Five things in business to watch this week, from The Canadian Press
1 The economy
There will be plenty of economic talk Monday. The day kicks off with Statistics Canada releasing the wholesale trade figures for August. Jean-Denis Frechette, the parliamentary budget officer, then releases a report on economic and fiscal projections. Later in the day, both Frechette and Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz will appear before the House of Commons finance committee.
2 Walmart versus Visa
New battles will be drawn Monday in the dispute between the two corporate behemoths over merchant fees when Walmart stops accepting Visa credit cards at all of its 16 stores in Manitoba. The move comes after Walmart phased out Visa from its three outlets in Thunder Bay, Ont., in July, arguing it pays too much in credit card fees.
3 The bottom line
Earnings season gets into full swing this week. A number of corporate heavyweights are reporting their latest results, including Barrick Gold, Husky and Restaurant Brands International.
4 Trains and grain
Canadian National Railway also releases its results come Tuesday, and expect some discussion over concerns from farmers who say there could be a grain backlog this year because of a bumper crop. The issue has grabbed the attention of federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau, who met with farmers last week in Saskatoon.
5 Fish talk
Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc addresses a conference Wednesday in Ottawa. The talk will deal with efforts to rebuild Canada’s fisheries for long-term prosperity.