TED ROGERS SCHOOL OF

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

GMS690 The North American Business

Environment
W2021
 MODULE 1.2
CURRENT ISSUES
Current and Controversial Issues
• Tariffs - Steel, Aluminum, Agriculture (Ohio Soybean farmers)
• GM Plant Closure Announcement – Auto Segment (Ohio Plant - Political)
• Keystone/Trans Mountain Pipeline – (US and Canada – Cultural,
Environmental)
• Immigration Policy – (Emotional/Fear based - Political)
• Oil and Gas
• Climate Change (Environment – Political)
• Economy
• Legalization of Cannabis – (Border impact)
2019
• HUAWEI – CFO arrested in Canada for prosecution in the US
• BREXIT
• IMPEACHMENT
• IRAN CRISIS
Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz
Current and Controversial Issues
• COVID-19 - Vaccines
• United States Federal Election – Fraud?
• Recession
• Canadian government issues
• WE Charity
• Funding accountability? Revera/Dividends
• Nova Scotia Lobsters Fishery Dispute – Mi’kmaq
•
•
Climate
Racial Tensions – George Floyd
2020
• Airlines Bailout
• Russian Hacking
• CERB
Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz
The Marshall Decision
• Supreme Court of Canada, 1999 decision affirmed a
treaty right to hunt, fish and gather in pursuit of a
“moderate livelihood”
• Donald Marshall Jr. was arrested for illegal fishing
• Peace and Friendship Treaties of 1760 and 1761
• Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)
• Rights Reconciliation Agreements
• August 15, 2019 – Elsipogtog and Esgenoôpetitj
First Nations (two Mi’kmaq communities in New
Brunswick)
• August 30, 2019 – Maliseet of Viger First
Nation (Quebec)
• In 1999 the Mi’kmaq fishery was valued at an Spent 11 years in
estimated $3M
prison before
• In 2015 it was valued at $145M
being acquitted

Source: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/publications/fisheries-peches/marshall-1999-eng.html
Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz
Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign
Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law)
• SML was enacted on
October 18, 2017 and is
intended to provide Canada
with the tools to “respond to
cases of human rights
violations and significant acts
of corruption anywhere in the
world”, according to Global
Affairs Canada. SML was first
introduced as a private
member’s bill in the Senate
and later received the
support of Canada’s current
government to become law.
Canada follows the United
States and the United
Kingdom in enacting SML-
type legislation.
Source: https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/J-2.3/FullText.html
Canada’s reaction to China?
Under the SML Regulations, persons in Canada and
Canadian-incorporated entities and Canadian citizens
outside Canada are prohibited from:
• Dealing, directly or indirectly, in any property of a
designated foreign national
• Entering into or facilitating, directly or indirectly, of any
financial transaction related to a dealing in property of a
designated foreign national
• Providing financial services or any other services to, for
the benefit of, or on the direction or order of, a
designated foreign national
• Acquiring financial services or any other services for the
benefit of, or on the direction or order of, a designated
foreign national
• Making available any property to a designated foreign
national or to a person acting on his or her behalf.
Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz
US Racial Tensions
• Racial tensions in the US explode when
George Floyd died after being arrested by
police outside a shop in Minneapolis,
Minnesota
• Illuminated long standing issues of racism
within the policing community
• Led to nationwide and worldwide
demonstrations
• Calls for “defunding” the police force and
change
• The future of police reform?

Source: https://theconversation.com/wisconsins-not-so-white-anymore-and-in-some-
rapidly-diversifying-cities-like-kenosha-theres-fear-and-unrest-148044 Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz
 WE Charity
• “The Scandal”
• Summer Student Volunteer Program
• Gov’t granted a deal without tender
valued at $912M to WE Charity
• WE Charity to administer the fund ~$43M
• Trudeau family paid hundreds of
thousands
• Kielbergers leave the country
• Finance Minister resigns

Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/we-charity-student-grant-justin-trudeau-testimony-1.5666676
Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz
The 2020 Recession
• This Graph tells the story

~33.1%
Increase

~31.4%
Drop

Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz

WHAT IS GOING ON?

Legal Scorecard: Over 60 court cases losses due to NO EVIDENCE

But over $300M funds raised

Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz

Georgia Senate Race
• Control of the United States Senate
hangs in the balance
• Why is it so important?
• What just happened?
• January 20th

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/05/politics/loeffler-ossoff-perdue-warnock-runoff-results/index.html Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz

Storming of the Capital
• Insurrection
• Domestic Terrorism

Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz

 QAnon?
• QAnon purports that America is run
by a cabal of pedophiles and Satan-
worshippers who run a global child
sex-trafficking operation
• President Trump is the only person
who can stop them.
• The information supposedly comes
from a high-ranking government
official who posts cryptic clues on
4chan and the even more unfettered
site 8chan under the name "Q."

What role should Social Media play in this?

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-the-qanon-conspiracy-theory/
Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz
 Current Issues
• Twitter bans Trump for
permanently!
• Facebook and Instagram

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/tech/trump-twitter-ban/index.html Copyright 2020 Mark Viminitz