Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Tony Clement and a potted plant

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, June 5, 2009 3:34pm - 8 Comments

The Industry Minister talks about the GM bailout.

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  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Tidewaters Chrystal Ocean

    Well, at least the plant is healthy!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/jolyon jolyon

    I wish Taber would ask some follow up questions. There is a market solution to this: let Americans bail out their own auto companies and see what happens. It is not like GM can just pack up its Oshawa factories and take them to America.

    And I read somewhere that it was costing something like $1.5 million for each job saved, which seems like a low number to me, and is the Minister claiming if the autoworkers were laid-off instead they would be collecting that much in EI and welfare? Pull the other one, Clement.

    Canada's auto industry is only partially threatened: GM and Chrysler are hurting but Ford, Toyota and Honda are fine so far. So there will still be plenty of auto jobs in Ont. The only reason Cons did this is because GM and Chrysler are located in ridings that Cons want to keep or win next election. I think there is a special section in hell waiting for this group of Cons who quickly, and eagerly, ditched their beliefs in order to beggar our grandchildren for potential minor electoral gain.

  • Dee

    So, Jane Taber is the potted plant? Sounds about right…

  • Justin Wordsworth

    GENERAL MORONS

    Whatever the Canadian Government is saving by dumping cash into GM, it isn't jobs.

    Ken Lewenza, president of the auto worker's union, when given media time, was always quick to point out that it wasn't salaries and pensions that were vitiating the big auto makers, but rather it was because there was (and still is) no demand.

    Partially right, Ken. But Ken failed to pursue his logic to its ineluctable conclusion: that renegotiating contracts for auto sector jobs is superfluous – THERE ARE NO AUTO SECTOR JOBS. At least not with GM.

    A job is a job when it results in a product for which there is a demand. When there is no demand for what you do, it is not a job, it's a hobby!

    So let's stop calling the money misappropriated by our government to General Motors as a "bail out" and call it what it really is… An unlimited extension of EI.

  • Joan Tintor

    That plant qualifies for a Parliamentary pension next year!

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