[C.M. Burns]

I've been thinking about this for a while and recently read a post by herbie pretty much bemoaning the same thing:
What ever happened to Canadian Industry?
Are we forever doomed to be hewers of wood and drawers of water?

Yeah, we have Bombardier... thank god
But where is the Canadian car? the Canadian TV... cell phone... not even a god-damned Canadian washing machine!

Sweden, for example, with a population of 9.25 million people, has TWO huge car companies: Volvo and Saab. Saab also makes fighter jets that defend their small country. Do we even build ships any more?

The 20 largest companies in Sweden are

• Volvo (vehicles)
• Ericsson (tech)
• Vattenfall (power)
• Skanska (construction)
• Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications
• Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (paper)
• Electrolux (appliances)
• Volvo Personvagnar (cars)
• TeliaSonera (telco)
• Sandvik (tech)
• Scania (trucks)
• ICA (retail food)
• Hennes & Mauritz (clothing)
• Nordea (financial services)
• Preem (energy)
• Atlas Copco (industrial mfr)
• Securitas (Security)
• Nordstjernan (financial services)
• SKF (industrial mfr)

Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports.

They are hewers of silicon and drawers of blueprints!

And Canada's top 20?

• Royal Bank Of Canada
• Manulife Financial
• Bank Of Nova Scotia Properties
• Toronto-Dominion Bank
• Encana Corporation HQ (energy)
• Bank Of Montreal
• Canadian Imperial Bank Of Commerce
• Bce (Bell Canada)
• Canada Imperial Oil
• Petro-Canada
• Thomson Company (media)
• Power Corporation Of Canada
• Alcan Inc
• Canadian Natural Resources Limited
• Canadian National Railway Company
• Shell Canada Limited
• Suncor Energy Inc
• Magna International (industrial mfr)
• Husky Energy
• Transcanada Corporation (energy)

I guess we are more accurately described hewers of double-entry accounting and drawers of fossil fuels.

[Mr_Canada]

"Free" trade happened.

[tritium]

Brian Mulroney happened.

[CommanderSock]

Canada is a service based economy.

Also, Canadian kids suck at math and sciences. Unbalanced educational system to blame. Also stiff regulations restrict inter provincial trade and that restricts the incentive to 'build'. Too many self interest groups. Too many layers of bureaucracy.

We need to start slaughtering those sacred cows!

[DerbyX]

RIM - Research in Motion -- creators of the Blackberry one of the most innovative and widespread electronic devices today.

[Mr_Canada]

DerbyX wrote:

RIM - Research in Motion -- creators of the Blackberry one of the most innovative and widespread electronic devices today.

Is that even produced in Canada anymore? Was it ever? Is it's headquarters in Canada?

I also blame Brain Drain.

[Demian_164]

too many unmotivated stoners

[mtbr]

* Royal Bank Of Canada
* Manulife Financial
* Bank Of Nova Scotia Properties
* Toronto-Dominion Bank
* Encana Corporation HQ (energy)
* Bank Of Montreal
* Canadian Imperial Bank Of Commerce
* Bce (Bell Canada)
* Canada Imperial Oil
* Petro-Canada
* Thomson Company (media)
* Power Corporation Of Canada
* Alcan Inc
* Canadian Natural Resources Limited
* Canadian National Railway Company
* Shell Canada Limited
* Suncor Energy Inc
* Magna International (industrial mfr)
* Husky Energy
* Transcanada Corporation (energy)

How many of these companies are Union based ... ONE ...one of the oldest ones. There's your answer. UNIONS killed them off

[CommanderSock]

Demian_164 wrote:

too many unmotivated stoners

It starts with its them vs us.

We're becoming too partisan in this country.

[Mr_Canada]

Demian_164 wrote:

too many unmotivated stoners

"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference."
- The late Bill Hicks

[dog77_1999]

Largest companies in US:

1. Wal-Mart Stores (retail)
2. Exxon Mobil (energy)
3. General Motors (auto)
4. Chevron (energy)
5. ConocoPhillips (energy)
6. General Electric (engineering)
7. Ford Motor (auto)
8. Citigroup (financial)
9. Bank of America Corp. (financial)
10. American International Group (financial)
11. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (financial)
12. Berkshire Hathaway (financial)
13. Verizon Communications (telecom)
14. Hewlett-Packard (computers)
15. Intl. Business Machines (computers)
16. Valero Energy (energy)
17. Home Depot (retail)
18. McKesson (healthcare)
19. Cardinal Health (healthcare)
20. Morgan Stanley (financial)

So the US is nothing but energy, auto, financial, computers, health, and retail companies? Hardly not. But I will say that you will get more dynamic companies if the country is more hospitable to new enterprises. They may not be the biggest, but they will be big nevertheless. The top 20 doesn't tell the whole story.

[DerbyX]

Mr_Canada wrote:

DerbyX wrote:

RIM - Research in Motion -- creators of the Blackberry one of the most innovative and widespread electronic devices today.

Is that even produced in Canada anymore? Was it ever? Is it's headquarters in Canada?

I also blame Brain Drain.

Its in Waterloo, Ontario and yes the Blackberry was developed and produced there.

[C.M. Burns]

Demian_164 wrote:

too many unmotivated stoners

So the unmotivated stoners have most of the good business ideas?

[Mr_Canada]

DerbyX wrote:

Mr_Canada wrote:

DerbyX wrote:

RIM - Research in Motion -- creators of the Blackberry one of the most innovative and widespread electronic devices today.

Is that even produced in Canada anymore? Was it ever? Is it's headquarters in Canada?

I also blame Brain Drain.

Its in Waterloo, Ontario and yes the Blackberry was developed and produced there.

So it's actually still owned by Research in Motion? It's still 'Canadian'?

It hasn't been bought out by the Yankee dollar yet?

[C.M. Burns]

dog77_1999 wrote:

Largest companies in US:

1. Wal-Mart Stores (retail)
2. Exxon Mobil (energy)
3. General Motors (auto)
4. Chevron (energy)
5. ConocoPhillips (energy)
6. General Electric (engineering)
7. Ford Motor (auto)
8. Citigroup (financial)
9. Bank of America Corp. (financial)
10. American International Group (financial)
11. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (financial)
12. Berkshire Hathaway (financial)
13. Verizon Communications (telecom)
14. Hewlett-Packard (computers)
15. Intl. Business Machines (computers)
16. Valero Energy (energy)
17. Home Depot (retail)
18. McKesson (healthcare)
19. Cardinal Health (healthcare)
20. Morgan Stanley (financial)

So the US is nothing but energy, auto, financial, computers, health, and retail companies? Hardly not. But I will say that you will get more dynamic companies if the country is more hospitable to new enterprises. They may not be the biggest, but they will be big nevertheless. The top 20 doesn't tell the whole story.

No, the top 20 doesn't tell the whole story but the comparison with Sweden is still enlightening.

The USA used to have a huge industrial base. GM used to be the biggest company in the world and today they have to go begging to the tax-payers for a handout.