Foreign Ownership….

Don't forget why Nortel existed in the first place….when the government decided that AT&T shouldn't be building the Telcom infrastructure for Canada, Bell Canada was created.  They needed to have a specialized equipment provider for the infrastructure they built, so Northern Electric was created…using the model AT&T used in the U.S. (Western Electric, Bell Labs…etc).  That lead to a home grown powerhouse that became Nortel.  Canadian design brilliance had a place to go and flourish.  Government has a role to play in creating the environment for this kind of home grown success.  Much of what currently exists in Ottawa's little silicon valley is directly related to Nortel and their research that was conducted there.  We need to be more like Japan and less like the U.S., it's a suckers game to leave our markets open to International Providers….those in favour are not concerned about the future of Canadian design excellence.  The RIM's of this world happen despite the environment, not because of it…