In the news today: Statistics Canada to release September jobs report

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Statistics Canada to release September jobs report

Statistics Canada is expected to provide its latest snapshot of the job market this morning when it releases its labour force survey for the month of September.

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• Trudeau touts progress on pharmacare, calls on premiers to cut deals
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Economists polled by Reuters are forecasting the Canadian economy added 27,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate to have ticked higher to 6.7 per cent.

The economy added 22,000 jobs in August as the unemployment rate rose to 6.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Canada is expected to release its business outlook survey and its Canadian survey of consumer expectations this morning.

The reports come ahead of the central bank’s interest rate decision later this month on Oct. 23.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Saskatchewan NDP set to release full platform

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck is expected to release her full election campaign platform today.

Beck is set to be in Saskatoon this morning.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe, meanwhile, has a scheduled stop in the village of Kenaston.

The Saskatchewan Party has not yet released its full platform.

The provincial election is on Oct. 28.

B.C. billionaire posts third sign criticizing NDP

British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby’s own riding.

The latest sign outside the Lululemon co-founder’s home says that if Eby and his party can’t balance B.C.’s budget then “what right does he have to tell us how to live our lives?”

The NDP has said their platform promises this election would cause government revenue to drop by more than $1.5 billion, while it forecasts the province’s budget deficit to increase next year to $9.6 billion.

Wilson’s first sign referred to the NDP as “communist,” while the second said Eby gives money away that he has already taken away from voters.

Both signs were quickly vandalized.

Blair expected to face questions about warrant

Former public safety minister Bill Blair is expected to face questions at a federal inquiry today about why it took much longer than usual to sign off on a spy service warrant in 2021.

A commission of inquiry into foreign interference has heard that it took 54 days for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warrant application to be approved by Blair.

The average turnaround time for such applications is four to 10 days.

Michelle Tessier, CSIS deputy director of operations during the period, has told the inquiry there was frustration with the delay.

Blair, now defence minister, has already told the inquiry behind closed doors he first became aware of the warrant application on the date he recalls signing it.

Swissair Flight 111 filming hits close to home

Kris Holden-Ried, clad in a dark pea coat and bright red scarf, stands in a patch of sunlight on the edge of Griffin’s Pond in the Halifax Public Gardens, with the early morning light casting a glow on him as he looks across the water.

The Canadian-born actor isn’t taking in the sights of the lush trees and urban waterfowl — he’s shooting a film in which he plays Saul, a bereaved father from Westchester, N.Y., recently arrived in Halifax to identify the remains of his son killed in the crash of Swissair Flight 111.

Set to premiere next year, the film “111” is a joint Canadian-Swiss production that follows the interwoven stories of four people in the aftermath of the Sept. 2, 1998 Swissair crash near Peggy’s Cove, N.S. The MD-11 jet plunged into the Atlantic Ocean about 70 minutes into a routine flight from New York City to Geneva after a fire broke out in the ceiling and caused several system failures. All 229 people on board were killed.

In addition to Saul, the drama follows two Swiss characters: one who loses her mother and a Swiss airline worker who travels to Halifax after the crash as part of a care team. The film also follows some of the Nova Scotia fishermen who were the first ones on the water to search for survivors.

Nova Scotia was especially rocked by the crash. Several fishers raced out to Peggy’s Cove — a famous tourist site southwest of Halifax — as soon as they heard the thunderous boom of the plane hitting the ocean, only to return plagued by the horrors of the scene.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press