The media can keep bashing the Canadian government scrapping the tax. The last minute “capitulation” as many in the media is framing it as, while true, is also disingenuous on how Canada has to deal with the US given the cards it has in hand. Canada right now still relies heavily on exporting things to the US and keeping the US at the table talking is the best it can do right now until it can secure other trade deals around the world. Proximity matters and even more so when they are still is a superpower.
Canada still has many options despite this digital tax. What about banning US big tech? What about changing the rules about tech companies entering Canadian job space (and it doesn’t have to be a tax)? Other countries have managed (eg. China, Denmark), so why can’t Canada? The government can fight on one front, but Canadians themselves also have to. The boycott of travel to the US and of US goods clearly has made impact, but Canadians can do more. Support open source software like Linux, move away from Adobe and so forth. There are alternatives and some even Canadian ones. If we are to truly give the Canadian government good tools to fight, we too must do our jobs individually.
You’ll never see Canada block big tech at this point I’m afraid. All the talk of sovereignty is just that, talk. None of our different government agencies is prepared to abandon Microsoft. All of our financial regulators are completely in bed with Microsoft. Most of our banks are in bed with Microsoft. Our ATMs run on Windows due to Payments Canada being in bed with Microsoft and mandating it. All of your banking data is accessible by Microsoft. Every government agency runs on Microsoft.
Every time there’s an announcement about ditching US providers, ask your MP/MLA if that includes Microsoft / big tech. There’s always an “out” in those announcements to allow them to dodge that one – like “It’s too expensive to change”, or “too difficult to change quickly” or whatever.
I mean, look at all these “nation-building” projects that they’re itching to suppress Canadian’s rights to “get moving” – they’re all projects that’re gonna be lead by Big US companies to extract resources from Canada. They put on a good show, but the reality is that Trump / America was right that Canada is basically a little bitch at this point. Our politicians have proven that time and again this year.
Oh of course there’s always pain and big tech has always been hard to block or even tax (our government is extremely slow on figuring out tech) - just look at our very own big telecoms - we can’t even get them to behave. Canada has positioned itself into a weak position because we collectively keep voting for these spineless or clueless people believing they are doing good or for private interests. I am sure there is still a large portion of people thinking that politics don’t affect them or they think that their vote won’t matter etc etc. These reasons are all excuses - voting is the just the bare minimum.
Canada should have its own GDPR like the EU. Our personal data and things that we put online - one should have sovereignty over it. We have nothing in place that backs our own citizens and this in itself costs Canada nothing. It is pure and simple legislation and can cause pain to big tech without even changing any operating system.
Canada got turned into the US’s “little bitch” wasn’t a mistake overnight. Go look at the past 30 years of policies and who voted for what - it’s clear there’s a trend and one political part is almost blatant in bed with the US. There are many other ways to cause pain beyond just digital taxes.
Banking wise, I look forward to a day when banks are obsolete via crypto, but this requires a large public understanding of what crypto is all about. I’d argue that the Canadian government has no real way of governing crypto given its nature of how it works. But that’s another discussion.
And it’s possible to push for change much more easily at this level instead of the federal overnight. TBH - microsoft is used because of the history of how computers were introduced in the NA market. If you look to China for example, they skipped the entire PC generation and went straight to mobile. Windows is not big player but rather things like ‘superapps’ that act more like an OS than an app. That’s only scratching the surface because these apps are much more because they even have financialization (see WePay, AliPay). The other big alternative is MacOS which seems to be catching on in the post-secondary and consumer market this may lead to a change in the business playing field as the older generation retires and younger people move into the workforce.
I think the point is that by capitulating on this, Canada has gained time. Time to make deals with other countries as trade partners, time to source necessities (that they have gotten from the U.S. for literally decades) from other countries, and time to build up their own military might in case Trump makes good on his idiotic “51st state” bullshit.
I guess we’ll find out in time, but that’s sort of my point. Trump’s well known to fold (TACO), maybe he would have shown up to the table anyway, or written us a letter!
Here’s the thing. They have markets too. And his Taco behavior is rocketing every market across the globe every time he does this. And some speculate that he is making a load of money by doing this. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, I don’t know. I don’t think he’s smart enough to actually take advantage of this. Though I know there are people out there who are and are making a ton of off of this. But all these countries crave stability, and the only way they’re going to get it is if Trump stops with all of his idiotic tariff talk. And before you say anything, no he will not learn his lesson. It has been over 6 months since he took office and he, despite everyone ignoring him constantly, has continued his unyielding parade of stupid.
WHAT. He sold beans for money in his first term, of course he’s making money off of it.
I don’t think he’s smart enough to actually take advantage of this.
This is one of his major MO’s making money, maybe he missed the first few times, but he’s done it so much now that he’s for sure making money on these bets, just like every supporter he’s got out there.
Why do you think he walked away from the table because of the DST, because he cares about gig tech? They paid him – that’s why they got seats at his inauguration.
And before you say anything, no he will not learn his lesson.
Disagree, this is a lesson reinforces itself, I bet he continues this way. I’m not saying he’s smart, just greedy.
That’s the thing, he sells shit. He is, in every respect, a glorified used car salesman. He takes garbage and dresses it up into gilded trinkets that he pawns off on the morons who believe in him. He also definitely used Mar-a-Lago as a way to launder bribes from foreign nationals. (Yet another reason why presidents should be constitutionally required to divest everything they own before being allowed to take office.)
Disagree, this is a lesson reinforces itself, I bet he continues this way. I’m not saying he’s smart, just greedy.
Trump wants a “win”. He will keep doing what he is doing until he can say “See, I won!”. He is that petty and small minded.
The media can keep bashing the Canadian government scrapping the tax. The last minute “capitulation” as many in the media is framing it as, while true, is also disingenuous on how Canada has to deal with the US given the cards it has in hand. Canada right now still relies heavily on exporting things to the US and keeping the US at the table talking is the best it can do right now until it can secure other trade deals around the world. Proximity matters and even more so when they are still is a superpower.
Canada still has many options despite this digital tax. What about banning US big tech? What about changing the rules about tech companies entering Canadian job space (and it doesn’t have to be a tax)? Other countries have managed (eg. China, Denmark), so why can’t Canada? The government can fight on one front, but Canadians themselves also have to. The boycott of travel to the US and of US goods clearly has made impact, but Canadians can do more. Support open source software like Linux, move away from Adobe and so forth. There are alternatives and some even Canadian ones. If we are to truly give the Canadian government good tools to fight, we too must do our jobs individually.
What about reveting media ownership limits back to what they were previously?
You’ll never see Canada block big tech at this point I’m afraid. All the talk of sovereignty is just that, talk. None of our different government agencies is prepared to abandon Microsoft. All of our financial regulators are completely in bed with Microsoft. Most of our banks are in bed with Microsoft. Our ATMs run on Windows due to Payments Canada being in bed with Microsoft and mandating it. All of your banking data is accessible by Microsoft. Every government agency runs on Microsoft.
Every time there’s an announcement about ditching US providers, ask your MP/MLA if that includes Microsoft / big tech. There’s always an “out” in those announcements to allow them to dodge that one – like “It’s too expensive to change”, or “too difficult to change quickly” or whatever.
I mean, look at all these “nation-building” projects that they’re itching to suppress Canadian’s rights to “get moving” – they’re all projects that’re gonna be lead by Big US companies to extract resources from Canada. They put on a good show, but the reality is that Trump / America was right that Canada is basically a little bitch at this point. Our politicians have proven that time and again this year.
Oh of course there’s always pain and big tech has always been hard to block or even tax (our government is extremely slow on figuring out tech) - just look at our very own big telecoms - we can’t even get them to behave. Canada has positioned itself into a weak position because we collectively keep voting for these spineless or clueless people believing they are doing good or for private interests. I am sure there is still a large portion of people thinking that politics don’t affect them or they think that their vote won’t matter etc etc. These reasons are all excuses - voting is the just the bare minimum.
Canada should have its own GDPR like the EU. Our personal data and things that we put online - one should have sovereignty over it. We have nothing in place that backs our own citizens and this in itself costs Canada nothing. It is pure and simple legislation and can cause pain to big tech without even changing any operating system.
Canada got turned into the US’s “little bitch” wasn’t a mistake overnight. Go look at the past 30 years of policies and who voted for what - it’s clear there’s a trend and one political part is almost blatant in bed with the US. There are many other ways to cause pain beyond just digital taxes.
Banking wise, I look forward to a day when banks are obsolete via crypto, but this requires a large public understanding of what crypto is all about. I’d argue that the Canadian government has no real way of governing crypto given its nature of how it works. But that’s another discussion.
Canadian companies, schools and government have deals with microsoft
And it’s possible to push for change much more easily at this level instead of the federal overnight. TBH - microsoft is used because of the history of how computers were introduced in the NA market. If you look to China for example, they skipped the entire PC generation and went straight to mobile. Windows is not big player but rather things like ‘superapps’ that act more like an OS than an app. That’s only scratching the surface because these apps are much more because they even have financialization (see WePay, AliPay). The other big alternative is MacOS which seems to be catching on in the post-secondary and consumer market this may lead to a change in the business playing field as the older generation retires and younger people move into the workforce.
I understand the use of windows but not other apps and service like microsoft teams
Increasingly European governments are moving away from Microsoft to open source software.
That is an example (and a proven path) that Canada can follow.
What did we get, cause it sure does seem like nothing.
I think the point is that by capitulating on this, Canada has gained time. Time to make deals with other countries as trade partners, time to source necessities (that they have gotten from the U.S. for literally decades) from other countries, and time to build up their own military might in case Trump makes good on his idiotic “51st state” bullshit.
That’s what I am hoping this is. All just a big game for more time to pivot away from the USA. What we need is time time time.
I guess we’ll find out in time, but that’s sort of my point. Trump’s well known to fold (TACO), maybe he would have shown up to the table anyway, or written us a letter!
Here’s the thing. They have markets too. And his Taco behavior is rocketing every market across the globe every time he does this. And some speculate that he is making a load of money by doing this. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, I don’t know. I don’t think he’s smart enough to actually take advantage of this. Though I know there are people out there who are and are making a ton of off of this. But all these countries crave stability, and the only way they’re going to get it is if Trump stops with all of his idiotic tariff talk. And before you say anything, no he will not learn his lesson. It has been over 6 months since he took office and he, despite everyone ignoring him constantly, has continued his unyielding parade of stupid.
WHAT. He sold beans for money in his first term, of course he’s making money off of it.
This is one of his major MO’s making money, maybe he missed the first few times, but he’s done it so much now that he’s for sure making money on these bets, just like every supporter he’s got out there.
Why do you think he walked away from the table because of the DST, because he cares about gig tech? They paid him – that’s why they got seats at his inauguration.
Disagree, this is a lesson reinforces itself, I bet he continues this way. I’m not saying he’s smart, just greedy.
That’s the thing, he sells shit. He is, in every respect, a glorified used car salesman. He takes garbage and dresses it up into gilded trinkets that he pawns off on the morons who believe in him. He also definitely used Mar-a-Lago as a way to launder bribes from foreign nationals. (Yet another reason why presidents should be constitutionally required to divest everything they own before being allowed to take office.)
Trump wants a “win”. He will keep doing what he is doing until he can say “See, I won!”. He is that petty and small minded.
We’re in the middle of discussions right now. We don’t find out what we gained or lost for a few more weeks.