Listening and reading the advice of so many, we find we are in the hands of imperfect problem solvers. We complain to our politicians and yet we find them on the next kneeler, wringing their hands in frustration. We lay the blame on industries and all they want is to complain to us of their challenges. And if we complain to the central bankers, they whip us with increased interest rates. And the cycles of pain continue.
Politicians can offer only false crutches. Wage and price controls are possible. And they can offer special taxes on the more offensive industries. What happens when those plans and taxes have run their course? The only truth is we are hurting ourselves. We are further grinding down on the poor, the disadvantaged and the minimum wage earners.
Sure. We can blame industry. Industry only thrives in friendly environments. They can fold their tents and steal away in the night. And what becomes of our jobs, our goods, our goals and our economy?
Canada is a trading nation. It is too late to think of changing that fact. Only fools want us to accept deep cuts in our standard of living, this late in the game. Nobody wants Canadians to be the biblical hewers of wood and drawers of water. Canada is a winter nation. As seasons temper, due to global warming, nobody wants to forecast the vagaries in our future. Will wildfires continue to tear at our forests? Will hurricanes and cyclones pester our shorelines? Will our rains continue to flood our homes? Will our power lines continue to be torn by high winds? We have no insight into the world of tomorrow.
What we do know about the future is that we are ill-prepared. Crops can fail in the path of droughts. Mines will be depleted. Water routes will etch in new directions. Technology will offer new revenues and changes in direction. New world-wide plagues will beset us. New diseases will be discovered as some are cured.
In addendum: When Tom Smyth retired from Heinz Canada as chair and CEO, in 1995, the food industry in Canada lost a strong advocate. Tom was, at heart, a farmer. He understood the food industry in all its stages. Canada needs others of that verve
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Copyright 2023 © Peter Lowry
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