Fact
      and
      Opinion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Stephan
      MacLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      In
      1999,
      the
      Canadian
      furniture
     
     
      industry
      was
      comprised
      of
      1,748
     
     
      establishments
      that
      employed
      86,052
     
     
      and
      shipped
      goods
      valued
      at
      $9.7
      bil-
     
     
      lion.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Their
      sole
      purpose
      was
      to
     
     
      rid
      Canada
      of
      its
      beaver
      and
      wood-
     
     
      pecker
      populations
      through
      the
      manu-
     
     
      facture
      of
      furniture.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      While
      the
      number
      of
      establish-
     
     
      ments
      between
      1990
      and
      1999
     
     
      decreased
      by
      32%,
      from
      2,571
      to
     
     
      1,748,
      total
      employment
      actually
     
     
      increased
      by
      56.5%,
      from
      70,869
      to
     
     
      86,052.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Arts
      Majors
      from
      across
     
     
      the
      country
      can
      look
      forward
      to
      good
     
     
      jobs
      thanks
      to
      the
      Canadian
      furniture
     
     
      industry.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Employment
      has
      now
      reached
     
     
      a
      point
      where
      the
      average
      establish-
     
     
      ment
      size
      in
      the
      industry
      has
      increased
     
     
      by
      nearly
      69%
      in
      only
      9
      years.
      These
     
     
      larger
      firms
      are
      more
      productive,
      and,
     
     
      by
      exploiting
      economies
      of
      scale,
      are
     
     
      better
      able
      to
      compete
      in
      international
     
     
      markets.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      There
      is
      no
      stopping
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canadian
      furniture
      industry
      in
      its
     
     
      quest
      for
      world
      domination.
      They
      con-
     
     
      trol
      our
      supply
      of
      tables
      and
      chairs.
      If
     
     
      it
      weren’t
      for
      them,
      we
      would
      be
      eat-
     
     
      ing
      off
      the
      floor
      like
      a
      bunch
      of
     
     
      Frenchmen.
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      The
      industry
      is
      heavily
      concen-
     
     
      trated
      in
      central
      Canada
      with
      Ontario,
     
     
      accounting
      for
      about
      54%
      of
      industry
     
     
      shipments
      of
      manufactured
      goods,
     
     
      36%
      of
      establishments,
      and
      48%
      of
     
     
      employment.
      Quebec
      accounts
      for
     
     
      about
      26%
      of
      industry
      shipments
      of
     
     
      goods,
      28%
      of
      employment,
      and
      37%.
     
     
      of
      establishments.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      I
      hear
      they
      have
      fancy
      liv-
     
     
      ing
      rooms
      in
      central
      Canada.
      In
     
     
      Ontario,
      couches
      aren’t
      covered
      in
     
     
      plastic
      and
      cat
      piss
      like
      they
      are
      in
      the
     
     
      Prairies.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      In
      1999,
      industry
      shipments
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Canadian
      furniture
      industry
      is
      that
     
     
      one
      out
      of
      every
      ten
      Lazyboys
      has
      a
     
     
      live
      squirrel
      inside
      its
      cushioning.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Canadian
      production
      compris-
     
     
      es
      38%
      household
      furniture
      (including
     
     
      mattresses),
      43%
      office
      and
      institu-
     
     
      tional
      furniture,
      16%
      wood
      kitchen
     
     
      cabinets
      and
      counter
      tops,
      and
      3%
     
    
   
   
    
     
      other
      manufactured
      products
      (blinds
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      shades).
      :
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Back
      in
      the
      1930s,
      90
      per-
     
     
      cent
      of
      the
      production
      of
      Canadian
     
     
      furniture
      was
      comprised
      of
      chairs
      for
     
     
      lion
      tamers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      The
      export
      orientation
      of
     
     
      Canadian
      furniture
      firms
      (exports
      as
      a
     
     
      percentage
      of
      shipments)
      increased
     
     
      from
      32.1%
      in
      1992
      to
      68.5%
      in
      1999.
     
     
      OPINION:
      The
      world
      loves
      Canadian
     
     
      furniture
      because
      it
      is
      less
      spicy
      than
     
     
      Mexican
      furniture.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      were$9,7_billion,
      of
      which..68.5%_FACT:
      Canada
      exported
      $7.6
      billion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      were
      exports.
      In
      the
      same
      year,
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      market
      for
      furniture
      was
     
     
      $6.5
      billion
      of
      which
      46.8%
      was
      sup-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      plied
      by
      the
      domestic
      industry
      and
      the’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      balance
      by
      imports.
     
     
      OPINION:
      The
      secret
      to
      the
      success
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      worth
      of
      furniture
      in
      2000—growing
     
    
   
   
    
     
      at
      an
      average
      annual
      rate
      of
      more
      than
     
     
      22%
      over
      the
      1990s.
      The
      U.S.
      contin-
     
     
      ues
      to‘
      represent
      Canada’s
      single
     
     
      largest
      export
      market,
      accounting
      for
     
     
      about
      97%
      in
      2000.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OPINION:
      It
      was
      a
      Canadian
      who
      first
     
     
      introduced
      furniture
      to
      the
      United
     
     
      States.
      Yes,
      ladies
      and
      gentlemen,
      I’m
     
     
      talking
      about
      John
      Candy.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Canada
      is
      the
      4th
      largest
     
     
      exporter
      of
      furniture
      in
      the
      world
      and
     
     
      the
      number
      one
      exporter
      of
      furniture
     
     
      to
      the
      United
      States.
      ;
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Maybe
      that’s
      why
      we
      beat
     
     
      them
      at
      hockey.
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      The
      trade
      balance
      in
      Furniture
     
     
      and
      Fixtures
      steadily
      improved,
      year
     
     
      after
      year,
      from
      a
      deficit
      of
      $133
      mil-
     
     
      lion
      in
      1991
      to
      a
      surplus
      of
      $4.2
      bil-
     
     
      lion
      in
      2000.
     
     
      OPINION:
      The
      introduction
      of
      wheels
     
     
      on
      computer
      chairs
      saved
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      furniture
      industry.
      That
      and
     
     
      the
      branching
      out
      into
      organized
     
     
      crime.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Between
      1992
      and
      2000,
     
     
      exports
      of
      ~
      Canadian
      furniture
      -
     
     
      increased
      by
      405%.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Why
      is
      it
      that
      lumberjacks
     
     
      and
      carpenters
      are
      billionaires,
      while
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “our
      cultural
      elite
      must
      dig
      in
      dump-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sters
      to
      find
      their
      next
      meal?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      q
      conte
      %
     
     
      i
      a,
      t
     
     
      2
      yt
      %
     
    
   
   
    
     
      le
      ves
     
     
      ox
     
    
   
   
    
     
      f
      a
     
    

    
     
      Fil
     
    

    
     
      Ne
     
     
      eee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
     
     
      y
     
    
   
   
    
     
      acne
     
    
   
   
    
     
      }
     
     
      wrt
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ia
     
     
      /?
      7
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fa
      eam
      vinnwavnen
      ™~,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      /
      ’
     
     
      C-MUROA
     
    
   
   
    
     
      EF
      Telos
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pr
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ca
      d
      re
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CADRE
      POETRY
      ISSUE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
      poetry
      issue
      will
      be
      appearing!
      Soon!
      All
      UPEI
      students,
      profes-
     
     
      sors
      and
      staff
      are
      heavily
      encouraged/threatened
      to
      send
      in
      their
      poetry.
     
     
      Deadline
      for
      poems
      is
      March
      29th.
      Experience
      is
      not
      necessary,
      nor
      is
     
     
      rhyming
      or
      especially
      good
      grammar,
      though
      we
      do
      not
      frown
      on
      these
      things.
     
     
      Poems
      can
      be
      dropped
      off
      at
      the
      Cadre
      office
      (Main
      06)
      or
      by
      emailing
      them
     
     
      to
      mdorrell@upei.ca.
      Deadline
      for
      poems
      is
      March
      29th.
      Poems
      must
      have
      a
     
     
      title,
      an
      author,
      and
      we
      would
      really
      like
      to
      have
      them
      on
      disc
      because
      we
      are
     
     
      atrocious
      typistsd.
      Deadline
      for
      poems
      is
      March
      29th.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      BOB
      RAR
      MA
      OOO
      RAAF
      AAA
      AMA
      MEAD
      0-4
      BD
      -O-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      C2
      ABOARD
      OOO
      -6-8-
      OH
      BRHE-
      OE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pe
      eh
      A
      A
      wine
      cde
      Be
      he
      whee
      eae
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tee
      te
      Me
      Oi
      teat
      he
      bo
      Se