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Canada Pension Plan must develop in kind base as key body of state-owned e
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Canada Pension Plan must develop in kind base as key body of state-owned economy
Frank June 3 – Aug 16, 2015, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Updated in Sep. 04, 2016, Oct. 11, 2018
http://www.kwcg.ca/bbs/home.php?mod=space&uid=61910&do=blog&quickforward=1&id=3715
In viewing that Japan's Pension Fund Loses $52 Billion as Stocks Slump in April-June 2016, Canada pension Plan must retarget investment towards real economy of Canada to be developed in kind base from risky gambling luck in the market of stock, bonds or foreign projects, which, in fact, were in financing the economy of other countries.
Norway's Government Pension Fund in Oil Makes Every Norwegian a Millionaire lessons us that Canada must avoid the mistake that allows oil wealth to be ripped by so called Free Market, Canada Pension Plan – CPP must take over all available wealth, especially, the farmland to develop in kind base and as key body of state-owned economy to make profit for all Canadians at the juncture of baby boomer generation farmers retiring.
Thereby stop the speculation that is taking farmland as gambling chips by the greedy speculators. Such speculation has been pushing farmland prices up unreasonable high, it will ruin the agro-industry by destroying competitiveness of agro-products and the future of Canadians.
One day the oil will run out, but the farmland will continue to benefit Canadians generation to generation.
To invest in risk controllable and return predictable real economy, Canada Pension Plan will be controllable and predictable in income generating and value hedging. At the same time, the government will get huge amount of financial resource for developing real economy, rather than just simply considering budget deficit.
Key words: Canada Pension Plan; CPP; Farmland
People hate social inequality and unfair with arguing that the Rich is too rich and the Poor is too poor. But, that is not biggest social inequality and unfair at all, the tragedy that Greek Pensioner shoots himself to refuse to search for food in garbage has redefined them again:
Greece, the one of cradles for human civilization, once produced pioneering ideas and valuable practices of social governance in earliest.
In ancient time, around the fifth century BC, Greek develops Athenian democracy and is often described as the first known democracy in the world.
In modern time, from 1950 to 1973, Greek made a economic miracle with sustained economic growth by an average of 7.7%, second in the world only to Japan.
However, in recent years, as industriously created modern rich country, Greece actually declined as a beggar of the Europe.
May 01, 2010, EU, IMF agree $147 billion bailout for Greece.
Jun. 17, 2011, Greece’s 2010 bailout falls flat, puts nation back on brink of default a year later.
Mar. 10, 2012, Shock in Athens: People Find Food in Garbage Bins.
Apr. 04, 2012, Greek retiree refuses to eat from the garbage, publicly commits suicide.
The sadder was that, when the indebted government of Greece hardly begging foreign money in; there was large number of flowing private money out; the facts show that in Greece was not no-money at all, but, being put into wrong place.
The shocking tragedy lessons us with what is biggest social inequality, biggest unfair and saddest tragedy:
The biggest social inequality is that rich individual with poor government.
The biggest social unfair is that a society is in favor of individual rich while government poor.
The saddest tragedy is that government of a country is too poor to provide basic life-support for their citizen.
The way out for avoiding above sadness with a livable society is to maximize the share of social and natural resources to be public owned and operated, by which, it is not only tax, but profit also to be fully used for social governing and pension funding, so that we can get enough revenue for avoiding the Tragedy of Greek happening in Canada. For this sacred purpose, the public-owned economy is the best way.
Follow were the photos reprinted from my article How to save Canada's manufacturing from disappearing.
Greek citizens dumpster dive for food in 2015.
Greek citizens look for used clothes in 2015.
The failure of the public-owned economy in both of socialist countries and capitalist countries is not in the model of the ownership, but in the wrongful governance that was over-relied on human culture nature (acquired altruistic culture qualities) while excessively repressed on human animal nature (inborn selfish greedy instincts), especially, uncontrollable systemic corruption.
However, it was not that all public-owned economy failed, the Statoil is state owned in playing the role of main pillar of revenue of the Government of Norway. The institutional support avoided corruption; it runs in integrity and transparency.
Statoil is a Norwegian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, with about 23,000 employees. As of 2013, the Government of Norway is the largest shareholder in Statoil with 67% of the shares, while the rest is public stock. The ownership interest is managed by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.
Statoil is a fully integrated petroleum company with operations in thirty-six countries, including Canada. By revenue, Statoil is ranked by Forbes Magazine (2013) as the world's eleventh largest oil and Gas Company, and by profit in the world regardless of industry, it is twenty-sixth largest company.
An article in Mandarin said that: Norwegian is aware that the Norwegian oil and gas belongs to the state, everyone has a share. Each year, Statoil announces operation details with gained profit, Norwegian can calculate out own share from the profit.
Norwegian is clear that is government in operating on behalf of them.
Statoil is Norway's largest taxpayers.
One thing that must be specifically mention, which was in 1990, the government of Norway established Government Pension Fund Global to save income from oil for future generations. The Ministry of Finance made the first capital transfer to the Fund in 1996. Since then, the government’s net cash flow from petroleum activities has been transferred to the Fund each year.
On the website of Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global said that “one day the oil will run out, but the return on the fund will continue to benefit the Norwegian population.” “Oil revenues make it possible for Norway to maintain its welfare system despite the number of pensioners in relation to workers has increased more than estimated.”
Now, the far-sighted rational decision has borne sweet fruit for the people of Norway.
Jan 15, 2014, OilPrice.com - Norway's Oil Fund Makes Every Norwegian a Kroner Millionaire in oil saving landmark.
The rational practice of Norwegian also caused a reflection of Canada's social elite.
In Aug. 23, 2014, Dr. John C.K. Daly，the chief analyst for Oilprice.com who published article on the Toronto Star - Norway has a nest egg. Should we? Is Norway's nest egg a lesson for Canada?
In Nov. 01, 2014, Daniel Tencer, the Business editor of The Huffington Post Canada, who wrote article - Norway's Oil Fund Heads For $1 Trillion; So Where Is Alberta's Pot Of Gold?
Now, we may understand that why the Human Development Index in Norway has been on top of world consecutively for many years.
In comparison with the smart way of the government of Norway, the oil resource rich Canada has been going on a disappointed way.
The huge profits of oil resources have been out-flowing into the wallets of foreign investors, but, as original owner, Canadians are enjoying from environmental pollution, and oil prices dragged economy.
With the rich natural resources, the Governments of Canada in all levels are all lack of financial resources for construction of social infrastructure and public services, especially for health care, the long waits for treatment are becoming a life threat.
It is the sadness of wrongful social governance.
Now, in order to avoid the replay of the sadness in oil resource, that CPP must take over all available farmland to develop as high-quality foods supplier from farming to processing to ensure the steady growth of our pension funds forever, as well to create revenue for government.
The profit from oil resource is limited, from farmland is unlimited.
It is not only the tax revenue but the profit must be used for all Canadians.
Canada must authorize a non-partisan Super Leadership with the right for independently developing management policies geographically and economically to govern Canada Pension Plan - CPP based public economic entities to make CPP in kind base with self-hematopoietic function, with the managing-way of those successful world class companies, which is to motivate human acquired culture qualities by meeting human inborn animal instincts, by which to avoid the harm of populist-kidnapped democracy.
The non-partisan Super Leadership is to turn the responsibilities of enterprise management from individual entrepreneurs into as the responsibility of the government with the power of the State Apparatus to manage the wealth of all Canadians.
Facing with increasingly difficult economic situation, please forget that how noble you are as a government official, please abandon self-proclaimed unrealistic values, and please only remember that you are a Mom or Dad, a Grandma or Grandpa with a rational mind to create a better life for our beloved children.
The federal government must act to improve competitiveness by entirely reversing poor productivity with the power of State Apparatus to strengthen enterprise management.
Greedy speculators pushing up the prices of house and land will not only ruin the normal life of Canadians, but also will completely destroy the survival basis of the real economy.
Canada's economy cannot be built on speculation, but rather, it must be based on material wealth creation.
Canada must build into a fairyland of material wealth creators, rather than a paradise of greedy unearned speculators.
French economist and the founders of French classical political economy Pierre Boisguillebert (1646 - 1714) who once said that agriculture and animal husbandry is two nipples of a nation, the agricultural prosperity is the foundation of prosperity of all other sectors.
In today, the agriculture and animal husbandry are still the two nipples of Canada.
There is no any reason for any person to let the wealth of farmland as gambling chip to be free speculated and to give up as public owned.
In this regard, some policymakers must have a sober mind to avoid playing as a historical sinner.
--- Frank Aug. 16, 2015, Updated in Oct. 11, 2018 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Contents
1.. Greek Pensioner shoots himself warns Canadian
2.. Canada Pension Plan - CPP is facing threats
2.1.. Inflation and over developed financial economy is looting our hard earnings
2.1.1.. One people created material wealth to be plundered by ten people
2.1.2.. CPP will be inevitably negatively impacted by TPP
2.1.3.. No one's been standing on guard for Canada for a long time
2.2.. The base of Canada pension plan is collapsing with firms decline
2.2.1.. The funds data and investment portfolio of Canada Pension Plan in 2014
2.2.2.. The CPP-Sponsors are disappearing with the Firms’ Declining
2.2.3.. Mexico is quickly and permanently replacing Canada in manufacturing
2.3.. Greece's economic woes warns Canada
2.3.1..It is disaster that Capitalism Riches individual by Pooring government
2.3.2..It is that populist democracy damaged Greece
2.3.3..The absurd of populist Democracy
2.3.4..Canada has same Populist Democracy as that of destroying Greece
2.4..The plight of Netherlands pension management warns Canada
2.4.1..The decline of stock prices dragged admirable Dutch pension system
2.4.2..Dutch people debates how to well maintain their pension system
2.5.. Swiss National Bank Lost $51,8 Billion In Stocks warns Canada
3.. The plight of Canadian retirement care
3.1.. Canadian Seniors living in poverty and bankrupt is on the rise
3.2.. It is better prepared for death than for life when facing retirement
4.. Canada Pension Plan must develop as in-kind base
4.1.. Farmland is biggest in-kind resource for CPP in Canada
4.1.1..Historical development trend is in favor of CPP
4.2.. Greedy speculators are killing agriculture of Canada
4.2.1.. Speculators are soaring up prices of farmland of Canada
4.2.2.. Speculators are destroying the foundation of Canadians survival
5.. The significance of CPP control farmland
5.1..Avoid farmland is used for speculation
5.1.1..The Speculation will degenerate the quality of people
5.2. In favor of public projects by avoiding high land prices
5.2.1.. The lesson from Japan’s Bubble Economy 1980s
5.2.1.1..It was that government of Japan punctured economic bubble
5.2.1.2..Speculation on real estate killed real economy of Japan
5.2.1.3..It deviated from basic national policy that coined after WWII
5.2.1.4..Mis-reports on Japan's bubble economy mislead policy making
5.3..Avoiding the profit foreign outflow as that of oil resources
5.4..Conducive to large-scale intensive agricultural production
5.5..CPP has launched its agriculture investment program in 2012
5.6..The profit can only be enjoyed by Canadians
6..The barriers for CPP running farmland
6.1.. The doubt of successful operation of state-owned economy
6.2.. Misundstanding the public-benefit nature of CPP
6.3.. Government must legislate for CPP taking over all available farmland
7.. CPP must develop as strategic pillar in develop Canadian economy
7.1..The unique economic and politic potential of CPP
7.2..CPP must develop as the basis of Super Leadership
7.3..To deal with issues that democratic palyers dare not touch
8..The management of state-owned businesses of CPP
8.1..Management is the Art of Playing Human Nature
8.2..The inspiration of 3M Canada saves Energy 30% by ISO50001
8.3..Amoeba succeeds by costing on forehead of individual
9.. Broad space for diversified development
10..The botanicals plant and deep process
10.1..The prices of the botanicals are soaring up
10.2..The governments and drug makers are turning eyes on Chinese herbal medicine
10.3..It is that Philosophy caused Western medicine into dead end
10.4..The philosophy of WM is developing toward that of TCM
10.5..Traditional Chinese medicine is a promising therapeutic approach
1. Some email exchanges with former minister of Agriculture and Railway of Saskatchewan
Months ago, around June, 2015, I once have a phone chat with an entrepreneur Zhu Xiaoming who is living in Vancouver from China. She has been running businesses in both of China and Canada.
As a farm owner in Canada, she was invited to discuss farmland ownership issue by the government of Saskatchewan. She was deeply disappointed by the decision that Saskatchewan stops pension funds from buying farmland.
She said that CPP is the best buyer for farmland with enough ability to run well intensive large scale agriculture, which is the only way that can well develop the agri-industry of Canada.
I told her that I will write an article to help her realizing the idea.
I thought that I would finish the article in days, but, unexpectedly it cost me with months.
Here, I need to make a special statement.
In nature, that whether public owned economy of Socialism or private owned economy of Capitalism is merely the forms of organization of socialized production, they can be independent of political model. We should not irrationally discard any one due to the ideological prejudice, instead, to carefully extract and use their favorable part.
The Invisible Hand of Adam Smith has promoted the prosperity of material wealth by free playing the greed and selfishness of human inborn instincts in private owned economy. However, that out of control of the human greed drives more and more people keen on unearned speculation with contempt on material wealth creation is in destroying human society also.
This article is trying to make some improvement on the shortage of the Invisible Hand of Adam Smith, in view of that speculators are pushing up the prices in both housing and farmland, it is not only destroying the life of Canadians, but also, it is destroying the real economy of Canada, due to that is destroying the foundation for real economy – businesses operation.
In nature, the most of speculation on natural resources or other properties are plundering the wealth of the locals, which produce a large negative effect, a small positive effect in the development of real economy.
For this concern, in this topic, I spent more time to introduce the lessons of Japan’s Bubble Economy 1980s, with the hope that the government of Canada can take rational action to stop the speculation.
The tragedy that Greek Pensioner shoots himself to refuse to search for food in garbage made warning for social governance: it is a disaster that a national economy is in favor of few individual Rich while government Poor.
The government must be able to provide hope and basic life-support for their national.
Canada must redesign economic model, so that can create adequate funding for Canada Pension Plan – CPP and adequate revenue for government.
For years, the CPP has been facing big threats, which may lead Canadian to suffer the sufferings as that of Greeks.
The first threat is that foundation of CPP is collapsing.
In 2014, there 96% of funds for CPP is from the defined benefit pension plan - the employer-sponsored retirement plan. However, the employers are disappearing with business closure and moving out of Canada.
The second threat is the improper funds hedging.
The CPP funds hedging is mainly relied on investment that is mainly by speculation in gambling luck, even if we are lucky enough to pile up money in figures, but, no one can sure keep it in value.
The value of the money is from trust, and the trust is from real support of the material wealth that human needs for survival. If the money lost the real support, it would be valueless. For this regard, that German Hyperinflation Crisis was the shocking lesson.
In order to repay its huge war debts after WWI, German took a quick way of printing money in large amount, which caused the Hyperinflation Crisis and “people even burned Papiermark notes in their stoves because it was then more economical than using them to buy firewood.”
For avoiding such sadness, CPP must develop as in kind base with self-revenue-generating capabilities through operating industries.
In current Canada, the biggest in-kind resource is the farmland, and over 50% of them will transfer of ownership in coming years with the baby boomer owners’ retiring. Now, the foreign and domestic speculators are struggling in the ownership of farmland to have pushed land prices soaring up.
Farmland is the basis of agro-related industry, and it is a major part of the economy of Canada. Therefore, it related to the immediate and long-term survival fate of all Canadians.
The holy survival fate should not allow to be free played as a gambling chip by those greedy, mindless unearned speculators.
We must learn the lesson and avoid the absurdness as that of huge profits of oil resources have been out-flowing into the wallets of foreign investors, but, as original owner, Canadians are enjoying from environmental pollution, and oil prices dragged economy.
各级政府没钱
The management team of CPP has been struggling for keep and increment of our pension funds, to ensure our decent retirement life. It should be the best candidate for acquiring the farmland, but, now it is facing objection.
The government of Canada must immediately legislate for CPP taking over all available farmland, so that CPP can further develop into integrated supplier in high quality foods and natural supplements, thus to make revenue for local governments and profit for our pension funds.
More significantly, as a government agency that is seeking benefit for all Canadians, CPP is inborn with unique advantage that can play a key role for well developing economy of Canada with more supports and less objections socially.
For long term development concern, Canada should take CPP as main body to enlarge the share of state-owned economy, so that can make enough revenue for improving the infrastructure of social services by avoiding social wealth to be grasped by some greedy individual.
The biggest resistance for CPP running state-owned economy may come from the doubt of successful operation. Due to the historical experience have shown that, whether socialist or capitalist, both cannot run the state-owned economy effectively and it was doomed to fail.
As my view that state-owned economy is not doomed to fail at all, but it depends on that how to manage, especially how to deal with the special production means – human beings that are with dual nature of culture and animal for nay individual.
The culture nature is those acquired qualities and the animal nature is those inborn instincts. Management is the Art of Playing Human Nature to finish purposeful tasks with the culture nature driven by meeting the animal nature under the enforcement of regulations.
The practice of successful private companies is mainly good at motivating employees’ culture nature by meeting the animal nature with work-performance linked incentives and defined accountability with the enforcement of strict regulations.
I believed that there is no big difference in the management between state-owned business and private-owned one. The management methods of successful private companies can also run well state-owned companies.
CPP take over farmland, also will be in favor of the development of public projects by avoiding high land prices, and also CPP may invest some projects with the concern of long term interest.
For avoiding the weakness of populist democratic governance, CPP may establish a federal government authorized independent Super Leadership with unique governance power in specific fields geographically and economically, so that we can quickly advance domestic economic policies to adapt to fast-changing international economic environment.
Super Leadership will be a only way that can save Canada from the root level – to save more businesses form closing or outsourcing, and encourage more foreign manufacturers come in by improve productivity.
Talking about productivity of Canada, a vital issue must mention. Though, I am aware that is a topic of sensitive with prone to offend public wrath, but, it is too vital in relating the survival of all Canadians to allow me for any personal concern.
It is the Oecumenical Value - the universal faith in modern civil society: Human Rights, Equality, Freedom, fraternity and so on. The problem is not in itself of the Values, but, in it is misinterpreted and misused. It encourages mindless individual to over emphasis on the private rights while ignoring the interests of business with a poor work ethic. It is the main reason that low productivity of Canada and businesses have been in decline.
As a government authorized independent authority, the Super Leadership do not have to worry about the preferences of the electorate, thereby, it can boldly strengthen management, especially, the necessary enforcement for those who are dared prank in the workplace.
According to my personal experiences of working in different Canadian businesses, the closure of great many businesses was just due to the trouble making of some mindless individual. Why those mindless dared boldly make trouble in workplace, I think that is mainly due to the misuse of the values. Due to the fear of unreasonable litigation, the management staff dared not manage strictly. There was a good example of DEF company in my Dec. 12, 2010 article Canada's Corporate Management & Reducing Psychological Pressure in Workplace.
1.. Greek Pensioner shoots himself warns Canadian
As one of the cradles of human civilization, the Rich Greece, their people are suffering difficult life caused by Sovereign Debt Crisis.
Under the crisis, the most tragic is the elderly who have lost their ability to make livings and have to depending on the pensions.
There are reports that Greek People Find Food in Garbage Bins and Greek Pensioner shoots himself to refuse to search for food in garbage.
The tragedy of Greeks provides a warning for Canadians.
Canada and Greece have similar political and economic model, the Greek crisis may also occur in Canada. As Canadian, we must consider that how to avoid such tragedy happening, especially that how to guarantee a decent life of our retirement.
Unfortunately, the sadness of Greeks has been developing in Canada.
It said that retirement - the years following the end of work is the second spring of life, since that we do not have to busy for making a living, and with plenty of free time for enjoying life.
However, in Canada, the second spring of life seems only a beautiful fantasy. “‘They are better prepared for death than for life in the years following the end of work.’”
The comment was not a joking nonsense, due to it was derived from the great many realities by one financial planner of Alberta couple who are well insight into the sad life situation of retired Canadians from their work experiences.
The comment may be for specific group those who faced financial difficulties rather than for all Canadians, but it is still shocking enough.
In current Canada, I think, there are few people would believe that is true.
Talk to here, people may easily think of Canada Pension Plan, it holds the responsibility of pension funds and the investment for profit. Canadian citizen over 18 years of age, the part of working income is stored here for the life of retirement when our aged cannot make livings any more.
In Canada, the pension system has been running well, with a universal health care system, so that there few people worry about the retirement life. However, the situation is not well as that of people expected.
The sadness is that the concern is not just limited in retirement life of aged Canadian, but also, the lives of the people who are in the prime age are also in decline, due to that for years, in Canada, the businesses are closing, the jobs ate losing, the Canadian dollar is depreciating, the prices of daily necessities are rising.....
That what Greek people are suffering in Greece may disrupt the peaceful mood of most of Canadians.
2.. Canada Pension Plan - CPP is facing threats
2.1.. Inflation and over developed financial economy is looting our hard earnings
The inflation, financial crises, and over money supply under monetary easing policy are constantly plundering our hard earned money to make it lost value.
The potential threat is that over developed financial economy more and more deviated from the promotion of material wealth production, that ever-changing forms of financial derivatives for money-raking are crazily looting real economy in border-less, which squeezing the profit of the real economy too narrow the margins to survive.
2.1.1.. One people created material wealth to be plundered by ten people
For the overdeveloped financial economy, the professor of History of Harvard University, Niall Ferguson who has made a well introduction.
In the start of the documentary The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of The World that written and presented by the professor introduces with that: "In our time, we've witnessed the zenith of global finance. 2006，the world total economic output was worth around $47 trillion, that's 47 followed by 12 zeroes, the total value of stock and bond markets was roughly $110 trillion, more than twice the size. And the amount outstanding of the strange new financial life form known as derivatives was $473 trillion, 10 times larger."
It was clear that was financial derivatives to have triggered Financial Crisis 2008.
We can intuitively understand that, in 2006 world, each people created material wealth to be plundered by more than 10 people.
The root for such an irrational is from the irrational of politics. Enjoying privilege-driven democracy has been leading to irrational people and even metal defectives dominating our world, the governance of human society is increasingly in favor of the extreme exerting of mental defectives, and the free play of unscrupulous plunder, in lesser conducive to the efforts of rational people, and the creation of material wealth.
2.1.2.. CPP will be negatively impacted by TPP
April 17 2015, I wrote article Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiation is doomed to Fail, in which I cited some reports regarding the progress of TPP negotiation. I excerpt some as follow.
April 01, 2015 article New TPP leak reveals how we're trading our sovereignty for cheap tariffs: “WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange issued a dire warning about the agreement: 'The TPP has developed in secret an unaccountable supranational court for multinationals to sue states. This system is a challenge to parliamentary and judicial sovereignty.”
Feb 25, 2014 article The Plan Behind the TransPacific Partnership to Destroy National Sovereignty: "The historical record is clear: what are misleadingly called "free trade agreements" were never really about trade. Their goal is to render independent nation states null and void, and hand power over to unaccountable, transnational corporatist authorities."
The article provides the excerpts of the Congressional Record from 1967 hearing - The Future of U.S. Foreign Trade Policy: "The widespread development of the multinational corporation is one of our major accomplishments in the years since the war, though its meaning and importance have not been generally understood. For the first time in history man has at his command an instrument that enables him to employ resource flexibility to meet the needs of peoples all over the world", for "fulfill its full potential, the multinational corporation must be able to operate with little regard for national boundaries - or, in other words, for restrictions imposed by individual national governments."
“Now, Americans further improved the idea in free trade deal TPP to make multinationals easily operation and thus will certainly easily control the economy of a country, and thus, may easily cause social unrest, even to overthrow the governments of stable governed countries.”
As a member country of TPP, the economy of Canada will inevitably be the victim of U.S. multinationals. As an indirect result, Canada Pension Plan – CPP will be negatively impacted.
2.1.3.. No one's been standing on guard for Canada for a long time
Jul 2, 2015, a comment followed article Justin Trudeau says Canada needs a manufacturing indicated the key point of free trade: “So called free trade agreements are more about the free flow of capital than the free flow of goods. Canada need to re-establish a strong manufacturing base before all we are is a seller of raw materials at third world prices.”
July 16, 2015, a comment that follows the article Canadian Economy Heading For Recession: Banks shocked me very much.
William Wallace Sam 14 days ago
“Are you kidding? Every Canadian business has been sold off to foreign multinational corporations. Our money is being created and controlled by private bankers. Can't you hear, as Ross Perot would say, that ‘giant sucking sound’"?
"That's the sound of Canada's wealth and your children's future being sucked up by the people who have rigged the system to make sure every possible dollar is plucked out of your hands and placed into theirs."
"No one's been standing on guard for Canada for a long, long time."
2.2.. The base of Canada pension plan is collapsing with the firms declining
2.2.1.. The funds data and investment portfolio of Canada Pension Plan in 2014
Following data is from the 2014 Report on the Funding of Defined Benefit Pension Plans in Ontario - 11th Annual Report.
Follow information was Googled from the Internet; it may be not accurate, only for a general reference.
Canada pension plan 2014:
Total Assets in USD billion was 1,526, and the % GDP in USD billion was 85.1%.
Defined benefit pension plan 96%
Defined contribution pension plan 4%
Equity is 41%, Bonds 35%; other 22%; and Cash 2%.
In general, there 96% of our pension is from the defined benefit pension plan - the employer-sponsored retirement plan. It shows that business is the base of Canada Pension Plan.
If the businesses are closed, the employers who are funding our pension will also disappear, the base of Canada Pension Plan will be is collapsed, and this is just the reality that is in happening.
2.2.2… The CPP-Sponsors are disappearing with the Firms’ Declining
Feb 13, 2013, Canada’s business development bank published survey report that Canada's Mid-Sized Firms in Decline: Canada’s mid-sized companies have declined by 17% – 9,370 to 7,814 – from 2006 to 2010, the manufacturing sector as the hardest hit. More than half (from 2,807 to 1,381) of its mid-sized firms vanished between 2001 and 2010.
Feb 16, 2015, CBC News Economics Reporter Peter Armstrong who revealed disappointing reality of the manufacturing of Canada by article Why southwestern Ontario's manufacturing rebound is missing.
Southwestern Ontario's past is well known. The region was the industrial heartland of Canada. It was here they made everything from cars to ketchup. For a long time, this manufacturing model worked. It served people in the region remarkably well.
With the price of oil dramatically reduced and the Canadian dollar heading lower, the manufacturing should grow up as usual, but, this time, for the most part, that growth hasn't emerged. Even as the dollar hit 78 cents, Canada's manufacturing industry continued to struggle. The usual manufacturing model has been showing cracks for years now.
Jan. 13, 2015, the article Canada Pension Funding Declined in 2014 report that: The collective funding ratio of Canada's defined-benefit pension plans declined by 2.7 percentage points in 2014.
2.2.3.. Mexico is quickly and permanently replacing Canada in manufacturing
Feb 10, 2015, the article Canada falls to Mexico in share of North American auto output reported that: Canada’s share of North American production of cars and light trucks has fallen to 14.1 per cent in 2014 from more than 17 per cent in 2009. Mexico, with 18.9 per cent of production, has overtaken Canada, formerly a powerhouse in the industry. The falling investment by the automakers in Canada means it is losing its share of production to both the U.S. and Mexico.
Canadian auto investment almost stagnant but, automakers have made big investments in Mexico, where wages are in the $8 an hour range, compared with close to $40 in Canada.
Mexico is an attractive place for production and has been since NAFTA began.
The outlook for Canadian auto production is “clouded,” despite a falling dollar which will make production cheaper.
Canada's traditional manufacturing is permanently losing.
This trend can only be more and more intense, because the undeveloped countries will continue to improve their policies and related facilities for more conducive to the development of foreign manufacturers. And also, after working from foreign manufacturers, their nationals will be trained as skilled industrial army from unskilled peasants, and their local manufacturers will quickly grow up to form new competitive forces.
In overall, the Canadian economy is mainly composed of manufacturing industry and service industry, and manufacturing is the basis of the service sector.
So that is not only the Canada Pension Plan, even the economy of Canada is facing the key point of Life or Death.
2.3.. Greece's economic woes warns Canada
It said that Greece is a developed country with high standards of living and high Human Development Index, the diligent and wise Greeks once created economic miracle in the period of 1950 to 1973, the economy grew by an average of 7.7%, second in the world only to Japan.
However, no one would be expected that such a wealthy country, Greece actually took place the sovereign debt crisis.
2.3.1.. It is disaster that Capitalism Riches individual by Pooring government
In view of reported number of the Greek Capital flight in recent years under the pressure of the sovereign debt crisis, in Greece, it is not short in money at all; it is enough to help Greeks to go through the difficult time. However, the money belongs to some individual, rather than the government.
The sad fact shows that, no matter how wealthy of some nationals are, it does not help the government of the nation; the government will still be in poor with no dignity, the vast majority of the nationals will live in hardship.
Only the government of the nation is in rich, their nationals can enjoy a dignified life.
The biggest problem of Capitalism is that people inborn instinct driven free market economy promotes some individual Rich while the Government is too Poor to fulfill some functions as Government should be.
2.3.2..It is that populist democracy damaged Greece
June 28, 2015, morning, I read a report that Greece debt crisis: Tsipras announces bailout referendum, it said that Greece's prime minister has called a referendum on 5 July for voters to decide whether to accept a bailout deal offered by international creditors.
The report attached a photo of Greece's Prime Minister Alexi Tsipras, his haggard and worried eyes made me a sense of sadness.
The Government is the reliance and the hope of their citizen. However, that almost bankrupted government of Greece has no ability to fulfill its holy obligations to meet the reliance and hope of their citizen.
Why, once a cradle of human civilization, the great Greek, a rich country, has descended into national beggar in begging for help.
How did Greece get to this? It said that the populist politics destroyed Greece.
June 2, 2012, the article Taiwanese may face a worse crisis than Greece - Taipei Times said that, since the return of democracy in 1974, its government has spent vastly more than it took in, with bloated public payrolls and pensions — even as the private-sector workforce, which drives production, remained low. Plus, people get away with just not paying taxes.
For decades, this brought recurring crises — which Athens resolved by devaluing the currency to make it easy to repay its debts.
Speaking to here, I think of my long question regarding democracy, it is in general, rather than for Greece.
2.3.3..The absurd of populist Democracy
As earlier as 507 B.C., the Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced a political system of democracy, today it has been much admired world widely.
However, there are rare people question that those who eagerly consume too much time and effort to have obtained the favor of voters, whether have time and interest in depth study of difficult social and economic problems. The Government composed of such people, whether is able to rationally formulate right policies in favor of national Destiny.
The trouble is that there few voters have the ability to consider the long-term development of the country, that pursuit of long-term national benefits, in most cases, is at the expense of short-term interests of some people.
The vast majority of the people can only share with the fruits, but, lack of vision for sharing to explore that how to achieve it.
As a pride of democracy that people who are eligibility to vote all can run campaign for a political position to rule a country without basic prerequisites in ensuring the quality of the candidates. Such an irrational rule let those who have the high quality for governing society to stay at arm's length.
Please check the background of the elected councilors of the government in all levels world widely, there are few of them in economy and industry, which is essential for making a rational decision for well developing economy, but more of them are keen in charity, which is better fitting the wishes of the populist voters.
Once such people gain the power of State Apparatus, the all thought of them will be that how to keep and enjoy the political privileges. They would endlessly spend taxpayers' money to get voters favor, at the expense of the long-term interests of the country.
They will never have a sense for how to well develop economy and never care the decline of the economy.
The biggest problem of Democracy is that irrational commitment-driven elected populist government has lost the function as the State Apparatus in favor of enforcing the society toward rational long-term development path for the sake of vast majority, due to in this process; it would inevitably hurt the interest of a minority, which may cause the loss of voters.
Those were the root reasons that Greece went into today.
2.3.4.. Canada has same Populist Democracy as that of destroying Greece
Despite that Greece's plight is caused due to the sovereign debt crisis that seem mainly in some European countries, however, the factors that caused the crisis are also existing in Canada, only in more or less, due to the similar inborn defects in political and economic structures.
The tragedy what is taking place in Greece is a mirror for Canadians. We must try to mitigate or eliminate the bad influence of those adverse factors.
2.4.. The plight of Netherlands pension management warns Canada
For a long time, the pension system of the Netherlands is an envy world widely.
Talking about pension issue, the lesson of Netherlands is worth to mention. Their hard experience in reforming pension system will be a good reference for Canada.
For this regard, a Feb. 10, 2014 Mandarin article that Dutch experience, occupational pension is worth to learn carefully. I excerpt translation some key points as follow sections.
Dutch pension system is known as one of the best in the world. The system, built on the basis of the pre-payment of occupational pensions with a long good tradition, which combines pension commitments, high expectations, solid financial support, and efficient operations. However, such a system, recently, there have been some problems.
2.4.1.. The decline of stock prices dragged admirable Dutch pension system
Nov. 2009, the report Dutch Pension Funds In Underfunding: Solving Generational Dilemmas said that: the pension funding ratio fell in a dramatic way from a high on average of 150% mid-2007 to less than 90% in the first quarter of 2009. This fall was the combined effect of the worldwide fall in stock prices and the fall in nominal interest rates driving up the (market) value of nominal liabilities. In particular in the fall of 2008, the economic conditions deteriorated.
June 23, 2014, the article Average funding ratio of Dutch pension funds hits highest reported that: The average funding ratio of Dutch pension funds increased to 112 per cent in May 2014, the highest level since April 2011.
Feb. 12, 2015, Dutch Pension Funding Ratios Drop By 5 Percent in January reported that: The funding ratios of Dutch pension funds have fallen on average by 5 percentage points in January on the back of low interest rates.
The Mandarin article Dutch experience, occupational pension also said that:
Since 2009, the Dutch pension financing rate has been hovering around 100% in the critical level. The concerns about pension cuts cause uneasiness of pensioners and lead that the young and the elderly launched political debate about who will pay for the losses on pension wealth, more fundamentally, the advantages of the collective pension system, and other issues.
The decline of the Pension Funding Rate was mainly due to the decline of the stock prices. Also, there is an equally important factor; it is the liabilities on the balance sheet. Because the European Central Bank lowered interest rates during the European debt crisis , the pension liabilities increased substantially. The average interest rate will drop by two percentage points every 15 to 20 years; it is very easy to explain why that pension liabilities increased 30-40%, resulting in a similar decline in financing rates magnitude.
2.4.2.. Dutch people debates how to well maintain their pension system
In this case, the policy-makers and pension fund management is both painfully aware that, when the financial market volatility, to maintain a fixed pension commitments is unsustainable. Potential concern is the aging population, so the pension funds are more and more difficult to fulfill the pension commitments.
With the growing elderly population, the proportion of the pension debt burden in total wages will also rise. Therefore, that increased or decreased the contribution rates will not compensate for the changes in the thorny status of the pension fund.
From 2000 to 2030, the ratio of total salaries and pension assets is expected to increase from 200% to 400%. This means a substantial increase in leverage mismatch risk.
In addition, people gradually realized that takes the contribution rate as a risk diversification tool will increase the overall cyclical economic fluctuations. In the Netherlands, the social partners (employers' organizations and trade unions) agreed that, from now on, take a fixed contribution rate. Obviously, the more risk of the pension fund should transfer to pensioners, thereby to reduce the shared risk of young people.
Dutch has established a floating pension expectation to replace the fixed pension commitment.
The Netherlands has taken many initiatives to improve the operation of pension funds.
The first is that in 2025 the retirement age has increased from 65to 67, and to be linked to changes in the retirement age and life expectancy. This primarily affects the first pillar of the public pension, but it also helps the second pillar by curbing the contribution rate of occupational pension.
The second is that the Dutch government introduced a plan to alleviate that low interest rates affect the value of liabilities, which, considering the interest rate in smoothing operation and in fact to extend the recovery period. The initiatives have contributed to the stable of pension funding rate in the short term. In the long run, the Government considers expanding more fundamental debate on pension system. The practice that guarantees a fixed pension is not sustainable; the Netherlands has to find a solution.
The third is that Dutch pension system has a tradition of collective share of pension. The feature in mandatory pension is sure to create a system that shares the total of risks by the generations in the reasonable cost of operation. It also avoids the disaster that may cause by lacking of personal savings and investment mistakes.
Pensions is not only to provide the necessary source of life for the elderly, but also, at the same time, the pension system can share macroeconomic risk, when people debate policies, are tend to underestimate the second meaning – the pension system should and must be able to help disperse macroeconomic and social risks.
The best risk-sharing mechanisms of international and intergenerational will have a huge welfare gains; it reduces the costs of the risks, thus to contribute to the promotion of economic growth.
2.5..Swiss National Bank Lost $51.8 billion In Stocks warns Canada
July 31, 2015, the article The Swiss National Bank Is Long $94 Billion In Stocks, Reports Record Loss Equal To 7% Of Swiss GDP reported that: Earlier today, Swiss National BanK (SNB) released its results for the second quarter (and first half) of 2015 with the loss of amounting to €50.1 billion ($51.8 billion) of which €47.2 billion on currency positions - a whopping 7% of Swiss GDP.
The SNB’s financial result depends largely on developments in the gold, foreign exchange and capital markets.
The hedging investment of Canadian pension plan may possibly be similar as that of Swiss National Bank's, which means with similar potential risks.
3.. The plight of Canadian retirement care
3.1.. Canadian Seniors living in poverty and bankrupt is on the rise
Seniors going bankrupt in soaring numbers
Seniors piling on debt faster than other groups
Seniors living in poverty on the rise in Canada, OECD says
Seniors in Ontario make up 30% of bankruptcies: report
3.2.. It is better prepared for death than for life when facing retirement
May 24, 2014, in the report The unexpected costs of caring for your elderly parents Melissa Leong who provides us sad information that: “ ‘They are better prepared for death than for life in the years following the end of work.’”
Above said comment is from one financial planner of Alberta couple who are well insight into the sad situation of Canadian retirement care from their work experiences.
I excerpt some sad facts as follow.
People think the government will pay for home care and nursing homes which they will, but that help is really limited,” says Peter Silin, geriatric care manager at Diamond Geriatrics in Vancouver.
To fill in the gaps left by a strained public system, Canadians today are finding themselves spending their own savings to care for their elderly loved ones.
In 2007, most eldercare (75%) was provided by those between 45 and 64 years of age, according to Statistics Canada; dubbed the “sandwich generation,” they are caught between having to supplement care for their parents and giving money to their kids to attend university — while trying to save for themselves.
Families are not prepared for just how much things will cost — a good wheelchair really does cost $4,000 to $5,000. A new walker can cost $400 to $500.
The equipment costs to make a home comfortable and safe can exceed $10,000, Mr. Silin says. He cites: electric hospital beds ($3,000 to $5,000), scooters ($2,400 to $5,000), walkers ($100 to $450), bath lift ($1,200), ramps ($200 to $8,000) and medication dispensing machines with monitoring ($800). For short-term equipment needs, call the Red Cross in your area to see if they have a loan program or look online for second-hand finds, Mr. Silin suggests.
Private retirement homes, which often offer a continuum of care from independent living with prepared meals and housekeeping to assisted living for seniors who need more help with bathing and changing, can cost between $1,500 to $5,000 a month.
Hiring a personal care worker through an agency or privately can cost $20 to $30 per hour. Some agencies will offer cheaper rates with more hours. Registered nurses cost $40 to $69 an hour. A full-time, live-in caregiver can cost $1,900 to $3,500 a month, plus room and board.
Long-term care homes vary in cost depending on the provider whether public, private, not-for-profit or religious-based organizations. Provinces will share the cost with you at the facilities they support. In Ontario, basic accommodations are $1,708 a month, semi-private rooms are $2,012 and private rooms are $2,362.
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Here is an article that is worth to read, Is your pension safe? - MoneySense.
4.. Canada Pension Plan must develop as in-kind base
The value of the money is from trust, and the trust is from real support of the material wealth that human needs for survival. If the money lost the real support, it would be valueless.
The German Hyperinflation Crisis after WWI was brutal proof, at that time. German people "even burned Papiermark notes in their stoves because it was then more economical than using them to buy firewood."
Historical experiences have made it clear, if the value hedging for our pension is mainly relied on so called investment that is mainly in speculation of gambling luck, it is not reliable. Though, it can pile up money in figures, but, it is to put our future in jeopardy due to that no one can sure keep it in value.
We can imagine that, if the pension of Greeks is based on in-kind base or supported by self-hematopoietic entities, then, at least, that the part of people who are enjoying the pension would have basic life guarantee, they do not have to look for food in garbage, moreover, there will be no one suicide.
In the world, that what has happened cannot be undone, and also there is no medicine for healing regret.
The tragedies of the Greeks suffering today might be the realities of our tomorrow. We must make our pension fund as in-kind base, as sustained creation of material wealth.
Canadian must take every effort to avoid the sadness of Greek in suffering to happen in Canada.
4.1.. Farmland is biggest in-kind resource for CPP in Canada
Compared with other resources, the vast arable land is one of valuable resources that can serve Canadians unlimitedly. It is the best and the biggest in-kind resource for CPP in Canada; we must take over to be used for supporting our pension plan.
4.1.1..Historical development trend is in favor of CPP
Historically, in general, for the progress of social advancement, the subjective factors of human efforts play an auxiliary role, while the objective factors of social development trends play the leading role. In this process, the success of human efforts depends on that how to timely seize and properly use the natural force of the development trend.
In Canada, faced with current economic difficulties, there is no doubt, either politicians or the general public, rational people would eagerly hope to change the status quo.
Now, a unique favorable social development trend comes, which may help us to make a change with lesser social unrest and lesser social resistance.
It is that the generation of post-war baby boomer is at their ages for retiring in Canada, this is an unique opportunity for the improvement of social governance, in particular, the ownership of social resources restructuring from benefit some individual to benefit majority of Canadians.
There report that average age of farmers is 60 years old across Canada and 75% of retiring farmers don't have successors, so that there about 50% of our land assets will be transferred in the next five years. This provides an opportunity for land ownership easily reintegrating as state-owned.
We must take the rare opportunity to reverse the situation of our nature resources to be privately owned by foreigners, or domestic private organizations or individuals to avoid the sadness as that of the oil resources.
Canada's natural resources of arable land must be reverted to the hand of state, or we may say that all land resources must be owned by all Canadians, so that we can avoid the repeat of the money - huge profit from oil - the main natural resources that originally belongs to all Canadians to be out-flowing into the private wallet of foreign investors.
We must make sure that the profit of land-related businesses can be shared by all Canadians and can be used to improve the living related public utilities. Such as, to be used for Canada Pension Plan to ensure that every Canadian has an ideal retirement to be able to enjoy a worry-free old age, to be used for improving public health care system, especially to shorten the long waiting times for medical treatment, as well as other social infrastructure.
4.2.. Greedy speculators are killing agriculture of Canada
4.2.1.. Greedy speculators are soaring up prices of farmland of Canada
Nov 11, 2013, the article Soaring farmland prices a crisis in the making said that: If you knew there was a very safe Canadian investment that skyrocketed by 20 per cent last year, you'd probably say that was a good thing. But when the thing that's going up in value is farmland, it's a crisis in the making.
The president of Toronto-based Bonnefield, Tom Eisenhaur, says farmland has been one of the most lucrative and secure investments especially when markets are volatile, and "a better hedge against inflation than gold."
The latest survey by Farm Credit Canada shows the price of farmland in Quebec rose by a staggering 19.4 per cent last year. Nationally, Canadian farmland from coast to coast has risen by an average of 12 per cent a year since 2008. That's more than five times the rate of inflation.
The average age of farmers is 60 years old across Canada, about 50 per cent of our land assets will be transferred in the next five years. And of the retiring farmers, 75 per cent of them don't have successors. It's a transition we've never seen before in agriculture. And it’s one we are wholly and completely unprepared for.
FarmStart has two incubator farms in southern Ontario to bring new farmers into the business, but at current prices, Young says there is no way those starting out could earn enough from their farms to make a living and pay their mortgage.
It is a problem that Rejean Girard, who farms southwest of Montreal, understands. He bought his small plot of land near Saint-Cesaire 20 years ago. But Girard says the return he gets from the sheep he raises would never pay for that land today. By that measure, he says, the land is overpriced by about three-quarters.
May 22, 2015, the article Critics concerned over corporate, foreign buyers of Sask. Farmland reported that foreign investors are already expressing greater interest in Saskatchewan farmland than the rule allows.
4.2.2.. Speculators are destroying the foundation of Canadians survival
In June 14, 2014, article The speculators are destroying the foundation of Canadians survival, I once said with that:
“Currently, for the world economic downturn, people have ignored an important reason that is the over developed financial economy over looting the real economy by almost all-pervasive, to have greatly reduced the profit margins of the real economy, thereby badly harmed real economy and made people's lives increasingly difficult. This is the main reason for various social conflicts."
“As same as that of issuing money, foreign investments can also trigger inflation. The greedy-driven international hot money is passing inflation world widely.”
“If we allow foreign speculators to buy our properties and natural resources, it will not only make us suffer inflation, but, more deadly is that make us lose the foundation for survival.”
“The domestic profit-driven speculators speculate on properties and natural resources are playing similar role of destroying the foundation of Canadians survival.”
“The foundation for survival is not just the material wealth that meets survival, but the appropriate environment for the development of real economy.”
“For example, high housing prices in Vancouver are squeezing real economy - business and labor out. Greedy speculators are destroying the foundation of the survival of Vancouver.”
“A country's economy can not rely on the support of speculation.”
Now the farmland of Canada is becoming an object for speculating.
Greedy speculators are killing agriculture of Canada.
CPP take over farmland has many advantages.
5.. The significance of CPP control farmland
5.1.. Avoid farmland is used for speculation
The tragedy that Greek Pensioner shoots himself to refuse to search for food in garbage has proven that it is a disaster that a national economy is in favor of Rich little individual by Poor government.
The tragedy of Greek suffering has proven that biggest social unfair is that rich individual by poor government.
We have enough reason to question the human nature of those who are appealing fairness for acquiring farmland for private interest.
The process of CPP taking over farmland should not be as that of so called fair bidding; but, Government must legislate to ban any buyer besides CPP because the free bidding will push up the prices further.
5.1.1.. Speculation will degenerate the quality of people
When talking about the main cause of Japan’s declining from the economic powerhouse? Most people would blame the Plaza Accord that forced appreciation of the Yen to cause Japanese products losing competitiveness and the Bubble Economy.
For such argument, in the Aug. 24, 2014 article Over-heated real estate market is ruining Canadian economy from Japan mirroring Canada, I once indicate that, the Bubble Economy has degenerated the quality of Japanese.
Why the all of the fiscal and economic stimulus measures has been used, but have gained nothing to revive the economy of Japan?
The reason, as my view, all of those stimulus measures are from the macro elements of the economy, with ignoring the most basic micro elements - the quality of the people, the work-ethic of the labor, the efficiency of the production and the capacity of the innovation.
The Bubble Economy has rewritten the code of the DNA of the quality of Japanese people, from enthusiastic in hard working into enamoring in greedy speculating, thus, further affected the social moral and national’s spiritual, thereby cause the decay of whole society of Japan.
Unearned speculation can completely distort the life-philosophy of people, to lure people addicting in opportunistic, addicting in pride of the luxury life. The worse, of those unearned Riches despise hard work for social wealth creation, and despise those who are hard working for social wealth creation.
The easy gaining excessive profit from speculative activities have fueled Japanese speculative mentality with unearned ideological. It entices people keen to make living by speculating instead of hard working and less concerning on the interest of own company and most of Japanese people have lost the entrepreneurial spirit, hard-working spirit, and the rational sense of social responsibility and enterprises have deteriorated as lack of enterprising spirit and innovation dynamic, such negative impact is more terrible, even fatal.
Nowadays, the decline of the economy of Japan, especially the decline of those enviable famous enterprises that once swept the world with their creative products, is not due to the improper policies that have crashed down the over-heated real estate market, and is not due to the wrongful business strategies, but, it is due to the degradation of the quality the most of Japanese people.
In essence, the national is the decisive factor for a nation’s economic development; a nation's economic decline is the decline of the quality of its national.
Whether it is a business or a country, if its member is full of concerning for the self interest, without or lack of concerning for the public interest, it will doom to be extinction.
So, I firmly believed that the impact of the Bubble Economy on the economy is just a curable social flu, but, the impact on the national’s spiritual is incurable social cancer.
The fact of the Japanese companies loses competitiveness and falling into declining are the vivid proof. The shortsightedness and lack of entrepreneurial spirit of the management team, the lack of work enthusiasm of the employees is the main reason, and also it caused Japan's economy can not recover as expected.
The improper economic policies will provide a favorable environment for those speculators to push the real economy into rot.
The soaring rise in the cost of living pushed by real estate speculators is squeezing the real economy out of Vancouver.
The economic plight in Vancouver shows that Canada is facing a vital historical moment for economic strategy adjusting.
In dealing with the oil resources and real estate market, Canada has been doing irrationally, in the farmland resources, we must wise up to avoid silly again.
5.2.. In favor of real economy and public projects by avoiding high land prices
CPP controlling farmland also will be in favor of the development of public projects by avoiding high land prices, and also CPP may invest some project with long term interest concern.
Such as, the infrastructure in transportation, though it can not get direct profit in short period, but, CPP can get return from the development of economy in long future.
5.2.1.. The lesson from Japan’s Bubble Economy 1980s.
5.2.1.1..It was that government of Japan punctured economic bubble
Aug. 24, 2014, in the article Over-heated real estate is ruining Canadian economy from Japan mirroring Canada, I have indicated that it was that Japan-Gov punctured the Bubble Economy 1980s purposefully.
When the economic booming and most Japanese were madly speculation in real estate market and with easily made unearned money to enjoy the prosperous with the life of luxury, in March 27, 1990, the Bank of Japan issued Notice of Controlling the Total Financing Amount of Real Estate. Later the Notice was known as the ignition point of the collapse of Japan's bubble economy.
Then, the house prices and stock prices were both fell down. Further more, in the August 1990; the Bank of Japan increased short-term lending rate to 6%.
But, those were not enough; in 1992, the Finance Ministry of Japan has introduced a land value tax to further push down the overheated real estate market. For the High-end retailing businesses, because, the shop is located in the city's most prosperous area, every year, the 0.3% land tax even valued 20% of commodity profits. The land tax resulted in a strong inhibition on the prices of the real estate.
Thus, the bubble of Real Estate was quickly deflating down in Japan. The golden age of Japanese was disappearing.
The restraining force of the land value tax on the real estate market was significant.
Why Japanese Government issued the policy of limiting the Financing Amount of Real Estate? Even. faced that the property market and the stock market has both started to crash down, in 1992, the Ministry of Finance still introduced the land value tax, to further crash down the market of real estate?
Many people deemed that, it was that, after 1990, a series of improper restricting policies on the real estate market have pushed the Japanese economy into the quagmire.
Well, whether the government of Japan was wrong?
5.2.1.2.. Speculation on real estate killed real economy of Japan
Why the Japanese Gov. did puncture the economic bubble
In fact, the cause of the economic recession was not that of the policies issued after 1990, but, the policies for fully opening the real estate market in 1985 with the hope of maintaining the economy in high-speed development with the development of the real estate.
As earlier as the period of real estate market hot developing 1985 – 1989, Japanese government has realized the severity of the mistake of wrongly opening real estate market. Those policies after 1990 were for the emergent corrections rationally.
In 1985, the Plaza Accord further deepened the long worry of Japanese people for the depreciation of the yen; they found that the real estate was the best way to hedge against inflation, with the fueling of the incentive policies of the government, the large sums of money invested in the real estate market.
In the eyes of the vast majority of Japanese people; the land has become the most worthy assets for maintaining the value of their hard-earnings. Since then, the nature of the real estate began to change, from the need of living to be developed as the tools of the speculators for profit.
Faced with such a large market demand, major Japanese banks launched fierce competing on loans for land. Typically, banks’ mortgage financing for land was about 70% of the evaluated value of the land, but, the loan of the Hokkaido Takushoku Bank even reached 120% of the land value.
With the rapid rise of the prices of the real estate, throughout of the Japan, the funds of investing in the real estate were more and more, the developing projects on real estate were more and more, and bigger and bigger.
In 1988, many years’ high profit of the real estate industry even attracted the leaders of the Japanese real economy also to invest in the real estate, such as, the Toyota, Fuji Heavy Industries, Hitachi motors, etc..
On the other hand, because of over-heated real estate speculation pushing high the price of the land, the second Tomei Expressway that was under construction difficult to continue, the operating conditions of the Japan Highway Public Corporation was worsening. Also, there various local public investment and construction were encountered difficulties.
5.2.1.3.. It deviated from the basic national policy that coined after WWII
The wild development of the real estate has seriously impacted on the normal development of the economy. Thus, the debating about how to develop of Japan was more and more intensive. In general review, these arguments were primarily around three aspects:
1. Whether the promotion of the development of real estate industry was in line with the basic national policy?
2. Whether the development of real estate industry was able to maintain the prosperity of the Japanese economy?
3. If the answer to both questions were "NO", then, what kind of economic model was suitable for Japan?
From the appearance, the collapse of Japan's bubble economy was caused by the series of suppression policies of the government of Japan; however, the essence of those policies was the clear answer of the government for the hot debating:
1. The promotion of the development of real estate industry did not comply with the basic national policy.
2. The development of the real estate industry could not sustain the prosperity of the Japanese economy?.
After World War II, Japan coined two basic national policies that were the basic farmland system and the revitalizing strategy by the development of the industry and technology.
So called the basic farmland system was that Japan must maintain the amount of Japan's basic farmland to meet Japan's need for food self-sufficient. The over-heated development of the real estate was direct threatened to the amount of the basic farmland tenure.
The revitalizing strategy by the development of the industry and technology was that, after World War II, faced scorched motherland, the Japanese government made a long argument on what develop-direction should be taken?. Once, considered to emulate the Netherlands as the trade hub between Asia, Europe and America, but, after the comparison between Japan and the Netherlands, either the number of the population and the external environment was far difference, so, the idea of the trade center was completely negated finally, and then, decided to take the development of the industry and technology as the developing policy.
Japan is a country that resources heavily depend on the imports. For obtaining needed resources, Japan must exchange by the goods that other country needed.
If, there more and more funds were invested in the real estate, the entire industrial structure and employment structure would tilt to the real estate industry, then, the manufacturing industries for earnings from export would decline continuously, and thus the needed resources that exchanged from other countries would be less and less.
More worse was that, in the 10 years, 20 years later, with the rise of the developing countries, Japan, a country with no advantage of the price in products, even, the advantage in technology would be lost, too. Since there no goods can be used for exchanging resources with other countries. So, essentially, the competition of Japanese people on real estate was just as that of the poor villagers who were fighting for the adobe thatched cottages with no electricity, no heating, no gas and no oil, which was mindlessly struggling toward more poor.
Although, the businesses and the people are both inseparable from the land, however, how much the value of the land should account for the corporate profits? And how much should account for the personal income? In this world, for such question, there was no clear standard.
For the Japan, however, due to lack of natural resources, must use high-tech products to exchange, which was a firm common consensus in Japanese society.
It was obvious that drove economy by developing real estate, was already departed from the unchangeable policy of revitalizing strategy by the development of the industrial and technology.
Luckily, the housing price of Japan has been led by Government since the establishment of Japan Housing Corporation (JHC) in 1955 until 1985. So, there were enough social bases for Japanese government piercing the economic bubble.
5.2.1.4.. Mis-reports on Japan's bubble economy mislead the policy making
The Lost Decade that describes the downturn of Japan's economy after the bubble burst, in fact, it is to return the normal that should have been.
The rise of Japan's postwar economy, it was the contribution of many objective factors, but not entirely the result of their own efforts. Such as, during the Korean War, a large number of arms purchases of the United States from Japan's manufacturing has largely promoted Japan's economy.
The unrealistic reports about Japan's bubble economy1980s have misled the policy making of most countries, to let the free development of the real estate market, it is not only worsening the lives of local people, but also cause an increased operating costs of the real economy, resulting in the closure or relocation of the companies.
It is a big mistake that for getting insight of employment and tax revenue from the real estate market, to lose the foundation for long-term economic development.
5.3.. Avoiding the profit foreign outflow as that of oil resources
The huge profits of oil resources have been out-flowing into the wallets of foreign investors, but, as original owner, Canadians are enjoying from environmental pollution, and oil prices dragged economy.
With the rich natural resources, the Governments of Canada in all levels are all lack of financial resources for construction of social infrastructure and public services, especially for health care, the long waiting times for treatment are becoming a life threatening.
It is the sadness of wrongful social governance.
CPP must take over the farmland and to develop as high-quality foods supplier from farming to processing to ensure the steady growth of our pension forever, as well to create revenue for government.
It is not only the tax revenue but the profit must be used for all Canadians.
5.4.. Conducive to large-scale intensive agricultural production
Extensive farming - Wikipedia indicates that extensive farming has a number of advantages:
1. Less labour per unit areas is required to farm large areas, especially since expensive alterations to land (like terracing) are completely absent.
2. Mechanisation can be used more effectively over large, flat areas.
3. Greater efficiency of labour means generally lower product prices.
4. Animal welfare is generally improved because animals are not kept in stifling conditions.
5. Lower requirements of inputs such as fertilizers.
6. If animals are grazed on pastures native to the locality, there is less likely to be problems with exotic species.
7. Local environment and soil are not damaged by overuse of chemicals.
8. The use of machinery and scientific methods of farming produce a large quantity of crops.
As my view, in current Canada, besides foreign and domestic group investors for speculation, there are few farmers can buy farmland in large amount for intensive agricultural production.
CPP is the best buyer.
5.5.. CPP has launched its agriculture investment program in 2012
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) launched its agriculture investment program in 2012 with an initial focus on farmland opportunities in Canada, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Brazil
Farmland is appealing to CPPIB because it has historically provided stable returns and will be a new source of diversification for the CPP Fund. CPPIB believes that rising populations and incomes in some developing economies will increase demand for agricultural products
CPPIB studied the Saskatchewan market carefully and ensured that it was abiding by all of the rules before entering. It notified the province’s Farm Land Security Board of its intention to buy Assiniboia and no objections were raised.
The Saskatchewan Farm Security Act was amended in 2002 to allow Canadians to own farmland in Saskatchewan. This includes both permanent residents and citizens of Canada, as well as entities that are 100 per cent Canadian owned. The Act prohibits foreigners and publicly-traded entities (because those entities could be acquired or controlled by non-resident persons) from owning more than 10 acres of land
CPPIB announced on December 12, 2013 that it had signed an agreement to acquire the assets of Assiniboia Farmland LP (Assiniboia), a fund that owned and managed a portfolio of farmland in Saskatchewan. CPPIB’s initial equity investment was about $120-million
Assiniboia was created in 2005 and built a diversified portfolio of approximately 115,000 acres of farmland. The portfolio is comprised of pockets of land across the province, and the individual farms are rented out to local farmers who farm the land. The original Assiniboia management team continues to manage the portfolio from Regina
CPPIB’s ownership of Assiniboia is providing financial opportunities that support the family farm structure in what has become an extremely capital intensive business. It allows young farmers who don’t have much capital to get into the business; farmers to expand their operations and maximize economies of scale without taking on too much debt; provides opportunities for farming families to monetize part or all of their investment while continuing to operate the farmland if they wish; and creates buyout opportunities for farmers who may have difficulty finding a buyer for their land when they wish to retire
CPPIB is a responsible long-term investor that will provide patient capital to facilitate the improvement of the farmland (through drainage projects, on-farm irrigation infrastructure, etc.), boost production output, and enhance the livelihoods of those working in the sector..
CPPIB intends to own the farmland for generations. It might sell the odd tract here or there to optimize the portfolio, but has every intention of being a long-term investor
According to a recent poll commissioned by CPPIB, a majority of Saskatchewan residents believe pension plans should be allowed to purchase Saskatchewan farmland: Among types of potential buyers, pension plans receive over two-third support (69%), second to Canadian individuals (74%).
The survey was conducted by Innovative Research Group Inc. Between March 27th and 29th, 2015, with a representative sample of 500 Saskatchewan residents 18 years or older. A random probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of sampling error of +/- 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
CPPIB Statement About the Saskatchewan Government's Farmland Decision.
5.6..The profit can only be enjoyed by Canadians
Here, I would like to specially point out that with plenty of availability in both of funds and technologies, CPP possesses broader potential for public profit by diversified development as the base of value-added projects of huge potential in market and profit with the nature of state owned, but it is definitely different with that of state owned in a broad sense, due to it can only enjoyed by all Canadians for retirement, but it can not touched by politicians with other purpose, especially to be used as promise spending for populist-driving election.
6.. The barriers for CPP running farmland
6.1.. The doubt of successful operation of state-owned economy
The biggest resistance for CPP developing as the main body in state-owned economy may come from the doubt of successful operation. Due to the historical experience have shown that, whether socialist or capitalist, both cannot run the state-owned economy effectively and it was doomed to fail.
The socialist practice under state-owned economy, which involved the countries nearly half of the world, has failed.
The facts showed that state-owned economy could not work in the Socialism.
Britain, as a veteran of the capitalism, the home county of Adam Smith and Keynes has suffered the processes from original private ownership to be nationalized, and then from state-owned ownership to be privatized again.
In this regard, there many other countries, includes the United States, were also experienced similar processes as that of Britain.
The facts showed that state-owned economy could not work in the Capitalism.
However, the fact that there were so many countries selected to practice the state-owned economy also shows it’s rational.
As my view, the failure of the state-owned economy is not in the direction, but in the management.
State-owned economy is not doomed to fail at all, but it depends on that how to manage, especially how to deal with the special production means – human beings.
In The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, the writer Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw indicated the reason of the failure of former Socialist countries. It was that low productivity caused by egalitarian wage system, which was lack of incentives due to that payment was same regardless contributing more or less.
Feb, 9, 2014, I once wrote an article that Management is the Art of Playing Human Nature, in which I indicate that human behaviors are determined by dual natures - the culture nature of those acquired qualities and the animal nature of those inborn instincts. The management is to finish purposeful tasks with human culture nature driven by meeting human animal nature under the enforcement of regulations.
The failure of state-owned economy in former Socialist countries was due to that wrongful management in over relied on human culture nature of conscientious and self-esteem by ignoring and suppressing human instinct animal nature of greedy and selfness.
The low productivity and the oil prices dragged economy indicate that private owned economy is not a panacea for Canada. 3M Canada saves Energy 30% by ISO50001 shows that the cure-all for improving productivity is defined accountability, that is, frankly say, to put the tags of specific responsibility on the forehead of specific individual to accurate reward or punishment to force every one to do qualified work.
The practice of successful private companies is mainly good at motivating employees’ culture nature by meeting the greedy nature with work-performance linked incentives and defined accountability with the enforcement of strict regulations.
I believed that there is no big difference in the management between state-owned business and private-owned one. The management methods of successful private companies can also be used to run well state-owned companies.
6.2.. Misunderstanding the public-benefit nature of CPP
Apr. 13, 2015, the article Saskatchewan stops pension funds from buying farmland as prices rise reported that: “Saskatchewan is clamping down on the sale of the province’s farmland to Canadian pension funds and other large institutional investors, restricting deep-pocketed groups at a time when land prices are climbing.”
“Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said that: ‘Our goal is not to limit investment, but to ensure the long-term success of Saskatchewan’s agriculture industry and economy.’”
The concern of the policy makers of Saskatchewan is rational. But, the they seems did not see through the nature of the issue, CPP is definitely different with all of other investors in nature, which is that CPP is seeking for the interest of all Canadians and that is including the policy maker themselves, their families, and their next generations.
All Canadians must make up a sense that CPP is seeking benefit and struggling to make a better future for all of us.
CPP should take over all of the farmland as soon as possible.
The control of Saskatchewan for farmland ownership is rational. All other provinces should also set similar restrictions.
6.3..Government must legislate for CPP taking over all available farmland
Farmland is the basis of agro-related industry, and it is a major part of the economy of Canada. Therefore, it related to the immediate and long-term survival fate of all Canadians.
The holy survival fate should not allow to be free played as a gambling chip by those greedy, mindless unearned speculators.
We must learn the lesson and avoid the absurdness as that of huge profits of oil resources have been out-flowing into the wallets of foreign investors, but, as original owner, Canadians are enjoying from environmental pollution, and oil prices dragged economy.
The management team of Canada Pension Plan - CPP has been struggling for keep and increment of our pension funds, to ensure our decent retirement life. It should be the best candidate for acquiring the farmland, but, now it is facing objection.
The government of Canada must immediately legislate for CPP taking over all available farmland, so that CPP can further develop into integrated supplier in high quality foods and natural supplements, thus to make revenue for local governments and profit for pension funds.
The legislation will avoid land prices to be further pushed up by free bidding, which was also the concern of law makers of Saskatchewan for rejecting pension funds from buying farmland.
We do not have too high demands, when our pension funds loses all the value, our pension plan has still reserved enough land to produce enough food for us to feed our families, so that our families will not like that of some Greeks today troubled to search food in trash heap or even suicide.
7.. CPP must develop as strategic pillar in develop Canadian economy
7.1..The unique economic and politic potential of CPP
Usually, people view CPP as the management of the necessary source of life for the elderly and hedging the funds value by investment for creating profit, but, people seem have ignored its significant advantage for helping disperse macroeconomic and social risks and the strategic potential for promoting economic development.
As a government agency with the holy mission of seeking benefit and forging a better future for all Canadians, CPP is inborn with unique social and political advantages in motivating, organizing, governing and funding public-benefit projects, due to that any action of CPP may encounter less opposition.
Even if, it is inevitably there would be some irrational noises of oppositions, but, that will easily be suppressed by the rational public opinion.
7.2.. CPP must develop as the basis of Super Leadership
Look at the economy of nature resource scarce Singapore and Germany, the economy of nature resource rich Canada is nothing worth for proud of.
The governments of Canada at all levels have been hard struggling for developing the economy; however, the results are not satisfied. The main reason, as my view, is that there too much constraints are trapping the exertion of the governing functions under the holy democracy.
The facts are clear, with similar political and economical model as that of national beggar Greece, Canada is following the dust of Greek failed road in both economic development and politicians play.
The current problems of Canada are clear, but it is not easy to make any improvement under current democratic governance, since that any rational idea that is good for economy, would inevitably hurt the interests of some people, and thus would suffer fierce opposition, and any opposition would be able to play its role effectively under the great democracy of great universal value.
Such social governance can easily lead the promising Canada into a despair road than that of a hope road.
The only way out for Canadian people, is to avoid the dead harm of populist democracy, which has been leading Greece into a beggar nation.
Canada needs an innovation in social governance to reduce the side effect of democracy.
With the unique economic and politic potential, CPP should be and surely can be developed as an independent special organization that can get rid of the sorrow of democratic ballot oriented government to play a leading role in developing the economy of Canada.
For this end, CPP may establish a federal government authorized independent team as Super Leadership with unique power in some key industries and areas, to enjoy an independent right in making policies or regulations with the power as same as that of State Apparatus to supervise or enforce the implementation successfully.
7.3..To deal with issues that democratic players dare not touch
Aug. 12, 2015, in the article Housing speculators are pushing Canada's builders into hell, I indicate that, Canadians hard constructed homeland finally makes themselves jobless and homeless, because of the greedy property speculators are destroying the survival condition for job providers - businesses, and housing prices are too high to afford for living.
Real estate speculation is economic heroin, it will excite the economy in short-term and destroy the economy in long-term.
April. 4, 2015, House prices continue to soar in Vancouver to $1.27 million average price: The average price for detached bungalows and two-storey houses across Vancouver, North Vancouver and West Vancouver have jumped by 10.6 per cent and 10.3 per cent in the last year.
June 18, 2015, 40% of Vancouverites feel priced out of town: The Angus Reid Institute polled 821 Metro residents this month to find out how they felt about their housing and transportation situation. About two in five respondents said they were "seriously thinking of leaving Metro Vancouver because of the cost of owning a home here." That is not a detached house with a yard in Vancouver either - that's any old condo, townhouse or detached home in Metro Vancouver, suburbs and all.
May 5, 2015, Housing costs, low salaries predict looming labour crisis: The rapidly increasing cost of housing in Metro Vancouver could have dire consequences for B.C.’s labour market. Masses of millennials could be making a great exodus out of Vancouver in the near future if housing costs and wages stay on their projected trajectories, causing B.C. to face a potential labour crisis. This ‘brain drain’ is researched in Vancity’s May 2015 study Help Wanted: Salaries, Affordability and the Exodus of Labour from Metro Vancouver, which warns individiuals, businesses and governments that high quality labour is threatened by the increase in the cost of living and unaffordable housing prices.
Aug. 14, 2015, Foreign buyers snatch Vancouver land with no immediate plan to develop, Wealthy buyers who are treating the Lower Mainland real estate market like one giant casino are proving to be a major obstacle for local developers trying to fulfill the city’s goal of providing more housing at an affordable price. There’s a lot more money coming from overseas. Foreign developer groups are getting especially aggressive on land purchase prices, and then they are just holding the land as capital preservation. That can be seen all over Vancouver.
It is the most ignorance of the government of Canada lets speculators freely destroying the real economy and the life of their national by pushing up the prices on housing and land.
The Super Leadership may deal with the issues that democratic players dare not touch. Even to set policies to take back the wealth that has been plundered away.
8..The management of state-owned businesses of CPP
People will suspect the management of state-owned businesses of Canada Pension Plan, in fact, this is the result of one-sided consideration.
MRI,人的大脑，决定人的行为
8.1.. Management is the Art of Playing Human Nature
Dec. 4, 2014, in the article Why did Keynesian fail in saving Japan's economy?, I indicate that: "The great economists, and, as well as the entrepreneurs, philosophers are mostly profound insight into human nature. For example:
"Noted economist Adam Smith, his own favorite book was The Theory of Moral Sentiments, while the Keynes, his The end of laissez-faire, I think, was in the analysis of the impact of human nature to social progress. Noted entrepreneur, the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie who wrote the Human weakness. human nature and the advantages of communication arts. And the noted Scottish philosopher, David Hume wrote A Treatise of Human Nature, by which Hume strove to create a total naturalistic "science of man" that examined the psychological basis of human nature."
A well understanding of human nature is also significant for effectively improving corporate management.
Feb. 9, 2014, in the article Management is the Art of Playing Human Nature, I indicate that: “Generally view the results of many studies, human behaviors are determined by dual human natures: The natural (animal) nature of those inborn selfish instincts and the cultural nature of those acquired altruistic qualities.”
“The best example for understanding human natures is the process of taming animal actors, in which, the beastmaster tempts animals to learn cultural nature for serving human by meeting their greedy of animal nature with foods under the enforcement of whipping.”
“In consideration of human natures, we may say that, the Management is the Art of playing human natures, which is to finish purposeful tasks with human culture nature by meeting human greedy of animal nature with payment under the enforcement of regulations.”
“For the success of taming animal actors, the foods and the whips are equally important, both are indispensable. In the same way, for well playing the Art of the human natures, the payment and regulations are both indispensable.”
“The failure of the socialist practice was not fully due to the Autocracy Governance and the Planned Economy, but essentially was due to that it over relied on the human culture nature by madly suppressing the exertion of human animal nature under the enforcement of State Apparatus.”
“The success of the capitalist practice is not fully due to the Democracy Governance, but due to the Market Economy that benefits society by meeting the greedy of human animal nature through gaining profit according to the needs of the society in the marketplace.”
“There were a lot of researches on the economic success of China, and most of them attributed the success to the magic of the Invisible Hand. But, that was not fully true with ignored the essence - it was that China has broken the egalitarian wage system, that implemented for decades in the socialist period, to have largely increased the share of work performance-related payment.”
“In consideration of market competing, Adam Smith's Invisible Hand is mainly driven by human animal nature - selfish and greedy.”
“The driven force for German outstanding manufacturing mainly comes from their legislated management for rationalization proposals, which is to extract bonus from the profit gained in the application of the rationalization proposals to motivate all staff to pay their full talent into the business running since Mr. Krupp initiated it in 1872. That is 142 years ago.”
“The driven force for patent invention of 102 years old IBM has been counting on the top of those world-class corporate giants in the United States for 20 consecutive years is the patent-related bonus incentive system.”
“The payment of Canada with less work performance-related is following the dust of failed road of former Socialist Camp. It is the main reason that Canadian firms are less competitiveness or even vanished, and it provided significant potential and direction for saving our firms.”
“Whether the Corporate Culture or the Organizational Culture, should be composed by those measures that can motivate the maximum exertion of employee’s cultural nature with minimum play of employee’s animal nature to maximize the production efficiency.”
There is a good example to prove my idea that Management is the Art of Playing Human Nature.
It is that 3M Canada saves Energy 30% by ISO50001.
8.2..The inspiration of 3M Canada saves Energy 30% by ISO50001
Feb. 9, 2014, in the article Management is the Art of Playing Human Nature, I specially put a section: Reverse-thinking for 3M Canada Saves Energy 30% by ISO50001. Now, excerpt some as follow.
March 13, 2013, the Canadian Manufacturing Online published the report of Power play, said that 3M Canada saves Energy 30% by ISO50001.
The achievement was great, but the process was unexpected simple: “We try to treat the plant as we would our homes. If we leave a room, we turn off the lights and shut down equipment when it’s not being used. ”
There were reports taking the energy save 30% in 3M Canada as a proud achievement. However, I would like to question that, by the same group of people with the same equipments in the same place, why they could not effectively save the energy similarly before the implementation of ISO50001 standards?
Why they could not treat the plant as that of in own homes to turn off the lights and shut down the equipment when it’s not being used before the implementation of ISO50001 standards?
The achievement of energy saving is also reflecting the CHAOS in the management of 3M Canada. It is common in many Canadian enterprises, which is one of the reasons of the mid-sized firms is declining. It is not my surmising boast at all. It is the terrible facts of my personal observation and experience in the enterprises of Canada.
I think that the corporate management may be the most intricate and most grueling tasks, since it has to deal with the labors – human beings who are with the brain that can act of their own accord.
If there was no mandatory of the ISO50001 standard to strictly enforce the staff as that of the law enforcing social members, only relying on their management team and their own developed management rules, 3M Canada would never get such an achievement.
The experience of 3M Canada in energy saving has a significant role of providing us a direction for reversing the state of CHAOS, which is to copy the model of ISO50001 standard to optimize our firms’ management.
We are clear that, in the business running, there are many management aspects besides energy saving with the plenty of room for cost-saving improvement. We can imagine that, if 3M Canada improves efficiency by 30% in all of their management aspects, then, see, what will happen? If we all firms in Canada are able to improve the efficiency by 30%, and then, see, what it will happen?
The CHAOS in the management of 3M Canada before the implementation of ISO50001 standards was also caused by the bad effect of the Crowd Psychology.
It also proves the correctness of my idea of the Corporate Management is the Art that plays human natures, which is to finish purposeful tasks with human culture nature by meeting human greedy of animal nature with payment under the enforcement of regulations. for well playing the Art of the management, the payment and the regulation is both indispensable.
Now, we may understood that:
With defined accountability, to make every specific work can be clearly accountable, especially the input and output accounting can be traced to individual personally. The state-owned businesses have more advantages than that of private owned one, such as, the formulation of favorable policies, funding sources, technical support, social resources availability, and so on.
Canada Pension Plan will certainly play a significant role in the agriculture of Canada.
8.3.. Amoeba succeeds by costing on forehead of individual
The success of ISO standards in the practice of corporate management is from the defined accountability, which is to identify all aspects in the management and then to take the specific aspect as responsible tag to put on the forehead of specific individual, thus, to make clear that who is the contributor and who is the trouble maker.
But, the shortcoming of the ISO standards is that it is rare touching the key issue in the management – how to lower down the cost.
For this concern, that Amoeba Management is much better.
The founder of Amoeba Management is Kazuo Inamori who is one of Japan’s legendary serial entrepreneurs, the founder of Kyocera and DDI (KDDI). He rebuilds Japan Airlines (JAL) from bankruptcy by using Amoeba method.
The management of large-scale enterprises is a thorny issue world widely.
Japan Airlines went bankrupt on January 19, 2010, Kazuo Inamori turned it around to public again on Tokyo Stock Exchange on September 19, 2012.
The Amoeba Management, essentially, means divisional accounting.
In JAL, Kazuo Inamori installed a real time system, to determine the profit of each route and each single flight in real time, while in the past profits (or losses) at Japan Airlines, were calculated months after the fact.
Kazuo Inamori views leadership: “the leader must have a vision and burning determination to carry out the vision whatever the obstacles”, and must communicate aims and targets to everyone in the company.
Nov. 29, 2013, the artcle Bible of Business Winning Amoeba Management of Kazuo Inamori introduced that:
Amoeba Management is to “Leave enough corporate profits , gains and losses are the property of their own."
Amoeba "model is essentially " division system "(SBU quantify decentralization ) in the enterprise to further deepen the implementation of a more refined Min-SBU quantify decentralization . SBU is Strategical Business Unit acronym , namely strategic business units , everyone becomes a boss , everyone becomes a company, everyone becomes an operator , everyone has entrepreneurial and innovative spirit . the only way to implement the company's strategy to each employee , and each strategic Innovation staff will ensure the realization of the company's strategy , the company can be endless , invincible and target management , lower to higher levels are responsible for different :.. SBU advocated by everyone on the staff to be responsible for market said , SBU means becoming the main innovation , through the process of creating value for customers realize their value , is self -employed .
"SBU" must be made ??up of four factors : the first , clear objectives ; Second, the platform and the resources provided by the enterprise ; Third , workflow ; fourth , distribution relationships , that is, each person's income and its outcomes linked to each personal achievement and service to the outcome of the enterprise.
9.. CPP possesses broad potential for diversified development
With plenty of availability in both of funds and technologies, CPP possesses broader potential for profit by diversified development.
Besides the cultivation and processing of traditional crops, we should develop value-added projects with huge potential in market and profit, such as, the botanicals plant and deep process.
10..The botanicals plant and deep process
10.1..The prices of the botanicals are soaring up
February 2011, the artcle Global Prices of Traditional Chinese Herbs Rising reports that: The global Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) industry has naturally felt the impact of inflation throughout past years; in 2010, however, herbs used widely in TCM experienced much higher price increases than usual. The rate of inflation in China is now at its highest level in over 2 years,1 and the country’s various enterprises, including its MARKET for herbs, are feeling the brunt of this situation. For example, TCM products sold in 2010 in China—especially in Northern and Eastern Chinese cities, such as Anguo and Shanghai—most of which were medicinal herbs, doubled in price (on average).1-3 Prices of certain ingredients and particularly popular herbs have risen considerably higher.
Many factors are being blamed for the elevated prices, including cogent MARKET demand, the Yuan’s increasing strength, weather/climate changes, herbs being cultivated more than wild collected, general economic proceedings, recent public health crises, and herbal supply shortages.1-7 Approximately 85% of the total amount of Chinese traditional medicines in the MARKET are said to have seen surges in price, according to various online reports referencing a recent pronouncement by the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM).3,4 Other reports by CATCM found that the cost of over 25% of herbal medicines at least doubled in the second half of 2010,2 and that some raw herbal materials and finished herbal medicine products have supposedly seen price spikes as steep as 700% over the past year.3
The increase in prices is also spreading around the world. In the Southeast Asian country of Singapore, for example, the cost of many herbs used in TCM rose by approximately 30% last year.6,7 According to Subhuti Dharmananda, PhD, director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Oregon, herb suppliers in the United States have also experienced increased prices across the board, with the increase in prices up to 30% in the past 3 years (e-mail, January 7-8, 2011). “This last year (2010) was possibly the highest percentage increase,” he said. “The prices of certain bulk raw materials (such as dried leaves, flowers, roots, and barks) have increased by as much as a factor of 3 within a single year.”
10.2..The governments and drug makers are turning eyes on Chinese herbal medicine
David Picard, CEO and the co-founder of Moleac, a biopharmaceutical company based in Singapore, in his article THE RISE of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that “Western pharmaceutical companies now spend over US$800 million on average to get a new drug approved.”
“This cost includes the lengthy and complex clinical development process which sees many potential drugs fall by the wayside, either because they do not work or because they cause unacceptable side effects.”
“Only around one in 17 candidate drugs identified make it to market.”
“If the drug being researched fails in the development process the losses can be considerable.”
“Pfizer, for example, recently wrote off around US$1 billion and 15 years of research and development after its experimental cholesterol drug failed to make the cut.”
“The industry is under increased pressure to develop new blockbuster drugs as patents expire, and to cut innovation costs.”
David Picard also said that, “Increasingly, companies are looking to TCM as a source of innovation. The economic incentives are clear.”
November 06, 2006, reported that Swiss Novartis AG announced plans for a US$100 million integrated research and development center in Shanghai. “The company already has a partnership with a local research institute, the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, and collaborates with a local drug manufacturer,Wuxi PharmaTech Co.”
In the western countries, governments took strict regulations to control the medicine market. One of them dictates that every constituent and its therapeutic effect must be clear for the compound medicine. This is a big barrier for the Chinese drug since that of even a single herb is a compound too, and the constituents were varied from different producing area and even reaping season. So it is not easy to make clear every constituent and their therapeutic effect exactly.
Due to the above problems, World Health Organization (WHO), European Community (UC), United States (US), Canada and many other countries have issued some Guidance or policies for promoting the use of traditional medicine. They suggested that although the constituents and therapeutic mechanism are not very clear in some traditional medicine, since it has exact therapeutic effect and safe, which has been proven by long time use clinically. These policies allow it to enter medicine market.
FDA accepted the idea of traditional Chinese medicine idea
WHO -- Strategy for Traditional Medicine 2002-2005.
E.C.----- DIRECTIVE 2004/24/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending, as regards traditional herbal medicinal products, Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use.
U.S. ----- Guidance for Industry Botanical Drug Products.
Canada - About Natural Health Product Regulation
10.3..It is that Philosophy caused Western medicine into dead end
In current Canada, Western medicine - WM is the mainstream medicine.
WM has been taking Reductionism as philosophical guidance, it looks human body as an assembly of parts, and tries to study, diagnose and treatment of the diseases through the isolated part by reducing human body as micro as protein, gene and even peptides. Today we even can make life by genetic technology in a tube. So public have been convinced that modern WM is most advanced, most scientific and most reliable.
However, because human body is a complex system that various organs are closely interconnected with interdependent and interacting, there may be many unpredictable factors in affecting the development of diseases, especially the psychological factors. Many objective facts have proven that the medical route under the guidance of Reductionism is not sustainable feasibly, for instance:
Nine years ago, we once cheered for the completion of Human Genome Project with the happy of getting a new powerful therapeutic approach. Many of us thought that we could uproot all human diseases since then.
However, until now, it seems to have no genetic therapies been applied in clinic safely and stably, because there may be dozens even hundreds different gene-fragments in affecting the development of one diseases. Therefore, those believed as most advanced, most scientific, most reliable genetic therapies are only hopeful flowers that may need long time, and more study to bear enjoyable fruits. I believed that, this fruit can not mature forever, because it can not uproot the stress or psychological pressure – the main inducement of the diseases.
On the other hand, there are no suitable synthetic drugs for some diseases, such as, super bugs. Even those existing drugs are not all safe; the side effects of some of them are becoming new life-threats. More terrible is that the cost of medications is soaring up; even some people take the medical activities as the tools to loot money in contempt of life. It is just like the earthquake in Japan, coupled with the Tsunami, which was not enough, followed by nuclear radiation.
Non-communicable diseases: Also became increasingly severe due to have no ideal drugs. Such as mental disorder, cancer, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and so on.
As a way in no way, in Sep. 13, 2007, Canadian Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute of Canada has launched a large, multi-year international study to try to find a way to help the hundreds of thousands of men diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, decide whether to opt for potentially life-altering treatments or choose awatch-and-wait approach.They hoped that Surveillance Therapy against radical treatment would resolve one of the thorniest dilemmas in prostate cancer care. Because of current therapy of chemo and radiation will cause the cancer degenerated faster.
It is very disappointed but is a corollary under the misleading of Reductionism.
10.4..The philosophy of WM is developing toward that of TCM
In as much Reductionism cannot work well, we should introduce new philosophy into medical system. The hopeful one is Holism – a philosophy that macro-views human body as whole, and considers all the affecting factors, including psychology. However, “There Are Two Sides to Everything.” Compared with Reductionism, Holism is too macro that may induce to ignore the factors of micro. Therefore, the best way is to combined use them to make up the disadvantages by the advantages of each other’s, and avoid their disadvantages. Thereby we can get rid of the current predicament in Western medicine. However, distant water cannot solve the immediate thirsty. We need to find another way out.
There are many experience-based therapies have been developed and accumulated in the populace’s daily life with the advantages of effective, safe, cheaper, handy and easy to use. They are good resources for developing alternative therapies. Among them, TCM is outstanding.
TCM has been developing under the guidance of Daoism - an ancient philosophy of China.
Daoism is contrary with Reductionism. It is similar withHolism and consistent with systems biology. Suppose that Reductionism focuses on a specific grass on the Himalayas, and then the Daoism is not only focusing on the entire grass, but also concerning those would affect the growth of grass, such as, destructive pests, the greenhouse effect and the reduction of glacier cover, etc.
Under the guidance of Daoism, human life is being taken as one of such a component of unity of opposites. It believes that human body is an organic whole that all components are closely interacted. A well-balanced human bodies will form an effective self-defence system that can handle the most of pathogenic agents. The diseases could happen only if there are some unbalanced parts in a human body. The treatments do not directly target to kill pathogenic but to bring back the natural balance. It achieves the purpose by natural therapeutic approaches, such as, natural drugs, acupuncture and physical exercises, etc.
Compared with Western medicine, TCM was believed as most primitive, most unscientific, and most unreliable. However, many modern researches have inadvertently proven the outstanding of TCM. Its holistic perspective with emphasizing the decisive role of psychological factors on the development of diseases is most rational and scientific. Such as, Henry K. Beecher’s The Powerful Placebo (1955), George Engel’s Biopsychosocial model (1977), the crossing disciplines research proved that Stress Causes Everything(2008), Ohio State University’s Socially active environment can cause cancer tumors to shrink and even disappear(2010) and British Man with 'Locked-in' syndrome makes amazing recovery by his will for survival (2010), etc. Those findings clearly indicated that, for most diseases, negative psychological plays inducement effect and positive psychological has therapeutic effect. On this point, TCM is much admirable. In thousand years ago, TCM practitionershave found the similar fact that diseases treatment is seven-tenths in psychotherapy and only three-tenths in medication. Suppose we take the placebo effect as a kind of psychotherapy, then the proportion of seven-tenths in psychotherapy is close to the modern scientific statistics from the double-blind clinical trials, which was “placebos are effective in 50 or 60 percent of subjects with certain conditions.” And “some researchers maintain that there is not adequate evidence from studies to prove that the new (antipsychotic) drugs are more effective than placebos.”
The emergence of system biology is showing that Western medicine is starting to step toward the Holistic way with enlarging the scope of medical analysis. Essentially says, it was that Western medicine is from philosophical root turning its heads toward the ancient holistic medical approach of TCM after its hitting on the wall.
10.5..Traditional Chinese medicine is a promising therapeutic approach
Dec. 21 2011, in the article Chinese Medicine – A Promising Therapeutic Approach,
I discussed Traditional Chinese Medicine, now excerpt some as follow:
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an accumulation of the experiences of medical practices in Far East China. Modern researches have unknowingly and indirectly proven that TCM is the best medical system worldwide so far compared with that of existences, especially Western Medicine (WM).
In the thousands of years practice, TCM has developed many natural therapeutic methods in diseases diagnosis and treatment by natural ways, especially a large number choice of natural drugs.
According to the statistic of national investigation of mainland China in the 80's of 20th century, there are 11,146 plants, 1581 animals and 80 minerals as medicinal using. The Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescription selected nearly 100 thousands of experience-based formulas from prescriptions of TCM since there are written records in the history of China, which covering almost all known diseases. Thanks the scientists of China, they have made many useful modern researches on Chinese drugs by emulating the methods of western medicine, and to have had those experience-based formulas updated and produced great many OCT drugs in the forms of convenient for using. Such as, injections and sugar covered tablets with the labels of providing treated-ranges, precautions and dosages.
The medicinal materials (natural drugs) used in TCM are all from nature. Modern studies from the level of molecular, protein and gene found those natural drugs containing a wide range of bioactive constituents. Some of them have therapeutic effect that is similar to that of synthetic ones in killing the pathogenic agents directly, and some of them have nutritional effect that is similar to that of orthomolecular medicine. For ill-debilitated patients, nutrition is even more important than that of drugs. I think that this is the unique advantages of natural drugs, and also it is the unique advantages of TCM.
Modern researches revealed that some of Chinese drugs can improve human immunity, such as, boosting the weight gains of immune organs, increasing the number and activity of the phagocytes, NK cells and so on. Therefore, in subjective viewing, TCM is to regulate the physical balance, but in objective practicing, the process of the regulations plays a role of improving the immune function, then the pathogenic agents to be killed by enhanced immune system. Although, in TCM there are no concepts of modern immunology, such as, immune organs or immune cells, the experience-based formulas were never to have considered on immunity, however, some of preparations by those formulas are playing the therapeutic role through enhancing human immunity. More significant is that when the physical balance of patient is restored, the most of uncomfortable symptoms of patient would be largely improved, such as, poor appetite, angst and insomnia, patient would feel much better not only in physical but also in psychological. Indeed, the physical improvement also plays the role of psychotherapy. The recovery of the diseases can certainly be accelerated.
The compound prescription is unique therapeutic method of TCM, which is to put many different natural drugs together as one dose. Studies have proved that drugs in compound using are able to generate synergy effect of multiplying the positive effect of each other. The findings revealed the mystery that preparations by experience-based formulas of TCM are more effective on some specific diseases and provided clear guidance for selecting effective natural drugs aiming on specific pathogenic. This is the reason that, in my hand, Chinese natural drugs seem to have gained magic in treating some thorny diseases, such as, Schizophrenia, fat liquefaction of incision and so on. Chinese drugs will be a powerful therapeutic approach on the diseases both communicable and non-communicable, which not satisfied by the treatment of synthetic drugs. Clearly, Chinese medicine is promising resource in developing new therapeutic approaches both drugs and therapies. Also it has huge market potential.
More pleasing is that in China, those experience-based formulas have updated and used to produce great many OCT drugs with modern technologies in the form of easy to use, such as, injections and sugar-covered tablets, and labeled with the instructions of the sort of treated-diseases, precautions and dosage. They are available in Chinese pharmacies worldwide.
However, since that TCM is accumulation of the experiences from medical practices started in thousands years ago, there are no concepts and terms of modern anatomy and biology. The medical descriptions of TCM are using the terms and the principle of its philosophy - Daoism, such as, Yin & Yang, and cold & Hot. The diagnosis and the treatment of diseases are from this philosophical perspective to regulate the balance of the unity of opposites. It is very different with that of Western Medicine (WM) that is only focusing on the specific ill organ or pathogenic. As the same way, Chinese drugs are sorted and used to restore the physical balance of human body rather than focusing on any ill organ or pathogenic. Therefore, it can not be easily understood according to the way of WM.
Even so, I firmly believed that, with my articles of Viewing Human Lives as Emotional Alive together, the medical vision of readers would unconsciously advance into a broader Holistic scope from that of Reductionism. The advancement of the philosophical approach would release huge medical potential that can help us to learn properly about our life physically and psychologically, thereby to help more people living healthier and happier by advancing the prevention and treatment of the diseases.
In writing….
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With rapid development of low-cost manufacturing in underdeveloped countries, Canada's traditional manufacturing has been permanently losing.
Such as, hourly $40 wages in Canada push automakers to seek $8 payment in Mexico, the production of auto has fallen to 14.1 per cent in 2014 from more than 17 per cent in 2009, while Mexico has overtaken Canada with 18.9 per cent.
The undeveloped countries will continue to improve their policies and related facilities for more conducive to the development of foreign manufacturers. And also, after working for foreign manufacturers, their nationals will be trained as skilled industrial army, and their local manufacturers will quickly grow up to form a new competitive forces to beat the manufacturing of Canada.
Businesses are in closing, jobs are in losing, the Canadian dollar is in depreciating, the daily necessities' prices are up soaring, the Governments at all levels are making revenue with the easy way of taking from the deflating wallets of citizen, such as, to hike the tax of property or consumption.
Obviously, the cornerstone of the economy of Canada is in loosing, since that the economy of Canada is mainly constituted by manufacturing industry and service industry, and the manufacturing is the basis of the service.
Canada's economy is faced at vital crossroads.
Where is the way out for Canada - our home-place, upon which, our families, and hard working Canadians are struggling for survival.
To save manufacturing by government investment or corporate subsidies is not enough. It is an attempt to extinguish the car firewood's fire by a glass of water. Canada needs to update the concept of social governance from the philosophical level.
Annex
1.. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE for CPP FISCAL 2015
2..Some email exchanges with former minister of Agriculture and Railway of Saskatchewan
1.. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE for CPP FISCAL 2015
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE FOR CPP FISCAL 2015
Dear fellow contributors to and beneficiaries of the Canada Pension Plan,
While the world’s economy has clearly become more global, it is also clear that it is operating at multiple speeds, with countries like China and India occupying the fast lanes and certain developed countries like Japan and parts of Western Europe stuck in the slow lanes. This observation is backed up by the numbers. For instance, China’s economy grew roughly three times as fast as Canada’s last year. The traditional wisdom of ‘not keeping all your eggs in one basket’ has never been more important, both for individual investors and for CPPIB, which manages nearly $265 billion on your behalf.
The wisdom of diversification was driven home for Canadians this year by the collapse in global oil prices, with crude oil prices falling by 42% in our third fiscal quarter alone. For long-term investors like CPPIB, such market events always present a mixed story. We saw an impact across asset classes and geographies, bringing attractive buying opportunities in some areas, while presenting challenges in others. Nevertheless, as a long-term investor, we are well-positioned to weather such market shocks and, indeed, profit from them. The events of the past year serve as an illustration of why we must retain our focus on building a resilient, well-diversified portfolio to help keep your pensions, your children’s pensions and your grandchildren’s pensions secure.
As the manager of a portion of your retirement savings, our aim is to build a portfolio that will help to provide financial security in retirement for generations of Canadians. As such, I am pleased to report to you on our progress this past fiscal year.
Our performance.
Strong global equity markets and a strengthening U.S. dollar bolstered the Fund and we achieved an 18.7% gross return. Factoring in all CPPIB costs, our net return was 18.3%, our highest annual return ever. In fact, CPPIB added $40.6 billion in net investment income or an average of approximately $2,250 for each contributor to and beneficiary of the CPP. In addition to this investment-related growth, we received $4.9 billion in net CPP contributions from you and your employers.
I should point out that these amounts are calculated after deducting all of CPPIB’s costs. In this last fiscal year, our operating costs were $803 million, while external management fees accounted for $1,254 million and transaction costs were $273 million. These amounts were higher than last year, in part because our operating costs and external management fees are linked to performance and, as this Annual Report details, both our internal programs and external managers significantly exceeded their benchmarks. In addition, we hired more people and more external managers to prudently manage your growing portfolio.
Taking investment income and net contributions into account, by the end of our fiscal year, your Fund had grown to $264.6 billion. To put this figure into perspective, the CPP Fund has increased more than $100 billion over just the last three fiscal years. This extraordinary result demonstrates the power of compounding.
Looking at our fiscal 2015 performance on a ‘dollar value-add’ basis compared to our public market-based benchmark, CPPIB’s investment programs contributed $2.8 billion more (after all costs) than what a cost-free passive index-based portfolio would have generated over the same period.
This year’s total Fund and absolute and relative returns demonstrate the benefits of a resilient portfolio that is broadly diversified across geographies and a mix of public and private asset classes. All of our investment departments generated significant investment income and dollar value-add.
CPPIB’s strong returns in fiscal 2015 are great news, as the income that the fund earned will continue to compound – however, we cannot place too much significance on our results in any given fiscal year. The CPP is designed to be exceptionally long-term in nature and that means we can afford to take on more risk (i.e. volatility in short-term returns) in order to achieve a higher long-term return. Our extraordinarily long investment horizon combined with the unique nature of the CPP simply allows us to invest differently from many other institutional investors.
A case in point is our view on currency hedging, which we describe on page 26 of the F2015 Annual Report. Many pension funds use substantial currency hedging to stabilize the values of their international assets in Canadian dollar terms. In comparison, for the most part, we do not hedge foreign currency holdings to the Canadian dollar. As a result we must tolerate significant impacts on our financial results in any given year due to currency gains/losses. For example, in fiscal 2010 alone the Fund experienced losses of $10.1 billion in the Canadian dollar value of our foreign holdings, however since fiscal 2010 we have realized gains of $16.1 billion, including $7.8 billion this year. Hedging to manage short-term results has a material financial cost with no expected benefit over the long term.
Our portfolio is highly resilient, but as an exceptionally long-term investor we cannot and should not escape exposure to general market movements. We have every reason to believe that the Fund will experience future shocks resulting in downward pressure, yet given our long investment horizon we can tolerate considerable negative short-term returns in continued pursuit of higher long-term returns. Thus, in the same way that we temper our enthusiasm for this year’s exceptional performance, we also do not let negative returns in any given period side-track our attention from our long-term strategy. The best measure of our performance is longer term and we must continue to focus on 10-plus year results.
As indicated in Heather’s Chair’s Report, your Fund’s 10-year net nominal rate of return is 8.0%. After accounting for inflation, which is important because CPP benefits are indexed to inflation, your Fund’s 10-year net real rate of return is 6.2%. In the immediate wake of the financial crisis the Fund had substantial losses, yet taking a longer-term view shows the 10-year return is comfortably above the 4% real rate of return that the Chief Actuary of Canada indicates is required to sustain the CPP over the next 75 years. As an organization, we maintain a disciplined focus on the long-term results and overall growth of the Fund because it is long-term returns that are ultimately required to pay our pensions and the pensions of future generations.
Indeed, as a long-term investor, we often look beyond the 10-year horizon. That is why I have written and spoken often about Focusing Capital on the Long Term, an initiative to shift the thinking and actions of investors, corporate directors and managers away from short-termism. As part of this effort, CPPIB helped convene global leaders for a one-day summit in March, where I was energized by the progress being made to address the perils of the all too prevalent short-term mindset in today’s capital markets and corporate boardrooms. But, there is still much to be done. While the Focusing Capital on the Long Term initiative is a personal passion of mine, it also dovetails with my role as CEO of CPPIB. CPPIB is in a unique position to best serve your interests when markets themselves are better designed to serve long-term investors – markets that serve an ownership mentality, not a trading mentality.
So how did we achieve these returns?
For those of you who follow professional sports, you know that building a winning team is a careful, deliberate process. Long-term strategies, such as acquiring young talent with future potential, rather than chasing current league superstars, are often the ones that pay off over time.
CPPIB’s focus this year was on building for the future, and we did so by investing your money in three things.
1. The best long-term assets
Today, there is intense competition for high-quality assets. Achieving the best returns often requires having the ability to purchase these types of assets before a transaction becomes open to many bidders, or having the opportunity to invest in a promising private company years prior to an initial public offering (such as we did with the Alibaba Group). Buying high-quality assets at the right price requires having the best information, building long-term relationships with trusted partners, and having the discipline and patience to see an investment pay off.
A good example of such a deal was the investment we made this year in partnership with India’s largest engineering and construction company. Our joint venture owns, among other assets, India’s largest private toll road concession portfolio. Toll roads are a good choice for CPPIB because they generate steady, reliable, long-term income (we are also part owners of the 407 Express Toll Road in Ontario). With India’s rising incomes leading to more car ownership and increased traffic in coming years, the opportunity is for long-term profits from this investment. We will be patient.
In all, we completed 40 transactions of over $200 million each in 15 countries around the world this year. This is an impressive figure, but one that demonstrates our discipline in high-priced environments. Indeed we completed fewer large transactions in fiscal 2015 than we did in fiscal 2014, although the transactions that we did complete were more diversified. Some highlights include investments in a U.S.-based company that is the world’s largest cancer care treatment operator, Hong Kong’s second-largest broadband service provider and Australia’s longest motorway tunnel. We also completed our largest-ever European real estate deal. Such assets are only available to global investors like CPPIB, with the necessary size and scale. Access to these investments for Canadian workers and retirees through CPPIB is an enormous advantage that you have by being a participant in the CPP.
2. The best people
Returning to my sports analogy, CPPIB is continuing to enhance a “build not buy” model to the development of a winning team. Given the unique character of our business and our long investment horizon, we continue to invest in the next generation of leaders. New efforts this year included training programs for both new grads and those entering management roles for the first time. And our Women’s Advisory Council is working specifically to attract top female talent from school campuses.
At year end, CPPIB employed 1,157 full-time staff to invest and manage your Fund. I truly believe that these people are among the best and brightest in the world. They excel at what they do and show tremendous commitment to our collective purpose, which is to produce excellent long-term risk-adjusted returns on your behalf.
3. Building a winning global organization
Running a global investment firm is a complex task. We need to have the right people, processes and systems to move information and capital around the world. To make the best investments, we need a global perspective on the economy, but also deep knowledge of local markets. We also need a strong brand and reputation for integrity, partnership and high performance to win in markets characterized by intensifying competition amongst funds that often have substantially more capital than CPPIB. And, we need people on the ground to search for investments and to monitor existing ones. Indeed, we expect that, as CPPIB matures as an investor, we will devote even more time to managing existing assets.
For all of these reasons, we began preparations in fiscal 2015 to open an office in Mumbai, India. The office will not only expand our presence in the region, but will also enable us to leverage local expertise. Over the next few years, we expect to open an additional three to five offices to enhance CPPIB’s global footprint.
As we continue to strengthen our capabilities, build our international presence and skillfully monitor our growing collection of investments, we expect operating expenses to increase incrementally. In incurring expenses, we are ever mindful that we are investing your hard-earned money. We continue to assess our performance after all costs to ensure you get an appropriate return on the investments we are making today in our people, technology systems and physical infrastructure. We believe that we are demonstrating the discipline to build a winning investment franchise on your behalf.
The year ahead.
Last year, I wrote about four objectives CPPIB set for fiscal 2015 that were part of a multi-year plan to evolve: (i) scaling our investment programs; (ii) expanding our global presence; (iii) building operational capacity and capabilities; and, (iv) developing talent and maintaining our distinctive culture. I’ve touched on our progress on many of these fronts already, and throughout this report you’ll find more detailed explanations.
An important priority and a central focus for fiscal 2016 is continuing the evolution of our investment framework.
Our approach to investing has steadily progressed over the years, as we have sought to take full advantage of CPPIB’s comparative advantages to achieve higher long-term investment returns for you. Page 23 of the F2015 Annual Report outlines the series of steps we have taken since 1999.
As with previous steps, this latest evolution of our framework is designed with the best interests of CPP’s current and future beneficiaries in mind. It includes two key components: first, prudently raising our long-term risk-return appetite; and second, an added emphasis on constructing a portfolio with optimal diversification (in terms of asset classes, geographies, currencies and underlying active management strategies), at times making strategic changes to the portfolio to reflect evolving market conditions.
Implementing this framework will be a multi-year process and will enable us to design a portfolio to maximize the risk-adjusted return on your CPP Fund investments. Importantly, this framework is guided by the ‘without undue risk of loss’ component of our legislative mandate. As a long-term investor we can carry higher risk and invest in assets that are more volatile in the short term (for example, increasing our participation in emerging markets or
adding new development infrastructure projects) in pursuit of higher returns over the long term. But diversification is a critical component of mitigating risk. Given our scale, we can balance such higher-risk strategies with stable, income-generating assets (for example, intellectual property royalties or core real estate holdings). We provide a detailed discussion of the evolution of our investment framework on page 31 of the F2015 Annual Report.
We have already begun to build the crucial foundation for this evolution: strong governance and risk controls (including Board approval for portfolio composition, risk assessments and continued close monitoring of our investment portfolio), and compensation and incentive programs that align every employee – from the mailroom to the Senior Management Team – to our long-term goals.
The best-run funds in the world today assess performance against long-term return targets and benchmarks that reflect risk-adjusted fundamentals. Unfortunately, too many asset managers still tie their compensation to outperforming an annual stock market benchmark, which takes their focus away from where it should be: on delivering sustainable, long-term returns. We are dedicated to building and managing a highly resilient portfolio because this is what ultimately will pay your pensions. I highlighted above the dangers of focusing on short-term results. At CPPIB we want our people to continuously think and act long-term and we are committed to ensuring we incent them to do so. As a result, we will also evolve our compensation system to reflect longer-term returns on both an absolute basis and relative to long-term (not annual) benchmarks.
I am looking forward to updating you on our progress on this next year.
To conclude.
I want to add a personal note to echo Heather’s thanks to our outgoing Chair Bob Astley for his exemplary service. Bob was a mentor during my first years as CEO of this organization, and I owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for his wisdom, guidance and friendship.
I also want to let you know that I have taken on the role of United Way Campaign Chair for Toronto and York Region for 2015. While this is a part-time role supported by dedicated United Way staff and literally thousands of volunteers, I am very proud to be affiliated with this important effort to give back to the local community and to help provide people in our home region with the tools to reach their full potential. In 2014, I am proud to say that CPPIB smashed our own United Way fundraising record by 15%, with our employees contributing approximately $500,000. I hope that this is a record that we will beat again in 2015.
Finally, I’d like to thank all CPPIB employees for all of their ongoing hard work and dedication. I am extremely proud to be part of such a committed and knowledgeable team.
Mark D. Wiseman, President & CEO
2. Some email exchanges with former minister of Agriculture and Railway of Saskatchewan
The Ms. Zhu Xiaoming is outstanding lady who is not only successful running businesses, also is a prolific writer with a knowledgeable Blog and a book - Being a Farmer in Canada. I associated her from her article on her Blog when searching for information about agriculture of Canada.
When I was translating the foreword into Mandarin for the book of Being a Farmer in Canada on the request of Ms. Zhu, I associated with Mark Wartman who wrote the foreword in English and he is the former minister of Agriculture and Railway of Saskatchewan. Then we have some exchanges by email.
From: wartman.lt@sasktel.net From: @hotmail.com
To: wartman.lt@sasktel.net
Subject: Greeting from a friend of Ms. Zhu Xiaoming
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:55:05 -0400
Good morning Mark Wartman:
This is Frank who is the friend of Ms. Zhu Xiaoming.
I have read the foreword that you wrote for 《Being a Farmer in Canada》of Ms. Zhu.
From your writing, I deeply felt that you are an active thinking and passionate person with profound insight into the situation of agriculture sector in Canada, especially in Saskatchewan.
I appreciate you very much. I believe that active thinking and passion is the prerequisite to do more and successfully.
Nov 13, 2011, the National Post published Canada to strike new trans-Pacific free trade deal: Harper, said that, “Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama break for lunch at the APEC summit in Honolulu. Harper announced Canada will apply to join the emerging Trans-Pacific Partnership trade group.”
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), also known as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement, is a multilateral free trade agreement that aims to further liberalize the economies of the Asia-Pacific region.
Nov 14, 2011, A trade deal that Stephen Harper can’t refuse said that：“There will be pressure on Canada to phase out protection of the dairy and poultry industries over time and Mr. Harper’s decision to participate in the TPP talks may signal the slow death of supply management, regardless of the assurances to the contrary given in the House of Commons.”
“A free trade deal that includes the NAFTA countries and Japan is a glittering prize worth potentially billions of dollars, not least for Canada’s beef producers. The country’s economy cannot held to ransom by 12,000 dairy farmers.”
April 2 2012, Canadian dairy sector will need to adapt, said that:
“Supply management controls domestic production and imports for five specific commodities: eggs, milk, chicken, turkey and broiler-hatching eggs. While this system regulates domestic production based on consumer demand to guarantee decent returns for farmers, Canada has had high import tariffs for these commodities.”
“Should supply management cease, threats to our domestic market would come primarily from the U.S., particularly to the dairy industry. The U.S. has dairy production capabilities that are 14.5 times larger and exports that are 16.2 times larger than Canada’s. The U.S. currently produces twice the amount of dairy that is needed for its domestic consumers.”
“These production capabilities would allow the U.S. to flood the Canadian market with cheap dairy products, instantly jeopardizing the Canadian dairy industry. In addition, Canada would have competition from emerging markets from more efficient countries such as Australia.”
“In order to position the Canadian dairy industry in a competitive place in the global market, policy reform is needed at the international and domestic levels. International policy would need to focus on multilateral agreements and the Canadian-U.S. trade relationship, while domestic policy would need to focus on liberalizing the domestic market in progressive steps, bilateral ventures, as well as in research and development.”
You have deep insight into this sector; I would like to hear some opinions about this issue from more macro level and what we can do as individual.
I think that there are a lot opportunities in this process.
I am looking forward to your reply.
Sincerely
Frank Li
Subject: Re: Greeting from a friend of Ms. Zhu Xiaoming
To: r@hotmail.com
From: wartman.lt@sasktel.net
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 13:06:27 +0000
Good Morning Frank,
Thank you for contacting me and for your kind words. These trade issues are fascinating and resolutions can have a significant impact on the national economy and in particular on the affected sectors. Of course any changes in tariffs will have a huge direct impact on the supply managed sectors and it will also impact other sectors.
I have had the opportunity to attend two rounds of WTO meetings on agriculture and had significant discussions with Canada's trade negotiator, Steve Verheul about this issue. I have also had the opportunity to read significant studies and engage in discussions with trade and industry experts.
I should note that in my business as a professional Consultant, I contract to provide insights and reports on issues such as this and I am also available for speaking engagements.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself Frank and about your interest in this particular issue? Since there are so many facets to the issue, knowing your context and the nature of your interest would help provide focus.
These are interesting times and I believe there are some great opportunities in agriculture and trade for those with good information, resources and an entrepreneurial spirit
Thanks for your interest.
Best wishes,
Mark
sent from the Blackberry of Mark Wartman
To: healer@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Articles and a Macro view.....
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:42:11 -0600
Good Morning Frank,
Thank you for checking with me about the articles. Yes, I was able to successfully open the articles and have been reading them with interest. As far as your English writing is concerned, I am not having any trouble. Being able to speak and write only one language with any fluency I am always impressed by those who have persevered and mastered other languages. I know bits of several languages; enough French and Spanish to get around in countries that use those languages and a little Cree but I am sorry to say my current Mandarin is limited to “Neehow” (sp?) or hello. So, I am impressed with your skills especially given that you didn’t start learning until you were 23.
I notice in your articles a genuine interest and concern about fulfilling and meaningful human relationships and their impact on peoples creativity, productivity and simply on how people live their lives. It is truly amazing how a person who lives with passion for doing what is good, responsible and productive can positively affect the lives of others and the health and well-being of our world.
So Frank, if we start our thinking with a focus on how we can develop and do our best to make the life in the world around us healthier, happier and more meaningful and satisfying experience for others and ourselves it shapes how we think and how we act. If this is where we begin our thinking, our actions and our living will be more respectful towards others and the environment and in the end I believe our lives will be more joyful, satisfying and productive. We will want to live and work to capacity with more hope, joy and satisfaction.
Given the limits of our planet in terms of resources, we can compete with each other as individuals, families, communities, tribes, nations…… to see who can get and keep the most resources. Those born in places of wealth and plenty have a natural advantage and if the world is just about competition to see who can get and keep the most and the best a lot of people will suffer terribly. The environment will continue to be fouled to the point where it cannot recover and the price to all life will be beyond imagination. On the other hand, if people regardless of where they are born and what their national or racial background realize that this awesome world with its great regenerative and productive cycles is also fragile and all we have to sustain us and they truly recognize that it is the inheritance of all of us, there is tremendous hope and opportunity.
We know that by 2050 there will be around 9 Billion people living on the earth. Given today’s circumstances and the distribution of resources, environmental degradation, human exploitation, suffering and death will be multiplied many times as some people and groups try to build their security at the expense of others. Those others not born in wealthy, resource rich often sparsely populated countries will do everything possible to survive and as we have seen with lost civilizations in the past they will eat themselves to extinction. The luckiest, wealthiest, strongest and most ruthless of those will as is often the case survive the longest. As wise people like Jared Diamond (Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed ) have indicated, these stories from our past should warn us and enable us to learn better ways of living in relationship with the earth and with one another.
If we see the earth as one entity that needs to be loved, nurtured, respected and cared for and which in turn will sustain life and provide untold opportunity for the future and if we accept this concept as the foundation for our living and our decision making it can positively affect everything we do. I believe it is this understanding and sense of oneness that enables the best of passionate, compassionate and creative living. It is a moral compass, it is like a sea anchor that keeps us on track even through some of the most intense storms and conflicts. If we seek to live from these foundational thoughts it has a profound effect on all our decision making from the personal and interpersonal, to the social and political.
Unfortunately all of that is tempered by the fact that we live in a world where there is no consensus upon those foundations. The fact is there is a range from those who think and act as above to those who live from the foundation that the luckiest, trickiest (sometimes some of the smartest), most aggressive and most powerful should get the most and the best of everything and everyone and everything possible should be at their disposal to accomplish their ends.
The foundations people choose to live by affects how they analyze and makes decisions around even such issues as supply management: On what basis should our government make decisions? Should they make a decision that will only benefit under 20,000 Canadian farmers who are under the protection of supply management and those companies along with employees who work in the processing, transporting and retailing of those supply managed products? What about all those other farmers who have a comparative advantage (land, feed….) and could be successfully producing SMP (current supply managed products)? Would the US which subsidizes SMP through purchase for school lunch programs as well as in other ways and which has such a large industry simply overwhelm the Canadian market if the supply management barriers were removed or could Canadian farmers compete and build successful market arrangements with other nations around the world? The challenge of such decision making is immense and the impact of such decisions can be very significant. In the political sphere in a democracy all of the potential strategies and decisions are also analyzed as to their impact on political popularity. “If we make this decision will we gain or lose significant votes?” So Frank, what do you think Prime Minister Harper and his government will choose to do? They have said unequivocally that they support supply management and that they will defend it at the WTO. But if they are completely intransigent and will not even discuss tariffs on SMP, Canada is simply excluded from the discussion tables and a decision may be made by others. The government also knows that if they don’t move on SMP it could negatively affect many other vital areas of trade. So, the public face is no movement on SMP but who knows what is happening in the private discussions???? We are a trading nation and Saskatchewan is a highly productive trading province we need open doors and good relationships in order to move all that we produce. The question is can we develop those trade relationships and still protect the SMP industry or do we need to revise or give up supply management? In a world where there is and will be incredible famine, can we justify only producing limited quantities in order to maintain our relative wealth? Should we not be trying to determine our maximum sustainable production and enabling that production and distribution to maximum benefit of all? However, if we produce to our maximum and we provide food products to where they are needed the most, will we not negatively affect and in some cases destroy domestic production? Are there ways that we can in fact provide product where it is needed while at the same time enabling optimum domestic production and distribution?
Well anyway Frank, this is just a glimpse of the macro picture. As you know these are not simple issues. Before us are huge complex decisions that can have positive or negative impacts on individuals, industries, nations and the world. People with the knowledge, skill and courage to engage in production and trade are taking a risk. And they are depending on those in power to make wise decisions. The risks and the impacts and the potential rewards are there just as surely for the entrepreneurial farmer as for someone further up the production chain and for many more in the economy.
What we know for sure is that people have needs and desires and the work of filling those can be incredibly rewarding. And if done from a solid foundation of caring for the earth and for one another the benefits will be widespread and long lasting.
Let’s hope that the best of wisdom, compassion and sound economic analysis prevail.
All the best,
Mark
From: LiFrank [mailto:healer@hotmail.com]
Sent: July-16-12 8:36 AM
To: Wartman Mark
Subject: My article can be a complete open?
Good morning Mark:
I wonder that my article can be a complete open? And can be displayed properly?
Thank you for your patience to read my articles. I knew that my English writings are really difficult to understand although I have tried my best as a man who started English learning from ABC in his age 23.
Thank you very much
All my best
Frank
Subject: Re: May be you need to read them by a computer
To: healer@hotmail.com
From: wartman.lt@sasktel.net
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:15:40 +0000
Yes, I could probably pick them up on a computer but only have the BlackBerry available at this time.
Hope you have a good weekend.
Mark
sent from the Blackberry of Mark Wartman
From: LiFrank <healer@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 10:59:04 -0400
To: Wartman Mark<wartman.lt@sasktel.net>
Subject: May be you need to read them by a computer
> Subject: Re: Some articles from Frank
> To: healer@hotmail.com
> From: wartman.lt@sasktel.net
> Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 14:46:53 +0000
>
> Hi Frank, as noted below I wasn't able to receive your message because it was too large. Perhaps you could send it in several segments.
> Mark
> sent from the Blackberry of Mark Wartman>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: LiFrank <healer@hotmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 10:29:52
> To: Wartman Mark<wartman.lt@sasktel.net>
> Subject: Some articles from Frank>
> Message truncated due to size.
