I hear what you're saying tomokun. In Canada, some big companies have
left Ontario for better tax breaks over in Alberta. Alberta is a
prospourous province compared to Ontario. Ontario is digging itself a
bigger hole, bringing in thousands and thousands of new Canadians
monthly but not being able to build up the infrastructure to support the
capacity.

Free Trade? Who really win's in that one? We sell off some of our raw
materials to the USA or a third world country to process it, then we
have to buy it back at 10 times the cost. Oh yeah, free trade is a good
thing? Not to the small or private companies. But, I guess that's an
entirely different thread. Sorry for straying of topic but I think the
issues go hand in hand in creating a train wreck we are forced to watch
and unable to stop if from happening.

Yeah, that is a conundrum.

And I don't think its too far off topic, because large companies are the
ones supplying the jobs, but at the cost of killing off small
businesses.

The IDEA (not the practice) of free trade is based around improving the
world-economy, sort of a nod at post WWI efforts to stabalize the
different European economies. Still, in a way it goes against the
fundamental principles of our (American) government to leave the economy
in the hands of the people.

What I find interesting is that large corporations HAVE to move offshore
to sustain themselves, either by bringing in resources, or exporting
work. Their gargantuan size is actually less efficient than smaller
privately owned businesses. Perhaps there should be a modification of
policy so that businesses have to stay local, creating a greater number
of revenue streams by splitting up ownership profits.

Of course I could be completely wrong

Well thank you for reminding me what free was suppose to be about and
that you are american and I am canadian tomo...

Sometimes I forget when posting, we are not one, but neigbour's, lol.
To me, I think Canada got the short end of the stick in free trade. I
don't know if I am right or wrong in my thinking and only go by what I
know and attempt to learn and understand. It's killing off the small
guy over here.

The low unemployment rate is Canada wide. It is not one specific
province. Everyone is hurting and no end is in near sight. When Tim
Horton's and Subway are paying $12-$14 an hour and giving away benefit's
and aiding with continued education, retirement plans, etc. You know
the industries and economy are being impacted in a big way and will be
for several year's.

What I have always wanted to know.....what are the number's, of those
sitting on social assistance and worker's compensation and, if those
number's are off the chart and there is more fraud and many can return
to the work force, what would the impact be on the unemployment rate?
Fraud is rampant here in Canada and far more abused long term than used
as the safety net it was meant to be.

I honestly can't help but wonder what those number's are. Are the
numbers in regards to the unemployment rate skewed in the first place
because they don't tell us what the number's are of those milking the
system (fraud and abuse) versus getting a job?

I've been trying to keep up, read everyone's posts and there are a range
of interesing topics here. I think it might be a good time to insert
something here. Just knowledge I come by from my experiance living in
the midwest U.S.A. that is. There are plenty of jobs. I can have my
choice of jobs in almost any industry as long as I am willing to work
for minimum wage up to $10.00 an hour. There are also many P/T jobs up
to $16 an hour. The problem is this, can one live on that money,
speaking strictly in the midwest? If a young person just starting out
as only rent and maybe a car payment, and car insurance of course, which
is no small bill in itself, and no medical issues, then they can
withstand. They can even build, especially if they have an education
that allows for growth in the work force. But we currently have many
older folks who have other monetary considerations, not the least of
which is medical and dental health issues. We can not pay our bills
with this kind of pay. If we make a choice to loose everything we have
spent our lives building, even our retirement funds, we can work for
this pay, and for insurance benefits, but we can offer no assistance to
our growing children not even for college.

So is this possibly a way that this country maintains a low income
workforce for the future? Is this a way to keep more kids out of
college, assuring a blue collar society?

I have looked into many of the government assistance programs, including
those created specifically for the displaced worker, those jobs that
paid so well, and then they moved out of country or have closed down or
upgraded their requirement of a job, all due do growing government
institutions, such as OSHA Compliance as one you may all have hear of.
Anyway the government assitance program takes that person, who once made
a decent living and "assists" through education funding, those poeple in
getting degrees. The key word there is assist. Now, you take a person
who has a family, and home to support, put them in school full time,
that they must partially pay for, let's say a 4 year program, and when
they graduate, have no prior experience in that field they graduate in,
they now take entry level jobs. I divert you back to the previous
paragraph of what income they can expect. Now many will be in their
50's that this time, their family has lived far beneath it's original
status, there is no college fund for the kids, the house is in a state
of disrepari, if they still have a house, the cars are older and need
repair and now they need to look at retirement.

WE HAVE SEVERE ISSUES no matter what any enemployment statistics say.
Now think again, is this the way our government has of maintaining a
blue collar workforce?

There are 12 to 20 million Illegal Aliens in this country supposedly
doing work that Americans don't want to do at the wages being paid. If
those people were removed from the workforce the laws of supply and
demand say that the salary for the jobs they hold would have to increase
to a level where someone would want to do that work. Write your
senators and congressmen and urge them to secure our borders and take a
hard stand on Illegal Immigration, it just might make your pocketbook a
bit fatter in the long run.

The world does owe you a living, the only caveat is that you have to
work like hell to earn it. If it was all that much fun they wouldn't
call it work and pay you to do it. A college degree will give you a leg
up in the employment market, but too many graduates think it entitles
them to start at the top. If you are looking for a job that pays well,
consider a job driving truck. I know it is probably beneath most college
graduates to actually drive a truck, but most companies will pay for
your driver training and in a couple years you will know a lot about the
business and with a college degree you would be on the fast track to a
management position. If you want to work, there is work out there, if
the job you have does not support your car, your appartment, and your
lifestyle, then get a second job, take public transportation, find a
cheaper appartment and change your lifestyle. In my working career, I
spent 30 years in management and safety in the trucking industry. I
never drove a truck, but I was never unemployed for a single day. I
didn't always have the position I wanted, but my family always had the
things they needed and I didn't spend my time sitting with my hand out
waiting for something from the government. I busted my butt and put my
personal wants to the side. I was able to retire at 55 and I did that
all with a highschool education, of course when I went to school the
teachers didn't give a big rat's patoot about how you felt about
yourself but they did care a great deal that you actually learned
something. And, if you didn't learn the first time you were retained to
do it all over again till you could prove that you had actually learned.

Well said forge. We that worked our butts off & learned, take care of
ourselves.