News

Montreal Gazette
PAGE: A13

"People will have to get past the emotional attachment to the penny.

No one wanted to give up the dollar bill, either."

NDP MP Pat Martin, who wants to drop the use of Canada's one-cent coin, saying it's outdated and useless.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
PAGE: A10

A penny for his thoughts? Not even close. Someone should wish NDP MP Pat Martin $30 million for his thoughts -- in particular his thought that it is past time the penny was abolished in Canada.

The $30 million is the amount the Canadian Mint would save annually by abolishing the penny, says a study by the Library of Parliament, which Mr. Martin is using to bolster his argument that the penny should no longer nickel and dime Canadians.

The production of the penny, which is no longer made of copper but steel, is not the problem. The mint mints them for 0.7 cents each, which means a penny is still actually worth something, but not much. The problem with pennies is that Canadians lose them, throw them away or store them in buckets by the millions. Last year the mint stamped out 815 million pennies. At 2.35 grams each, they are in weight as they are in value -- pretty much nothing. But together, they weigh almost two million kilograms. Moving all the coins from the mint to banks costs about $33 million. And for what? So that Canadians can toss them into give-a-penny-take-a-penny trays at cash registers or, more likely, into a penny jar on the kitchen counter.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
PAGE: A6
byline: Nisha Tuli

If MP Pat Martin gets his way, you'll never again have to root around in your change purse for a penny.

Martin is drafting a private member's bill to discontinue the use of the one cent coin.

"We think the time has come to put the penny to rest," said Martin.

"They weigh a ton, they're a nuisance, and they've lost their purchasing power." According to Martin, it costs 5.95 cents to produce a penny. He said the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg would save$30 million per year if it stopped making pennies.

That information comes from a study done by the Library of Parliament using data it obtained from the mint.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
PAGE: A6
byline: Mia Rabson

Manitoba's senior federal cabinet minister Vic Toews' trip to North Dakota today is ill-conceived and potentially could undermine Manitoba's years-long fight against the Devils Lake outlet, political opponents said Wednesday.

Toews will meet with North Dakota officials and tour the Devils Lake area this morning. He is travelling there hoping to secure a solution to the feud over the controversial Devils Lake outlet without the use of the courts.

But Manitoba NDP MP Pat Martin told the Free Press Toews should leave negotiations over the Devils Lake outlet to the province and his federal counterparts who are better equipped to address the issue.

Winnipeg Free Press
PAGE: A8
byline: PAUL SAMYN

Elections Canada let Liberal MP Belinda Stronach skirt a deadline for the settling of outstanding financial questions about her 2004 campaign run before the last federal election.

Documents obtained by the Free Press show Stronach's campaign was officially notified on Sept. 12, 2005, that an Elections Canada review had determined she had failed to dispose of a $31,000 campaign surplus from her first successful run as a Tory MP.

In that letter from the director of Elections Canada's political

financing and audit unit, Stronach's official agent was told the surplus had to be resolved by Nov. 18, 2005. The letter also included a pointed reminder that failure to deal with the surplus as required could result in convictions under the Canada Elections Act.

The Province
Page: A44
byline: Elizabeth Thompson

OTTAWA - He's one of Quebec's highest-profile tax avoiders -- moving to Ireland, and then to Switzerland to avoid paying Canadian and Quebec income taxes.

For the past little while, successful songwriter Luc Plamondon is also the owner of an Order of Canada pin, presented to those who, through their achievements, set an example for other Canadians.

Ironically, the presentation of Plamondon's Order of Canada pin by Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean in a private ceremony in April comes as the Conservative government is moving to crack down on tax avoidance by Canadian companies.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
PAGE: A6
byline: Paul Samyn

The next head of the Canadian Wheat Board will not be allowed to lead any political fights, even though the Winnipeg-based agency is battling for its life with the Harper government.

The job posting for the CWB's president and chief executive officer makes clear that the successful candidate will allow the farmer-elected directors to lead dealings with politicians.

The clause appears designed to avoid a repeat of the leadership style practised by former president Adrian Measner. His willingness to go toe to toe with the Harper Tories over their plan to end the board's barley monopoly led to Measner's sacking in December.

The Calgary Sun
PAGE: 30
BYLINE: CP

Health Canada will delay regulation of trans fats in Canadian food products for at least two years, calling instead for industry to voluntarily limit use of the heart-clogging compounds.

Critics blame the delay on opposition from the U.S. government, whose food industry would face complications exporting to Canada if Ottawa introduced binding limits.

But some health activists were pleased with yesterday's announcement, noting Health Minister Tony Clement has adopted the targets recommended by a multi-stakeholder task force which reported last year.

Winnipeg Free Press
PAGE: A131
BYLINE: CNS Jack Aubry

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife mistakenly accepted some gifts from private companies or individuals during their first year in office, but have decided it is too late to return them, a spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office says.

Carolyn Stewart Olsen said the prime minister keeps gifts valued between $200 and $1,000 that he receives from other state leaders and government representatives, such as ambassadors to Canada, while all gifts over $1,000 are turned over to the federal treasury. However, the prime minister's policy is that gifts from private companies and individuals are not accepted.

OTTAWA – For decades, the fine men and women of the Canadian military were unwittingly exposed to toxic materials like asbestos.

“Asbestos was widely used in submarines and warships,” said NDP Veterans Critic Peter Stoffer (Sackville – Eastern Shore). “Thousands of soldiers and civilian workers were exposed and many are now becoming sick. This government must stop fighting claims and accept responsibility.”

Workplace asbestos-related diseases account for over 60% of all deaths from occupational diseases in Canada and more 100,000 deaths each year around the world.

“Asbestos is the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known,” said NDP Ethics critic Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre). “All employers must be taking asbestos disease very seriously and we must improve our diagnostics and treatment of these diseases.”