Bitter-Sweet CBC prize

[Large Marge]

So I won a scarf on CBC Radio 3 when they used my question during an interview with Jason Collette. It arrived and is absolutely gorgeous! Totally old-school; blue with a big red CBC logo and "Radio 3" emblazoned across a gold stripe. My only dream now is to put it on and pose for with Ron McLean.

The kicker was when I opened it up to find a big US flag label that boldly stated "Made in the USA means jobs kept in the USA". Wha? Like a slap in the face I tell ya! I wrote a letter to them today and provided contact info for some Canadian manufacturers... hopefully they stop sending out CBC product with U.S. flags and messaging all over it.

What I want to know is why publicly-funded organizations/companies are not mandated to implement local or at least domestic procurement policies? Why would we want to fund them to buy stuff that "keeps jobs in the USA"?

[Freak By Night]

I'm with you Marge, but at least it wasn't made in China with poisonous fibers!

[tinatoledo]

hmm, prob the same company that manufactures all the classic Bay merch now. How sad is it that I get surprised and excited when I see something is actually made in Canada?

[Birdy]

Solid question.

[Esau.]

With the amount of funding to CBC (1.1 billion) you'd really think they would be purchasing from, or contracting Canadian companies.

Disappointing to say the least.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has naughty dreams about Ron McLean

[phishtaper]

dont crown corporations have a requirement to go with the lowest bidder?

btw, cbc3 rocks. i love the rs30. lots of guelphites on cbc3.

[Esau.]

dont crown corporations have a requirement to go with the lowest bidder?

Probally, I honestly don't know. But why not lowest Canadian bidder?

[timouse]

most government business seems to be done through web-based tendering services. i signed up through the company I work for, and from what i can tell it's all about the lowest price, geography doesn't seem to enter in to winning tenders.

[Esau.]

I can understand that Tim. I'm really only looking at it from the thread topic point of view though. I mean its sorta disappointing to see a US flag adorned on a CBC product.

I guess I'd just like to see Canadian public funded companies spend their funding in Canada.

I guess it comes down to how much these scarves cost, and also how many people are buying them - I mean are they selling (or giving away) that many of them that the cost is better spent in the US? (rhetorical)

[AD]

Before we tackle the scarves and swag being outsourced, let's drop the axe on the assholes: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/11/18/7448841-sun.html

[Davey Boy 2.0]

c'mon AD, if you compare them with the private sector they are very low

[AD]

i'm not comparing. and no, they're not private sector.

apples and oranges

[Davey Boy 2.0]

sorry, shoulda purplised ^that

Edited November 18, 2008 by Guest
... that's what she said

[Kanada Kev]

Trust me, the CBC is management-heavy. Travel costs for management are massive in this place and a lot of it is not really required. I used to work in one area of the Corp where this was abused ridiculously, IMHO. Could you imagine living in Vancouver, Halifax, Calgary and travelling to Toronto to work a few days EVERY week?! AND you get to keep all you air miles to fly your family down to Florida for vacation? You'd think those air miles would be pooled back into the company to lessen the costs of future airfares (but those who travel, see the points as a perk). UGH.

As for funding, more than half of the CBC's funding is raised via Media Sales. So, less than half of my paycheck is provided by you guys (who pay your taxes that is)

[ollie]

Didn't someone propose a "Buy Canadian" campaign for the government during the last election? Was it Duceppe? May?

I thought it sounded like a good idea.

[Schwa.]

I work for a German company and am charged with purchasing from time to time if it is technical stuff. I have, on several occasions, been ordered to buy said technical device/machine from Germany regardless of price to help support the Motherland. Good policy if you ask me...especially if other, better economies around the world are doing it.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

Do you get weiner schnitzel & Lowenbrau at company events?

[Schwa.]

yes.

[boiler]

Is it really any different than sending thousands of University grads a year from Canada out to teach English in all kinds of foreign countries; only to loose jobs in Canada in call/support centres to countries such as India?

Edited November 18, 2008 by Guest

[TheAlphaNerd]

Well isn't that why we are training them in english in the first place?

[boiler]

Yes, I suppose that is why we are training them, but aren't we just shooting ourselves in the foot by doing so? Call centre's may not be the best jobs in the world but they are jobs, jobs that are needed here. If you don't believe me, just ask somebody from Cape Breton what those jobs have meant to them.

[hamilton]

Is it really any different than sending thousands of University grads a year from Canada out to teach English in all kinds of foreign countries; only to loose jobs in Canada in call/support centres to countries such as India?

People aren't being "sent" by the government, they are going of their own volition. And most of them aren't going to India because, thanks to colonisation, English is already widely spoken in India - at least in the major urban areas anyway, which is where most of the call centres end up.

[AD]

the scarves in India are made by Indians!

[Birdy]

Didn't someone propose a "Buy Canadian" campaign for the government during the last election? Was it Duceppe? May?

I thought it sounded like a good idea.

Yep, May.