Province by province, governments are quietly changing who gets Canada’s public contracts. It isn’t a nationwide ban on American companies. The truth is more interesting.
Excellent that we can use our chequebook and not our "checkbook" had we become "the cherished 51st state." :)
But seriously, why is Alberta an outlier on so many issues? I can never take Danielle Smith seriously. She strikes me as the embodiment of the "Maple MAGA."
A thought-provoking article, Fred, as usual. Elbows up!
😂 And I’ll happily keep my Canadian **chequebook**, Jerry.
Alberta is the interesting one because it actually did introduce measures against U.S. procurement early in the trade fight, then backed away from some of them.
That’s why I’m careful about painting the whole province with one brush.
Alberta isn’t Danielle Smith, and Danielle Smith isn’t every Albertan.
But when nine other provinces are moving in roughly the same Canadian-first direction, the contrast is certainly worth watching.
Fred, the accolades to Ontario are not well deserved. They may claim to support Canadian companies but they have absolutely shafted Canadian window and glazing manufacturers by specifying American companies on their bidders list for the Ottawa Hospital Campus Development. Furthermore, they awarded a large contract to an American glazing company who manufacture in Mexico, with no Canadian content, for the windows on the Trillium M Hospital project in Mississauga. There are dozens of qualified manufacturers and glazing contractors in Ontario who are capable of fulfilling the project requirements for both hospitals. If the Ontario government was truly supportive of "Buy Canadian" they would remove the names of approved foreign products from project bidders lists and would never ever award a contract to an American contractor who is stealing work and jobs from Ontario residents.
😂 Brian, I suspect Dougie’s misstep list requires its own filing cabinet by now.
But Frank raised a fair point... “Buy Ontario” ultimately has to be judged by where the contracts and jobs actually go, not what it says on the government letterhead.
The American political influence in Alberta is considerably greater than elsewhere in Canada. From the time oil was first discovered in Turner Valley in 1902, it is Americans who have owned and controlled the oil and gas industry in Alberta. Of course it's not 100% ownership now, but it remains the controlling interest in the largest players. That reflects itself in Alberta's procurement policies. They call the shots from their head offices in Calgary, Dallas, and Houston.
That’s an interesting piece of the Alberta puzzle, Brad.
I’d want to dig into the current ownership numbers before I went as far as saying American interests still “call the shots,” but Alberta’s long economic relationship with the U.S. oil and gas industry certainly makes the province worth looking at separately.
You may have just handed me another research rabbit hole.
And you know what happens when I disappear down one of those. 😂
Any enterprise of any size will have its shares publicly-traded, so it means tracking down who has shares with voting rights (to elect Directors), and what percentage of shares they hold. Further, in many cases there will be a string of corporate entities that are shareholders, so it means tracking through those entities to get to who controls them.
There is Canadian legislation that limits foreign ownership of Canadian companies, but foreign-owned/based companies are allowed to conduct business in Canada. They do have to have a Canadian address, and you will frequently find that it is a law firm address.
That means a lot of digging through Corporate Registries and even then, it won’t provide a complete picture. Suppose a company lists several Directors or shareholders with a Canadian address - that doesn’t tell you their citizenship, or if they even live at that address. It’s a mammoth undertaking.
My comment was based entirely on anecdotal evidence gained while working in the legal system in Calgary in the 1980s. I was never on the inside, but I knew folks who were and there were a number of occasions that I was invited to join them for lunch (for example) in the places frequented by the insiders, or worked with them as a volunteer in some community agency. As you know, stuff gets said in passing, or you overhear conversations and it starts to paint a picture. And I do have a passing acquaintance with the history, although I’m certainly not a historian.
I agree. I do agree the initial response was ban anything American.
I also believe Canadians are both patriotic and practical. Our best revenge is coming out at the end of this part of our evolving evolution is to adapt to the situation as it unfolds. This not exclude products, services etc. from USA if they offer the best fir this particular circumstance.
I sit here in California and wish so much I could live in a country governed by intelligent, thoughtful, people. So jealous--but so happy to read about a real democracy that cares about its people!
Thanks Fred- have to say was surprised at where Saskatchewan was in this standing! Finally Moe has done something I am proud of him for- but he is a tad shifty with disclosure’s. We’ve got a lot of American owned Saskatchewan companies in various sectors. Which is fine - they pay wages and taxes. Moe has shown a changing mindset during his time with PM Carney. Will take some time though before I stop questioning his disclosures
Excellent that we can use our chequebook and not our "checkbook" had we become "the cherished 51st state." :)
But seriously, why is Alberta an outlier on so many issues? I can never take Danielle Smith seriously. She strikes me as the embodiment of the "Maple MAGA."
A thought-provoking article, Fred, as usual. Elbows up!
My thoughts exactly. What's up with Smith? I guess she really is beholden to the Maga group in her political party
That’s the question, Sid.
I’m reluctant to say who Smith is “beholden” to because that gets into motive rather than what we can prove.
What we *can* watch is what her government actually does... especially when Alberta’s approach differs from the other provinces.
I’ve learned one thing doing this stuff... follow the decisions, not the slogans.
😂 And I’ll happily keep my Canadian **chequebook**, Jerry.
Alberta is the interesting one because it actually did introduce measures against U.S. procurement early in the trade fight, then backed away from some of them.
That’s why I’m careful about painting the whole province with one brush.
Alberta isn’t Danielle Smith, and Danielle Smith isn’t every Albertan.
But when nine other provinces are moving in roughly the same Canadian-first direction, the contrast is certainly worth watching.
Elbows up... chequebooks open. 🇨🇦
Fred, the accolades to Ontario are not well deserved. They may claim to support Canadian companies but they have absolutely shafted Canadian window and glazing manufacturers by specifying American companies on their bidders list for the Ottawa Hospital Campus Development. Furthermore, they awarded a large contract to an American glazing company who manufacture in Mexico, with no Canadian content, for the windows on the Trillium M Hospital project in Mississauga. There are dozens of qualified manufacturers and glazing contractors in Ontario who are capable of fulfilling the project requirements for both hospitals. If the Ontario government was truly supportive of "Buy Canadian" they would remove the names of approved foreign products from project bidders lists and would never ever award a contract to an American contractor who is stealing work and jobs from Ontario residents.
Just another item on Dougie’s (quite long) misstep list.
😂 Brian, I suspect Dougie’s misstep list requires its own filing cabinet by now.
But Frank raised a fair point... “Buy Ontario” ultimately has to be judged by where the contracts and jobs actually go, not what it says on the government letterhead.
That’s the part worth watching.
Frank, this is exactly the kind of information I want readers bringing here.
I checked your point before answering.
The Ontario Glass and Metal Association did raise both cases... including the $140-million Trillium façade contract awarded to a U.S.-owned company
and the Ottawa Hospital bidder list that included two U.S.-based glazing contractors.
So yes, Ontario deserves some scrutiny here.
A government can announce “Buy Ontario” policies all day long, but the real test is where the contracts actually go.
That may deserve a deeper look on my part.
Thanks for bringing the receipts, Frank.
Here's another example of Ontario talking the talk but not walking the walk...
https://www.thesudburystar.com/opinion/province-says-buy-ontario-yet-sudbury-hires-us-based-corporation
The American political influence in Alberta is considerably greater than elsewhere in Canada. From the time oil was first discovered in Turner Valley in 1902, it is Americans who have owned and controlled the oil and gas industry in Alberta. Of course it's not 100% ownership now, but it remains the controlling interest in the largest players. That reflects itself in Alberta's procurement policies. They call the shots from their head offices in Calgary, Dallas, and Houston.
That’s an interesting piece of the Alberta puzzle, Brad.
I’d want to dig into the current ownership numbers before I went as far as saying American interests still “call the shots,” but Alberta’s long economic relationship with the U.S. oil and gas industry certainly makes the province worth looking at separately.
You may have just handed me another research rabbit hole.
And you know what happens when I disappear down one of those. 😂
Any enterprise of any size will have its shares publicly-traded, so it means tracking down who has shares with voting rights (to elect Directors), and what percentage of shares they hold. Further, in many cases there will be a string of corporate entities that are shareholders, so it means tracking through those entities to get to who controls them.
There is Canadian legislation that limits foreign ownership of Canadian companies, but foreign-owned/based companies are allowed to conduct business in Canada. They do have to have a Canadian address, and you will frequently find that it is a law firm address.
That means a lot of digging through Corporate Registries and even then, it won’t provide a complete picture. Suppose a company lists several Directors or shareholders with a Canadian address - that doesn’t tell you their citizenship, or if they even live at that address. It’s a mammoth undertaking.
My comment was based entirely on anecdotal evidence gained while working in the legal system in Calgary in the 1980s. I was never on the inside, but I knew folks who were and there were a number of occasions that I was invited to join them for lunch (for example) in the places frequented by the insiders, or worked with them as a volunteer in some community agency. As you know, stuff gets said in passing, or you overhear conversations and it starts to paint a picture. And I do have a passing acquaintance with the history, although I’m certainly not a historian.
I agree. I do agree the initial response was ban anything American.
I also believe Canadians are both patriotic and practical. Our best revenge is coming out at the end of this part of our evolving evolution is to adapt to the situation as it unfolds. This not exclude products, services etc. from USA if they offer the best fir this particular circumstance.
Exactly, Barb.
That’s where I’ve landed too.
Buy Canadian when we can.
Build Canadian capacity where we should.
Reduce the dependencies that can be used against us.
But if an American product or company is genuinely the best choice in a particular situation, buying it isn’t surrendering our sovereignty.
**Having the choice is the sovereignty.**
Patriotic AND practical.
I like that combination.
I sit here in California and wish so much I could live in a country governed by intelligent, thoughtful, people. So jealous--but so happy to read about a real democracy that cares about its people!
Thank you, djw.
And greetings from Canada to California.
We certainly haven't perfected democracy up here...
trust me, Canadians can complain with the best of them. 😂
But I think a lot of us have rediscovered something lately...
you don't really appreciate the institutions and values holding a country together until you see how vulnerable they can become.
Take care down there, my friend.
Thanks!
Thanks Fred- have to say was surprised at where Saskatchewan was in this standing! Finally Moe has done something I am proud of him for- but he is a tad shifty with disclosure’s. We’ve got a lot of American owned Saskatchewan companies in various sectors. Which is fine - they pay wages and taxes. Moe has shown a changing mindset during his time with PM Carney. Will take some time though before I stop questioning his disclosures
That Saskatchewan number surprised me too, Shelley.
More than 99% Canadian procurement certainly got my attention.
And I think your point about American-owned companies operating in Saskatchewan matters too.
Canadian-first doesn't necessarily mean Canadian-owned.
If they're employing Canadians, paying taxes here and producing here, the picture gets more complicated pretty quickly.
As for trusting politicians' disclosures without checking them...
I plan to keep that particular bad habit of mine. 😂
New Brunswick also instituted a buy Canada policy on their government procurement.
Yes, Liz... good catch.
New Brunswick belongs in this conversation too.
They've been moving toward Canadian-first procurement and tightening restrictions on U.S. goods and services.
It’s another example of why the bigger story isn’t really “nine provinces banned America.”
It’s provinces across the country increasingly asking...
**why are we spending Canadian taxpayer dollars somewhere else when Canadians can supply it?**
Thanks for adding New Brunswick to the discussion.
Glad to see more of our tax dollars staying home.
Definitely the right direction, thank you Fred
Well said.
Way to go Canada@