Preston Manning: If Stephen Harper ever woke up to find the face of Reform Party founder Preston Manning splashed on the front page of the morning papers under a headline that proclaimed his opposition to a Conservative signature policy, no one would blame the prime minister for refusing to get out of bed, according to The Star. It seems that with her values charter Quebec premier Pauline Marois has done just that and MONTREAL No government in its right mind wants to earn the public rebuke of its spiritual father, especially over a controversial plan that is crafted to become a major re-election plank. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Neil Price: I quickly realized the importance of having mentors and having programs that were supportive, and having teachers that didnt allow that very important event in my life to become a detriment it was actually an opportunity, Price said, according to The Star. The year-long fellowship is a leadership and networking program that sees participants attending workshops and devising city-enhancing projects. Youth unemployment is one of the challenges Price aims to tackle through the one-year program, which this year will focus on jobs and economic opportunities in the GTHA and Raised by a single mother in East York, Neil Price became a father at 16. Now, the 37-year-old works to help Torontos youth with their own opportunities through Boys and Girls Club Canada, and is one of 27 young leaders selected for the DiverseCity Fellows program. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mediterranean Sea: It was one of the deadliest accidents in recent times during the notoriously perilous Mediterranean Sea crossing from Africa for migrants seeking a new life in the European Union, according to The Chronicle Herald. Its an immense tragedy, said Lampedusa Mayor Giusi Nicolini, adding that the dead included at least one child of about 3 and a pregnant woman and ROME A ship carrying African migrants to Europe caught fire and capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Thursday, killing at least 94 people as it spilled hundreds of passengers into the sea, officials said. Over 150 people were rescued but some 200 others were still unaccounted-for. We need only caskets, certainly not ambulances, Pietro Bartolo, chief of health services on the island, told Radio 24. He gave the death toll of 94 but told Sky TG24 he expected that to rise as search operations continued. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Labor Department: The less volatile four-week average for applications fell to 305,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Thats the lowest since May 2007, seven months before the recession began, according to 660 News. Still, the broader trend has been encouraging. Applications, which are a proxy for layoffs, have fallen steadily in the past three months as many companies have stopped laying off workers. That suggests more employers are confident enough in the economy to maintain their existing staffs and WASHINGTON The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose just 1,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 308,000, hovering near six-year lows. Companies are still cutting very few jobs, however the decline in layoffs has not been accompanied by a pickup in hiring. Weekly applications could increase next week because of the partial government shutdown. Defence contractors and other companies that do business with the government may temporarily lay off workers. Federal workers who are temporarily laid off may also file for benefits, though their numbers are reported separately and published a week later than the other applications. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

U.S. Treasury Department: The S P/TSX composite index dropped 103.88 points to 12,735.12 and now has lost ground in three of the last four sessions, while the Canadian dollar was ahead 0.05 of a cent to 96.84 cents US amid widespread U.S. dollar weakness, according to Times Colonist. U.S. indexes also racked up losses as the U.S. Treasury Department warned Thursday that the economy could plunge into a downturn worse than the Great Recession five years ago if Congress fails to raise the federal borrowing limit and the country defaults on its debt obligations and TORONTO - The Toronto stock market racked up another round of losses Thursday, reflecting increased volatility arising from worries that the United States could be heading for a big economic shock later this month. The slide came as a partial U.S. government shutdown moved into a third day with no signs of an end, raising worries that the budget impasse over government funding will collide with the Oct. 17 deadline when the U.S. hits its debt limit. At that time, the government will start to run out of cash and could default on its debts. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Constitutional Court: "The program remains broadly on track, with the authorities determined to achieve its objectives... Provided the authorities persevere with steadfast program implementation, euro area member states have declared they stand ready to support Portugal until full market access is regained," they said in a statement, according to Reuters. But recalling that the Constitutional Court has shot down several government austerity measures over the past 14 months, they said the possibility of more measures being declared unconstitutional would require a change to the 2014 draft budget in order to meet the agreed deficit target and LISBON - Portugal's EU and IMF lenders said on Thursday the country's adjustment program under a bailout is broadly on track amid early signs of economic recovery, but warned the Constitutional Court could put Lisbon's return to market financing at risk. It said the program's 2013 fiscal deficit target of 5.5 percent of GDP is within reach, while the government has reaffirmed its commitment to the 2014 deficit target of 4 percent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

video: In a video produced for the 2013 TEDx Conference in Toronto, the history of Canada's largest city is traced all the way back to year one, according to CTV. The two-and-a-half minute history lesson flashes through the commercial success of the city, with scenes from the early days of York to today: a bustling city that has expanded past its original borders and Toronto the Good isnt known for boasting, but a sleek video is putting a personal stamp of pride on the city's history. "I am a one-year-old on the shores of a great lake. The changing faces of Mohawk, Cayuga, and Mississauga peoples have fished my waters and set up encampments for thousands of years," the video's narrator says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Alan Thicke: Submissions opened this week for the Winnipeg-set 2014 edition of the awards bash and organizers confirmed to The Canadian Press that Thicke's summer-ruling hit would indeed be a viable candidate, according to CTV. Thicke holds dual citizenship by virtue of his Canadian father, actor Alan Thicke, but the 36-year-old was born and raised around Los Angeles and TORONTO -- Let there be no blurry boundaries heading into next year's Juno Awards: Robin Thicke's smash hit "Blurred Lines" is certainly eligible in the annual gala's major categories. Organizers said Thicke's hip-swivelling song and the album of the same name both qualify for Junos, though he would receive any such honour for the tune alone -- American collaborators Pharrell Williams and T.I. would receive credit only as featured non-Canadian artists, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

University of Alberta: "It's a very damning analysis of what's been going on here," Mulcair told reporters Thursday after meetings at the University of Alberta, according to Huffington Post. On Tuesday, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Richard Marceau said Environment Department bureaucrats contravened their own laws by enacting a shadow policy in 2009 to stop the Oil Sands Environmental Coalition from speaking to reviews of proposed oilsands operations and EDMONTON - Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair says a judge's finding that Alberta's Environment Department has been covertly working to silence oilsands critics reinforces widespread cynicism that the province's approval process for projects is rigged. "To have a judge come out so clearly and to say that there's an absolute breach of the fundamental rules of natural justice in the process simply reinforces the perception of a lot of Canadians in general and a lot of Albertans in particular that the dice have been loaded." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Bill Clintons: In our case, it should be: Its the exports, stupid, according to The Chronicle Herald. Only three percent of these are defined as being high-growth and fewer than five per cent generate meaningful revenue e.g., at least a quarter of their total from export sales and During Bill Clintons 1992 campaign, Democratic Party strategist James Carville famously posted a sign in campaign headquarters that said: Its the economy, stupid. Our politicians love small business, defined by Statistics Canada as those with one to 99 employees and at least $30,000 in sales revenue. Nova Scotia has 29,179 small businesses. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.