Canada has had a very strong protectionist streal ever since Sir. John A. MacDonald's National Policy in the 1870s. The world has changed, but our old instincts are still there.
In addition to the air transport, telecommunications, financial services and agricultural (supply management) sectors, I would point to occupational licensing. We are extremely reluctant to recognize foreign credentials. A doctor qualified in France can be required up to six years of extra training in Canada before we let them practice. Why?
Skilled Trades the same,within our own country. I wrote the exam for the Red Seal on my journeyman tickets,and it’s not recognized in other provinces. What was the point?
Fuck Europe! Take care of Canada first,please. “Build Back Better Stronger Not seen in Generations!” Bullshit! Just laid off 350 poor souls in Hamilton at our last standing Steel Mill. What do we build with now? Recycled words? Sad state of affairs. Wait! We can import steel from Germany?!? Poland!?! China!?! It’s cheaper
So let me get this straight. We want more free trade in Canada, right? But apparently we don't want free trade within Canada, between provinces. We'd like more choice in different and cheaper cheezes, and milk. But we can't get rid of the milk marketing board. Why not? We did get rid of the wheat marketing board. Oh, lets get rid of the chicken and egg marketing boards too. Please? We say we want more free trade, but our government isn't really serious about it.
Start with supply management vis a vis the US if Canada wants to deconstruct protectionism that is a net cost to the Canadian economy
It will be a huge cost to Canada to align with the EU with its fundamentally over-regulated, extreme climate policy objectives, and fundamental anti-Americanism.
Carney cannot overcome geography or competitive advantage.
Until we can fix our own stuff, rather than just talk about how somebody should fix it, we need to cool our European aspirations for real fear that we add at least two more layers of nonproductive bureaucracy into the mix.
The comment on red seal Journeypersons is spot on, Red Seals were intended to be a Pan Canadian certification but various provincial governments (Ontario the most egregious but none are clear and open) have allowed protectionism in apprenticeship and industry processes to create additional barriers that all 13 Premiers said they would eliminate. Still waiting.
My concern with EU "Associate Membership" is whether Canada gets pulled into the tangled web of European regulation. I have to deal with European regulatory compliance as part of my job - we sell products in Europe, it's the price of doing business. However, it's not a trivial amount of overhead: every European regulation is well-meaning; its proponents are sure they're solving a very important problem! However, the presumption is always that more bureaucracy and more regulation is the answer, and there seems to be little consideration given to the cumulative weight of all the regulation.
For example, there's the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation: 124 pages prescribing recyclability and material contents intended to reduce the amount of waste in packaging. That's a lot of regulation that a company has to handle when the packaging is not the actual product they're selling! There also doesn't seem to have been much consideration granted to something like applying a tax on landfills to encourage companies to reduce waste.
On top of this burden, the regulations are set by a bureaucracy that's a step further removed from democratically-elected governments than Canada, and decisions are made by agreement of 31 states instead of 10 provinces and 3 territories.
I've got to deal with this anyway, but I wouldn't want to see this regulatory sclerosis added to Canada's current tangle of bureaucracy. I also think that any government that would subject Canadians to this type of regulation would quickly find they'd triggered the same sort of popular backlash that helped push Brexit, but with a population that's far less tolerant of bureaucracy than the British.
Getting Canadians to think of having some European banks, a few European airlines, and opening the market to European telecoms is a great approach to tearing down our monopolistic walls. European trains too, please.
Ottawa has European trains. Because the light train development contract was mysteriously awarded to the Quebec firm SNC Lavalin even though they failed the technical tender requirement. They selected French trains (surprise surprise). The whole system including train sets has been a disaster.
Companies, which are based in countries that respect ratified trade deals, should be granted access to our protected industries. Our unprotected industries are also our most productive industries. It is almost like economic nationalism is bad.
Classic economics is a wonderful theory, as a science the Chinese Communist Party has studied it well. World Trade has been turned upside down by the entry of China into the World Trade Organization. When you have an entity the size of China, governed by an internationalist communist party whose entire focus is world economic domination the game has changed. They are playing a totally different game using capitalism and the concept of free markets to economically dominate. Western consumers have become the proverbial frog in the slow boiling pot of water. Cheap goods at the expense of economic and ultimately national sovereignty. Consumerism maybe one of the worst of all the “isms”. Worse than protectionism. The CCP are playing a different game. A long game. Communism on a global scale by any means necessary, including deception. Membership to the WTO was the beginning. We left “Kansas” along time ago.
I commend the author for his courage, and his persistence.
I am in my sixty-fourth year. I studied economics in the late Seventies, and very early Eighties.
The very real concerns expressed by this author were basically our second year policy course.
We opined on these subjects then, and ever since.
Nothing changes in this Country, not because we don’t know the proper polices to follow; we know the optimal courses of action.
Nothing changes in this Country because Canadians lack the courage to try.
Our own apathy and unaccountability are our greatest enemies.
A tip of my cap to the author, but we’ve heard the song before.
This is the song FYI
"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends
I am so glad you could attend
Come inside, Come inside "
Credit - ELP circa 1980
I am 59 next week. Canada is ever thus.
Very well said.
Canada has had a very strong protectionist streal ever since Sir. John A. MacDonald's National Policy in the 1870s. The world has changed, but our old instincts are still there.
In addition to the air transport, telecommunications, financial services and agricultural (supply management) sectors, I would point to occupational licensing. We are extremely reluctant to recognize foreign credentials. A doctor qualified in France can be required up to six years of extra training in Canada before we let them practice. Why?
Skilled Trades the same,within our own country. I wrote the exam for the Red Seal on my journeyman tickets,and it’s not recognized in other provinces. What was the point?
Fuck Europe! Take care of Canada first,please. “Build Back Better Stronger Not seen in Generations!” Bullshit! Just laid off 350 poor souls in Hamilton at our last standing Steel Mill. What do we build with now? Recycled words? Sad state of affairs. Wait! We can import steel from Germany?!? Poland!?! China!?! It’s cheaper
Not the US! Heaven for bid! As I clutch my pearls!
Appropo, as the demographic supporting this current Govt is the one still wearing pearls...
So let me get this straight. We want more free trade in Canada, right? But apparently we don't want free trade within Canada, between provinces. We'd like more choice in different and cheaper cheezes, and milk. But we can't get rid of the milk marketing board. Why not? We did get rid of the wheat marketing board. Oh, lets get rid of the chicken and egg marketing boards too. Please? We say we want more free trade, but our government isn't really serious about it.
Start with supply management vis a vis the US if Canada wants to deconstruct protectionism that is a net cost to the Canadian economy
It will be a huge cost to Canada to align with the EU with its fundamentally over-regulated, extreme climate policy objectives, and fundamental anti-Americanism.
Carney cannot overcome geography or competitive advantage.
" fundamentally over-regulated, extreme climate policy objectives, "
Agreed on this - and as for joining the EU - this another fake MOU
I will take - " Things that will never happen for $ 500 Alex "
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/repsol-warns-90-crude-supplies-180445934.html
Until we can fix our own stuff, rather than just talk about how somebody should fix it, we need to cool our European aspirations for real fear that we add at least two more layers of nonproductive bureaucracy into the mix.
The comment on red seal Journeypersons is spot on, Red Seals were intended to be a Pan Canadian certification but various provincial governments (Ontario the most egregious but none are clear and open) have allowed protectionism in apprenticeship and industry processes to create additional barriers that all 13 Premiers said they would eliminate. Still waiting.
Excellent observations. Let's see what happens if we can somehow eliminate trading protectionism in our own country between provinces.
Which, of course, will not happen.
My concern with EU "Associate Membership" is whether Canada gets pulled into the tangled web of European regulation. I have to deal with European regulatory compliance as part of my job - we sell products in Europe, it's the price of doing business. However, it's not a trivial amount of overhead: every European regulation is well-meaning; its proponents are sure they're solving a very important problem! However, the presumption is always that more bureaucracy and more regulation is the answer, and there seems to be little consideration given to the cumulative weight of all the regulation.
For example, there's the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation: 124 pages prescribing recyclability and material contents intended to reduce the amount of waste in packaging. That's a lot of regulation that a company has to handle when the packaging is not the actual product they're selling! There also doesn't seem to have been much consideration granted to something like applying a tax on landfills to encourage companies to reduce waste.
On top of this burden, the regulations are set by a bureaucracy that's a step further removed from democratically-elected governments than Canada, and decisions are made by agreement of 31 states instead of 10 provinces and 3 territories.
I've got to deal with this anyway, but I wouldn't want to see this regulatory sclerosis added to Canada's current tangle of bureaucracy. I also think that any government that would subject Canadians to this type of regulation would quickly find they'd triggered the same sort of popular backlash that helped push Brexit, but with a population that's far less tolerant of bureaucracy than the British.
Getting Canadians to think of having some European banks, a few European airlines, and opening the market to European telecoms is a great approach to tearing down our monopolistic walls. European trains too, please.
Ottawa has European trains. Because the light train development contract was mysteriously awarded to the Quebec firm SNC Lavalin even though they failed the technical tender requirement. They selected French trains (surprise surprise). The whole system including train sets has been a disaster.
Companies, which are based in countries that respect ratified trade deals, should be granted access to our protected industries. Our unprotected industries are also our most productive industries. It is almost like economic nationalism is bad.
Classic economics is a wonderful theory, as a science the Chinese Communist Party has studied it well. World Trade has been turned upside down by the entry of China into the World Trade Organization. When you have an entity the size of China, governed by an internationalist communist party whose entire focus is world economic domination the game has changed. They are playing a totally different game using capitalism and the concept of free markets to economically dominate. Western consumers have become the proverbial frog in the slow boiling pot of water. Cheap goods at the expense of economic and ultimately national sovereignty. Consumerism maybe one of the worst of all the “isms”. Worse than protectionism. The CCP are playing a different game. A long game. Communism on a global scale by any means necessary, including deception. Membership to the WTO was the beginning. We left “Kansas” along time ago.