Canada's economy may look rosy now -- with low unemployment, interest rates and inflation -- but the CEOs warn there are "disturbing signals" on the horizon including the threat to this country's vital manufacturing plants from a higher Canadian dollar and lower-cost Asian rivals."Canada has a really big risk of going sideways or down right now," Mr. Morgan said in an interview, adding it's not "as if we are sort of being the Chicken Littles worrying about the sky falling" because the threats are already clear.
Hmm, sideways OR down. Sorry, this just sounds like vague scare-mogering to me.
Well, they're at least more specific when they say they're upset that we don't have enough of an economic "plan".
"The CCCE, which helped spearhead free-trade talks in the 1980s, is calling on politicians and business people to draft a national action plan to boost Canada's productivity and competitiveness.They said such a blueprint is "painfully absent" at the moment.
Apparently the agreement to integrate the entire North American economy that we just heard about yesterday, and which d'Aquino said was a "big deal" and "music to his ears" isn't blueprint enough. What are they saying? We need to go even further?
Nah, they're just upset that some of their OTHER plans were kaiboshed:
"In the political arena, the very idea of strategic policymaking is drowning in the swirling search for momentary tactical advantage," they said......The CEOs warn that economic gains from years of balanced federal budgets are being threatened by "runaway spending growth, a relatively heavy tax regime that's 'biased against investment,' a 'fragmented regulatory structure' and 'far too many children . . . failing to complete even secondary schooling.' "
Ah, see, so it's not that nothing is getting done--it's that some things are getting done that aren't part of their usual super pro-corporate necon agenda. What they're saying is that CEO of Canada Paul Martin actually had to listen to interests other than the CCCE and agree to the NDP budget amendment that cancelled another tax cut for giant corporations (or as they would say made the tax regime "biased against investment") while keeping it for small and medium businesses--and forced the Liberals to maintain a commitment to social spending using that money (keeping the budget balanced, I might add).
Ah yes, that evil minority government, for once actually ensuring that the Liberals have to listen to other groups and something gets done to help us regular citizens rather than just the big corporations.
I say let these guys complain. If they're this upset with the minority government situation it can only be good for all those of us who aren't millionaires running multinational corporations.
Note: threatened by the minor...
Stumble It!
Let's create a borderless world run by the Rothschilds!!!!
Foreign investment under a deregulated banking system is a con job, fraud and colonization. In any case, it has been proven year after year that up to 97% of foreign investment goes into the buying up of Canadian businesses and firing the workers. In short, we don't need more investment, because it doesn't create jobs, only permanent debt for servicing it.
Isn't there anybody out there daring to call the bluff of these liars ? They were the sector that demanded bank deregulation, now they're trying to cover up the potentially beneficial effects. Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC.
Banks are a whole other story and the push for deregulation has been done by canadians, not americans. We've seen banking centralized to an extent that isn't seen in very many countries, in fact I'd support many of the american banking initiatives. Banks there are required to invest a certain amount in their local communities, much as credit unions do here by choice. We maritimers don't have as much sympathy for Ontario banks since it was banking deregulation which allowed central canada to annihilate banking and investment in the maritimes. Even Scotiabank now has its head offices in Toronto rather than Nova Scotia.
Foreign investment is like anything else, its fine as long as its regulated. Here in Ontario there are tons of biotech companies and virtually all of them get start up money from the states because Canada simply doesn't have the regulations to keep the money local. How many people have mutual funds which only invest in community businesses? How many have even HEARD of a mutual fund like that? It's interesting to note that while New Brunswick has a debt of 6 billion dollars, it also has investments for pensions in the amount of 6 billion dollars- in New York!
Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of the CCCE, the only people who take them seriously are the choir. Spending certainly isn't 'running away', and it isn't taxes keeping people poor-it's low paying jobs. As far as 'the economy is doing fine', try going somewhere that isn't southern ontario, alberta or bc.
Canadian247 LTD
Another small quirk of statistics. When NAFTA started destroying Canadian manufacturing, much of it going to the US and Mexico at the time, the machinery of the dismantled factories was reported as "machinery exports". Yes, I checked this out with them at the time. Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC.
Ed Deak, Big Lake.
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Dave Ruston
Let's put all our focus on research and development. Scrap health care, get rid of unions, lower wages. Make the people desperate, and productive....so we can tap that market in China. Look at all those buyers!!!
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These days, if you are not confused, you are not thinking clearly. Mrs. Irene Peters
I hope they'll be gentle as they pass by our hearts ?
Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC.
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Darren Olson
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"We shall be Canadians first, foremost, and always, and our policies will be decided in Canada and not dictated by any other country." - Diefe
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Now call it extreme if you like, but I propose we hit it hard, and we hit it fast, with a major, and I mean major...leaflet campaign.--Rimmer, Red Dwarf