We choose African child labor because the cobalt is cheaper and the products made from African cobalt are cheaper. Consumers are generally not willing to pay a premium for the benefit of African children.
As incredible as it may sound history will show how one man/boy, his cohorts, and the main stream media came close to ruining a country and allowing it to happen.
It could take a generation to fix the damage that has been done.
Didn’t the decline start in 2014 under Harper when oil prices cratered and US shale started winning investment dollars? You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
Canada and Australia have the same disease. Watch Flat Out Like a Nation Sinking by Matt Barrie.
I believe the source of this disease are the privately owned central banks and the Bank of international settlements. They to destroy western middle classes. Keep the property ponzi scheme alive with uncontrolled imagration. We will own nothing and be happy.
The Central bankers want to own everything and have the people divided and rent slaves. Time to wake up!
How exactly does this solve any issues for people in Southern Ontario and Quebec? They need jobs too and I’m not expecting them to find oil under St Catherine’s any time soon. Those parts of Canada have largely value added industrial economies. There is a reason ATI was founded in Markham and not Edmonton.
Well 200 years in and they have not found any to support their population. What have they done instead? Manufacturing, services, and technology. That is the historic basic of the economy in the region where most Canadians live.
Jay, you make a lot of sense. Unfortunately, those who wish to destroy Western living standards are pushing this "live in a cave and eat crickets" nonsense. Part of the huge problem is those pushing this agenda have jobs totally not dependent on natural resources and they are happy to ensure your electric and gas bills continue to climb, as they systematically tie market forces hands behind their back. Meanwhile they keep their private jets and yachts. It is time to kick these deluded (at best) evil (probably more like it) tree huggers packing. Perhaps send them to Beijing to protest and chant. ;-)
Basketball I was not good shooter but I loved getting rebounds and passing it to the good shooters and setting a pick for them so they could get free open shot. It was a great way to exercise a few days a week! I needed the infrastructure of a group who were already playing in Nice courts. Playing to my strengths and teaming up with guys who had strengths I did not have working together to win and have fun! The older guys 50 to 70 always beat the younger guys 20 to 40 who were athletic but old guys were experienced. I was 50ish sometimes on young or older team the older always won lol 😂 life lesson!
Excellent Jay - wasn‘t it Thomas Sowell who said „Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole"?
Great article - rare to see Canadians willing to articulate 'both sides' so to speak. The resource industry may be our lifeblood, but it's also true that maintaining pristine wilderness, having a connection with nature is a core Canadian value. Greetings from a fellow Saskatchewaner!
"At the Canadian mine, you will find the world's highest safety, environmental, and social governance standards. The workers are sufficiently trained and provided with safety equipment, health insurance, retirement plan options, and regulated work hours."
"Canada’s resource industries have been vilified and regulated out of operation"
Aren't the regulations you celebrate in the first paragraph exactly the same as the ones you lament in the second? You can't have your cake and eat it too.
While you may think Canada has become unbalanced to the left (adopting green policies to the detriment of economic growth), there are plenty of Canadians who don't think it's shifted leftward enough. For a modern, liberal, secular democracy, there is no objective basis by which to declare: "this far but no further." This applies to any issue, but especially on one as nebulous and emotional as environmental protection.
I don't think Canada is ignoring its comparative advantage as much as actively trying to shift it elsewhere, something very much possible today (which was impossible in Ricardo's day.) You may think that's a mistake, but that's up to the democratic process in Canada.
What a great piece. I especially relate to the section on " resistance to Canada’s natural resource industries." as I also live close to and spend a lot of time in natural settings. But I know how much I also depend on the energy and resources that come from the Earth, and have been having to make this point to young people in my life lately that are more activist in their thinking. Good work!
Corporate investment is what drives future productivity?
That really depends on what is being invested in, imo.
Social media investments, for example, harm productivity in addition to many other negative consequences.
I don't see how investment in weapons for killing and destruction all over the world add to productivity.
Where are the productivity gains from the multitude of capital destroying dead end green energy projects?
How does the health care insurance industry add to productivity... certainly not the productivity of patients or health care providers.
Everything else, I pretty much agree with, and I am shocked by the level of Canadian poverty... a country blessed with so many abundant natural resources.
What specific policies should the government implement to increase natural resource exports? Exports for most commodities are already at all-time highs, and major projects like TMX and LNG Canada are nearing completion. Beyond vague rhetoric, I don’t see evidence that the regulatory regime has changed significantly or that simple reforms would lead to substantially more investment.
When discussing comparative advantage, it’s important to note that while Canada has always had abundant natural resources, it also has a history of significant industrial activity. Regions like Quebec and Ontario, where the majority of Canadians live, tend to suffer when the dollar strengthens due to resource exports. This industrial base is what distinguishes Canada from petro-states like Russia or resource-dependent economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Many countries have natural resources, but Canada’s industrial and intellectual contributions—historically represented by companies like Nortel, Bombardier, and BlackBerry—set it apart.
Unfortunately, many of these companies began their decline when the “Dutch disease” effect weakened the industrial and intellectual economy of southern Ontario. This is the danger of over-reliance on resource exports: overinvestment in one sector can erode the broader economy, leaving the country vulnerable when resource markets shift. It’s a lesson seen in resource-rich countries that discover massive reserves only to end up with a hollowed-out economy reliant on cheap exports.
i agree 110% with Jay. I have been preaching for years that Canada needs to develop its resources. The only way it can do that is: 1. Get rid of the Liberal government. 2. Eliminate the unnecessary BS in the EPA. 3. Put a definite and realistic timeline on project approvals. 4. Have a fast track approval process for smaller projects, like < $500m. 5. Develop global markets for minerals and hydrocarbons. Enough said! One could go on indefinitely Canada is so screwed up.
A well known Western Australian prospector and investor once said of people who opposed his development projects "Let the b*st*rds freeze in the dark".
Jay. I love your sports analogy again!
Currently in Costa Rica learning how to Surf because I’m a Cyclist and Skier from Calgary not a Surfer !
For the first time travelling the World I am ashamed to say we are from Canada !
We have the equivalent of the best Olympic Hockey team in Canada but only allow the 3erd string players to play.
And All Because Of Being So Damn Self Righteous and Smug !!!
There is a town in Ontario called Cobalt for a Reason !!!
But yet people choose child labour in Africa instead!!!
Love this - thank you Scott
We choose African child labor because the cobalt is cheaper and the products made from African cobalt are cheaper. Consumers are generally not willing to pay a premium for the benefit of African children.
Well said Jay.
As incredible as it may sound history will show how one man/boy, his cohorts, and the main stream media came close to ruining a country and allowing it to happen.
It could take a generation to fix the damage that has been done.
Didn’t the decline start in 2014 under Harper when oil prices cratered and US shale started winning investment dollars? You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
They also started making billions exporting LNG which Canada refused to do under him/her
This article also touched me personally. Whether a nation-state or an individual, we should optimize who we are....
100%
Canada and Australia have the same disease. Watch Flat Out Like a Nation Sinking by Matt Barrie.
I believe the source of this disease are the privately owned central banks and the Bank of international settlements. They to destroy western middle classes. Keep the property ponzi scheme alive with uncontrolled imagration. We will own nothing and be happy.
The Central bankers want to own everything and have the people divided and rent slaves. Time to wake up!
Well said - we need to focus on our strengths, which are some of the largest supplies of resources in the free world. This is something unique.
We can be good at manufacturing windmills and solar panels too, but so can many other countries - not so unique.
The "green jobs" that we were sold on we always a fantasy.
How exactly does this solve any issues for people in Southern Ontario and Quebec? They need jobs too and I’m not expecting them to find oil under St Catherine’s any time soon. Those parts of Canada have largely value added industrial economies. There is a reason ATI was founded in Markham and not Edmonton.
I'm pretty sure Ontario and Quebec have some very significant resources of every other kind.
Quebec also has significant oil and gas reserves, but they refuse to develop them.
Well 200 years in and they have not found any to support their population. What have they done instead? Manufacturing, services, and technology. That is the historic basic of the economy in the region where most Canadians live.
So they played to their strenghts and found success. That was the point of the article.
Jay, you make a lot of sense. Unfortunately, those who wish to destroy Western living standards are pushing this "live in a cave and eat crickets" nonsense. Part of the huge problem is those pushing this agenda have jobs totally not dependent on natural resources and they are happy to ensure your electric and gas bills continue to climb, as they systematically tie market forces hands behind their back. Meanwhile they keep their private jets and yachts. It is time to kick these deluded (at best) evil (probably more like it) tree huggers packing. Perhaps send them to Beijing to protest and chant. ;-)
Basketball I was not good shooter but I loved getting rebounds and passing it to the good shooters and setting a pick for them so they could get free open shot. It was a great way to exercise a few days a week! I needed the infrastructure of a group who were already playing in Nice courts. Playing to my strengths and teaming up with guys who had strengths I did not have working together to win and have fun! The older guys 50 to 70 always beat the younger guys 20 to 40 who were athletic but old guys were experienced. I was 50ish sometimes on young or older team the older always won lol 😂 life lesson!
Love that
Well Jay, if you put it that way…..lol you are (as per usual) making a lot of sense:)
Great read Jay !!!!
Thank you Shauna
Excellent Jay - wasn‘t it Thomas Sowell who said „Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole"?
Powerful quote
Great article - rare to see Canadians willing to articulate 'both sides' so to speak. The resource industry may be our lifeblood, but it's also true that maintaining pristine wilderness, having a connection with nature is a core Canadian value. Greetings from a fellow Saskatchewaner!
"At the Canadian mine, you will find the world's highest safety, environmental, and social governance standards. The workers are sufficiently trained and provided with safety equipment, health insurance, retirement plan options, and regulated work hours."
"Canada’s resource industries have been vilified and regulated out of operation"
Aren't the regulations you celebrate in the first paragraph exactly the same as the ones you lament in the second? You can't have your cake and eat it too.
While you may think Canada has become unbalanced to the left (adopting green policies to the detriment of economic growth), there are plenty of Canadians who don't think it's shifted leftward enough. For a modern, liberal, secular democracy, there is no objective basis by which to declare: "this far but no further." This applies to any issue, but especially on one as nebulous and emotional as environmental protection.
I don't think Canada is ignoring its comparative advantage as much as actively trying to shift it elsewhere, something very much possible today (which was impossible in Ricardo's day.) You may think that's a mistake, but that's up to the democratic process in Canada.
What a great piece. I especially relate to the section on " resistance to Canada’s natural resource industries." as I also live close to and spend a lot of time in natural settings. But I know how much I also depend on the energy and resources that come from the Earth, and have been having to make this point to young people in my life lately that are more activist in their thinking. Good work!
Corporate investment is what drives future productivity?
That really depends on what is being invested in, imo.
Social media investments, for example, harm productivity in addition to many other negative consequences.
I don't see how investment in weapons for killing and destruction all over the world add to productivity.
Where are the productivity gains from the multitude of capital destroying dead end green energy projects?
How does the health care insurance industry add to productivity... certainly not the productivity of patients or health care providers.
Everything else, I pretty much agree with, and I am shocked by the level of Canadian poverty... a country blessed with so many abundant natural resources.
A sad reflection on your government.
What specific policies should the government implement to increase natural resource exports? Exports for most commodities are already at all-time highs, and major projects like TMX and LNG Canada are nearing completion. Beyond vague rhetoric, I don’t see evidence that the regulatory regime has changed significantly or that simple reforms would lead to substantially more investment.
When discussing comparative advantage, it’s important to note that while Canada has always had abundant natural resources, it also has a history of significant industrial activity. Regions like Quebec and Ontario, where the majority of Canadians live, tend to suffer when the dollar strengthens due to resource exports. This industrial base is what distinguishes Canada from petro-states like Russia or resource-dependent economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Many countries have natural resources, but Canada’s industrial and intellectual contributions—historically represented by companies like Nortel, Bombardier, and BlackBerry—set it apart.
Unfortunately, many of these companies began their decline when the “Dutch disease” effect weakened the industrial and intellectual economy of southern Ontario. This is the danger of over-reliance on resource exports: overinvestment in one sector can erode the broader economy, leaving the country vulnerable when resource markets shift. It’s a lesson seen in resource-rich countries that discover massive reserves only to end up with a hollowed-out economy reliant on cheap exports.
i agree 110% with Jay. I have been preaching for years that Canada needs to develop its resources. The only way it can do that is: 1. Get rid of the Liberal government. 2. Eliminate the unnecessary BS in the EPA. 3. Put a definite and realistic timeline on project approvals. 4. Have a fast track approval process for smaller projects, like < $500m. 5. Develop global markets for minerals and hydrocarbons. Enough said! One could go on indefinitely Canada is so screwed up.
A well known Western Australian prospector and investor once said of people who opposed his development projects "Let the b*st*rds freeze in the dark".
In general, I agree with him.
Michael Walsh
A Western Australian mining engineer.