Who needs who?

[greatwhite]

Actually that is part of the reason the Government raised the baby bonus.

That does not make much sense, poor people have historically had more children. Rich people have always had less children.

[MikePal]

We have to get rid of a lot of greedy unions first. As far as I'm concerned, they're at the bottom of this whole mess we're in now.

Your absolutely right..the cost of labour in Canada (ie unions) killed industry. Just look at Kitchener Ont. Free trade opened up the labour market in Mexico and many companies flocked there.

[JBen]

R . Better made stuff=fewer units to landfill=less green house gases to manufacture=healthy planet=less man made sickness=less revenue needed for health care.

Perhaps.
Bur your going on about the good old days when things were built to last. And we should buy Canadian. So less consumerism, = less growth in GDP= less jobs.

And we already can’t “afford” Canadian...today. Or have you not looked outside in 2020 or since 2010....And are our govts not in debt beyond their eyeballs too?

Forest for the trees Terry.

Some are complaining about immigration. See taxation and affordability.........
don’t want new blood? Fine. Step up and pay for crap. You can start today. Check the box, give JT and Ford 50% more taxes voluntarily .


Flight of capital.
See above

Until and unless you figure out ways to make life affordable it’s a pip dream....
and most people don’t want to pay. Period. See today, see so many “debates” over the years. Anybody but me...

Companies/aka Jobs/aka GDP and the flight of capital .
See Hydro
See taxes
See keystone
See Unions
See PUblic service

So, if you want to cut off China, buy better stuff that last, etc, etc, etc

step the F up.
becasuse right now it’s not even remotely on the table. A to kind of tie it together.
lets use Carbon Taxes, EVs and save the planet.

presently, only about 10% of the population can afford an EV. Mass production at affordable to the masses prices is eons away.........

why?
see above. All the usual debates. Compared to 2006 when Walmart parking lots were still largely empty.....

[JBen]

“Massive human tragedy”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k-m4yjgIKh8

And this goes back to 2006.
A little before. When Walmart lots were empty.What’s been done about it?

Squat.

except maybe, today and for the next decade. It’s a lot worse. it would be nice, beyond nice to be less “reliant” on China, Cheap crap etc.

Then start making life more affordable for the masses...

[fratri]

Your absolutely right..the cost of labour in Canada (ie unions) killed industry. Just look at Kitchener Ont. Free trade opened up the labour market in Mexico and many companies flocked there.

They did that in the name of money (greed).... Blaming unions is silly, we all know it is extremely expensive to live here. Most don't make the wages now to purchase Canadian products. Reducing wages just makes buying cheap China products more likely.
Corporate greed/profits are the problem, not the cost of employees wages...

[MikePal]

Corporate greed/profits are the problem, not the cost of employees wages...

They go hand in hand...one example but there are many more: largest local employer, Nestle, in Winchester went thru a prolonged union strike for a salary increase. It was arbitrated and the company was forced to increase salaries. A year later, due to profit losses, they packed up Nestle and moved to Mexico.

Same with Hersey's in Smith Falls...the unions pushed for salary increases that crippled their bottom line, so they closed up and headed south.

The list goes on and on.

It's one of those 'which came first the chicken or egg' scenarios. Since we live in a Capitalist society, our cost of living is based on what we are willing to pay for a product or service. They more money we make the more we spend driving up that cost of goods and the cost of living. Unions are then pressured to increase salaries of their workers to match those increases. And the cycle continues.

Look at the cost of housing increases...the average home in a city now is $600+K..it's driven up by demand...so employees need more money so companies will forgo setting up shop here due to our higher labour cost.

Labor costs are defined as core expenditure borne by employers for the purpose of employing staff. They include employee compensation, with wages and salaries in cash and in kind, employers' social security contributions and employment taxes regarded as labor costs minus any subsidies received.

Take a look at the chart at link..Canada is rated 30th out of 138 countries in the the world in our cost of living.

https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/labour-costs

[3030]

What ever happened to blackberry did it almost get wiped out because of the Chinese

[greatwhite]

It's still around.

What ever happened to blackberry did it almost get wiped out because of the Chinese

[JBen]

Take the link that follows somewhat broadly. That said, many show the same or similiar.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3531614/a...nada-stagnant/

So if wages, broadly speaking once adjusted for inflation have barely moved in 40 years......Has taxation remained the same?
And if not, what's that done to the bottom line. Both for the peons, who lose purchasing power ( which translates into revenue for companies) and so Walmart's become more popular, and companies seek greener pastures ( who can blame them). Has corporate greed, profits etc played a role too? Absolutely.

But no matter how its sliced and diced, it comes back to making life for the masses......more affordable. Double everyone's wages?
Great. Labour cost go up as does inflation.

And as for Unions. they are their own worst enemies.

[Gilroy]

Your absolutely right..the cost of labour in Canada (ie unions) killed industry. Just look at Kitchener Ont. Free trade opened up the labour market in Mexico and many companies flocked there.

What is wrong with Kitchener, on HOT PROPERTIES CP24 they said the place is on fire for real estate prices because of the job market and that was on Thursday last?