Stephen Harper’s speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland could not have been more clear about where Canada is headed.
Ottawa will undertaking pragmatic major transformations that will likely upset the status quo in immigration matters, limit retirement income support, encourage more and more accountable research in the sciences and technology and streamline the process for natural resources development.
All these changes are to welcomed because they will help Canada to continue to compete at the top of the class in an increasingly turbulent and uncertain global economy.
It is to be hoped that the Harper government’s immigration initiatives will be cold-blooded in their approach to attracting some of the tens of thousands of unemployed and underemployed young Europeans who already share Canadian values, will assimilate quickly, have specific technical skills and few prospects at home either now or in the future.
As the prime minister indicated in his speech to world business and political leaders, it is crucial that Canada maintain balance between its obligations to those folks who have retired and are retiring, while not burdening Canada with exploding costs as so many struggling European economies have done.
The only real way ahead is encourage research through attracting the right immigrants and educate Canadians in these fields.
Although retirement income support may have the greatest direct effect on Canadians, in the current environment it is highly likely that his plans to encourage new markets in Asia and streamline approvals for natural resources projects will be the most controversial. The strategy of those interest groups who want to prevent Canada’s reaching its economic horizons are already obvious. Delay, delay, delay and strangle the future through hundreds if not thousands of often ridiculous procedural interventions.As Canadians have already seen with the hostility from interest groups to they Keystone pipeline, these projects will die unless Ottawa introduces tough legislation to prevent them from doing so. This is the only way forward if Canada is to prosper and grow in the 21st century. It is essential that the government protect Canada’s future as a trading nation.
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