{"id":2993,"date":"2014-08-26T05:36:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-26T09:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/?p=2993"},"modified":"2014-08-26T00:05:00","modified_gmt":"2014-08-26T04:05:00","slug":"roundup-protectionism-panic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/2014\/08\/26\/roundup-protectionism-panic\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundup: Protectionism panic!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Panic! Burger King may be looking to buy Tim Horton\u2019s in order to move their combined headquarters to Canada in order to take advantage of a lower tax rate! But let\u2019s all be concerned about the loss of a national treasure \u2013 um, which has only just returned its headquarters to Canada after it spun off from American owners Wendy\u2019s. The NDP were immediately out front, <a href=\"http:\/\/o.canada.com\/news\/burger-king-tim-hortons-merger-why-canadians-should-celebrate\" target=\"_blank\">concern trolling<\/a> about the loss of small town Tim Horton\u2019s outlets and Canadian jobs when in fact the bigger story is that Burger King wants to move their headquarters here, meaning money in government coffers \u2013 while the practice of \u201ctax inversion\u201d (where a larger company buys a smaller one in a lower-tax jurisdiction and moves their joint headquarters to the lower tax jurisdiction) angers American Congressmen. <em>Canadian Business<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.canadianbusiness.com\/companies-and-industries\/tim-hortons-burger-king-why-merger\/\" target=\"_blank\">wonders<\/a> what\u2019s in it for each partner of the takeover, while Jason Kirby wonders if the merger is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/economy\/business\/why-tim-hortons-needs-burger-king\/\" target=\"_blank\">trying to mask<\/a> each other\u2019s weaknesses. Here\u2019s a look at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/economy\/business\/the-activist-investor-behind-the-burger-king-tim-hortons-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\">activist investor<\/a> who was behind the previous move, and who is helping to drive the current one. Here\u2019s a <a href=\"http:\/\/o.canada.com\/news\/who-owns-tim-hortons\" target=\"_blank\">history<\/a> of Tim Horton\u2019s ownership, and a history of the less-than-optimal <a href=\"http:\/\/www.canadianbusiness.com\/companies-and-industries\/tim-hortons-wendys-merger-lessons-burger-king\/\" target=\"_blank\">past partnership<\/a> with Wendy\u2019s. If you\u2019re concerned about <a href=\"http:\/\/o.canada.com\/business\/are-there-any-canadian-companies-left\" target=\"_blank\">brand nationalism<\/a> \u2013 which companies are still \u201cCanadian\u201d \u2013 it may be a dying trend in a globalized future, but here are five that are still ours. And Stephen Gordon leaves us with this:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cI just don\u2019t feel right about the BK-Tim Horton\u2019s deal\u201d is not a reason to demand govt intervention to stop it.<\/p>\n<p>— Stephen Gordon (@stephenfgordon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stephenfgordon\/status\/504066107461087232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 26, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Consider any other transaction: \u201cI just don\u2019t feel right about my neighbour selling his house to an immigrant family.\u201d So what?<\/p>\n<p>— Stephen Gordon (@stephenfgordon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stephenfgordon\/status\/504066532423790594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 26, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Correctional Services <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/corrections-canada-seeks-new-powers-as-contraband-seizures-rise-1.2746323\" target=\"_blank\">wants enhanced powers<\/a> to crack down on contraband as the number of banned items being seized is on the rise. The rise is apparently attributable to tougher measures, but shaking down visitors will do more harm than good, as any expert will tell you it\u2019s not the visitors bringing in the contraband \u2013 it\u2019s the staff. We\u2019ll see if CSC is going to try to get tough on its own employees, or if this will be more bluster.<\/p>\n<p>The Chief Justice of the Federal Court is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lawtimesnews.com\/201408254152\/headline-news\/chief-justice-pushes-back-against-bias-claims-insinuations-of-kangaroo-court\" target=\"_blank\">taking a stand<\/a>, that the court is not biased in favour of the government, after the many false allegations levelled against it during the whole Nadon appointment controversy.<\/p>\n<p>As Harper\u2019s Northern Tour rolls along, he <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalnewswatch.com\/2014\/08\/25\/harper-joins-hunt-for-lost-franklin-ships\/\" target=\"_blank\">joined the search<\/a> for the lost Franklin Expedition\u2019s ships, which the Royal Canadian Navy is participating in this year. Michael Den Tandt writes more about it <a href=\"http:\/\/o.canada.com\/news\/national\/den-tandt-harper-promotes-arctic-development-while-indulging-historical-passion\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>. Not on the tour is the Nunavut prison, which <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/north\/nunavut-prison-still-squalid-drug-ridden-a-year-after-report-1.2746226\" target=\"_blank\">remains a squalid, drug-ridden eyesore<\/a> a year after a report outlining the problems with a facility that should have been decommissioned.<\/p>\n<p>Despite their plans to ground four Challenger jets permanently to save costs, the government has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/tories-keep-4-challenger-jets-airborne-due-to-vip-scheduling-conflicts-1.2745755\" target=\"_blank\">backtracked<\/a> a little bit and will only ground two, because it turns out that the military needs them for more than just shuttling VIPs and that having too few of those planes would present some pretty big scheduling problems. Oops.<\/p>\n<p>Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is now <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/tina-fontaine-s-death-can-t-be-ignored-brad-wall-says-1.2746303\" target=\"_blank\">adding his voice<\/a> to the calls for an inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Andrew Coyne gives a really w<a href=\"http:\/\/o.canada.com\/news\/national\/coyne-why-the-call-for-a-public-inquiry-on-murdered-aboriginal-women-isnt-justified\" target=\"_blank\">ell reasoned argument<\/a> for why we don\u2019t really need an inquiry, but action on the real issues that plague many First Nations communities instead.<\/p>\n<p>An ousted former Manitoba chief says the government is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/manitoba\/federal-expense-audit-unfair-former-manitoba-chief-says-1.2746309\" target=\"_blank\">using audits<\/a> of First Nations to punish those who are critical of the government, and that he wasn\u2019t given a chance to give receipts or justifications for the expenses that certainly look questionable on the face of it. His analogy of the government being like an octopus \u2013 some hands helping, others beating them up \u2013 seems a little at odds with the notions of accountability and transparency that are the norm for governance in Canada generally these days.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an interesting court case around a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hilltimes.com\/news\/news\/2014\/08\/25\/out-of-court-settlement-needed-for-ndp-to-secure-%2416-million-bequest\/39408\" target=\"_blank\">$1.6 million<\/a> bequest to the NDP by a former Montreal professor, and his daughter\u2019s battle against it.<\/p>\n<p>Former Bloc leadership hopeful Andr\u00e9 Bellavance has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/andr\u00e9-bellavance-quits-the-bloc-to-sit-as-an-independent-1.2746057\" target=\"_blank\">quit the party<\/a>, at odds with the new leader and the direction he\u2019s taking the party. That leaves two MPs left in the Bloc \u2013 one of whom won\u2019t run again, the other who was first elected as a Progressive Conservative under Mulroney \u2013 and a leader without a seat. We\u2019re also up to seven Independent MPs these days, for those of you keeping score.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu is being <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/pierre-hugues-boisvenu-told-to-apologize-after-dating-his-senate-staffer-1.2746418\" target=\"_blank\">asked to apologise<\/a> to his Senate colleagues and to take courses in contemporary management after having dated his staffer. The full sanctions still need to be voted on by the whole Senate once they return in the fall.<\/p>\n<p>Jean Charest says he\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/montreal\/jean-charest-says-he-s-finished-with-politics-1.2745841\" target=\"_blank\">done with politics<\/a>, so can we please stop asking him about federal political ambitions? No? Sigh.<\/p>\n<p>And from the overly sensitive files, the UK embassy in Washington was <a href=\"http:\/\/o.canada.com\/news\/burning-white-house-503982\" target=\"_blank\">forced to apologise<\/a> after tweeting a picture of a White House cake with sparklers on it to commemorate 200<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary the British torching the president\u2019s residence during the War of 1812. Apparently the Americans were offended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Panic! Burger King may be looking to buy Tim Horton\u2019s in order to move their combined headquarters to Canada in order to take advantage of a lower tax rate! But let\u2019s all be concerned about the loss of a national … <a href=\"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/2014\/08\/26\/roundup-protectionism-panic\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[41],"tags":[126,44,277,98,63,169],"class_list":["post-2993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-roundup","tag-arctic","tag-canadian-forces","tag-corrections","tag-first-nations","tag-stephen-harper","tag-war-of-1812"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2jJFQ-Mh","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2993"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2994,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2993\/revisions\/2994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}