[plumbum]

i think alot of people forget too. that our lovely governmnet is alot of the cause for higher prices. we are taxed to death here. i cant remember the exact number but we basically give about 75% or more of every dollar we earn to the cdn government. this happens in one way or another. and we get taxed on taxes too. that blows me away. my wholesalers pay gst, pass it on to me, i pay gst, pass it on to the customer, the customer pays gst and eats it. no passing it there. yes the government credits gst to my wholesaler and myself but there is still some overlap. and i cant even fathom the amount of taxes that get retaxed. import taxes, duties etc.... so anyway our higher prices typically are because of our own government. gm, ford etc... take that into account when posting msrp's, so i have been told.lol.

as for the textile prices. my wife just came back from a shopping trip to the states. our governmnet has dutied and levied textiles to about 20% to help protect our textile industry.

food prices. i wouldnt want to trade our inspections and safeties for american ones. they are alot more lenient to hormones, additives etc... than our government is. as well we import alot of our food. so higher cost.