Web spoof hits Canadian economy

An April Fool's Day internet report that Canadian Finance Minister Paul Martin would quit his job to breed cows and ducks sent the Canadian dollar plummeting, as the market grabbed at the straw of anything that might resemble news.

Author Pierre Bourque, who flagged the spoof report on his political gossip Web site bourque.org, said he was baffled by the reaction. "It is April 1, after all," he said. "The ducks were the tell-tale sign."

A laughing official at Martin's office declined, as always, to comment on market rumors. But asked if there was any indication that the story might be true, the official said firmly, "No."

The report included hyperlinks to sites with pictures of white Charolais cows and large brown-and-white ducks. It said Martin was getting ready to show his livestock at a country fair in Havelock, a town in Quebec with 811 people.