This latest Trump move, to prevent 3M from giving us the masks we ordered, got me thinking about where Canada should go after the virus is over.
I have always been somewhat leary when doing business with the Americans. Growing up in Toronto and Trenton, Ontario in the 40s and 50s, it seemed that most of the Ontario factories were merely branch plants for big American companies. Whenever a recession hit, the Canadian company workers were first to be laid off.
In those days, there were canning and cheese factories everywhere. It was the High School kids who provided much of the labor in the canning factories during the summer. I was a sampler and tenderometer (grading) operator at a pea canning factory called Stokley Van Camp. I made 75 cents an hour and you could work as many hours as you wanted during the 6 week harvest. I made enough money to buy my first second-hand car at the age of 16...a 39 chev coup. There were rumors that the Americans bought up most of the canning factories in Canada and shut them down, making us more dependent on them for our canning needs.
During the 70s the big American Business Schools were teaching that when a company is threatened by a smaller company taking a part of their market share, they should do everything in their power to put the smaller company out of business. I witnessed large companies dropping their prices on products long enough to put smaller Mom and Pop companies out of business. In many cases the smaller companies were building market share by producing better products. However, that mentality gradually ended, as it was considered more ethical to simply buy out the smaller company.
As for energy, much has been said about American interference in our attempts to build pipelines. I think this is just one more example of their “Us vs Them” and "Win at all Costs" mentality.
Obviously many things have changed over the years, especially with technology and globalization. I realize that it is in our benefit to have a free trade agreement with the Americans. However, when the virus is over, I think we should establish a task force to make sure Canada is independently self sustaining in the event of another pandemic. Things like security of medical supplies (including drugs), food and energy should be top of the list.
Last edited by flamesfever; 04-11-2020 at 05:37 PM.
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