Wednesday, October 5, 2011

PRIME MINISTER HARPER LAUDS FILM BREAKAWAY!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Nav Bhatia
Photo: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Laureen Harper and Breakaway actor/co-screenwriter Vinay Virmani
Special screening on Parliament Hill Feature film Breakaway applauded by the Prime Minister and 800 guests, including MPs, senatorsand other dignitaries, after a successful opening weekend in theatres
StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-
Montreal, October 4, 2011 – The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, as well as MPs, senators and other parliamentary dignitaries, attended a special screening of the feature film Breakaway in Ottawa yesterday evening, October 3, 2011. The film received an extended and enthusiastic ovation from the 800 or so guests, including the High Commissioner of India to Canada, MPs and senators. Last night’s presentation of Breakaway followed on the heels of its successful opening weekend in Canadian theatres, where it took in more than $550,000 at the box office.


“This bodes well for the film’s career,” says Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada. “This double triumph shows that Breakaway has all it takes to delight audiences, including a fantastic storyline that revolves around hockey—a passion of Canadians—as well as outstanding actors, among them the excellent Vinay Virmani, who co-wrote the movie and stars in the lead role.

“Telefilm congratulates the entire team behind Breakaway, including director Robert Lieberman and producers Akshay Kumar, Ajay Virmani, Frank Siracusa, André Rouleau, Russell Peters, Clayton Peters and Don Carmody, for this wonderful movie that succeeds in terms of its skillful narrative and musical soundtrack. Our organization regularly participates in film screenings in Ottawa as a way of highlighting Canadian cultural success stories. In keeping with our most fervent wish, Breakaway is a movie that is sure to stimulate audience demand for Canadian content.”

Breakaway is a funny and touching film about cultural integration. It tells the eventful story of a young Sikh-Canadian man in Ontario, who, despite his strong belief in traditional family values, wants to become a hockey star. “This film is like our great country, it celebrates our differences as well as reflecting the Canadian immigrant story, in an entertaining way that is moving audiences all over the world. I truly believe this film only could have been in Canada. The way this country supports its arts and young filmmakers is truly remarkable,” says Vinay Virmani.

Breakaway is presented by Hari Om Entertainment and produced by First Take Entertainment, Whizbang Films, Caramel Films and Don Carmody Productions. It is distributed in Canada by Alliance Films, and stars Vinay Virmani, Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, Gupreet Chuggi Singh, Sakina Jaffrey, Noureen Dewulf and Rob Lowe, with Camilla Belle. Cameos by Drake, Ludacris and Bollywood megastar Akshay Kumar.



Evening organized by enthusiastic partners of Canadian cinema
Hosted by The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, the evening was organized with the enthusiastic collaboration of public- and private-sector partners First Take Entertainment, Alliance Films, Astral, Rogers, Zip.ca, CBC-Radio-Canada, the National Arts Centre, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Music Canada, Musicaction, Factor and Telefilm Canada.

Telefilm has been participating in film screenings in Ottawa for the past five years. In the last year, Gunless, Incendies and Barney’s Version were presented with great success on Parliament Hill. Breakaway has launched the new season of special screenings with a splash, in addition to starting its Canadian and international theatrical career. Check local listings for screenings of Breakaway in theatres near you.

About Telefilm Canada
Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian productions that appeal to domestic and international audiences. Telefilm also administers the Canada Media Fund’s programs. Visit www.telefilm.gc.ca

From Breakaway to Canada's Walk of Fame





Samita Nandy 
Celebrity Cultural Critic 

for StarBuzz
Celebrity Cultural Critic Samita Nandy on the fame of Russell Peters in Canada
StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Russell Peters is not only funny but also famous!

The Canadian comedian made his silver screen debut in the romantic comedy Breakaway.  Premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Breakaway is a film that portrays an all-Sikh hockey team and the Canadian dream of achieving hockey stardom.  Produced by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, Breakaway releases on September 30, 2011 and launches Russell Peters as a film actor in Canada.


Coincidentally, Russell Peters has also been inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame (CWOF).  He has been permanently cemented into Toronto's Entertainment District and awarded a star.  The star, however, does not necessarily celebrate Russell Peter's existing stardom.  Although based on the star-studded Hollywood Walk of Fame, CWOF does not aim to celebrate ‘celebrities’ or ‘fame’ as much as it celebrates Canadian excellence and achievements.  Marissa Soumalias, Manager of Inductee Relations, claims, “we no longer wanted to celebrate the fame and celebrity of people.”  In fact, CWOF aims to “get rid” of the Hollywood notion of fame in America.  In order to shift from the Hollywood notion of fame, CWOF renames its Canadian stars to ‘inductees’ and ‘honourees.’  In doing so, CWOF demonstrates:
[...] true essence of Canadian identity.  In every person that we acknowledge, they must be peace-loving, diverse, and harmonious; they must be social responsible, morally responsible, creative, competent, successful and innovate – if they don’t meet these criteria, they won’t make our list.

Soumalias further contends that Canadians are “humble” and “humanitarian,” and these “get back to our roots.”  She adds, “That’s what Canada is all about – we are a very humble, kind nation. We need to project that to the world."  In the past, Peters performed a number of stand-up comedies where he pointed out what it means to be a Canadian and have Canadian accents.  Now, he is being inducted into a Canadian commemorative site where all programming and content are 100% Canadian.  In light of these practices, Russell Peters is not simply awarded for his stand-up comedies and film but also for his performance of Canadianness.

Initially, CWOF used to be organized during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).  Media representations of TIFF largely celebrate American stars in Hollywood North that CWOF aims to resist.  For Marissa Soumalias and Julianne Taskey, former Manager of Special Events,  there were legitimate reasons for the initial organization.  For them, it was a matter of sheer timing, venue availability, and meeting demands of broadcasters and PR representatives.  As a result of this, Soumalias and Taskey assert, some CWOF inductees were able to attend a film premiere at TIFF.  Alternatively, a star at TIFF was able to attend the annual gala event of CWOF.  In both cases, these stars would receive front page and / or exclusive coverage in media.  Soumalias and Taskey contend that the overall international coverage around and within TIFF helped to establish the identity of CWOF.  However, Soumalias states that CWOF is now able to be a “stand-alone [Canadian] event” and does not need to be organized in the same way as TIFF.   
Recently, Russell Peters attended the premiere of his film Breakaway at TIFF and is expected to attend the CWOF award ceremony in October.  For more information on Russell Peters' upcoming performances, check his official website http://www.russellpeters.com/  

Pics: Ben Girn

MP Glover Announces Funding for Immigrant Youth to Prepare for the Job Market

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-October 05, 2011 10:00 ET-WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - Oct. 5, 2011) - The Government of Canada is providing job preparation training and work experience to local youth who are new to Canada and who face barriers to employment. Mrs. Shelly Glover, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, announced today that the Winnipeg Salvation Army will receive over $99,000 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Multicultural Family Centre project.

"For many newcomers, making the transition to the job market is a challenge, especially in today's environment," said Mrs. Glover. "That's why our government is creating opportunities for youth to succeed through support for initiatives like the Multicultural Family Centre project."
With assistance from the federal Skills Link program, the Winnipeg Salvation Army will help newcomers who have been affected by war develop the skills and experience needed to find a job or get the confidence to return to school.
Taking into consideration their unique experiences, project participants will work with counsellors to develop action plans for reaching their employment and educational goals. Based on their action plans, the participants will attend workshops that focus on topics such as workplace behaviour, coping with trauma and belonging to a community. Following the workshops, they will gain relevant work experience through job placements that reflect their needs and interests.
Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, youth with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas, and youth who have dropped out of high school.
This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.
Backgrounder
As part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, the Skills Link program is one of three programs that help young Canadians—particularly those facing barriers to employment—obtain career information, develop skills, gain work experience, find good jobs and stay employed. The other two programs are Summer Work Experience and Career Focus.
Skills Link helps youth between 15 and 30 years of age who are not receiving Employment Insurance benefits develop basic and advanced employment skills. It assists participants through a coordinated, client-centred approach that offers longer-term supports and services tailored to their specific needs to help them find and keep a job.
Youth employment programs are also part of the Government of Canada's strategy to create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world. The Government underscored its commitment to this strategy in Canada's Economic Action Plan. A key component of the Plan is to create more and better opportunities for Canadian workers through skills development. To learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
The Skills Link program is delivered by Service Canada, which provides one-stop personalized services for Government of Canada programs, services and benefits. For more information about this program, visit servicecanada.gc.ca, call 1 800 O-Canada or drop by your local Service Canada Centre.

TRANSCRIPTION Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty holds a news conference to make an announcement

Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty announced the introduction of the Keeping Canada’s Economy & Jobs Growing Act which key elements of the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan — A Low-Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth. The announcement was made in Ottawa, on Tuesday, October 4, 2011
StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty announced the introduction of the Keeping Canada’s Economy & Jobs Growing Act which key elements of the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan — A Low-Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth. The announcement was made in Ottawa, on Tuesday, October 4, 2011.


October 4, 20118:45 a.m.      Ottawa, Ontario  
Emcee:            It’s my pleasure to welcome Finance Minister Jim Flaherty here today.  Being a small business owner, a member of the CFIB, it’s not too often we get a chance to get some of our tax dollars back.
Today I’m excited to have the Minister here to let us hear about his new tax credit, small business hiring tax credit to be exact.  Without further ado I’d like to welcome the Minister.

Minister Flaherty:     Thanks.  I appreciate it, thank you.  Thank you for hosting us here this morning.  I certainly don’t want to interrupt business.  I understand you open at 7:00 a.m. so you start pretty early.  Good for you.  Time for breakfast.  I appreciate you letting us be here this morning. I’m pleased to be here today to discuss an important action the government is taking to help strengthen our economy and create jobs for Canadians throughout the country.

Je suis  heureux d’être ici aujourd’hui pour expliquer les mesures importantes qu’adopte le gouvernement Harper afin de renforcer notre économie et de créer des emplois pour les Canadiens et les Canadiennes partout au pays.

I want to preface my remarks this morning by noting that on the world stage the Canadian economy is coping relatively well in spite of the economic challenges we must face beyond our borders.  For example almost 600,000 more Canadians are working today than when the recession ended in July 2009.  Botht he IMF and the OECD forecast that our economy will be amongst the strongest in the G7 both this year and next. We are the only G7 country that has recovered more than all of the output and all of the jobs lost during the downturn.  Just a few weeks ago Moody’s renewed Canada’s AAA credit rating based on Canada’s and I quote “economic resiliency, very high government financial strength and a low susceptibility to event risk.”

More recently that same top rating was affirmed by Fitch with a stable outlook citing a culture of conservative policy making that allowed Canada to weather the global recession and recover faster than other nations.  Nevertheless we are not immune from global economic turbulence.  That’s why we need to stay the course and implement the next phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. Later today in the House of Commons we will introduce our second budget bill, the Keeping Canada’s Economy and Jobs Growing Act.  This legislation includes some key elements of the next phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, a low tax plan for jobs and growth.

The act will help support Canada’s economic recovery through a host of initiatives one of the most important of which is the temporary hiring credit for small business.   La Loi sur le Soutien de la croissance de l’économie et de l’emploi au Canada permettra de soutenir la reprise économique au Canada au moyen d’une série d’initiatives dont l’un des plus importantes est le crédit temporaire à l’embauche pour les petites entreprises.  Supporting job creation will only happen by helping businesses and entrepreneurs succeed, keeping taxes low, investing in projects of national importance and maintaining Canada’s brand as one of the best places to invest. The Hiring Credit for Small Business will enable firms to hire new workers.  To encourage additional hiring the onetime credit will provide up to $1,000 against a small employer’s increase in his 2011 EI premiums over those paid in 2010.  Approximately 525,000 businesses will benefit from this temporary measure. Our government appreciates that small businesses and entrepreneurs like Buster’s Bar and Grill are the backbone of Canada’s economy and have punched well above their weight in supporting the country’s economic recovery.

To further strengthen our economy and sustain the momentum of our recovery today’s legislation implements additional important budget actions that will help make Canadian businesses even more innovative, more efficient and more competitive. Canadian businesses have both contributed to and benefited from our strong economic fundamentals relative to the global competitors.  To accelerate this trend I encourage them to take full advantage of the measures available in the next phase of the Economic Actin Plan in today’s legislation because when Canada’s businesses succeed, all Canadians succeed. Key measures in the budget include expanding tax support for clean energy generation to encourage green investments, extending the mineral exploration tax credit for flow through share investors by one year to support Canada’s mining sector, simplifying Canada’s tariff legislation in order to facilitate trade and lower the administrative burden on businesses, extending the accelerate capital cost allowance treatment for investments in manufacturing and processing machinery and equipment for two years to support the manufacturing and processing sector, eliminating the mandatory retirement age for federally regulated employees in order to give older workers wishing to work the option of remaining in the workforce. As the global economy improves Canada will stand poised for success.

However as recent world events show there remains considerable risk and uncertainty in the global economy and at home too many Canadians still remain out of work.  For these reasons the government remains focused on the economy.  Regardless of any volatility ahead the Harper government will continue to focus on strengthening Canada’s capability to compete more effectively in this uncertain economic environment.

Quelle que soit l’instabilité à venir le gouvernement Harper va continuer de mettre l’accent sur le renforcement de la capacité concurrentielle des Canadiens dans ce contexte économique incertain.

As the private sector once again resumes its role as the engine of growth and job creation the Harper government will keep its focus squarely on sustainable actions that create the right conditions for long term economic prosperity as we complete the transition from providing temporary stimulus to winding it down and eliminating the deficit and returning to balanced budgets.

Thank you and I’d be pleased to take a few questions.

Moderator:     Just before we start the usual thing – two microphones, one to my left, one to my right.  Start on the left, one question, one follow up then to the right, one question one follow up.  (Off microphone)

Question:        A question from Reuters . Is the G20 preparing emergency measures to support markets and economies in the event of a Greek default?

Minister Flaherty:     No we’re not preparing emergency measures.  We’ve had continuing discussions on the issue of Greece’s ability to pay.  There are important decisions to be made by the Eurozone ministers.  There were decisions reached on July 21st in the Eurozone that need a couple more approvals by countries in the Eurozone in order to have the necessary approval by the 17 Eurozone countries. That’s the next step.  As you know we have advocated for flexibility with respect to the size of the facility that the Eurozone has agreed to create.  We think that’s important in order to have the Eurozone in a position where it can overwhelm the situation.

Question:        Secondly, how concerned are you about the rapid depreciation in the value of the Canadian dollar which has just been sinking recently?

Minister Flaherty:     You know, the volatility in the dollar is always a concern.  What we’re seeing which is evident is a flight to the US dollar as a perceived safe haven.  It’s not surprising that that has an effect on our currency in the short term.

Question:        Minister, the markets are in turmoil again this morning.  Should the G20 be or the Eurozone policy makers should they be concentrating on as you put it re-ordering Greek debt and perhaps now the next stage would be to either insure all bank deposits or take further steps to make sure that Greece, sort of there’s a firewall and that the financial system remains stable?

Minister Flaherty:     As I have said to my colleagues from Europe before including about ten days ago when we met in Marseille, three things: one, a commitment of political will; two, decisiveness and three, clarity.  In our view those are the three things that the Eurozone ministers and leaders need to do in order to restore confidence.   They are meeting in Europe, the Eurozone ministers are.  The G20 ministers are going to meet the end of next week again in France.  The leaders are meeting in early November in Cannes so there are lots of meetings scheduled.  The concern always has been to encourage the Eurozone leaders to get ahead of the markets, to overwhelm the problem.

Question:        Do you think the Eurozone policy makers have to now start considering either nationalizing banks or providing a blanket guarantee on bank deposits in order to keep the financial system stable given all the concerns in the market about a Greek default?

Minister Flaherty:     There are many discussions that they are having and I have not heard that subject raised.

Question:        I think everyone would agree there are some useful measures that you’re talking about today but these are from the budget that you brought down in March.  

Minister Flaherty:     And June.

Question:        Yeah, that’s right but originally in March.  It seems increasingly the case that Canada is being sideswiped again by world economic conditions.  Are you thinking about more measures to try to support the economy and if so when are we likely to hear about those?

Minister Flaherty:     What we’re doing right now is encouraging our European colleagues to deal with the situation with which they are faced which is an urgent situation. This situation has been evolving since at least January 2010 and discussions have been taking place over that entire period of time.  It is time for the Eurozone countries to deal with that situation. In the absence of an external shock to the Canadian economy we’re on the right track.  We’ll stay on track.  The lesson of Greece and some other countries in Europe is that accumulating deficits and creating a large public debt over time is th worst thing you can do to an economy, the people of a country.  We have no intention of going in that direction.

Question:        Just as a quick follow-up, some Opposition MP’s are saying it’s irresponsible of you to endorse as a senior federal Cabinet Minister, to endorse a party in the Ontario election.  What’s your response to that?

Minister Flaherty:     I don’t know what they thought, that I’d support the Liberal Party in Ontario, the NDP Party in Ontario.  I sat in the Ontario legislature for more than ten years.  I was Deputy Premier.  I was Minister of Finance.  Tim Hudak is a good friend of mine.  We’re colleagues and friends. I’m concerned about the fiscal situation in some of the provinces including Ontario.  These are issues that need to be addressed.  As I just said a moment ago, if one lets deficits continue to accumulate and you develop a large public debt, watch out. I think the Conservative Party in Ontario, the Progressive Conservative Party is the best party to exercise fiscal responsibility in that province.

Question:        Good morning Mr. Flaherty.  Some of your opponents have said that the world is already in recession.  They expect Canada to be hit by this and for government revenues to fall.  What would it take in your estimation as you look forward for the government of Canada to move off its 2014-2015 date for balancing the budget?

Minister Flaherty:     It would take a serious economic decline off expectations.  We have not seen that to date.  We monitor closely.  We watch.  If there were to be a serious decline then of course we would adjust.  We would accommodate. We would be flexible and pragmatic in what we do.  We’ve done it before.  We’ll do it again.

Question:        Can you define serious decline for me?

Minister Flaherty:     If we had some sort of world recession obviously then that would change the picture dramatically.  I’m relatively confident that what we’re going to see in Canada is modest economic growth over the next while.  That’s what the IMF, the OECD say.  I met with my economic advisory council yesterday.  That’s what I was hearing from those business leaders from across the country.  I’m comfortable with modest economic growth with that anticipation over the course of the next while.

Question:        Mr. Flaherty, on the current credit you’re talking about, it’s nearing its end.  The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses based on their conversations with government people they’re cautiously optimistic that you’re going to renew this credit.  Is that optimism misplaced?

Minister Flaherty:                 (laughs)  We’ll watch and monitor and see but the goal is to get back to balanced budgets, to be on course, on the right track in Canada.  Of course we’ll look and we’ll watch.  We are concerned about the number of persons who are unemployed in Canada.  Our unemployment rate is much better than the American rate but that’s small comfort.  We still have too many people unemployed in our own country.

Question:        The Financial Stability Board, you mentioned Mr. Carney yesterday, that job is expected to be an even bigger job for the next person who takes that on.  Are you concerned whether the Governor is going to be able to manage both jobs, being Bank of Canada Governor and heading this board?

Minister Flaherty:     I’m confident that if Governor Carney becomes the Chair of the Financial Stability Board that he’ll be able to manage that as well as his important job as Governor of the Bank of Canada.  There would be more to say about that over time with respect to how the Financial Stability Board is structured and how much support there is at the FSB. It’s very important, this position.  It would be a great credit for Canada were Governor Carney to take over that position. Moderator:     Is there somebody behind (off microphone).

Question:        I just want to come back to Les’ question, the measures you’re announcing today were from the last budget and things have significantly changed.  How do they reflect that thing to the uncertainty that’s floating around and hurting Canadian businesses since they’re actually six months old?

Minister Flaherty:     We anticipated in the budget we anticipated some risk in the economy.  We took a substantial risk adjustment on the numbers in the budget and we also created things like this small business tax credit.  We also are continuing of course on the transfers to the provinces, the health transfer increases at 6%, the social transfer for social services, education continues at 3%.  We extended work-sharing and of course the tax reductions for businesses, all sizes of businesses will be completed on January 1st with another drop in the business tax rate. These are all expansionary economic policies which we had in the budget and with which we are continuing.  As I said before, if it’s necessary to do more in the future because of shocks from outside then we’ll look at that but right now actually Canada is the envy of the world.  Forbes magazine says that Canada is the number one country in which to do business in the entire world.  We ranked number one this year.  I don’t think it’s the time to waiver from the course that gives us such a solid international reputation. Thank you.

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA ON

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Date: October 3, 2011
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ELECTION RESULTS Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement following the results of the election in Prince Edward Island: “On October 3, 2011, the people of Prince Edward Island re-elected Liberal Party leader Robert Ghiz to form their new provincial government.  “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Premier Ghiz and his team on their victory.  “I look forward to working with them on promoting economic prosperity and addressing issues of importance to the people of Prince Edward Island and Canada.” 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Canadian Companies Increasingly Look Beyond U.S. - Trade Partners are 30 Per Cent More Diversified than 10 Years Ago

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Exports to U.S. expected to drop to 60 per cent of Canadian trade by end of the decade
TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2011 - Canadian companies are lessening their dependence on the U.S. as a trade partner with exports now 30 per cent more diversified than a decade ago, finds a new economic report from CIBC World Markets.


"The main catalyst here is the surge in exports to emerging markets and the significant decline in exports to the U.S., which are currently back to the pre-NAFTA levels," says CIBC Deputy Chief Economist Benjamin Tal. "At this rate, theU.S. share of total exports will fall to 60 per cent by the end of the decade, with emerging markets picking up nearly 90 per cent of the gain."

The report notes that Canadian companies are taking advantage of historically low interest rates to finance investments - some of which is being directed towards expanding export opportunities.
"Growth in business investment outperformed growth in exports to the U.S. for 30 out of the past 36 quarters—by far the longest duration of outperformance on record," adds Mr. Tal. "And while real exports to the U.S. hardly changed over the past decade, business investment managed to grow by an average annual rate of more than four per cent—again a record performance gap."
He doesn't put much stock in the fact that a strong Canadian dollar is the reason for this surge in capital expenditures. He found that real imports of machinery and equipment are rising today at roughly the same rate as they did when the loonie was much weaker.

Mr. Tal notes that while targeting increased export markets requires extra investment, it also means an improved bottom line. Academic research on the link between export diversification and corporate profits show that the relationship is highly non-linear. Both extremes (too high or too low levels of diversification) act as a negative for profits with the main improvement seen in the move from the low to medium level of diversification.

"With exports to the U.S. still accounting for a sizeable 75 per cent of total exports, it is clear that Canada is currently in the optimal stage of its diversification process, with any increase in diversification adding notably to the bottom line," he says. "Already, exports to the U.S. as a share of Canadian corporate sales are hovering around their lowest rate since the early 1990s—implying a notable reduction in the sensitivity of corporate profits to exports to the U.S. This sensitivity will continue to decline as Canadian exporters increase their exposure to alternative markets."

Diversification comes in two ways - increasing the markets we trade with and increasing the products we sell. On the surface it appears while we've made progress on the market front, we've lagged behind in terms of the range of goods exported. "The surge in the share of energy exports (in terms of both volume and value) has resulted in a 10 point reduction in the diversification measure of Canadian exports by product," notes Mr. Tal.

"However, this broad measure masks a more promising trend when one zooms in on manufacturing and industrial products. In this space, when measured by volume, overall diversification has improved by more than 30 per cent over the decade. Key here are sectors that contributed to both product and destination diversification such as wood and paper, chemicals, metals and minerals, agriculture food, machinery and equipment, and aerospace."

He adds that increased diversification of exports by destination and product is not only necessary to maintain profitability, but is also required to hedge against the increased economic volatility that is likely to be an integral part of the economic landscape going forward. The past decade was characterized by reduced volatility in the economy, in general, and corporate profitability, in particular. The role of increased consumer borrowing was key in smoothing economic variability during this period.

He believes that credit will likely play a lesser role in the new economic mix and the economy will lose its main shock absorber. He expects the recent uptick in volatility to continue in the foreseeable future and for corporate Canada to adapt to the new reality by becoming more flexible and responsive.

"These changes will be characterized by actions such as adapting variable hiring practices, more conservative finance practices, increased use of sales force to identify changes in the marketplace, increased ability to switch product type which, in turn, might require different capital equipment, and a higher capability to change the composition of sales during the cycle.
"The post-Great Recession era, and the new mix of economic growth that will define it, could provide corporate Canadawith a golden opportunity to restructure itself in a way that simultaneously reduces its dependence on the U.S.economy, and improves its bottom line. Key here will be continued deliberate attempts to diversify export activity by both destination and product with the realization that such an action is no longer a choice but a necessity."
The complete CIBC World Markets report is available at: http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/if-20111003.pdf.

CIBC's wholesale banking business provides a range of integrated credit and capital markets products, investment banking, and merchant banking to clients in key financial markets in North America and around the world. We provide innovative capital solutions and advisory expertise across a wide range of industries as well as top-ranked research for our corporate, government and institutional clients.

Force Movie Review


StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-By Taran Adarsh, September 29, 2011

Remakes are in! With fast-paced action entertainers reaping gold at the box-office, Mumbai-based film-makers are making a beeline for South, acquiring remake rights of films that work big time with audiences of all ages. A few decades ago, Jeetendra hit the pot of gold by working in some wonderful remakes [of South films] and the trend seems to have re-surfaced thanks to the successes tasted by Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn more recently.

With FORCE, John Abraham re-visits the genre [action] that he attempted in DHOOM. He has the physique and the persona to carry off the part and make the character believable. Remake of the Tamil hit KAAKHA KAAKHA, which starred Suriya and Jyothika, FORCE packs the punches, the kicks, the blood and the bruises in those two hours. Essentially a fight between the good and the evil, there's a restrained love story as well, which becomes the backbone of the plot.

FORCE borrows from the masala films of yore that popularized Indian cinema in 1970s and 1980s. Love, romance, deceit, treachery, revenge, loads of action... FORCE has it all. Sure, you may find the plotline clichéd and predictable, but if the film manages to keep you hooked, if the twists and turns are truly interesting, despite the predictable path the story undertakes, the purpose is served. Thankfully, FORCE gets it right!


Yashvardhan [John Abraham] is a senior narcotics officer who doesn't play by the book, but always ensures that justice is served. He believes that the only way to eradicate crime is to give criminals the bullet -- not handcuffs. In the midst of his most dangerous and significant operation to crack down on India's drug cartels, Yashvardhan encounters a ruthless enemy Vishnu [Vidyut Jammwal], who will stop at nothing until he gets his revenge for the damage done to his business by the narcotics team.


Yashvardhan also meets the free-spirited Maya [Genelia D'Souza], whose love pushes him to make a choice between the life he already knows and the life he could have with her. Just when everything seems to be going right, the enemy strikes...

Director Nishikant Kamat has the viewers' adrenalin pumping in this engrossing crime drama. Velocity   and technique are the essence of FORCE. Add to it sharp dialogues and raw action. Though the storyline is far from novel, it is these attributes that keep you engrossed. Also, this deadly cat-and-mouse game ends in a spellbinding climax. Very frankly, the film has some fairly engrossing moments in the first hour, but there are times when you feel restless. But the post-interval portions work big time. The penultimate half-an-hour is the best part of the enterprise. It packs a solid punch, especially the raw action sequence between John and Vidyut.


Nishikant integrates the songs well in the movie. Even otherwise, the songs [Harris Jayaraj] are tuneful and well choreographed [Bosco-Caesar]. Cinematography [Ayananka Bose] is a visual treat. But it's the raw action that stays with you. The action scenes [Allan Amin] are the type that will have the masses go in frenzy, especially these two sequences -- the chase [John chases Vidyut, soon after Vidyut attacks him] and also the finale confrontation.

From showing off his chiseled body to lifting a 120 kg bike, John is a complete revelation and gives an outstanding performance. Robust in looks and smug with self-confidence, the young man matures into a full-fledged action hero with this film. With the additional pounds of muscles to his frame, he looks very convincing as the Narcotics Officer. It is obvious that John has worked really hard -- honing his acting skills, concentrating on stunts and particularly on his physique.

Genelia is strikingly sweet and subdued. I genuinely feel that Genelia's an under-rated actress, who's capable of delivering if given an opportunity. Note the sequence when she proposes to John. It's a difficult sequence which Genelia carries off so well. Besides, the on-screen chemistry between John and Genelia is infectious. The villain, portrayed by newcomer Vidyut Jammwal, is a worthy opponent, who is the proverbial Evil pitted against Good. His persona is striking and his performance, excellent. This guy is here to stay and his performance will be talked-about when the movie hits the screens.

Mohnish Bahl is top notch, especially towards the final moments. Sandhya Mridul is, as always, highly competent. Amit Gaurr does well. Kamlesh Sawant is convincing. Mukesh Rishi is perfect. Raj Babbar doesn't get much scope. Ditto for Anaitha Nair, who is wasted.

On the whole, FORCE is an engrossing story of vendetta and the execution of the material makes it stand out in the crowd. The film has the requisite amount of zing and force, so essential for action movies that talk of heroism. If you are looking for a sensible masala film with substance, FORCE should most definitely figure on your agenda. Recommended!