Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Why doesn't Canada put a rule saying all work must be done by Canadians. Even if its cheaper keeping the money in country seems better than sending it to India.



> Why doesn't Canada put a rule saying all work must be done by Canadians.

Because the government doesn't want to be seen as xenophobic. One of the major talking points of the prime minister and his government is "diversity is our strength". They also may want (depending on the department) to be seen as distancing themselves from expenses, not necessarily engaging in cost savings per se, but in cost-saving-style behaviour.

> Even if its cheaper keeping the money in country seems better than sending it to India.

Having worked with IBM-sourced contractors working in the U.S. and Canada, I can say that at least the ones I worked with were pretty useless regardless of where they come from.

The problem is that the government is bidding by familiarity rather than competence, and isn't willing to hire anyone competent enough to build a genuine team. When they tried their Shared Services Canada thing, it was a disaster.

The problem with government in Canada is apathy. Nobody, and I mean nobody, cares at all about Canada as an ideal or concept; nobody really cares all that much about their fellow Canadians.


Government isn't being xenophobic. I mean there are Canadians from every country. But hiring someone in Canada keeps the money within the Canadian economy which I think is what governments should be doing. If they find some Indian guy who wants to come to Canada bring him to Canada let him do the job there let him become part of community. However if that money goes to some Indian guy in India how is it benefiting Canada?


> The problem with government in Canada is apathy. Nobody, and I mean nobody, cares at all about Canada as an ideal or concept; nobody really cares all that much about their fellow Canadians.

It feels the same in Germany, if i had to guess i'd say most western countries are going through something like this at the moment.


> It feels the same in Germany, if i had to guess i'd say most western countries are going through something like this at the moment.

Yeah, that's what I think I'm seeing too. When I talk with my fellow Canadians, especially those who grew up here, they say things like "we don't have a culture"; I get a similar vibe from visiting Germans, and even (to a lesser extent) some less-patriotic Americans.

It's like the west simultaneously forgot that their greatest cultural artifact is their societies. Western society is very, very different from how people lived before, and I'd say for the better, but there seems to be a taboo on taking pride in it.

I tend to get along well with the parents of second gen. Canadians. The parents seem to know why they came here more than native-born Canadians know they want to stay.


> Because the government doesn't want to be seen as xenophobic. One of the major talking points of the prime minister and his government is "diversity is our strength".

That explains the current administration, but what about the 10 years before that?


Because in principle free trade is better.


people want to pay less taxes.




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: