[Newsbot]

Title: Jim Balsillie fears TPP could cost Canada billions and become worst-ever policy move
Category: Business
Posted By: andyt
Date: 2015-11-08 22:19:26
Canadian

[DrCaleb]

$1:

"I'm not a partisan actor, but I actually think this is the worst thing that the Harper government has done for Canada," the former co-chief executive of RIM said in an interview after studying large sections of the 6,000-page document, released to the public last week.

"I think in 10 years from now, we'll call that the signature worst thing in policy that Canada's ever done...

"It's a treaty that structures everything forever � and we can't get out of it."

What a commie sympathizer. We all know that Harper negotiated this treaty in good faith. Have a little respect for the process Jim!

/sarcasm

[Lemmy]

Economic advice from a guy who's astute business acumen nearly drove a major corporation right into the ground? Pass.

[OnTheIce]

Lemmy Lemmy:

Economic advice from a guy who's astute business acumen nearly drove a major corporation right into the ground? Pass.

Economic advice from a guy that helped build that corporation.

[Lemmy]

That's fair. But I'll still pass. I thought, even when RIM was riding high, that he was out of his element; more a salesman than a business executive.

[DrCaleb]

Lemmy Lemmy:

That's fair. But I'll still pass. I thought, even when RIM was riding high, that he was out of his element; more a salesman than a business executive.

Blackberry also has one of the largest portfolios of intellectual property and patents in the technology world. They bought a large number from the demise of Northern Telecom, and purchasing Palm technologies - among many others.

If he's a 'salesman', then those were the bullets in his six shooters. So he's likely to know how the TPP would affect other Canadian technology companies wanting to compete against the US and Japan. And he's not saying anything different than other people who have analyzed the agreement.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... e26968929/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heather-g ... 98604.html

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2015/11/offi ... ic-domain/

[BartSimpson]

TPP is just another means of socialism on a global scale: transferring wealth from our nations to others.

[smorgdonkey]

I have no faith in TPP. I know that people who were looking at the document were saying that it might have major implications on what is available on the internet and that's disturbing to me. It also bothers me when trade deals want to bring stuff into the country that we already have. Milk...why the F does Canada need any barriers brought down for foreign milk? It doesn't.

I would kill that TPP.

[andyt]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

TPP is just another means of socialism on a global scale: transferring wealth from our nations to others.

Really? What are those other nations? I think you have the transfer reversed, in the case of your country. The big corps were invited to help draft the agreement. Those big corps aren't headquartered in Vietnam or New Zealand. Or Canada for that matter.

[BartSimpson]

andyt andyt:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

TPP is just another means of socialism on a global scale: transferring wealth from our nations to others.

Really? What are those other nations? I think you have the transfer reversed, in the case of your country. The big corps were invited to help draft the agreement. Those big corps aren't headquartered in Vietnam or New Zealand. Or Canada for that matter.

You need to read up on how those corporations are legally organized across the globe. You're correct that they're acting in their own self interests but they're not acting in OUR interest.

Bottom line, if this were a good deal for North America then Barack Obama would oppose it.

[Thanos]

Massive gulf of difference in what's good for the average American citizen and what's good for the American corporate executive class.

[shockedcanadian]

I was told that Canadian and intellectual property have a problem because they don't reach the application stage at a high rate. This is mainly because funding from banks is very difficult to get in Canada and since we protect the banking oligopoly businesses suffer due to lack of options. While other countries develop their patents into usable applications and encourage investment banking and seed money Canadian businesses; especially the most innovative are forced to scratch their asses and paint a great picture...in theory. They need and want the opportunity to put these concepts into practice.

Jim did well when he was able to develop and be first to market, when competition set in he was stagnant and rigid and if you judge a CEO's success by their stock value, he was a dismal failure. He didn't have any vision for the future that was viable obviously, though it seems he did quite well for himself financially.

Who in their right mind would turn their backs on the opportunity to have access to 40% of the worlds marketplace as TPP encompasses? Especially when we are a relatively small player?

In Canada you have a centralized government that has it's fingers in every pie of Canadian and business existence, and Jim wonders why we are too afraid to compete? Protectionism works both ways, some people don't seem to understand this concept. Would Jim be happier if RIM had been forced to sell it's technology only in Canada?

TPP won't be perfect, and I'm no expert on the matter, but it was a 7 year negotiation, all members had to give and take most certainly. Some industries will be negatively affected, other industries will have greater free access to larger markets. We can compete with the world or we can become a domestic only marketplace.

Some would prefer we remain dinosaurs in which they can control every aspect of the workplace...

[martin14]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

We all know that Harper negotiated this treaty in good faith. Have a little respect for the process Jim!

Being a small fish in a big pond, there won't be much in this deal favourable to Canada.

And it's why Justine may say he'll change it, but he won't.

[Lemmy]

martin14 martin14:

Being a small fish in a big pond, there won't be much in this deal favourable to Canada.

Why not? Being the small fish is the best position to be in. In trade deals, the potential gains from trade are always greatest for the smaller country.

martin14 martin14:

And it's why Justine may say he'll change it, but he won't.

Justine would kick your ass.

[shockedcanadian]

martin14 martin14:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

We all know that Harper negotiated this treaty in good faith. Have a little respect for the process Jim!

Being a small fish in a big pond, there won't be much in this deal favourable to Canada.

And it's why Justine may say he'll change it, but he won't.

Right. So Canada will suggest they want change to the document after seven years of negotiation, the other countries will cross out any text with "Canada" in it, and change the total nations involved in the TPP to 11 from 12...

I have said for nearly a decade; this from personal experience, that Canada is not meant for globalized economic competition because too many in positions of power and influence are content with the localized, low-skill, horse and buggy economy that we have been running for far too long. How can a nation that has the great benefit of being beside the largest nation of consumption fail to grow and expand? Both our economy and our liberties. It's an insult to anyone who gives a damn about this nations future.

Oh, and if you want to understand how this system operates, ask yourself why over a 15 year period the RCMP had a total of two bribery charges laid in Canada, the lowest by a large margin of the G20 (England was second worst). This, while other countries like America and France enforce the rules with the highest level of indictments against businesses who operate outside the rules.

Perhaps competition is a dirty word in Canada. Perhaps allowing free market forces and seeing the best and brightest succeed is not agreeable to some who prefer nepotism, cronyism and a 1950s modelled economy. If it isn't TPP it will be the next trade agreement that some will whine about.