Dollar Dips Below Parity
The Canadian dollar has dropped bellow parity with the American greenback, the first time since January 31st. But of course deals can still be found down south, with a bit of comparison shopping.
I’ve managed to find great deals on compact discs and DVDs from the online retailers in the states, even with shipping and handling. And don’t forget, compact disc, DVD and blu-ray orders valued at less than $20 Canadian are not subject to taxes or duties.
Lawful Access Missing For Latest Proposals
It appears the Conservative Government has omited lawfull access from their latest crime reform bill, named the “Safe Streets and Communities Act“, which was tabled today.
Lawful access may be introduced later. But it appears that the 70,000+ signature Openmedia.ca petition may have caused this delay and may result in a more indepth review of this proposal.
HST in Quebec
Quebec residents will know if they will be subjected to a provincially collected Harmonized Sales Tax by the end of the month.
The federal government has already set aside $2.2 billion dollars to compensate the provincial government of Quebec and is still in negotiations with Quebec in regards to what will and will not be subject to this tax.
Books and baby cribs, for example, are not subject to the provincial sales tax in the province of Quebec. And consumers are concerned that because GST is charged on those items that these products may be subject to the combined 13% Harmonized Sales Tax.
Motion Tabled Against HST/GST on Books
A motion was filled by Irene Mathyssen, the Member of Parliament for London-Fanshawe, asking the Minister of Finance to “introduce legislation to eliminate the GST and the HST on all reading materials“.
This motion was seconded by another NDP member, Alex Atamanenko, Member of Parliament for BC Southern Interior.
Click here to contact your local Member of Parliament in regards to this issue.
New Parliamentary Session Starts Today
Parliament will be in session today and many bills are scheduled to be introduced by the last scheduled sitting day in December, including two re-introduced bills that consumers should be made aware of.
Both should be of concern to Canadian consumers as they are scheduled to be re-introduced with little to no changes, possibly resulting in a loss in the ability to make private copies from copy protected recordings, loss of privacy when it comes to the internet and higher subscription fees for internet access.
Blockbuster Closing Sale
Blockbuster Canada stores have begun offloading their merchandise at 25% off today. This was advertised in emails to members and I only got notice of it this evening.
There were plenty of new and used DVDs and blu-rays at my local store to make it worth the trip though. You should probably consider popping in and seeing if there are any deals left at your local store.