Government needs bold ideas for future
Re Oshawa workers shifting gears, Dec. 3
Whether it be the Oshawa GM plant or Alberta oil, the simple truth is that our world is changing — and changing faster than most of us would wish. It is time that our governments set up a “Ministry of Change” mandated to look ahead to the new world that lies before us. It will alert us to the “new” economics and social realities that are our future — stay ahead of the curve, so to speak. Such a ministry can assemble the greatest minds to form a think tank for the future of Canada within this brave new world.
One concept that they may consider is to create a greater balance between capitalism and socialism. Such radical ideas as making the Ministry of Finance more like pension funds by buying a larger percentage of every successful company — as the CPP does now. By doing so, all of us, through our democratically elected governments, will share the wealth generated by the capitalist corporations. We will also have access to the boardrooms of those companies and will have influence on the way they treat both their workers and the environment. It is a win-win, where the companies benefit from the infusion of capital and all citizens benefit from being their shareholders. Government finances will be increased by both corporate profits and taxes paid.
As automation, such as robots, steadily replaces workers, our government can buy more of the corporations in order to share the profits with the people who no longer have jobs. Eventually, all citizens will be able to choose to work or not — much as we retired folks do — due to a Guaranteed Basic Income sustained by corporate profits.
All will benefit from this mutually beneficial combination of capitalism and socialism — sounds like good old Canadian practicality and compromise to me. Roger Hilderley, Stratford