Much of the economic health of Canada is dependent on raw material prices. They certainly determine the level of economic activity in the West and the Atlantic Region. In the eyes of the rest of the world, Canada has become a petro-currency. The value of the Canadian dollar has been moving up or down in keeping with what has been happening with the international price of oil. The world recession has been hard on this nation’s commodity producers.  But now some glimmers of hope are starting to appear.