Federal-Provincial Conference On Economy In Works

Mr. Harper said he understands the concerns about the rapid rise of the loonie, which closed at $1.06 U.S. today, but repeated his earlier position that monetary policy is the responsibility of the Bank of Canada. He did not set a date for the federal-provincial economic summit, but said he hopes to hold it before January. The fall election in Ontario and other scheduling issues had prevented him from convening a meeting earlier, he said. Asked what he would do to support manufacturers affected by the rising dollar, Mr. Harper said his government had already introduced a number of measures to support manufacturers in its recent mini-budget. Still, it is important that all the governments get together to discuss “the future of our economy,” he said. Earlier today, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said Canada's energy, manufacturing and agriculture sectors are feeling an economic pinch from the soaring Canadian dollar and it's time for premiers to start talking about solutions, including eliminating trade barriers between provinces. ... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071109.wconference1109/BNStory/National/

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