Mel's Response To Emerson

You trumpet the "positive contribution to our economy" of foreign investment (I notice you never mention foreign ownership or foreign control). Have you ever considered the huge negative impacts such the hollowing out, lack of r&d, escaped profits and lost taxes due to transfer pricing, grossly-excessive imports costing millions of jobs, lost decision-making abilities, excessive dependance on expensive imported innovation to mention only a few? You would do well to read the section on this topic in my book The Vanishing Country. It's clear that you would learn a great deal. As to the investment review process being "rigorous" you lose all credibilty when you make such a ludicrous claim. In the next few months I wll be speaking all across Canada on this topic. Given your reply to my letter, I can assure you that you will be the subject of much derision. How sad that we have an Industry Minister with such a poor grasp of such a vitally important issue. Mel Hurtig, O.C, L.L.D