thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
|
 Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:41 am Post subject: 'Mediocrity' threatens Canadian way of life |
 |
|
| Quote: |
OTTAWA - Compared with other industrialized countries, Canada is sinking in a pool of mediocrity that threatens to pull down our standard of living, says a new report from the Conference Board of Canada.
The non-partisan, not-for-profit think-tank will issue its scathing assessment today as part of an inaugural report card on Canada, in which it measures Canada's performance in a number of sectors against developed peers.
The report card's results "tell a story of governments, businesses and people punching below their weight," its authors say. Even though the country is rich in natural resources and its population well educated, "too often we trail the pack. The failure to innovate is a large part of the explanation for our mediocrity -- a mediocrity that is hampering what we can do and what we can be."
Among the biggest problems cited is Canadians' attitude toward success and entrepreneurship. Generally, Canadians are "complacent" and "unwilling" to take risks, the board said in its blunt assessment.
"Our culture is unwilling to accept the failures that are built into an environment that genuinely supports risk taking. Nor are we wholly comfortable with differentiation, success and excellence," the 126-page report says. "This culture holds Canada back in entrepreneurial and technological innovation."
Moreover, the analysis said the country's red-hot economic performance over the past decade -- which politicians of all stripes have cited as proof the country is well-governed -- has masked deeper structural problems within Canada, such as a lack of investment in up-to-date technology for the manufacturing and financial services sector and a failure to upgrade our ageing, crumbling physical infrastructure.
The report grades Canada on six elements -- economy, innovation, environment, education, health and society -- and compares it with 16 other industrialized countries. The board judged the country's performance by looking at 65 indicators that measure output, or the results achieved based on money spent. (For example, on health care, instead of looking at how much was spent on a per capita basis, the board looked at indicators such as access to doctors, disease prevention and longevity rates.)
The board describes Canada's performance as "very uneven" -- excellent in one area, education, but poor in other components, most notably innovation and the environment.
On the economy, Canada finished 11th of 17 countries, considered a rather lacklustre showing given economic fundamentals appear robust, there is a wealth of natural resources and the workforce is highly-educated.
"It will add weight to what is now a growing awareness and concern that Canada is under-performing in the new global economy," she said, acknowledging several economists and think-tanks have delivered studies with similar messages over the past number of years -- but to no avail in terms of influencing public opinion, politicians and corporate leaders.
"The average person still thinks things are pretty good. So it will be a bit of a wake-up call," Ms. Golden added. "This [report] focuses and ranks outcomes, not how hard we are trying."
The report card's authors were rather harsh in evaluating the country's record on innovation and the economy.
As for innovation, "our performance is stunningly poor," said the report card, which ranked Canada 14th out of 17 countries. "This poor showing is a serious weakness in Canada's overall performance and an alarming portent for the future."
Innovation, or the ability to think creatively and bring new products to market, is fundamental to an economy because it helps drive productivity and competitiveness.
It also spurs the creation of environmentally friendly technology, contributes to a well-functioning education system, and leads to health promotion and disease prevention.
"Without innovation," the board warns, "all these systems stagnate and Canada's performance deteriorates."
Of particular concern is that governments offer among the best tax breaks and subsidies to encourage research and development. Nevertheless, private-sector research in Canada lags behind all 13 other industrialized countries surveyed.
Meanwhile, on the economic front, fundamentals such as unemployment and GDP growth look good, but the board warns they mask other problems. Among the biggest worries cited is the inability to attract foreign investment in Canada.
Ms. Golden said Canada is losing its share of foreign investment to other nations, due to the country's trade barriers among the provinces, high taxes on business investment, ageing infrastructure and the lack of graduates with science and technology degrees
Foreign investment, she said, creates jobs and helps boost productivity, or the output generated per hour of labour. |
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=e15ed1f0-82dd-4f66-8a84-18f9bc97a106&k=68065
I've long thought this to be the case.. Canada might actually be held back by her resource riches. For wealth we dig up the country and throw it across the border for little green IOU's. We hardly innovate or value-add on our own.
When the commodity boom (which has been epic) busts, we are going to have a hard time staying afloat. A big concern must be the cultural hostility towards success and a wide held general cynicism at all aspects of life. |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
