Dear Editor
There is a certain irony in Gwyn Morgan's commentary ("Reform required to overcome skills shortages," Regional Optimist, April) appearing on the same page as Nancy Carswell's letter ("Crashing Credenda short-sighted") and it begs to be exposed.
According to Morgan, Prime Minister Stephen Harper "clearly understands" that national prosperity hinges on making certain enough workers are educated with in-demand job skills.
Carswell's letter to the editor laments Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada recently declaring online synchronous (live via Internet) schools as services, as opposed to being schools, thereby disqualifying all online synchronous learning from direct funding. These schools made access to learning equitable for the first time.
Four years ago Morgan authored an article in the Globe and Mail headlined "If universities were in business, they'd be out of business." He stated, "there is no reason, for example, where all written course material can't be delivered via the Internet … Online learning offers a far superior formal teaching product."
If Harper "clearly understands" the issues, why has AANDC eliminated the funding to online synchronous schools? Furthermore, why for the last decade has there been such chronic under funding of First Nation schools, capped at two per cent since 1996 despite a steady growth in both inflation and First Nation populations.
Morgan claims the shortage of technically skilled workers in Canada is directly related to a "union driven placement system based on seniority" in our schools resulting in teachers "who fail to make science fun" and on a "sclerotic professor union dominated university governance" at the post-secondary level who waste huge sums churning out graduates in out-of-demand fields.
Morgan states, "the ability of any nation's workforce to produce value-creating goods and services determines the living standards of its population." I agree and would add, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany all have both high standards of living and unions. Third World countries generally don't have unions.
As former chairman of SNC Lavalin, the infamous company caught up in a corruption scandal involving $56 million in improper payments, Morgan deflected all blame and took no responsibility. He now appears to be randomly assigning blame again.
Since Morgan is well connected with the corporate world and the Prime Minister, perhaps he would suggest to his friends in high places that the corporate world needs to step up to the plate. It is well documented that the generous tax cuts large corporations receive from the current government are sitting in cash accounts and have not been reinvested in the economy as was hoped.
Morgan states that two thirds of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives representing 150 of the country's largest employers anticipate that "the growing shortage of skilled workers would have a medium to high impact on their major projects and/or investments."
If corporate Canada needs skilled trades, scientist and engineers to build corporate prosperity then corporate Canada needs to directly fund education or pay their share of taxes to achieve superior educational outcomes. The payoff would be enormous for all Canadians.
Evelyn Johnson
Spiritwood
