Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Ranty-pants
This may sound cranky, but I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm entitled, okay?
Bombardier, the world leader in water-craft and snowmobile sales, is laying off hundreds of people in Quebec. They cite the strength of the Canadian dollar as one of the main reasons for this drastic cut. Why don't I believe this? Either this huge, successful company is run by a bunch of nitwits who don't have the foresight to imagine fluctuations in the currency market, or they're taking advantage of the recent news that Florida will not be buying their trains for public transit to lay off folks and save themselves a few bucks. This company is supposed to be one of the jewels in the corporate crown of Canada. Why, then, do they consistently go begging for subsidies from the government and lay off their employees at the drop of a hat? They must be making money; there's no shortage of fools who think terrorizing fish and deer in their natural habitats is a fulfilling pastime. I know that Bombardier's aerospace division suffered in the industry nosedive after 9/11. But isn't that why corporations diversify, so that one part of the company can make up for a shortfall in another? And where does all their corporate welfare money go? Isn't employment in rural areas the whole reason the government gives out subsidies to big business? Can't they ask for guarantees against lay-offs from the companies who receive their largesse?
Bombardier is a bad corporate citizen, milking the government then kicking over the can and asking for more, while denying their employees a drink. I would love to see a cost/benefit analysis of Bombardier's effect on the province/country. Is the employment they provide really worth all the money they get? At least when Air Canada sucks the government dry, we're propping up a national airline with our tax dollars. What's Bomardier done for us lately?
Phooey.
This may sound cranky, but I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm entitled, okay?
Bombardier, the world leader in water-craft and snowmobile sales, is laying off hundreds of people in Quebec. They cite the strength of the Canadian dollar as one of the main reasons for this drastic cut. Why don't I believe this? Either this huge, successful company is run by a bunch of nitwits who don't have the foresight to imagine fluctuations in the currency market, or they're taking advantage of the recent news that Florida will not be buying their trains for public transit to lay off folks and save themselves a few bucks. This company is supposed to be one of the jewels in the corporate crown of Canada. Why, then, do they consistently go begging for subsidies from the government and lay off their employees at the drop of a hat? They must be making money; there's no shortage of fools who think terrorizing fish and deer in their natural habitats is a fulfilling pastime. I know that Bombardier's aerospace division suffered in the industry nosedive after 9/11. But isn't that why corporations diversify, so that one part of the company can make up for a shortfall in another? And where does all their corporate welfare money go? Isn't employment in rural areas the whole reason the government gives out subsidies to big business? Can't they ask for guarantees against lay-offs from the companies who receive their largesse?
Bombardier is a bad corporate citizen, milking the government then kicking over the can and asking for more, while denying their employees a drink. I would love to see a cost/benefit analysis of Bombardier's effect on the province/country. Is the employment they provide really worth all the money they get? At least when Air Canada sucks the government dry, we're propping up a national airline with our tax dollars. What's Bomardier done for us lately?
Phooey.
# posted by becca : 9:41 AM
