Close X
    Saturday, November 30, 2024
    ADVT 
    National

    Revellers Brave The Heat To Celebrate Canada Day On Parliament Hill

    Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Jul, 2018 01:42 PM
      OTTAWA — A scorching heat wave has kept crowds on Parliament Hill smaller than usual for Canada Day festivities in the nation's capital.
       
       
      Paramedics in Ottawa have been busy responding to holiday revellers in distress, mainly due to the heat. Temperatures were above 34 C with a humidex that reached 47 C in the afternoon.
       
       
      Ottawa Paramedic Services says as of 2 p.m., their members had attended to 54 patients at Canada Day events. Seven people were taken to hospital with heat illnesses or heart problems.
       
       
      Both Ottawa police and the parliamentary police force say there have been no security incidents on or around Parliament Hill.
       
       
      But officials do say they've noticed a drop in the number of participants this year, which they attribute mainly to the heat.
       
       
      Canadian Heritage says only 6,000 people attended the noon-hour show on Parliament Hill — thousands less than last year.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
      TRUDEAU THANKS CANADIANS FOR STANDING UP FOR EACH OTHER AS COUNTER-TARIFFS BEGIN
       
       
       
      OTTAWA — As the country celebrates Canada Day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on the road highlighting the stand he has taken against the U.S. government's decision to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum products.
       
       
      Speaking in Leamington, Ont., Sunday morning, Trudeau thanked residents and Canadians for always standing up for one another and for Canadian values.
       
       
      "This is who we are, we're there for each other in times of difficulty, in times of opportunity. We lean on each other and we stand strong and that's what we do from coast to coast to coast," Trudeau said.
       
       
      The Ontario town is one of three stops the prime minister will make today as he crosses the country, and one of two stops designed to reflect the looming trade war between Canada and the United States.
       
       
      Trudeau met with workers at a major canning and food processing operation in Leamington where the tomato paste used in French's ketchup is made and later today will visit a major steel refinery in Regina — two industries at the centre of the trade dispute.
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Trudeau's counter-tariffs take effect today — a month after the Trump administration slapped duties on U.S. steel and aluminum imports from Canada and other allies.
       
       
      Canada's response includes imposing $16.6 billion worth of tariffs on a long list of consumer products that come from a wide range of sectors — from beer kegs, to ballpoint pens, to ketchup.
       
       
      On Friday Trudeau spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump by telephone, reiterating that Canada has had "no choice" but to take countermeasures against the U.S. tariffs.
       
       
      It appears Trump, too, is not backing down.
       
       
      In an interview that aired Sunday morning, Trump said he will delay signing a revised version of the North American Free Trade Agreement until after the U.S. midterms in November in hopes of reaching a better deal.
       
       
      He said he could quickly sign an agreement with Mexico and Canada, "but I'm not happy with it. I want to make it more fair." 
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
      In the interview on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo," Trump again threatened to impose tariffs on imported cars, trucks and auto parts, saying, "The cars are the big ones." The move has been viewed as a possible negotiating ploy to restart NAFTA talks, which could resume following Sunday's elections in Mexico.
       
       
      U.S. tariffs on auto imports would be a major blow to Canada's economy because of the importance of the auto industry plays in the country. The U.S. Commerce Department is expected to hold hearings on auto tariffs in late July and to complete its investigation into auto imports later this summer.
       
       
      Despite the tense political rhetoric among leaders, Trudeau kept his remarks upbeat and patriotic on Canada Day as he spoke to a crowd in Leamington.
       
       
      He praising Canadians for their supportive attitudes in the face of a trade dispute with its largest trading partner.
       
       
      "There is so much to be proud of as a country, but the thing we always have to be most proud of is Canadians ourselves — the way we step, the way we lean on each other, the way we're creative and optimistic about the future, the way we look at challenges as opportunities, to grow, to build, to be there for each other. That's what the message we're celebrating on Canada Day.
       
       
      Trudeau was speaking on the front steps of Highbury Canco with CEO Sam Diab.
       
       
      Diab said in an interview that the tomato-processing facility will increase prices of its products as a response to the Canada and U.S. trade dispute.
       
       
      However, the company does not plan on laying off any workers or shrinking its production, Diab said.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Trudeau got a tour of the facility and the two spoke about the trade environment and how Diab supports Trudeau with the retaliatory tariffs.
       
       
      "We just need closure so that we can move forward and companies can start investing again," said Diab, adding that the prime minister's visit to the company made him feel more "confident" in the market.
       
       
      "Our company will survive no matter what."
       
       
      Revellers on Parliament Hill who braved scorching temperatures to take in the festivities in Ottawa also expressed support for Trudeau's hard line against Trump on trade.
       
       
      Angela Egan said she feels Trump is trying to "bully" Canada into submission.
       
       
      "I'm glad that Justin Trudeau is standing up to him, because I feel like that's his modus operandi, he just tries to bully to get his way and we need to stand up for ourselves," she said.
       
       
      "I think if you stand up to him, he'll back down."
       
       
      Ian Cross of Prince Edward Island says he does not believe Canada-U.S. relations are being damaged too deeply by the current trade spat.
       
       
      "I think we'll get through this. Everybody has to go through different arguments and discussions. People do it, families do it, so I don't think this is a big deal."
      Prev Next

      MORE National ARTICLES

      Campers In Notorious Surrey, B.C., Neighbourhood To Move To Temporary Housing

      Campers In Notorious Surrey, B.C., Neighbourhood To Move To Temporary Housing
      SURREY, B.C. — A long-time tent encampment for the homeless in Surrey, B.C., could begin shutting down as supportive housing and shelter beds are opened up in the Vancouver suburb.

      Campers In Notorious Surrey, B.C., Neighbourhood To Move To Temporary Housing

      Crown Wants Two-year Prison Term For Quebec Man Who Sexually Assaulted Student

       A Crown prosecutor has recommended that a schizophrenic Quebec man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a female university student be sentenced to two years in prison.

      Crown Wants Two-year Prison Term For Quebec Man Who Sexually Assaulted Student

      I Didn't Consent, Woman Tells Court Martial Of Halifax Military Cop

      HALIFAX — A military officer has told a Halifax court martial she did not consent to sex with a military policeman charged with sexual assault.

      I Didn't Consent, Woman Tells Court Martial Of Halifax Military Cop

      Toronto Police Allege 57-Year-Old Man Pushed Another Man To His Death

      Toronto police say a 57-year-old man faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of a man who was apparently pushed in front of a train at one of the city's busiest subway stations Monday morning.

      Toronto Police Allege 57-Year-Old Man Pushed Another Man To His Death

      Global Refugee Numbers Reach New High, U.S. And Canada Take In Record Numbers

      Global Refugee Numbers Reach New High, U.S. And Canada Take In Record Numbers
        The annual Global Trends report from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees shows the world total of displaced people was 68.5 million last year.

      Global Refugee Numbers Reach New High, U.S. And Canada Take In Record Numbers

      Opioid Death Toll Nearly 4,000 Last Year, New Data Shows

      Opioid Death Toll Nearly 4,000 Last Year, New Data Shows
      New government figures show that nearly 4,000 Canadians died from apparent opioid overdoses last year, with men the most likely victims and fentanyl the clear culprit.

      Opioid Death Toll Nearly 4,000 Last Year, New Data Shows

      PrevNext