Comments on The Burd Report: A busy weekend for car and machinery enthusiasts

Oh the issue of foreign ownership concerns foreign...

2009-08-07T09:55:33.964-04:00

Oh the issue of foreign ownership concerns foreigners owning property in Canadian. I thought the issue was Canadians owning property in other countries.

I don't mix business with Canadianism. Hudson's Bay, Eaton's, Tim Hortons are businesses only -- they are not Canadian. I get my sense of nationhood elsewhere than from business.

Wally, it's difficult to ensure Canadian jobs ...

2009-08-06T19:03:35.222-04:00

Wally, it's difficult to ensure Canadian jobs once a head office leaves the country. The government does have a " feel good " requirement, seldom taken seriously , that such sales show a net benefit to Canada. Good luck on that one. The former Stelco plant in Hamilton is an example of a foreign based owner company not living up to it's commitments to staffing levels. Obviously, if all purchasers of companies honoured such agreements, there would be less concern with foreign ownership.

Why is foreign ownership a concern?

2009-08-06T15:53:24.662-04:00

Why is foreign ownership a concern?

Anon. suggests that Jimbo's actions have prodd...

2009-08-06T14:38:53.072-04:00

Anon. suggests that Jimbo's actions have prodded the government "to address" foreign ownership.

Much has been said, by many sources, about the Nortel sale and foreign ownership. Even without his atypical bid, the government would have, I believe, "addressed" the issue, which is to say, they would have said something about it.

Will the government devise and implement a Canadian strategy for the international high-tech sector? That will take more than talk.

He may not be playing by the " accepted "...

2009-08-06T09:42:26.986-04:00

He may not be playing by the " accepted " rules, but he does raise points about foreign ownership that the Conservative government has been prodded to address, finally. This is a good thing , right Ben ?

Typically Jimbo approached the Nortel sale as he d...

2009-08-06T09:35:02.946-04:00

Typically Jimbo approached the Nortel sale as he did the Phoenix situation - he tried to make up the rules. The Nortel auction laid out the rules and he didn't want to abide by certain confidentiality and patent provisions so he didn't bid and cried like a baby when the trustee told him to do so.

What do you expect Ben - he's a hockey fan. Pe...

2009-08-06T09:03:47.446-04:00

What do you expect Ben - he's a hockey fan. Personally, I enjoy every time he makes the NHL potentates squirm. According to the news today, his bid is on the table, just like the other pseudo-bids. I want to see Bettman and JB smiling in a picture together when they drop the first puck in Hamilton.
On another, ( and possibly more important ), subject, what do you think of his 11th hour foray into the Nortel sale ?