Canada officially approves its own $4 billion auto aid package

True to their word, the Canadians came through with an aid package to support the auto industry, namely GM and Chrylser. The amount to be loaned is $4 billion Canadian, with $2.7 billion coming from the national government and $1.3 billion coming from Ontario, where much of the industry is based. With the conversion from Canadian to U.S. dollars at today's rates, that works out to just about the 20-percent that was promised. Parts suppliers in Canada will also have access to the money, and some portion of the loan will also be used to provide impetus to get banks to lend money to buyers. Yet, as with the American loan, it won't last long: one analyst said "It probably only buys them three months or four months where they can get their ducks in order ... and hopefully come up with a plan to get everything straightened out so that they can survive."
[Source: CTV]