VERY INTERESTING ANALYSIS BY BROCK UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS

Brock Professors look into the future of Canada

By: Katherine Gottli
Posted: 1/8/08

While the New Year has only just begun, 2008 promises to be an interesting news year in Canada, but also all over the world. With the United States federal election to be held in November, the headlines over the next year will certainly be covered with information about the unique group of candidates all vying to take over the position from President Bush.Though the election will potentially overshadow Canadian news, it is not to say that there are not important Canadian issues to be dealt with in the New Year. According to John Sivell in the Department of Intercultural Studies at Brock University, "cultural contact and communication" are predicted to be very important provincial and national issues."Immigration policy issues with respect to the growing perception that Canada more and more needs to attract qualified newcomers, and yet is functioning far less effectively than some other nations (especially the United States) in terms of making it possible for newcomers actually to practise their trades or professions here [will be important in 2008]" said Sivell.This notion is echoed by Statistics Canada, which indicated that in 2005, even after two to four years in the Canadian job market, approximately 36 per cent of immigrants still had no connections to the job market, and just a little under 30 per cent were not able to find a job in their field. Along with immigration, the well-being of our already culturally diverse nation will be in the news this year, according to Sivell. Language issues, as well as the provision of medical and social services, will be hot topics for Canadians.To accompany the federal election in the United States, issues regarding the Canadian military and oil prices, both examined extensively over the past year, will still remain in the news in Canada in 2008. "The continuing national debate about Canada's role in Afghanistan, particularly in cultural terms [for example], the balance between military and development activity/spending, the appropriate stance in relation to religious/cultural practices, communication between Canada and the governments not only of Afghanistan but also of other NATO nations concerning the sharing of responsibilities ... if there is a federal election in 2008, this will be a key theme, for sure," Sivell said.Martin Head, professor of earth sciences at Brock, predicted in 2007 that over the next year the oil prices would continue to rise, and on Jan. 2, his prediction proved accurate as oil prices reached their all-time high of $100 per barrel.Head believes that the prices can be attributed to the "escalating industrialization of China and India, and of course by North America's gratuitous addiction to energy".While some may see this as a negative, Head believes that it will be beneficial for Canada's economy."This is very good news for Canada's natural resource industries - especially oil and gold - and the booming economies of Alberta and now Saskatchewan should run for a good while," Head said.While both Head and Sivell spoke mostly about issues relating to Canada, Sivell also mentions that international news dealing with (though not exclusive to) Kenya, Sudan, Iraq, Iran and Thailand will make headlines this year.