Here is the text of the letter:
November 7, 2011
(space for name of M.P.)
I recently found something very disturbing on the Industry Canada website. During the time that Mr. Harper has been Prime Minister, 2006 to the present, our trade deficit in manufactured goods with all foreign countries has nearly tripled.
According to Industry Canada, our trade deficit was $80 billion in 2010. This amount represents over $2300 for each Canadian man, woman, and child; real wealth going out of our pockets and out of our country, never to be seen again. The result is impoverishment of our country.
It defies logic to pay a net $80 billion to foreign countries to do our manufacturing for us, while our own Canadian workers stand in line at unemployment and welfare offices.
$80 billion represents nearly one million Canadians who could be working in manufacturing but are not. Imagine the beneficial effects of nearly an additional million Canadians working, rather than being unemployed.
I believe one reason for the great increase in our trade deficit is that trade deals signed in the past five years have not led to the anticipated increases in exports. But regardless of the cause(s), the near tripling of our trade deficit shows that Mr. Harper has taken Canada in exactly the wrong direction.
Now Mr. Harper is seeking new trade arrangements with EU and China. Whenever a country with relatively small population, Canada, enters into a trade arrangement with a large entity, EU or China, the country with smaller population suffers further job loss and further economic devastation.
EU has a population of nearly 500 million, 14 times the Canadian population. The EU economy is large and varied. EU is not going to buy manufactured goods from us. Instead, we will be Europe’s new colonial empire, to be exploited at will for EU’s own profit and benefit.
China has announced a multi-decade program of becoming completely self-sufficient in all manufactured goods up to and including airliners and railroad systems. They will be buying less from Canada and other western countries, not more.
It is absolutely vital that Mr. Harper stops searching for new trade deals, and especially that he cancels work on the EU deal and further China deals. Instead, we should be working to increase domestic manufacturing, and reduce imports.
Sincerely,
(space for signature)
According to Industry Canada, our trade deficit was $80 billion in 2010. This amount represents over $2300 for each Canadian man, woman, and child; real wealth going out of our pockets and out of our country, never to be seen again. The result is impoverishment of our country.
It defies logic to pay a net $80 billion to foreign countries to do our manufacturing for us, while our own Canadian workers stand in line at unemployment and welfare offices.
$80 billion represents nearly one million Canadians who could be working in manufacturing but are not. Imagine the beneficial effects of nearly an additional million Canadians working, rather than being unemployed.
I believe one reason for the great increase in our trade deficit is that trade deals signed in the past five years have not led to the anticipated increases in exports. But regardless of the cause(s), the near tripling of our trade deficit shows that Mr. Harper has taken Canada in exactly the wrong direction.
Now Mr. Harper is seeking new trade arrangements with EU and China. Whenever a country with relatively small population, Canada, enters into a trade arrangement with a large entity, EU or China, the country with smaller population suffers further job loss and further economic devastation.
EU has a population of nearly 500 million, 14 times the Canadian population. The EU economy is large and varied. EU is not going to buy manufactured goods from us. Instead, we will be Europe’s new colonial empire, to be exploited at will for EU’s own profit and benefit.
China has announced a multi-decade program of becoming completely self-sufficient in all manufactured goods up to and including airliners and railroad systems. They will be buying less from Canada and other western countries, not more.
It is absolutely vital that Mr. Harper stops searching for new trade deals, and especially that he cancels work on the EU deal and further China deals. Instead, we should be working to increase domestic manufacturing, and reduce imports.
Sincerely,
No comments:
Post a Comment