Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!rbutterworth From: rbutterworth@watmath.UUCP Newsgroups: uw.general,uw.grad.cs,ont.general Subject: Re: Unfairness with Foreign Students Message-ID: <4129@watmath.UUCP> Date: Tue, 30-Dec-86 12:33:41 EST Article-I.D.: watmath.4129 Posted: Tue Dec 30 12:33:41 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 31-Dec-86 01:39:15 EST References: <8056@watdaisy.UUCP> Distribution: ont Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 34 Xref: watmath uw.general:321 uw.grad.cs:1511 ont.general:301 There is something I've never understood about the differential fees. Draw a circle around the country and consider the effects of various things (i.e. what crosses the circle in either direction.) McDonalds Restaurants imports some foods, and so exports some Canadian money; it also exports Canadian money to its US owners. The net effect is to remove money from Canada and send it to another country. Stelco exports steel, and imports very little except foreign money. The net effect is a slight loss of Canadian resources and a large gain in foreign money. To me, McDonalds is bad for the country, while Stelco (depending upon how much you value resources and pollution) is good. A typical foreign student will easily spend five or ten thousand dollars of his own country's money a year while staying in Canada. After four years he will leave the country with nothing but one small piece of paper. Now, if I went to the government and told them I had a business that exported paper at $30,000 a piece, with most of that money being spent in small local businesses, I'm sure the government would do all it could in grants and low cost loans to get this business started. So, why can't they look at foreign students the same way? Why not drop the fees entirely and even pay a small allowance as an incentive to bring foreign money into Canada? We would still be economically ahead (not to mention the social benefits as well as the increased likelihood that the foreign company that the student eventually ends up with is going to do more business with Canada). So what am I missing?