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Dominic Barton was appointed by Finance Minister Bill Morneau as chair of the Government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth.
RELATED POSTINGS: typed-up excerpts from John Perkins’ 2016 “New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” and Joyce Nelson’s book, “Beyond Banksters: Resisting the New Feudalism”.
Barton – now based in London, England, where he’s the managing director of McKinsey and Company—the world’s most prominent consulting company, with 25,000 employees working with businesses, NGOs and governments around the world.
Dominic Barton, chair of an advisory committee to federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)
Justin Trudeau came to power with a pledge to make life better for Canada’s middle class: better jobs and better economic growth and security.
Not exactly revolutionary stuff. It would be hard to think of a political leader who didn’t promise a better economic future for the middle class.
But if there were a widely agreed upon formula to make that happen, we might not have the growing gap between the one per cent and everyone else.
Well-paying jobs wouldn’t be disappearing. And middle class anxiety would not be boiling over into populist political movements.
The Liberal government is looking for suggestions.
And it is looking to Dominic Barton to provide them.
“People want to see real stories. They don’t want to hear the statistics.”– Dominic Barton
Mr. Barton was appointed by Finance Minister Bill Morneau as chair of the Advisory Council on Economic Growth. He has been tasked with helping to “create conditions for long-term growth and a strong middle class.”
The Advisory Council has released two reports so far, in February and last October.
It has recommended establishing a national infrastructure bank, increasing foreign investment in Canada, increasing immigration levels, fostering greater innovation, raising the retirement age, pursuing more trade with China, and training people for the jobs of tomorrow.
More broadly, Barton sees a Canadian economy that needs to change dramatically—and quickly—to adapt to a rapidly changing global economy, political instability and changing demographics.
“We’re talking about how we move the bottom groups up — in a world that is going to get worse for them because of automation.”– Dominic Barton
Dominic Barton was born in Uganda, grew up in British Columbia and is now based in London, England, where he’s the managing director of McKinsey and Company—the world’s most prominent consulting company, with 25,000 employees working with businesses, NGOs and governments around the world.
From his vantage point in the highest echelons of global finance and business, he sees capitalism itself as being in a crisis of its own making—one that could potentially lead to its own undoing if it doesn’t reform itself and address the concerns of the many millions of people who feel left behind or cheated by it.
Click ‘listen’ above to hear Michael’s interview with Dominic Barton.
Unfortunately, Mr. Barton didn’t included Ronald Wright’s 2004 book, “A Short History of Progress” in his list of reference books.
We have the technology and we’ve been forewarned but successive civilizations have never learned anything from the fatal errors committed by their predecessors as, in their drive for wealth and power, they work themselves into extinction with self-inflicted fouling of their own ‘nests’ and creating environments unable to sustain them or their descendants.
In the final pages of “A Short History. . . “, Mr. Wright suggests that to avoid the fate of inhabitants of Easter Island, we should immediately plan how to transition from ‘recklessness and excess to moderation and the precautionary principle’. His last sentence reads: “Now is our last chance to get the future right.”
Believe this: I will go to my grave opposing factory-produced ‘food’ – one of most heinous and abhorrent features of our so-called ‘modern world’!
Barton is based in London, UK. The company, a “consulting firm” – McKinsey, has no fewer than 25,000 employees. If you’ve read “The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” (EHM) (paperback – 2016) you will understand what Barton is about.
For those unlikely or unable to read the book, I typed up some excerpts. See http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=18978
Also – specifically Canadian – – published at end of 2016, “Beyond Banksters; Resisting the New Feudalism” by Joyce Nelson. Paperback, published by Watershed Sentinel Books, Comox, BC. “Beyond Banksters” is very important, 128 page contribution to understanding what’s happening. Barton gets attention. Excerpts – – see http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=18980“>http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=18980
Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who appointed Dominic Barton to head up the Economic Advisory Committee for the Government, presumably supports what Barton supports: the economics of Milton Friedman for starters. I am surprised there is anyone left on the planet who hasn’t realized with the passage of time, that Friedman’s theories are not credible.
Dominic Barton (and Bill Morneau by association?) is a servant of the Corporatocracy, all its propaganda, deceits, and inhumanity to humanity. The 1%. Time to . . . (how about if you finish the sentence?!)
Makes me want to mount a campaign to get Morneau un-elected! Surely we can come up with a Canadian Finance Minister whose feet are in this century.
SUBMITTED BY EMAIL
From: Janet E
Sent: April 24, 2017 9:08 PM
Hi Sandra
Thanks and I agree re Barton. I did hear it thanks to a friend who called to alert me and I am planning to post something critical on it . I didn’t take notes and needed more time to review it again. Good if you find your info sent. I was incredulous to see how narrowly defined his plan was. No awareness of the end of growth, climate catastrophe, impending economic and ecological collapse etc. Planning to write to CBC and suggest they interview Richard Heinberg as well to provide a more balanced view re end of growth and need for economic alternatives.