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National Post
13 hours ago
- General
- National Post
Greg Piasetzki: John A. Macdonald's return to Queen's Park an opportunity for historical literacy
This summer, the Ontario government will remove the box that has, for several years, concealed the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald at Queen's Park. It was in 2020 — after several statues across Canada had been painted, toppled and even beheaded — that Macdonald's likeness in Ontario's capital was boarded up. Article content Uncovering the statue is a welcome move. But if that's all we do, we are likely to find ourselves back here again before long. Until Canadians are willing to revisit the actual historical facts — and in particular Macdonald's relationship with Indigenous-Canadians — the cycle of erasure and outrage will continue. Article content Article content Article content The most widespread and damaging misunderstanding is the idea that every Indigenous child was forced by law to attend a residential school, was taken far from home, kept for years and subjected to routine abuse. This narrative has become almost universally accepted in Canada. Article content Article content However, the reality is that, in many years, the majority of Indigenous children who attended school went to day schools and most of the students dropped out after Grade 1, whether at day or residential schools. These facts were well known at the time. They were discussed in Parliament and reported in mainstream newspapers. Article content For example, in 1946, decades after the first residential schools were built, the Globe and Mail reported that, 'Of the 128,000 Indians in this country, only 16,000 last year received formal schooling. Of this number, few stayed more than a year and only 71 … reached Grade 9.' Article content A populist movement towards compulsory education had begun in the 1870s in Canada; by the 1940s, most Canadian children were required to attend school till at least age 15. However, the government in Macdonald's day, and through many subsequent prime ministers, respected the wishes of Indigenous families, who were not forced to keep their children in school beyond the early grades. Article content Article content Clearly, neither Macdonald's government, nor any succeeding one, was engaged in genocide, cultural or otherwise. There were also a number of initiatives of Macdonald's governments that likely saved tens of thousands of Indigenous lives and are equally inconsistent with the notion that he had any interest in genocide. Article content Article content Smallpox killed thousands of Indigenous people in Canada in some pre-Confederation years and Macdonald's governments, in the colonial era, and later when he was prime minister, ran programs to ensure that every Indigenous person in Canada, no matter how remote their location, was vaccinated against it, thus ending the threat. Article content Similarly, when the buffalo population collapsed, Macdonald immediately initiated what was certainly the largest famine relief operation in Canadian history. Moving supplies across the county when no railway existed was an enormous undertaking, and it had the usual missteps associated with a hastily organized program of this scale. However, the program likely saved thousands of lives and avoided a human catastrophe across western Canada.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Why Apple can make iPhones only in China, and what Canada can learn from that
John Turley-Ewart is a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail, a regulatory compliance consultant and a Canadian banking historian. Why can't Apple AAPL-Q make iPhones in the United States, or Canada for that matter? It's a relevant question following the recent demand from U.S. President Donald Trump that Apple iPhones sold in the U.S. be made in U.S., or face a 25-per-cent tariff. The answer, that Apple can only produce its iPhones in China, and why, is a guiding truth that should inform the federal government's Throne Speech promise to 'embark on the largest transformation of its economy since the Second World War.' That truth is made plain in the remarkable book Apple in China, written by Canadian-born business journalist Patrick McGee. It reveals in disturbing detail the 'Chinafication' of high-tech manufacturing founded on Apple know-how, billions in direct investment from Apple over the last quarter-century and Beijing's belief that 'Without a strong manufacturing industry, there will be no country and no nation.' The result is a low-cost manufacturing sector underwritten by the power of an authoritarian state that delivers a sophisticated and expanding managerial and engineering class atop a scalable, just-in-time, low-wage, low-skilled, low-rights, 300 million-plus floating work force that moves as needed from factory to factory that could not (and should not) be reproduced anywhere else in the world. Trump threatens 50% tariff on EU, 25% levy on Apple for iPhones not made in U.S. Apple has few incentives to start making iPhones in U.S., despite Trump's trade war with China As Mr. McGee observed in a U.S. podcast on his book, not only do Americans not want these factory jobs, neither do the Chinese people. These jobs are sustained by the policies of Beijing's Communist leadership that lets Apple exploit the desperation of millions of people from rural China as a means of exploiting Apple itself. In 1999 Apple didn't produce its products in China. A decade later it was making almost everything there. Since 2008 Apple has trained 28 million people in China. 'This rapid consolidation,' said Mr. McGee, 'reflects a transfer of technology and know-how so consequential as to constitute a geopolitical event, like the fall of the Berlin Wall.' Apple seeded China's production capacity through astonishing investments – reaching US$55-billion annually by 2015. This supplied the capital and expertise needed to train managers and engineers to establish and run factories and complex tooling companies while encouraging raw material extraction and refining essential to feeding the just-in-time high-tech supply chain Apple products rely on to generate $US90 billion-plus in annual profits. By Mr. McGee's calculations, that US$55-billion a year is double what was invested through the U.S. Marshall Plan in today's dollars after the Second World War to rebuild 16 European countries. What we learn from Mr. McGee's research is that Apple's iPhone and other products are possible because of a unique mix of management expertise delivered across multiple industries wedded to the availability of millions of low-skill, exploitable workers. What we also learn, which is pertinent to Canada, is how management education can play a key role in transforming an economy. One reason we can't get things done in Canada – improve productivity, take full advantage of the intellectual property we create, retain our promising start-ups, attract foreign direct investment, build infrastructure on time and near budget – is that Canadians are not great managers, especially in the small and medium-sized business sectors. It is a hard truth. Perhaps Canadians know this subconsciously and it is why many in the last federal election took comfort electing a prime minister with a reputation as an outstanding manager. The 'quality of management at Canada's manufacturing firms is … well behind the United States,' according to the OECD. The OECD goes on to say that 'managers in Canada tend to have comparatively lower levels of formal education than in other countries, which may mean shortfalls in competencies, such as strategic planning, financial management, and human resources management.' Canada produces large swaths of university and college graduates in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and the arts. Most graduate without ever taking a course in financial or business management. If Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government truly wants to transform the Canadian economy, part of that long-term process must include working with businesses to invest heavily in management training while requiring the inclusion of business training in STEM and arts programs offered by colleges and universities. The U.S., through Apple, could teach engineers and managers in China how to create and lead the businesses needed to make an iPhone even if they couldn't produce it in the United States. If Apple was a Canadian company, it would have been sold or insolvent long ago.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fires continue to rage out of control across large parts of Canada
In large parts of Canada, dangerous wildfires continue to spread: Of more than 120 fire hotspots nationwide, about half were burning out of control, according to the latest national wildfire report from Saturday. Following the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, residents in the westernmost provinces of Alberta and British Columbia have now also been urged to evacuate the affected areas for safety. There were also isolated fires in the province of Ontario, located in the mid-east. According to information from the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, thousands of people were affected by the evacuations. An exceptional drought, along with wind, has favoured the ignition and spread of wildfires. "Pray for rain," Manitoba's Premier Wab Kinew urged the population, according to broadcaster CBC. However, he said that significant rainfall, which could help extinguish the flames, is not yet in sight. The province of Manitoba declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and requested international assistance. In neighbouring Saskatchewan, a state of emergency is also in effect due to the scale of the fires. Although wildfires occur in Canada every year, particularly between May and September, Saskatchewan's Premier Scott Moe assessed the situation as worse than ever before.
Globe and Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Canada revamps standards around ‘forever chemicals' in water
What's in your drinking water? On Prince Edward Island, the provincial testing program shows potable water in some communities have higher levels of toxic 'forever chemicals' than is recommended by Health Canada. To what extent this affects other provinces is unclear – PEI is currently the only province that systematically tests water supplies to make sure they hit federal targets for toxic chemicals. Patrick White is The Globe's water reporter. He explains the safety concerns surrounding 'forever chemicals' in our water, why the health agency revamped its guidelines and looks into why other provinces are slow to adapt. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
3 Signs That Alibaba's Turnaround Effort Is Bearing Fruit
This section contains press releases and other materials from third parties (including paid content). The Globe and Mail has not reviewed this content. Please see disclaimer. Markets News
