-by-foreigners-is-whats-really-destroying-housing-affordability-in-canada?video_autoplay=true#comments-area

Diane Francis, once again, approaches a topic that sometimes ruffles feathers due to the mere mentions of  "Foreigner" activities and domestic activities. 

Her suggestions are spot on, but of course not exhaustive:

"The disclosure of beneficial owners is a key solution. Otherwise, for example, real estate can be bought by a proxy person or company. Typically, funds come from a trust, managed by a shell company owned by another trust with an account in Luxembourg or Vanuatu, managed by a Swiss or Singaporean banker who doesn’t know the owner. Such arrangements must be illegal. The U.S. Treasury Department now requires beneficial ownership disclosure.

This is what Canada must do to drive out dirty money and get prices in line:

— Create a public registry of beneficial owners, and penalties for non-disclosure;
— Lawyers, real estate agents and notaries must report suspicious owners and transactions, as is now required of banks;
—  Speculation must be stopped by taxing residences that are unoccupied, which will also free up supply; and
— Where real estate prices have soared above affordable levels for locals, bans on foreign ownership should be imposed as has been done in New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Poland and Malta, among others."

For Context: US Debt (And Working The Canadian Numbers)

http://nationalpost.com/news/the-utterly-unbelievable-scale-of-u-s-debt-right-now

For the Federal Liberals, When Does it Stop?

As if the i) SNC Lavalin spin, ii) taken to court in Saskatchewan over the ram-down-Canadians'-throat carbont tax and iii) the Mark Norman/Davie Shipbuilding and hastily retired MP Scott Brison's alledged involvement was not enough, now we have:

1) Trudeau claiming that Wilson-Rayould did not ask of him direction on the SNC Lavalin affair and would still be in her Attorney General position if...MP Scott Brison did not retire, and
2) in order to "change the channel", the Johnny Sunshine announces $40 million handed to Blackberry - a company that has its shares publicly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange for such purposes - yet the Liberal government decides to hand our tax dollars to this entity. 

What a week!!! When will the final nail in the coffin arrive?

Ex-MP Scott Brison HIred By Bank of Montreal...?

Two things:

1) He "retired" (despite sudden and unexpected) to spend more time with his husband and two daughters

2) Will Bank of Montreal be happy when he is spending so much time on his court dealings as it will relate to his relationship with the Irving family and alledged meddling in the Mark Norman/Davie Shipbuilding affair?

SNC-:Lavalin: Budget Implementation Act With Buried Changes to Criminal Code

556-page Budget Implementation Act  https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/2018_12.pdf

After the 24 pages of table of contents and preamble, on page 532 is the beginning of amendments to the criminal code, in which applies to SNC Lavalin, and ex-Minister of Justice Wilson-Raybould

Selective Acceptance of Law and Selective Geography of Votes for The Federal Liberals

Pipeline shutdown due to the courts' decision? Accept it, throw your Federal hands up in the air and blame Harper on how the Federals, Alberta and Canadians arrived here. No more appeal, no more progress.

Potential criminal charges against a Quebec based company that is also a key donor to the Liberal party? Create a  new, lighter law with weak monetary fines for such a case and lean on a would be "independent in job description" member of your cabinet to pull a legal Jedi mind trick.

http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/braid-rule-of-law-gets-shaky-when-quebec-liberal-votes-at-stake/wcm/ac5fa3e2-40a9-45cf-8185-8e8f35ccf4b0

The "Minister Of Imaginantion" is Trying to Justify His 3.5 Years In Office Today...and Possibly Deflect from Other SNC-Lavalin/Justice Minister News

Stop the press! "Minister of Imagination", the least visible Minister of the top portfolios under this government is actually doing something. Maybe we will discover what he does all day. After almost 3.5 years at his post, we will have a 100 page report. (I do not understand how he is going to get 100 pages out of this, maybe a picture book)

"...Next week, he will release a 100-page government report called Building a Nation of Innovators that mostly serves as a collection of the various policies, programs, plans and funding mechanisms the government has undertaken under the auspices of innovation..."

https://business.financialpost.com/technology/navdeep-bains-interview-innovation?fbclid=IwAR1J9LHQD3mX7mHIQwqI23JmGe7eYcwi55A9h5dUlGP5EaHnaYLJ1gfnI44

And from the House of Commons today, wherefore art thou Justin?

Continued...2019: Let's Count The Ways Of How Things Are Going Wrong With The Sunny Ways Liberals So Far...

...and now a SNC-Lavalin scandal whereby a law was changed in SNC-Lavalin's favour.  Just? Warranted? Only if you are a large Liberal donater. 

Gold Implying $1,340/oz by March Based on the Options Market

Based on the option chain for the underlying SPDR Gold Shares (GLD:NYSE), we can see the heavier open interestes around US$1,240/oz to US$1,270/oz for the SPDR Gold ETF.  Since this ETF trades at an approximate U$70/oz discount to the actual spot gold price, thereby implying a ~US$1,340/oz gold price. 

With US governemnt shutdowns, deteriorating Chinese economic and default data, calming but still outstanding trade wars, some central bank buying and flattening interest rates it may be easy to see a US$55/oz increase in the near term.

Is GM On The Verge Of A Repeat? UNIFOR's Dias Would Like It To Based On HIs Half Brained "Boycott" Campaign (Pensioners and Future Pensioners Be Very Concerned)

UNIFOR's Jerry Dias is sending the wrong message - if he truly wants to save auto jobs at companies like GM, he should suggest to BUYING their cars.

As GM has posted its year end results, the Canadian public at large falling victim to the one way auto workers union ads and criticism from its leader Dias, focuses on two numbers - US$8 Billion "profit" as posted by GM yesterday for 2018 and a multi-billion figure (that no Canadian can actually quote but they just know its big) "bailout" that occurred due to the Global Financial Crisis of 2018.  With only these two numbers in their heads, Canadians are infuriated and blindly throw their anger at GM while boycotting the cars they make.  This is the wrong approach.

For context and clarificaiton, US$8 BIlion is an "accounting profit", this is not CASH!  Looking further, GM only posted US$5.6 Billion in CASH! generation for 2018....on US$147 Billion of revenues! That is, approximately 3.0% of revenues! These are grocery store like margins!

Upon further investigation, for 2017 and 2018 it was a wash for CASH! generation.  There was ~US$2.0 Billion CASH! lost followed by a year of US$2.0 Billion CASH! generated.

In other words, looking at the last three years, ~U$452 Billion of revenues were generated, yet only US$5.6 Billion in CASH! was generated.  THIS IS NOT A HEALTHY BUSINESS!!!

Nevermind the US$86 Billion in Long Term Debts.  This, unfortunately, does not even include the US$16 Billion of Pension obligations.  If I was expecting a pension from GM, I would be very concerned. 

If Canadians truly want any chance of Oshawa receiving some benefit from GM they had better start BUYING GM cars, NOT BOYCOTTING GM.  This is not a healthy business, and for those that will benefit from the Pensions line in the balacne sheet, GM is going to need all the help it can get, not boycotts.

And the Lottery For the Most Sought After Ticker for a Publicly Listed Company Has Been Won...

POT

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-03/pot-ticker-generates-frenzy-as-who-softens-stance-on-marijuana?srnd=premium-canada

Tax Tips For Retirees: Beyond the RRSP

http://business.financialpost.com/personal-finance/taxes/three-tips-to-help-retirees-minimize-their-taxes-and-maximize-their-cash-flow

2019: Let's Count The Ways Of How Things Are Going Wrong With The Sunny Ways Liberals So Far...

• Immigration - first come first serve immigrants (Parents to be "re-united" with Canadian immigrants. It is made to sound like the children were taken away from them to Canada. 
• Raj Grewal - resign? not resign? Liberal? Independent?  Illegal entry still occurring.
• Carbon Taxes - no pipeline, so why a carbon tax? It's -35 degrees in a lot of the country!
• China handling and John McCallum - we still have Canadians locked up and one facing an a more severe and upgraded punishment of death!!!  Justin's non-answer to the question posed in House of Commons 
• Pipeline? Still no pipeline (but hello carbon tax) 
• Housing - (appearing to) cater to millenials in order to purchase a new home.  All the while making it harder for everyone else with stress tests, etc thereby forcing Canadians to forego the biggest tax free investment of their lives meanwhile the Liberal Government taxes all those million dollar investments in the meantime. 
• Others to follow...

More Unnecessary Leftist Attitude That is Bringing Canada Down - The CBC Compares Netflix to a HIstoric "Empire" Like the English, French....?

What? She actually made this comparison?

So add this comment along with what's happening in the country and Canada is the country of business sabotage - hinder Canadian businesses with regulations of the highest degree, shut down entire industries with intentional regulations and laws to bog down that indusrty, burden businesses with additional taxes (carbon) and dictating salary levels, allow Candian companies to be acquired...but now block international companies coming to Canada? Absurd.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/cbc-president-tait-warns-of-cultural-imperialism-danger-from-netflix