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Question 7: Prosperity

How should Canada take advantage of its location in North America to increase prosperity while promoting our distinctive identity?

 

 

Excerpt Contributor Date
It is essential to maintain strong economic ties with the US, but it is also necessary to expand trade with Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Australia/New Zealand, and South America to better shield ourselves from ups and downs in the American economy and formal or informal trade retaliations an 1876 2003-05-01 11:11:49
Promoting the fast growth of a Free Trade Zone of Americas might give us more leverage than our present NAFTA membership does.
If we could develop an Americas trade zone where the countries south of the U.S.A. had a strong voting voice in concert with Canada, the U.S. might be persuaded to take a
1873 2003-05-01 10:05:01
Distinctive identity will only be preserved by education. Education will also ensure that Canada secures trade based not on providing cheaper labour but rather quality work.
This question demands a social answer rather than a suggestion that can be addressed in foreign policy!
North Ameican partne
1870 2003-05-01 07:27:27
When Canadians are truly offered education in preventing illness rather than in treating illness. When Canadians are truly given reports via the national media that are not meant to misinform. When Canadians are offered trade policies which benefit the working class and not just the business secto 1858 2003-05-01 04:56:20
I don't think we need to increase our prosperity. We need to distribute it better in our own society, and we need to help poor countries become more prosperous.

As for our position in North America, obviously it is delicate. I would like Canada to stand up for what we think is right in spite
1868 2003-05-01 04:56:08
Canada is one of the richest resource-based nations on earth and should use it to help all mankind rather than feed the military industrial complex of a superpower 1867 2003-05-01 04:55:55
Pay attention to the needs of people as a whole. Work on helping create a society where children do not have to be raised in poverty. Utilize the findings of research on how to promote healthy communities. Keep people informed and involved at the grassroots level and value people's ideas and co 1865 2003-05-01 04:55:43
Within the limits of the usual definitions of prosperity, North America does not need more prosperity. It needs more widespread participation in the prosperity that is already there. At the same time, we need to find ways to reduce North Americans' consumption of global resources to some sort 1864 2003-05-01 04:55:28
Current trade policy seems to be working reasonably well -- unemployment has been stable and gradually declining, Canada's running a trade surplus and current-account surplus. But of course Canada's one-way dependence on trade with the United States makes us vulnerable to disruptions in tra russilwvong 2003-05-01 04:55:16
Canadian government should promote our prosperity and our distinctive identity when seeking to establish economic relationships with countries like China, India and African countries. We should take more trade missions to poor countries and developing countries instead of going to the rich and devel Rafman 2003-05-01 00:27:44
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