Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Big Box Government

I didn't see the president of Home Depot climbing around the ruins at Cancun but evidently she was there :

Bush, Harper, and Fox "also announced the establishment of a North American Competitiveness Council. The council will comprise representatives of business and the three governments and will have a say in targeting projects and ideas aimed at creating a more creative market environment.
One business leader who joined in a meeting with the three leaders over the new council said she feels considerable urgency among governments to get at the smart-card issue.
"I don't know the technicalities of it, but I do know that the intent of governments are to get together and come up with something that is technologically easy," said Annette Verschuren, president of Home Depot Canada. "We just don't want to slow down the movement of products and people."

Say, didn't Tom Ridge retire as US Homeland Security Secretary to join the board of Home Depot?
Why yes he did :
"We are honored to have Ridge join our board, where we expect that his unique global experience and perspective will make a profound contribution to our company and our shareholders," said Home Depot Chief Executive Bob Nardelli.
Ridge is quite familiar with home-improvement projects. He was instrumental in a short-lived run on duct tape in early 2003, when he encouraged Americans to turn to the sticky substance and plastic sheeting as protection against terrorists using chemical and/or biological agents.
The move, which drew criticism from many corners, motivated many across the country to stock up -- to the extent that some retailers reported widespread shortages.
Home Depot, in fact, went so far as to set up special Homeland Security displays near its entrances to tout sales of duct tape, plastic sheeting, batteries and bottled water, among other safe-room supplies.
At the time, Ridge had just upped the color-coded security threat advisory to orange, the second highest level."

Government and business, working together.

OK back to the future at the Glib and Mall :

"Our three countries are facing unprecedented competition from large developing economies such as China and India," said Thomas d'Aquino, president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. "A positive and constructive tone at the top is essential if our three countries are to move forward in defining a new and stronger North America."

He elaborates further on this new North American Competiveness Council at the Council of Chief Executives website where he adds :

"We would restate our view that it is in Canada’s interest to participate in the ballistic missile defence program."

Government and business working together.

3 comments:

Dave said...

Ah yes. Thomas d'Aquino... the cheerleader for getting Canada involved in Iraq... so Canadian business could carpetbag the place and clean up on reconstruction contracts.

He seems pretty quiet about that now.

Alison said...

Ha! The North American Carpetbaggers Council.

Do you ever read the Council of Chief Executives website? You probably do. They've been bagging on about reforming the Canadian constitution coz it's just so 19th century now.
Also they're currently complaining that research at Canadian universities is insufficiently "goal oriented", presumably read "market oriented".
And big on war on terror.

I started reading them after I noticed how quickly their little missives show up as gov't policy initiatives, after which they openly crow about these successes on their website.

Anonymous said...

Well, that's the last time i apply my Masters of Biz Admin. and I'll stop getting supplies for my 14 homes at The Depot. Harumph! To think all my slaves have no goals either. I want educated servants who want to topple me, but I can keep them oppressed! What's the world coming to?

Damn it, Martin got the RCMP to train Iraquis as police. How can we have loyal little workers there if we've been having them all pegged off? Hapers right, our own soldiers are dispensible so we can keep the market open to us in the mid-east. O.k., I'll put my Bix Admin into action again. I'm sure France would be better at helping me establish biz there , Canada's just too slow.

Am I making any sense? No? Good.

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