RBC … as in …

 

The Royal Bank of Canada.

RBC’s President came out the latter part of last week and apologized to Canadians for allegedly hiring migrant (foreign) workers to replace 45 of its employees.

I say ‘alleged’ since these foreign workers were not coming into Canada to work rather they were coming here for training and were then going to take these 45 jobs back with them to India – a.k.a. ‘outsourcing’ which is an even worse case scenario but which has been going on now for decades.   

Question.  Where are most of your ‘things’ manufactured?

If you said China – you get full marks.

If you added the fact that this work was originally ‘outsourced’ from the West – you’d get bonus marks.

Can you imagine how much our cost of living would be if the things made in developing countries like China were made in North America.  It would be astronomically high. 

So I do not fault RBC in the least for doing what they were in the process of doing – if they did not do it – one of their rivals would and RBC would be at a disadvantage and sooner than later, thousands of its workers’ would be out on the street.

Speaking of that, RBC has over 60,000 employees in Canada and is in the top 5 when it comes to profitability.

I do though think it was tacky of RBC to have the very employees, who were going to lose their jobs – do the training.  RBC at the outset should have assured these 45 employees that other comparable work would be found for them in return for their assistance.

But getting back to the issue of outsourcing.

Capitalism requires that businesses stay competitive in order to survive.  And in that regard, outsourcing has proven to be a good way for western companies to stay competitive.  We cannot compete with developing countries’ much lower wages but we can take advantage of them in the way that RBC and countless others have been doing successfully via outsourcing.

In that regard, I was most surprised to hear Jason Kenney come out and say he was shocked by RBC’s action. He said something along the lines that ‘migrant workers were not intended to steal jobs away from Canadians’ despite the fact that this is often the result and despite the fact that, as mentioned, they were not migrant workers to begin with.

Kenney knows better – he is after all the Minister of Immigration and knows full well the difference between migrant workers (e.g. apple pickers) and outsourcing (e.g. textile workers).

More to the point, he is supposed to be a Minister in a Conservative (i.e. business friendly) Government and dissing companies like RBC which are only trying to stay viable is reckless. 

But Kenney is also an astute politician; he knows that more and more Canadians (read also Americans, Europeans etc.) have less and less use for Capitalism despite the benefits it has brought us all.

It seems these days that there is a growing belief that most of the ills facing society are the result of cold, calculating Capitalism.

And as more and more members of society become takers and not makers, this sentiment is bound to worsen. 

Indeed, the Guy Currently In The White House has made his career out of bad mouthing Business and it comes a no surprise then that America is spiralling down under the weight of debt in similar fashion to Europe.

As a result, we find ourselves being replaced by Developing Countries when it comes to employing Capitalism to increase the standard of living. In just a few years, China’s economy will out pace that of America’s.  It did not have to be.

So back once again to RBC – 45 workers in the scheme of things is small potatoes (unless you are one of the 45 that is) but on the broader scale the huge negative reaction to RBC speaks volumes.

The other day I called the local Ottawa office of a international company  (not a bank) and my call was answered by someone in the deep american south.  The next day I called the same local number and was put through to the Philippines.  It is just a way of life now.

For all those who have lost patience with Capitalism I would be most interested in hearing from them what system they would use in place of it.

As for RBC President Gord Nixon – he made a mistake …. not for permitting outsourcing…but in apologizing for having done so.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

We’ll Get The Bastaas…

 

My favourite quote by one of Boston’s Irish Citizenry.

In my recent Blog, I worried that the people of the United States might cower in fear as a result of this past Monday’s double bombing at the Boston Marathon.

Thank goodness I need not have – especially as it related to the good folks of Boston.

I heard a handful say that they would never participate in a marathon again but the overall reaction was to ‘carry on’ in the face of adversity; they were not going to allow themselves to change their lifestyle due to horror inflicted by psychos.

It is indeed encouraging to see that such character is alive and well south of the border.  I know that it still is in Britain and most certainly Israel.  I suspect it lives on in Germany and Japan but as for the rest, it is a long past memory.  And when I say that, I also suspect that Canada would find itself in the lesser group.  Fortunately, we have not yet been tested to know for certain.

Take Young Trudeau for instance.  In his first real interview …this with Peter Mansbridge the day after the bombing he had this to say:

‘we must look to find the underlying cause for the bombings’.

No we don’t…even the man who currently occupies the White House finally came out and called it was it is “Terrorism” and you do not deal with terrorists nor do you seek to find out its root causes.

Suffice to say it is mad men out to harm innocents and defenceless for their own disturbed purposes.

When I wrote my most recent Blog I indicated that I thought the bombings were done by either domestic whackos or foreign al qaeda agents and in the scheme of things it did not matter too much to me who was involved since Terror is Terror whoever the perpetrator.

Just released FBI  photos of the two likely suspects show them to both to be lily white and have all the markings of domestic youth.  I think we’ll soon know their identities and why they decided to do what they did.

But that will be cold comfort to those who died who suffered horrendous physical and mental injury.

I do not believe in the death penalty per se but could be convinced of its applicability when it comes to Terrorists.  At the very least these two, if and when they are caught, will spend a lifetime in jail and will have lots of time then to reflect on the root causes.

For the rest of us, we have to get on with living.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’ 

 

Marathon of Hope …

 

Let’s turn yesterday’s Terrorist Act on its head by holding another Boston Marathon asap.

Moreover, we should challenge these self same terrorists to try it again … but this time we’ll all be on guard.

If we cower and run, they win.  If we stand defiantly in the face of their pathetic effort to destroy our will – We Win.

So let’s have another long distance run for the sake of ourselves, our families and our way of life.

And in so doing, let’s call this wicked deed what it is … a cowardly terrorist act that preys on the defenceless innocents.  

I suspect the guilty will be found out and prosecuted but at this point there is nothing to suggest it was foreign (e.g. al qaeda) or domestic (e.g. minute men) but regardless, the perpetrators are nothing but cowardly scum. 

We cannot allow them to terrorize us.  In fact, the only way they can terrorize us, is if we let them .. since terror, must terrorize, to be successful.

I think back to the Brits in the dark days of 1940 when an invasion was expected to be imminent and each night the Luftwaffe bombed the City of London indiscriminately.  Their brave citizens went to the bomb shelters at night and in the morning came out to meet the day with strength and determination. 

Some say that since then, we in society have lost the will to be able to do this again. 

I simply do not believe that.

But we do need some leadership to show us the way.  Never mind more screening at airports, rather show us the way in which we can lead our daily lives – normally, but with defiance, in the face of those who would otherwise seek to destroy us.

You Terrorists do your worst and We Will Do Our Best and we will see who of us survives.

As I see it …

“K.d. Galagher’