Is Canada getting its money's worth?

Where is our "Buy Canadian" clause.

Canada could lose 600,000 jobs if the auto industry fails and closes up shop in Canada, and we are sending those jobs to the states.

I want to know what kick backs Harper got from Navistar Defence LLC of Schaumburg, Ill and what Caribbean bank he's hiding it in for his retirement??

The 'Buy American' clause has been watered down by the Senate, and assuming ot passes in Congress, will not affect Canada too drastically. Still, cutting trade with other countries was a factor in the severity of the Depression in the 30s.

According to several people here (not me), the Navistar deal is good because we save a few bucks and they get new trucks a bit faster than if we had retooled the factor

I think you've bought into ruling class propaganda a bit much here comrade... Protectionism would be bad for a capitalist economy - but not for a transition to a socialist economy, which is what is happening south of the border.

Well, now that we're in the middle of another depression scenario, we can judge for ourselves. Global trade is already collapsing. Japan, for example, which is an export-led economy, is now pretty much in Depression. It's manufacturing output has almost completely collapsed.

The global economy is already unravelling.

We need to be awake to the tricks of the Globalisers who will try and use "Protectionism" to distract from their own failure. They were the ones who freed up the capital markets and gave the multinationals the freedom to hold entire nations to ransom and threaten to shift good jobs abroad.

Protectionism is about governments reasserting control.

Protectionism would be a good step for the USA to take to cure the problems with trade imbalances with just about every one of our trading partners. The neo-cons' fascination with 'free trade' has resulted in every thing but fair trade.

Protectionism would at least stem the tide of wealth the USA has been exporting for the past forty years and I personally support it.

Then when our trading partners want to discuss fair trade policies that result in equitable trade we can revisit this.

GM to close Oshawa truck plant in 2009

But we are sending our contract for 1300 trucks to the USA??

http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html ... 29704b1291

Who is our Government working for anyhow?

Try to keep up. It's old news and Canadian companies had a chance to bid.

Yes, it would be a good step for Canada too. We should nationalize the big 3 auto plants in Canada, sell our oil and water to China instead of the US, buy manufactured goods from the East, instead of from the US, demand that our military trucks and equipment be made with Canadian steel, etc. That is what a trade war is all about. The U.S. economy would go off a cliff.

When I hear about "we should nationalize , it would be better.", I say: if nationalizing is so good, why don't we nationalize everything ? Things would be better.

The problem is: it has been tried and it was MUCH worse. Socialism was tried and it failed. Why aren't the people remembering that ?


We sell our goods to the highest bidder. It's a market. If selling oil to the US is more profitable than China, we will sell it to the US. The price is the same worldwide. Same thing with the demand. Why buy stuff in Europe if the same product is cheaper in the US ? I don't see the point...

People are spiteful and stupid.

Protectionism, in ANY form, creates a dead-weight economic loss. Infant industy is the only justification that is acceptable, and even that is a MASSIVE burden on the domestic consumer.

Try to keep up. It's old news and Canadian companies had a chance to bid.

That is for 2009?? I have a job and can't be online 24/7 (like some members) keeping up with current events.

Besides, keep up to what! I work for a living and have little time for news, media bios or hype on how horrible our economy is. I just bought a 42" Flat Screen a few weeks ago, new Blue Ray and new HD PRV. I am in the market for a new Ford F150 (as "Ford" didn't ask for a hand out from the government, they will get my business)

If people quit being afraid and open up their pocket books a little, it would get this economy rolling again.

So pay cash, MOFO's!!

I'm glad you're in good financial state to weather the recession. I'm a little excited about it too. This is my first recession as an economist. I'm taking a lot of notes. But rather than buying that POS Ford, you should get a Tundra. I love mine.

I have a job as well. It takes about 20 minutes a night to keep up with what's going on. Unless you are a slow reader.