"Free" Trade - A Secret Report
- A secret Canadian government report says that 309,000 manufacturing jobs fled to Communist nations such as China and Vietnam.
- So-called "capitalist" businessmen use Communist dictators to prevent the formation of labor unions, prevent free speech, avoid paying for health care or retirement and drive down wages to near slave labor levels.
- "Free" trade is not free when Canadian and American workers have to compete with authoritarian systems that oppress workers.
(CBC News) - A Feb. 4 report by Industry Canada suggests that some manufacturing jobs have disappeared forever, investment in equipment is weak and that there's been a jobless recovery even in areas where manufacturing has rebounded somewhat.
The findings are from an analysis of long-run trends in manufacturing prepared for the deputy minister and obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act.
"Industries highly sensitive to the exchange rate have shrunk, while a significant drop in the number of establishments points to a permanent loss in manufacturing capacity," says a censored summary of the 18-page document prepared by Philip Jennings, a senior bureaucrat.
There has been a net loss of 212,000 manufacturing jobs in Ontario and 97,000 in Quebec since 2004, the document says.
Many of the manufacturing jobs that Canada has shed are low-skill and low-paid, and that the country can't compete on labour costs with countries such as China or Vietnam.
New Democrat industry critic Peggy Nash said the report undermines the Harper government's steady-as-she-goes approach to the economy.
"While the government seems to keep trying to reassure Canadians that everything is fine, it's clear that they're worried about a permanent loss in manufacturing capacity."
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