Jon Shell

This Fourth of July, the world declares its independence from America | Stephen Marche America is turning away from itself, and the rest of the world must follow

For @guardian I wrote about how the world is separating from America this Independence Day.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/comm...

We can't win this trade war with the US, but we can win the next one.
Appeared on @stephenmarche.bsky.social's new podcast Gloves Off (lnkd.in/gtc3qFRa) to talk about whether free trade with America has really been good for Canada and what a pivot toward a Middle Power Alliance could look like.

How long until the MAGA cover of "Not Like Us" about Elon?

As the federal government sets out to “build, baby, build,” do we want to own or be owned? As our new government pursues growth and a nation-building agenda, we should remember this lesson from history: too often, we build and invest, only to sell off our assets and resources to the highest...

Growth that widens inequality will weaken, not strengthen our economy.

Canada Strong means putting economic sovereignty and broad access to wealth-building at the heart of our agenda.

Read Matthew's piece: socialcapitalpartners.ca/as-the-feder...

#CanadaSky #CdnPoli #AlwaysCanada #Never51

Embows up or elbows up. Asong as something is up

Sunoco's deal to buy Parkland is as clear a decision as the government is going to face. @mendelmatt.bsky.social and I write that it needs to be killed.

No new investment, lost good Canadian jobs and lost energy infrastructure to an American company. All for a small premium.

Embows up = no deal

Mark Carney passed a tough test in Washington. He now faces an even tougher one at home Canada cannot afford to cede further control of its infrastructure to foreign interests.

PM Carney met Trump at the White House last week and passed his first real test.

Now he faces a different kind of test.

Will Canada be willing to go "elbows up" in the Sunoco/ Parkland energy takeover and kill the deal?

@mendelmatt.bsky.social, @jonshell.bsky.social 👇

#Never51 #CanadaSky

As the threat to Canada’s sovereignty intensifies, we need policies that keep Canadian companies owned by Canadians.

Employee-ownership is growing in 🍁 for good reasons:

- more wealth for workers
- more resilient in recessions
- more productive

🔗 goodmenproject.com/featured-con...
#EOT #CdnPoli

Corporate leaders are obsessing over GDP per capita.

But, if you look at just about any number that would meaningfully tell you how well our economy is doing, Canada does better than the U.S.

@mendelmatt.bsky.social @jimstanford.bsky.social #alwayscanada #never51 #gdp #cdnpoli #cdnecon

At PPF growth summit. Starting with a classic orthodox economic speech by a bank economist. Manufacturing isn't important, invest in services, we have educated people. Yawn.

Manifesto for the Rest(o) Middle Powers Unite! It’s time to plan our own Liberation Day

Yesterday, America had their “Liberation Day.” Now it’s time for the rest of us to plan our own.

The world needs a new Alliance, independent of the US or China.

Here's one way to do it. It's wrong and incomplete. But maybe it can help get the ball rolling.

jonshell.medium.com/manifesto-fo...

The bravest person in know, being awesome.

Rich tech leaders are sharing their ideas about how political decisions should be made. Vass Bednar, executive director of McMaster University’s master of public policy in digital society, has to wonder: Is a Canadian version of DOGE in our future? thewalrus.ca/are-a-handful-of...

From fighter jets to TikTok, satellites to steel, nothing is off the table when it comes to creative-even-crazy ideas to secure Canada's sovereignty.

Fired up? Focused on the future? Full of ideas?

Read ours: tinyurl.com/ycxkfn82/

Add yours: 👇

#AlwaysCanada #Never51 #CanadaSky #EconSky

Canada didn't "steal" American auto jobs. We didn't even take them nicely.
Some facts about Trumps' latest lie in the trade war:
* As a % of population, Canada has underperformed the US in auto manufacturing jobs since 1992
* Both countries have about the same # of jobs as 1992
#Canadasky #elbowsup

Opinion: How employee ownership can help secure Canadian sovereignty As the threat to Canada’s sovereignty intensifies, we need policies that keep Canadian companies owned by Canadians.

Worker ownership is an effective model for local ownership and democratic control. Rather than having businesses shut down or sold to distant shareholders and corporate entities, they can be transferred to the workers themselves, allowing for jobs and profits to remain in their communities.

I almost never ask for a share, but if you're an employee ownership supporter please share the linked article and let's try and pressure our politicians to act quickly to mobilize these trusts in the fight to protect our sovereignty.
#employeeownership

With an election upcoming, and with both the Conservatives and Liberals laser-focused on Canadian workers, employee ownership should be front and centre. @pierrepoilievremp.bsky.social @mark-carney.bsky.social

Last year the federal government introduced Employee Ownership Trusts in Canada, but with a tentative approach and weighed down with unnecessary red tape. It's an easy fix, though, and we know exactly what to do.

The equivalent in Canada would be around 300 businesses a year that would no longer be available for Americans to buy, with head offices staying in communities across Canada.

How many policies can you name with a similar outcome?

Over 400 businesses, or roughly 10% of all transactions, were sold to Employee Ownership Trusts in the UK last year. That is a huge number. It created about 40,000 new employee-owners and kept those businesses owned domestically, rooted in their local communities.

To own our economy, Canadians need to own Canadian companies. That's neither complicated nor controversial. So, what if a few small tweaks to existing policies meant that 10% of all sales of Canadian businesses went to its employees? We know that's possible, because it's happening in the UK.

Opinion: How employee ownership can help secure Canadian sovereignty As the threat to Canada’s sovereignty intensifies, we need policies that keep Canadian companies owned by Canadians.

Employee Ownership can be an important tool in the fight for Canadian sovereignty. Current policy isn't up to the task. Michael Ras and my take in today's @calgaryherald.com. It's time to move this issue into the front and centre of the Canadian economic agenda.
calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

Some Vermont Information Processing employees will see up to $10 million each after exit to Warburg Pincus About 600 employee owners of Vermont Information Processing, or VIP, a maker of software for beverage manufacturers and distributors such as Guinness and ...

Source: impactalpha.com/some-vermont...

Source: publicly available 5500 data, vermontbiz.com/news/2022/ju..., impactalpha.com/some-vermont...

Canada launched our version of the ESOP, called an EOT, in June. One day I'm going to write a post like this about a Canadian company. That will be a great day.

And sometimes a Vermont businessman can sell his business for a fair price, creating a platform that pays out over $1,100,000,000 to real workers. ESOPs give every day American workers a chance to hit the kind of home run normally reserved for CEOs and finance-types.

Sometimes (rarely) ESOPs don't work. Sometimes they lead to pretty good outcomes.

The American ESOP is a public policy miracle. It started in 1974 and has broad support from Republicans and Democrats alike. It has been enhanced many times due to its incredibly good outcomes, like the $2.1T in wealth currently held by workers in ESOP-owned companies.

That means it's inclusive and accessible and one of the best inventions ever for distributing wealth to the people that really create it. The longer you work for a company, the more shares you get.