Maybe it's time to talk about a few things that don't require major debate, just some quiet reflection. No need to get the blood pressure up on these items, but perhaps a little consideration and after all, that's the name of this here column, ain't it?
Earlier this fall, 2,000 Chinese workers who had been kept busy putting Apple iPhones together in Taiyuan, ended up in a brawl brought about, they figure, by labour tension in a country where unions are banned. Five thousand police officers were called to the scene to quell the battles.The facility, by the way, employs 79,000 workers. I bet not many of them are receiving the equivalent of our provincial minimum wage.
If you can't have a union, can't strike, and the media is stifled, what are your options?
In China, it means trampled compliance, violence that isn't reported or suicide.
So you see, democracy has its advantages. Too bad we take it for granted.
On to another topic.
A recent BMO study revealed that Canadians are willing to pay a premium to eat locally produced food.
So let's make a link here.
A lot of us can afford to pay extra for locally grown foods because we're paid well and don't have to accept the canned products of unknown quality, assembled in China ... for instance.
We're looking for local vegetables and 91 per cent of us said we'd pay a bit more for them. Eight-six per cent of us said the same for regional fruits and 84 per cent would go for local poultry and 78 per cent would seek out local beef.
The reason we'd do that, the survey said, is because we believe in supporting Canadian producers on a front-line basis (28 per cent) or we wanted the guaranteed freshness (14 per cent) while another nine per cent would buy local products because they would know they were safe.
Shoppers in Ontario, B.C. and Quebec were strong supporters of the buy local idea, but they were all behind folks from Atlantic Canada who were the most probable local food product purchasers at 60 per cent and that was higher when it came to fish. Gee, I wonder why?
Saskatchewan was not a trendsetter on this file, but we're getting there. That's why a visit to the local farmers' market is sometimes a pretty good idea.
So, did you want to know where the feds spend all our money ... other than on military equipment of dubious quality?
When it comes to federal tax revenue transfers, Ottawa sends us $27 billion to cover what they believe to be their share of our health care costs and $12 billion for programs such as post-secondary education, child care and social projects. We get a further $15 billion in equalization payments, but not all of us. We used to receive something in Saskatchewan, but now because we're such big shots, we get to pay into that pot. Quebec gets the lion's share of that fun money, not necessarily because they are the neediest, but I would think it's because they are the loudest.
There could be something in that assessment, you know. Those of you who are parents of multiple kids might remember how you had to take care of the kid who screamed the loudest just to keep him or her quiet. Well, Quebec is that kid and if we don't take care of him, he'll leave home.
Enough reflection for this week, my head hurts.
