Today, over 30 years after the White Paper on Metric Conversion, the marketplace is free to use imperial units of measure. What makes this problem more serious with each passing year is the fact that millions of Canadians have been educated exclusively in metric system and have never been taught the antiquated imperial system of measurement. For a more complete history see the Canadian Metric Timeline.
The very fact that millions of people have no or a very poor concept of FFU makes it that much easier for businesses to cheat the consumer. Oh, the businesses may be honest when they package and declare contents, but the relative dishonesty comes in when they know their customer is not going to be able to figure out a bargain from something that isn't. In addition to the use of FFU, more confusion is added when metric sizes appear in "funny numbers" and if the old names are used, the names are ambiguous, as they may in fact be US meanings of the terms where Canadians are used or were use to British meanings.
What this amounts to is designed legal confusion. These all fall under those bogey man terms of "market forces" and "free market economy". That is where under theory the "market", which is suppose to mean consumers, decides what is best for them, but in reality means businesses do the deciding. Market forces really means make it as difficult as possible, and still be legal, for the consumer to figure out what he and/or she is really purchasing. Educating the masses in one system and using a totally different system in business is part of that plan.
Maybe Jim Elwell can write a thesis on this method of business (if someone hasn't beaten him to it) and he too may get a Nobel prize in economics. He can call it the Libertarian-Free Market-Maximise your profits at the expense of the confused consumer economic plan. Why not? That prize is worth a couple of million Euros. And you become famous too!
Greg, Don't expect anyone to listen to you. Any attempt to force the hand of business will be seen as an attempt to interfere with the market's right to confuse you. And that would be akin to totalitarianism. Do you want to be labelled as a communist whacko?
John
> From: "metric" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Sunday, 2002-11-17 12:32
> Subject: [USMA:23423] new and improved One Metre (Metric in Canada) web site
>
>
> > Thanks to some extra spare time (and three hour naps by my 11 month old
> > son) the "One Metre" web site (formerly "Metric in Canada") has received
> > a well earned retrofit.
> >
> > I'm inviting USMA listserv members to take a look and provide any
> > constructive criticism.
> >
> > Please send your ideas to:
> >
> > Gregory Peterson: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> > or
> >
> > from the One Metre web site: http://members.shaw.ca/metric/
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Gregory Peterson
> > Saskatoon SK Canada
> >
>
>
