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Re: FedWatch, October 20, 2004 (v12 i41)
Dear Editor,
In regard to the article “Alberta Pays for Post-Secondary Office” why is it that they aren’t paying for Corel WordPerfect Office, which is owned by Corel, a Canadian company? Why aren’t they supporting Canadian IT jobs, and Canadian products instead? I think the Alberta Government needs to reconsider its priorities.
Peter V. Tretter
Ottawa, Ontario
Good question Peter. The obvious answer is that Microsoft made the offer, and perhaps Corel did not. Another obvious answer is that Microsoft has a near monopoly on the office software industry, and this is the software package most office workers are familiar with. However, such a monopoly can only exist if people and governments fail to support alternative products. It would be nice to see the government supporting a fine Canadian product, and such support would surely go a long way toward helping that product compete against the American software giant. It would also go a long way toward ensuring that consumers continue to have choice in the marketplace.
Thanks for the comment.
