will you or those like you ever learn?
Most likely not, and the debate is mute for now.
It's clear that the reasons Emirates were kept out of Canada had much more to do with political naivety of an incompetent PM, then some altruistic stand for the jobs of ordinary Canadians, and against the aspirations of a threatening multinational company.
No flights for Emirates, period. Will it mean hard times for Emirates? hardly I think. Without Canada they posted a mid year profit that many North American carriers would only dream of. Is this financial success due to Government subsidies?, unfair market practices?, exploitation of their workforce?, yes all three you argue with some validity. However, the world is not so black and white, and these traits could easily describe Air Canada.
The gray and reasoned truth is that Air Canada and many other North American carriers are just as guilty of displaying the same traits bestowed on ones from the UAE. They are supported by governments who are just as willing to subside them, and cynically wash their hands as they wage cut throat competition. In fact the airline executives at AC, can't even learn anything new from the exploitative practices of UAE airline executives, their behaivor only kept in check by unions, who they dream about annihilating. If you want a really recent example of how Air Canada does business one could just point to the price fixing fine AC just got from the EU to the tune of 11 million dollars+.
Unions are illegal in the UAE, yet this of course never stopped our governments from having a military base in this country for the last 10 years????, or doing billions of dollars of trade with it????.
But that's all gone now, and those with the moral intellect of a 10 year old can tell others to piss off, or go home as we sit on a fitting moral high chair, overlooking our other great business relationship with far more acceptable countries like Qatar, who was granted just now flying rights into Canada????
Baird and Harper are buffoons who stand in front of this decision just like Bush did in front of that great banner, "mission accomplished"....Diplomatic relations with an important regional ally were flushed down the toilet...but it was worth it!! Now Emirates or Etihad won't eat Air Canada's lunch!, even if for that noble accomplishment Canadians are on the hook for over 300 million dollars!
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Meanwhile in the desert.... The UAE's British airline executives mull new US destinations near the Canadian border....
....and in the US the local and federal governments eagerly court EK and EY in the hopes that their border cities will be the next UAE airline destinations. But they must wait in line with many, many others.
...and in Canada this.
An ominous flight pattern: Canadians opting for U.S. airports - The Globe and Mail
