A great quote from Andrea Mandel-Campbell‘s discussion today on the Globe and Mail Report on Business:

“… But we can’t compete on price, because someone will always be cheaper than you – which is why, for example the Canadian forestry industry, which pays high school educated workers $70,000 salaries to pump out two-by-fours instead of more value-added products, is being felled by foreign competition, hundreds of mills have been closing and thousands have lost their jobs.”

($70,000 with a high school diploma? I knew I chose the wrong career!)

Andrea discusses the dismal presence of competent Canadian businesses or industries on the world stage in her latest book “Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson: Rescuing Canadian Companies from the Suds of Global Obscurity”.

Want to know what’s wrong with Canada? Here are some note worthy quotes:

- “why is it that despite believing ourselves to brew some of the finest ales and lagers in the world, Canada can claim no beer exports to speak of. In comparison, a country such as Mexico, with little barley or fresh water, sees its beer dominate sales in 150 countries, including ours.”

- “We really don’t have competition in this country. Because we have things like foreign ownership rules in banking and telecommunications, foreigners are barred from entering Canada. As a result, we’ve tried to ‘invent’ competition here in Canada by trying to over-regulate domestic companies. The end result is that we end up with pseudo monopolies or oligopolies who carve up the market amongst themselves. Consumers are gouged on one hand (why is it that Canadian banks DON’T charge ATM fees in the US for example) while our companies remain coddled and complacent and without the skills to compete internationally.”

- “As for MacBlo, the company was always facing criticism at home in BC – every time it went abroad it was criticized for not creating more jobs at home and every time it tried to grow bigger in BC it was attacked for being too powerful.”

- “How can Canadians compete abroad when they can’t even compete in Canada, with all the red-tape, government bureaucracy, inter-provincial trade barriers and onerous regulation that doesn’t need to be there. “

- “Here in Canada there is a significant disconnect between the three (Business, Government, Academia) and an anti-business rhetoric that is quite pervasive in government and academia. As a result, government funds academic research chairs that might not necessarily have anything to do with the innovative needs and demands of business.”

… and with that ladies and gentlemen, I believe Ms. Mandala-Campbell have summed EXACTLY what is wrong with the culture and attitude of Canadians towards foreign trade and international business.

In an upcoming post, I might share my own experience in attempting to compete in Canada with an advertising venture against the only national market player.