As many Canadians nurse their post-New Year's Eve hangovers and ponder what further economic storms await, Canada's top corporate executives can take some comfort in knowing they have already earned as much as the average worker will earn in all of 2009.

A new analysis by the left-leaning Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives concludes the country's richest corporate executives will have pocketed an average of $40,237 by 9:04 a.m. Friday morning.

"By the time your computer has finished booting up on your first day back after the New Year's holiday, the average CEO would have already banked what took the average Canadian worker an entire year's worth of work to earn," the report states.

"Many of the top 100 include Canada's big bank CEOs, who recently received billions in federal government bailout money to purchase mortgage loans."

Prepared by economist Hugh Mackenzie, the report finds the top 100 CEOs of publicly traded corporations averaged more than $10 million in pay apiece in 2007, the last full year for which figures are available.

That kind of money would buy 44 high-end Porsches or five $2-million condos.

An international survey has ranked Canada as the second-strongest national brand in the world.
But that doesn't mean it's the country most people want to visit - that honour went to Italy and Canada ranked eighth.
Still, the study's author says Canada received top marks for selling itself as a destination that's safe, friendly and good for families.
Rina Papler of FutureBrand says Canada is in a good position to reap whatever travel dollars will be spent in a slumping global market.
She says that's because people see Canada as a reliable country that delivers on its promises.
The top-ranking brand among the 2,700 people surveyed by the international consultancy group was Australia.

Remembrance Day

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause and remember the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom and democracy during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Afghanistan conflict and during peacekeeping missions.

China's ambassador to Canada is warning the Harper government against interfering in Chinese affairs with "irresponsible" statements about the unrest in Tibet.

Ambassador Lu Shumin said recent remarks from Canadian officials fail to recognize that China is attempting to restore safety and security in the face of what he called "violent crimes" by separatists in the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa.

"These irresponsible remarks will not do any good to the image of Canada for a champion of law and order," Lu said Friday. He also referred to Canada's own experience with Quebec nationalism.

"Here, you people also have the challenge of separatist forces. You don't want the country to be split. It's the same thing in China, too."

But he said any mischaracterization of the Chinese government response to the Tibetan situation "would be inappropriate and be considered as interference with China's internal affairs. It would also send wrong messages to Tibetan separatist forces and encourage their separatist activities and violence," Lu warned.

His comments came one day after Prime Minister Stephen Harper called on China to "fully respect human rights and peaceful protest" and "show restraint" in Tibet. Harper released his statement through Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre at a pro-Tibet rally on Parliament Hill on Thursday. Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier later called on China to begin talks with Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

China is facing mounting international condemnation of its crackdown against anti-government protests in Tibet and elsewhere. Clashes between demonstrators and Chinese authorities have turned violent, and estimates have put the death toll as high as 100. China's state media say 19 have died. There also been widespread reports of arrests and detentions.

Chinese security forces have moved to curb sympathetic demonstrations in Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan provinces, all of which have significant Tibetan populations. Chinese embassies around the world also have been targets of demonstrations.

Calls for restraint in Tibet from foreign governments irk China, which considers the matter internal. China contends the demonstrations are criminal acts designed by Tibetan separatists to exploit the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games for political advantage.

"These are not peaceful demonstrations," Lu said. "They are highly violent crime, involving beating, looting, arson, smashing up property and causing serious disruptions." The protests have inflicted "heavy losses of life and property," he said.

Lu repeated Chinese government assertions the demonstrations in Tibet are co-ordinated by the "clique" of the Dalai Lama, who has threatened to resign his position if the violence in Tibet does not end.

Bernier's call for meetings with the Dalai Lama are also sure to annoy the Chinese government. It considers the Buddhist monk a separatist agitator and "splittist" whose public meetings with western leaders - Harper among them - it views as provocation.

"It's not a matter of human rights or expression of political views in a peaceful manner," Lu said. "This is a political scheme aimed at splitting China and achieving the so-called Tibetan independence."

China contends that Tibet is an inalienable part of China. The Communist Chinese government occupied Tibet in 1950, but the region first became a part of China during the Yuan dynasty of the 13th century, said Lu.

Harper inflamed already ailing Sino-Canadian relations last year when he received the Dalai Lama in his office on Parliament Hill, a move China considered offensive.

Harper has vowed he will not let economic interests dictate Canada's policies on human rights in China. Some observers believe China's refusal to designate Canada a government-approved tourist destination is a consequence of the flagging relations.

London, Ont., based construction firm EllisDon Corp. has been selected Canada's top employer in a survey by Report on Business magazine.

EllisDon was in second place in 2006 but moved to the top of the list in the magazine's ninth annual survey as determined by employees.

In second place is last year's winner, Wellington West Capital Inc., of Winnipeg, a financial services company employing over 450 employees.

Edmonton-based construction firm PCL Constructors Inc., which was fifth in 2006, took third spot this year, followed by Calgary law firm Bennett Jones LLP and financial services firm Edward Jones of Mississauga, Ont.

Rounding out the top 10 were tobacco firm JTI-MacDonald Corp. of Mississauga, Ont., Farm Credit Canada of Regina, Envision Financial of Langley, B.C., software company Intuit Canada of Edmonton and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline Inc., of Mississauga, Ont.

EllisDon Corp. was selected first because it offers what ROB calls a "slew of hot workplace lessons and learnings" and attracts and inspires young workers and builds workplace diversity