Hard Numbers: Election uncertainty rattles US companies, Saskatchewan mounts “rare” challenge to China, Immigration nudges up Canada’s population, US state stockpiles abortion drugs

21: Is uncertainty about the presidential election causing US companies to delay investments? In a new survey, 21% percent of CFOs said yes, it is. Some 15% said that they had actively reduced investment to hedge against election risk. Still, about two thirds said their plans were unchanged, and 60% said they were bullish on the US economy overall.

400: A new province-backed rare earths mining company in Saskatchewan aims to produce 400 tons per year of the minerals, which are crucial for EV batteries and other high tech applications. The project is part of an effort to get around China’s dominance in the industry – Beijing currently controls 95% of global production and supply of rare earths.

41,288,599: There are more and more Canadians! As of July 1, there were 41,288,599 Canucks, according to fresh census data. In the second quarter of the year, the number rose by 0.6%, a slight slowdown from the same period last year. Immigration accounted for almost all of the increase.

30,000: Concerned about the possibility that access to abortion could be limited if Donald Trump wins the election, Washington state has amassed a stockpile of 30,000 doses of the abortion drug mifepristone. The state’s Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee ordered the purchases after a US Supreme Court ruling left the drug on the market but opened the way to further legal challenges. This week, Trump sought to reassure women that they won’t “be thinking about abortion” if he is president.