ISLAMABAD: A recent statement made by Prime Minister Imran Khan about the economic woes of Canada has put his personality and way of tackling state affairs into question.
Not only within Pakistan but internationally and particularly the Canadian citizens criticized Khan’s speech and termed it ‘misguided’.
Canada is a federation of ten provinces and three territories with a total population of 38.456 million residents with a quarterly change of 0.5 per cent upward trend and ranked in the world population index at 37th point.
According to official data of the statistics department of Canada, the unemployment rate during the next four years is projected at 5.02 per cent in 2026 while this rate was recorded for early 2022 as 6.5 per cent showing a massive decrease of 32.29 per cent if compared with the calendar year 2020.
The statistics recorded by the Canadian government, the overall poverty rate went from 14.5 per cent to 11 per cent, however, the marginalized groups experienced disproportionately little high levels of poverty.
These groups include unattached individuals, people in sole-caregiver families, recent immigrants, persons with disabilities, children, and First Nations people living on-reserve.
The premier of Pakistan, Imran Khan in an address to the nation on 23rd January 2022 said that more than 40 per cent Canadian citizens may have to face food insecurity because of hike in prices.
The statement was criticized by the opposition political parties and discussed in different talk shows on private media outlets and social media platforms.
According to the poverty reduction strategy paper of Canada, the ruling party under incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is focused to achieve the target to bring the unemployment rate down up to 5 per cent in the next four years while promoting government-wide investments.
All Statistics Canada and federal population-based surveys have been asking inclusive questions and providing inclusive response options on women and gender equity; indigenous heritage, immigration/refugee status, race/ethnicity, disability, prior or current institutionalization, and sexual orientation and gender identity, to allow for routine disaggregation of data to support better decision-making and reporting of poverty disparities.
The office of the Canadian High Commission in Pakistan shared statistics with this scribe, revealing that Canadians continued to feel the impact of rising prices for groceries in December 2021, as unfavorable weather conditions during the growing season and supply chain disruptions put upward pressure on prices.
Supply chain disruptions also led to higher prices for durable goods, including passenger vehicles and household appliances, while higher construction costs and the increased frequency and severity of weather events contributed to rising home and mortgage insurance costs.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.8 per cent on a year-over-year basis in December 2021, up from a 4.7 per cent gain in November. Excluding gasoline, the CPI rose 4.0 per cent year over year.
On a monthly basis, the CPI fell 0.1 per cent in December, following a 0.2 per cent increase in November. This was the first monthly decline since December 2020, as gasoline prices fell in response to lower demand amid the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The senior politician and president UK chapter of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Mohsin Bari while speaking to the scribe said that such irresponsible statements affect not only the diplomatic relations between countries but also create problems for immigrants in the host country.
He was of the view that Canada is a country that offers one of the finest living standards not only for their citizens but also for the refugee and immigrants with maximum facilitations in accordance with prescribed rules and law.
‘The Pakistani citizens in Canada sent remittances worth $56.2 million to Pakistan only in the month of December 2021, a huge contribution’, Bari maintained.
A citizen from Canada, Khayyam Hussain while speaking on a call with The News Today said that the civic rights and even the way Trudeau regime tackled the pandemic situation, should be appreciated.
According to Canadian government’s statistics, the total corn for grain production rose 3.1 per cent to 14.0 million tonnes in 2021. Harvested area fell 1.3 per cent to 3.4 million acres, while yields rose 4.4 per cent to 160.2 bushels per acre.
Ontario farmers reported that harvested area decreased by 0.5 per cent to 2.1 million acres in 2021. The decrease in the harvested area was offset by higher yields, which rose 6.9 per cent to a record-high 175.2 bushels per acre, bringing production up 6.4 per cent from 2020 to 9.5 million tonnes.
Corn for grain production in Quebec was up 4.7 per cent from 2020, to 3.4 million tonnes. Harvested area fell 0.6 per cent to 882,300 acres, while yields rose 5.5 per cent to 152.6 bushels per acre.
The Canadian government on needs basis invests the resources to increase upstream investments in order to improve health. Canadians believe that investing in social services is akin to investing in health care, Hussain said.
Funding for housing, food security, education, child welfare, transportation, early learning, child care, etc., can improve health outcomes and reduce the need for spending in health care, he added.
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