Shrinking oil and gas industry means more job loss; Speaker refuses to weigh in on Philpott and Wilson-Raybould ousting

Oil and gas jobs losing ground as industry shrinks

The number of companies in Western Canada producing oil and gas is dropping.  The total number of companies has dropped by 17-and-a-half percent since oil prices crashed in 2014. Employment in the oil and gas sector is also expected to fall this year according to PetroLMI.  The sector is expected to shed 12,000 jobs.

Speaker says he can’t rule on Philpott’s claim Trudeau broke the law

The battle on Parliament Hill continues to rage on between ousted MP Jane Philpott and the Liberal party.  Today the Speaker of the House said he has no jurisdiction to rule on Philpott’s claim the prime minister broke parliamentary law by removing her and Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus.  The pair resigned from their cabinet roles over the handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair and now sit as Independents.

Bi-lateral trade deal in the works between Canada and Britain

A delay in the Brexit divorce from the European Union may mean good news for Canada. Britain’s envoy to Canada said it will give Britain more time to negotiate a trade deal with this country.  Until Britain leaves the EU they are not allowed to negotiate a free trade deal with other countries but high level meetings have already begun to get the ball rolling on a b-lateral trade deal.

Almost half of Canadians haven’t filed their tax returns

The old saying goes nothing in this life is as certain as death and taxes.  And according to a new survey 44-percent of Canadians haven’t filed their taxes yet.  Quebec leads the way with the most residents having already filed with B.C. bringing up the rear.  If you don’t file your taxes by April 30^th and you owe money, you could also be faced with penalties.

Canadian workers among the lowest taxed in developed countries

Most Canadians may feel like we are overtaxed but according to new data we are actually not that bad off.  The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development released its annual report of its 36 member countries.  Canada ranked 26^th lowest with workers paying 23-percent of their gross wages to the taxman, which is about 2.5-percent lower than the average member country.