Seven months after making the promise to farm leaders, health minister Allan Rock has appointed a senior departmental official responsible for rural health services.
John Wootton, a physician from rural west Quebec, has been appointed Health Canada’s executive director of rural health.
In making the announcement, Rock said Wootton would be responsible for bringing “the perspective of rural Canada” to departmental discussions of policy and programs.
“Dr. Wootton will play a key role in bringing that perspective to the work of the department and in advising me on rural issues as they relate to health care and health promotion,” said the minister.
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He first made the promise to appoint a rural voice when he spoke in February to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture annual meeting in Ottawa.
The government announcement said Wootton will “report on rural health care and population health issues, identify areas for further research and represent the department on government-wide committees examining rural issues.”
Inflation keeps dropping
Canada’s annual inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, fell to 0.8 percent in August, its lowest annual rate in years.
Food inflation for the year ending in August was 1.4 percent, according to Statistics Canada. During the month, increases in beef and chicken prices raised the meat price index by close to one percent. In the past six years, the federal agency says average food prices have increased just over nine percent.
It’s not a windfall, says minister
Finance minister Paul Martin continues to warn Canadians not to count their budget surplus chickens before they are hatched.
Volatile world conditions could hurt government finances and reduce the size of the expected 1998-99 surplus, he continues to tell those who are lobbying for new spending.
But during the first third of the fiscal year, there was no sign of the disappearing black ink. The federal surplus kept building.
According to finance department figures, the federal government ran a $7.4 billion surplus during the April to July period, $1.4 billion more than the previous year.
Tax revenues were up and spending was down. However, the department said subsidies and transfers to agriculture were up 16 percent from last year to $130 million during the four months.
Tourists happy to visit
The weak Canadian dollar has been bad news for importers but great for the tourist industry.
The Canadian Tourism Commission reported American tourists spent 30 percent more in Canada during the first six months of the year than they did last year.
Meanwhile, fewer Canadians were traveling south and Canadian spending in the United States was 2.3 percent lower than last year.
Canada’s traditional travel deficit fell 17.5 percent to $3 billion during the six months.
