National food prices took a sharp hike in December, pushed by higher fruit, vegetable and meat prices.
The increases are blamed partly on cold weather in the southern United States and Mexico and partly on higher fuel costs that raise the cost of processing and transporting food to stores.
Statistics Canada recently reported that December’s increases pushed food inflation in 2000 to 3.2 percent, the highest increase in years.
At the same time, higher oil prices raised the general Canadian inflation rate to 3.2 percent, the sharpest increase in five years.
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The federal agency said that if the 16.2 percent increase in energy costs is taken out of the formula, the 2000 inflation rate would have been a modest 1.5 percent.
However, increases in food prices paid by consumers also played a part.
Because of reduced fresh vegetable and fruit supplies from the U.S. and Mexico in December after harsh November weather, vegetable prices rose almost 17 percent during the month and fresh fruit prices were up 6.5 percent.
How dare they
Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day has been having a rough ride recently. Party critics sniped at his performance during last autumn’s federal election, and it became known that Alberta taxpayers are on the hook for close to $800,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit filed against him by a Red Deer lawyer.
Then, it got worse.
A magazine that promotes Ottawa included the opposition leader in a list of the capital city’s 100 most influential people.
And worse, for a party that regularly accuses other politicians of becoming infected with the “Ottawa disease” by forgetting their roots when they are elected to Parliament, OttawaLife magazine suggested that Day actually likes the national capital.
“He and his wife Val have embraced the capital in a very warm manner,” the magazine said. “He is a politician from outside Ottawa who is not anti-Ottawa. How refreshing.”
Is another defamation suit in the works?
