[nabil114]

Last week it was revealed that the Canadian government was planning to allow MPs and their staff to choose iPhones to conduct their personal business as opposed to the BlackBerry-only mobile strategy that was in place before (MPs will soon have choice between iPhone and BlackBerry - Politics - CBC News). This is outrageous for the following reasons:

1. BlackBerry is a Canadian company that employs thousands of its employees in Canada, contributes billions to the country through taxes and investment and the majority of its shareholders are Canadian citizens and taxpayers.
2. BlackBerry is a Canadian company and part of the role of Members of Parliament is to represent their country and its industries overseas. This should include using Canadian products wherever and whenever prudent to do so.
3. The Canadian Government owes a special "duty of care" to BlackBerry as its survival is important to the national security of the country and her allies. This is especially evident as the Canadian government turned down takeover overtures from Chinese-owed Lenovo. If you are not going to let foreign entities invest in the company you have a duty to support the company yourself.
4. There is no practical or logical reason for having the Canadian government purchasing iPhones for MPs and their staff. BlackBerry10 devices are fully capable and efficient of carry out the business of the government. If an MP wants to FaceTime his girlfriend or play Temple Run during committee hearings he is perfectly capable of using some of his $100K+ salary to purchase an iPhone for his own personal use.
5. SECURITY!!! Not only is their no logical reason to purchase iPhones for MPs and their staff, it is actually a disaster! BlackBerries running on BES can claim to have the Gold Standard in security as it integrates server, software and hardware encryption. It is the full-service turn key solution employed by other governments, major banks and the defence industry. It is the only phone the President of the United States is allowed to use. With details of military procurement and trade deal negotiations being discussed by MPs, why are we risking exposing these discussions to the massive NSA surveillance or Chinese espionage activities just so an MP can have the trendiest phone at the local high school?
6. $$$. Deploying more than one type of operating system will be more expensive and less efficient - period. It requires additional tech support from staff and will be more difficult to transfer and sync information across devices. That is why the largest corporations always go with one supplier for computers, phones etc. Additionally, iPhones will likely cost the government in the neighborhood of twice as much as the BlackBerry equivalent Z10 to purchase. This amounts to a huge waste of taxpayers money and a moral indignation that should outrage all Canadians!

What can you do about it? First, send a quick email to your MP letting them know how upset this makes you. A list of MPs and their contact info can be found here: Find your Member of Parliament using your Postal Code

Send an email to John Duncan - Government whip and a spokesman for internal economy board that made the decision: PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Contact Information - DUNCAN, The Hon. John , P.C., B.Sc.F.

Send an email to Prime Minister Harper: PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Contact Information - HARPER, The Right Hon. Stephen, P.C., B.A., M.A.

and the Leader of the Opposition: PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Contact Information - MULCAIR, The Hon. Thomas J., P.C., B.C.L, LL.B.

and the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada: PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Contact Information - TRUDEAU, Justin, B.A., B.Ed.

Thank you very much CrackBerry community! Just like we pressured Rogers to reverse the Z30 decision, lets win this battle as well.

I agree with you. They need to make better products.

[BoldPreza]

And you clearly don't recognize the point.

For their personal use they can get whatever they want I'm not dictating what they do in their personal life but as a symbolic gesture it is simply inappropriate given the circumstances going on in their ridings.

These are people that chose to be public figures and deal with the limitations that come with it. They are not regular individuals. They represent my country and as such should represent what we do to the best of the abilities.

Posted via CB10

[duboisstephane0]

The question to ask is why it is so important to have leaked the information so that the journalist could write her article : http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mps-...erry-1.2463466

Secondly, as much as I would like to put the blame on Harper, ultimately it was a decision taken by the BOIE : http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/House/co...leconomy-e.htm

So any or all remarks need to be sent to these MPS : http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compi...nomyBoard.aspx

The final decision to offer a choice, which will certainly hinder BlackBerry 's, comes from the BOIE.

Posted via Virgin Mobile Z10

[PineappleUnderTheSea]

In theory I agree, but in practice it can be problematic: here is an example: was dad worked in the Canadian Air Force in charge of buying certain electronic supplies. He had to buy Canadian. So he would go to a canadian vendor for part X and get a price. Then he would go the actual manufacturer of the part, who was american since Canada makes nothing, and the price was much cheaper if he bought directly from the USA. His superiors insisted he buy from the more expensive Canadian vendor.

So I think that forcing a branch of government of buying Canadian for the sake of being Canadian is not always in the best interest of taxpayers. For all we know we could get all screwed with Blackberry and have to spend a while lot more money to switch out at the last minute. Better to have a second vendor now, in my opinion.

[rogeryen]

I'm sorry but you clearly don't understand the way many people's minds work. If you force someone to use something, they're going to be less likely to be inclined to like it in the future. For phones, almost everyone has a phone based on how they want to be viewed. So as I'm aware that BES will lock down an iPhone just as much as a BB, the fact many people do not even want to be seen with a Blackberry will not be helped by the forcing of people's hands into using one. Give the people an option.
Who knows, maybe they stick with an iPhone for the future, or maybe they see BB10 in the hands of a willing and competent worker and are impressed by the platform. Which goes back to my original statement about laying low in the handset market for Blackberry. Focus on maybe a single device and make it really good with software systems being the major money maker.

This is not about BlackBerry making money on hardware or software, it's about the Canadian government supporting Canadian companies with Canadian tax dollars. A lot of times it is not very logical to do so but that's just the way it is.

And I'm pretty sure the common consensus for BYOD literally means "bring your own device" a which means the employee buys his own device wishing to connect to the company's infrastructure and the company provides support on that side whether it be using an mdm solution or just simply connecting to ActiveSync. And imagine all the potential issues with BYOD in such an environment, that's why you don't see BYOD in governments because the devices need to be TIGHTLY controlled and BYOD is too risky.

Posted via CB10

[milo53]

Using your logic, Oblama and all other Fed Depts.must use IOS because it is an American company. Also, being an American, I don't like the words force and must.

[theblob]

This is not about BlackBerry making money on hardware or software, it's about the Canadian government supporting Canadian companies with Canadian tax dollars.

And I'm pretty sure the common consensus for BYOD literally means "bring your own device" a which means the employee buys his own device wishing to connect to the company's infrastructure and the company provides support on that side whether it be using an mdm solution or just simply connecting to ActiveSync. And imagine all the potential issues with BYOD in such an environment, that's why you don't see BYOD in governments because the devices need to be TIGHTLY controlled and BYOD is too risky.

Posted via CB10

So CYOD. Whatever man.
And the government doesn't use tax dollars to pay for something you find economical or agree with? shocker! Rogers already struck a deal with Apple and it seems that every carrier supports Apple with their big front page ads, so why not let the gov'ment follow suit?
Additionally, have you ever heard of the company Bombardier? Well it seems as though the government kept pumping money into a "great Canadian company" and look how well that faired.
**** it, the gov'ment should just invest in buying MSLE from Rogers and Bell just to be able to rake in some of that billion dollar season profit. Then spending money shouldn't be seen as such an issue and they can go buy iPhones or BlackBerries or whatever the **** they want.
Let's face it, giving government employees the choice between iPhone and BlackBerry isn't even close to the worst thing we've seen and it doesn't warrant such an "outrage".

[europolska00]

You obviously didn't read through the 6 reasons listed... Read the original post before commenting.

I was just thinking, "Did these people not read the well written six very valid points?"

Posted via CB10

[europolska00]

So CYOD. Whatever man.
And the government doesn't use tax dollars to pay for something you find economical or agree with? shocker! Rogers already struck a deal with Apple and it seems that every carrier supports Apple with their big front page ads, so why not let the gov'ment follow suit?
Additionally, have you ever heard of the company Bombardier? Well it seems as though the government kept pumping money into a "great Canadian company" and look how well that faired.
**** it, the gov'ment should just invest in buying MSLE from Rogers and Bell just to be able to rake in some of that billion dollar season profit. Then spending money shouldn't be seen as such an issue and they can go buy iPhones or BlackBerries or whatever the **** they want.
Let's face it, giving government employees the choice between iPhone and BlackBerry isn't even close to the worst thing we've seen and it doesn't warrant such an "outrage".

Nobody is debating BYOD is the trend and what some people desire, tat is beside the point. It is an outrage because the Federal Government is responsible for protecting / supporting Canadian Industry, Canadian Jobs, and National Security. PERIOD.

Why you people don't get that is beyond comprehension I suppose.

Posted via CB10

[theblob]

Nobody is debating BYOD is the trend and what some people desire, tat is beside the point. It is an outrage because the Federal Government is responsible for protecting / supporting Canadian Industry, Canadian Jobs, and National Security. PERIOD.

Why you people don't get that is beyond comprehension I suppose.

Posted via CB10

Speak for comprehension yourself, I'm not arguing BYOD anymore. "Whatever man" is my submission of the fact it is a unimportant point.
And you're right. The Canadian government supporting a company that has fired THOUSANDS of staff, selling land and hurting the economy with quarter after quarter of terrible results is something I don't understand. But I guess the side I'm on is going to be losing with the Crackberry forums.

[IJKBB10]

[QUOTE=Gunner24;9725842]Last week it was revealed that the Canadian government was planning to allow MPs and their staff to choose iPhones to conduct their personal business as opposed to the BlackBerry-only mobile strategy that was in place before (MPs will soon have choice between iPhone and BlackBerry - Politics - CBC News). This is outrageous for the following reasons:

1. BlackBerry is a Canadian company that employs thousands of its employees in Canada, contributes billions to the country through taxes and investment and the majority of its shareholders are Canadian citizens and taxpayers.
2. BlackBerry is a Canadian company and part of the role of Members of Parliament is to represent their country and its industries overseas. This should include using Canadian products wherever and whenever prudent to do so.
3. The Canadian Government owes a special "duty of care" to BlackBerry as its survival is important to the national security of the country and her allies. This is especially evident as the Canadian government turned down takeover overtures from Chinese-owed Lenovo. If you are not going to let foreign entities invest in the company you have a duty to support the company yourself.
4. There is no practical or logical reason for having the Canadian government purchasing iPhones for MPs and their staff. BlackBerry10 devices are fully capable and efficient of carry out the business of the government. If an MP wants to FaceTime his girlfriend or play Temple Run during committee hearings he is perfectly capable of using some of his $100K+ salary to purchase an iPhone for his own personal use.
5. SECURITY!!! Not only is their no logical reason to purchase iPhones for MPs and their staff, it is actually a disaster! BlackBerries running on BES can claim to have the Gold Standard in security as it integrates server, software and hardware encryption. It is the full-service turn key solution employed by other governments, major banks and the defence industry. It is the only phone the President of the United States is allowed to use. With details of military procurement and trade deal negotiations being discussed by MPs, why are we risking exposing these discussions to the massive NSA surveillance or Chinese espionage activities just so an MP can have the trendiest phone at the local high school?
6. $$$. Deploying more than one type of operating system will be more expensive and less efficient - period. It requires additional tech support from staff and will be more difficult to transfer and sync information across devices. That is why the largest corporations always go with one supplier for computers, phones etc. Additionally, iPhones will likely cost the government in the neighborhood of twice as much as the BlackBerry equivalent Z10 to purchase. This amounts to a huge waste of taxpayers money and a moral indignation that should outrage all Canadians!

What can you do about it? First, send a quick email to your MP letting them know how upset this makes you. A list of MPs and their contact info can be found here: Find your Member of Parliament using your Postal Code

Send an email to John Duncan - Government whip and a spokesman for internal economy board that made the decision: PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Contact Information - DUNCAN, The Hon. John , P.C., B.Sc.F.

Send an email to Prime Minister Harper: PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Contact Information - HARPER, The Right Hon. Stephen, P.C., B.A., M.A.

and the Leader of the Opposition: PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Contact Information - MULCAIR, The Hon. Thomas J., P.C., B.C.L, LL.B.

and the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada: PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Contact Information - TRUDEAU, Justin, B.A., B.Ed.



Well said!!! Totally agree with you 1,000,000,000%

Well

[danprown]

Of course, the OP is extremely hypocritical. If every country used this approach, BlackBerry will end up with just the Canadian MPs as customers.

Using your logic, Oblama and all other Fed Depts.must use IOS because it is an American company. Also, being an American, I don't like the words force and must.

[phylez]

They'll have a choice to use iPhones. As far as I recall, BYOD is backed by the person's opinion. So what if it doesn't include Android and WP8, if the user has a choice of platforms even if it's just two is still encompassing with BYOD.
Maybe you don't see it the same way as me, but I'm pretty positive I'm awake.

I'm not positive that you're awake but if you insist you are then you must be a little slow. BYOD is Bring Your Own Device, not CAPWBFYTUWWH (Choose A Phone We Bought For You To Use While Working Here). BYOD mean you bring YOUR personal phone. So, now that you're up to speed on BYOD, do you really want the gov spending twice as much on a phone that will be locked down just as much as a BlackBerry would be? Besides that, who cares if they're being forced to use a BBRY? It's part of their job. You think they like being forced to show up every day? If they have a company car, do they get to pick it? Would they get to pick one that is twice as expensive as one that works just fine for the task? Say, a Range Rover instead of a Tahoe? Your argument is so asinine I'm beginning to wonder if you're not just trolling.

Posted via CB10

[paranee2]

Jooo, Canadian gov no need to worry about security or secret bec there no such a thing for them. People like rob ford in all government department so what you expect from them .
Old citizens get together places. IT department or advisor groups no knowledge about technology or what is happening out side.


Posted via CB10

[Gunner24]

Of course, the OP is extremely hypocritical. If every country used this approach, BlackBerry will end up with just the Canadian MPs as customers.

Wow... Seems as if all the negative feedback is from people who didn't read the original post. GO AND READ IT.

If you or anyone else is stupid enough to think the US government wouldn't buy an American product over a Canadian one if the Canadian product wasn't superior or significantly cheaper your living in hole. How many Honda Civics do you see driving around for the feds? How many VWs? How many French fighter jets? German tanks? Give your head a shake. This is what every government in the world does.

The 6 points included (READ THIS) the company is Canadian, running one OS and in particular purchasing BlackBerry10 devices is cheaper and more cost effective than iPhones, BlackBerries are WAY more secure (KIND OF IMPORTANT FOR GOVERNMENTS), and their is no discernible benefit an iPhone brings for the operation of government to justify any increase in cost to taxpayers. We are running a billion dollar deficit. Open your eyes. This is a waste of money, a slap in the face and a stupid decision all in one.

[tchocky77]

Go ahead and send your emails if it scratches your patriotism itch.

Just don't expect much. You guys are talking about politicians.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

[Kris Simundson]

lol you have no idea how much money this government has wasted on BB products do you?

The government gets their devices thru Rogers, and guess what? They get raped out the ***. They get no special deals.

The whole having to buy Canadian because we are Canadian is so stupid it's not even funny.

I hate the fact I have to go to a Canadian company and pay twice as much for a product that they're going to be getting from the US or another country in the first place.

I'm sorry but I can't agree with the OP at all. Get used to it, times are changing, BlackBerry isn't the only one with security experts anymore.

As much as I love BlackBerry, competition will only make them work harder and strive to be the better brand. Make people want to use the device because they want to, not because they're forced too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gunner24]

lol you have no idea how much money this government has wasted on BB products do you?

The government gets their devices thru Rogers, and guess what? They get raped out the ***. They get no special deals.

The whole having to buy Canadian because we are Canadian is so stupid it's not even funny.

I hate the fact I have to go to a Canadian company and pay twice as much for a product that they're going to be getting from the US or another country in the first place.

I'm sorry but I can't agree with the OP at all. Get used to it, times are changing, BlackBerry isn't the only one with security experts anymore.

As much as I love BlackBerry, competition will only make them work harder and strive to be the better brand. Make people want to use the device because they want to, not because they're forced too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh guess what everyone! Another person who either A. Didn't read the original post or B. Doesn't comprehend English. DID YOU READ POINTS 4 THROUGH 6 OR ARE YOU JUST ANOTHER iCLONE CONVERT?

I mean honestly, I am getting so pissed off with the thick headedness of some people commenting on this thread its infuriating.

"lol you have no idea how much money this government has wasted on BB products do you?"

ya, iPhones are cheaper, good point... oh wait they aren't.

HOW ABOUT WE BUY CANADIAN AS A GOVERNMENT LIKE ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN LESS THERE IS A COMPELLING REASON IN TAXPAYERS INTERESTS NOT TO. THAT SOUNDS ************* FAIR DOES IT NOT.

Now what reason is there that government employees are unable to complete their work on a BlackBerry10 device?

...

...

That's what I thought.

[nt300]

Government and iPhones should never mix. What a joke, and to think the waist of money buying overpriced iPhones that have been proven to be unreliable in secure. Complete nonsense. BB10 is the only secure platform in the world.

Hackers are going to have a field day with this lame iPhone decision.

[sentimentGX4]

How many threads have I read on here about users being outraged about employers not offering and refusing to continue supporting Blackberries. Now everyone is up in arms about consumer choice and everyone should be forced to use a phone they don't like!

I see no reason not to continue deploying BlackBerry to Canadian government workers, iPhones are more expensive and I have yet to see proof that they would be more effective for this specific use case.

Deploying any custom apps will be easier on iPhone than Blackberry. Not only is there a significantly greater number of developers, iOS's developer resources are much better than Blackberry's.

Few people actually know how to use these new Blackberries and, frankly, its non-existent market share makes it difficult to justify a professional's time.

[anon(5624621)]

How many threads have I read on here about users being outraged about employers not offering and refusing to continue supporting Blackberries. Now everyone is up in arms about consumer choice and everyone should be forced to use a phone they don't like!

Deploying any custom apps will be easier on iPhone than Blackberry. Not only is there a significantly greater number of developers, iOS's developer resources are much better than Blackberry's.

Few people actually know how to use these new Blackberries and, frankly, its non-existent market share makes it difficult to justify a professional's time.

1, you have no proof that everyone "doesn't like BlackBerry"

2, you have no proof that it's difficult to develop and deploy a custom app for bb10 (there are tons of supported frameworks), which by definition would be spec'ed and requested by the buyer

3, few people know how to use it is a reason?? My 60+ year old non techy mum just got a Z30 and is getting along fine. I hope we don't have such dolts working for the government that they can't figure it out easily

Posted via CB10. Join C001A8DC6 for bento-inspired lunch ideas

[rhon3g]

Why? There are so many people who are forced to use the BlackBerry brand for work who are just iOS/Android people, if you keep forcing BB to people who don't want it, they'll just sully the brand.

Posted via CB10

It is like you want to buy BlackBerry phone but the salesman is trying to sell you an iphone or android phone. Got it?

[RedFoxOne]

It is like you want to buy BlackBerry phone but the salesman is trying to sell you an iphone or android phone. Got it?

No, because you can just tell the salesman to shut up and buy what you want with your own money.

If your company issues you a phone without you having to fork out money, what's the problem? If you are forced to use your own money to buy a device not of your choice for work, then that's a problem.

[RedFoxOne]

Also for those people who blast OP's point of view probably do not understand why japanese opting to use japanese products, koreans preferring korean products, and so on. Not all, but most. That is nationalistics. BlackBerry is not in a favorable position, and any help from own government means a lot not only for the company but also for canadians.

[Kris Simundson]

Oh guess what everyone! Another person who either A. Didn't read the original post or B. Doesn't comprehend English. DID YOU READ POINTS 4 THROUGH 6 OR ARE YOU JUST ANOTHER iCLONE CONVERT?

I mean honestly, I am getting so pissed off with the thick headedness of some people commenting on this thread its infuriating.

"lol you have no idea how much money this government has wasted on BB products do you?"

ya, iPhones are cheaper, good point... oh wait they aren't.

HOW ABOUT WE BUY CANADIAN AS A GOVERNMENT LIKE ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN LESS THERE IS A COMPELLING REASON IN TAXPAYERS INTERESTS NOT TO. THAT SOUNDS ************* FAIR DOES IT NOT.

Now what reason is there that government employees are unable to complete their work on a BlackBerry10 device?

...

...

That's what I thought.

You reply to me by attacking me? Well that's not much reason to have a debate.

I actually did read the entire OP, hence why I decided to reply. I like how if anyone here has a differing opinion than yours they automatically didn't read your points or "can't comprehend English".

To be quite honest, your sounding more patriotic for country than you are with a sound head to make a decision like this.

As for security, we lost data to Russians because someone stole data and put it onto damn floppy disks, a BlackBerry won't stop that. If people intend to steal sensitive info, than they'll find a way.

Again, the logic of buying Canadian to support Canadian when, as I say again, the government does not deal directly with BlackBerry for their devices but rather the carrier. That right now is Rogers, soon to be Telus.

The government would actually same money on a device that's better massed produced and that they wouldn't need to go through a carrier for updates to the OS etc.

Ontop of that, if these are government bought devices, they will no doubt be deployed on BES or another MDM solution. Again, BlackBerry is not the only ones with Security Expertise anymore.

So, if you so kindly read my entire post, keep a level head, and actually have a debate with someone of a differing opinion, maybe just maybe you might come across as making sense.


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