A New Day, A New Life

The Canadian Aspects of the G8
Adam K
Dr.
Economics/7th Period
12-3-02
The G8 Process
The G8 is an informal group of eight countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada (DFAIT, 2002). Europe is included in the G8 by a general unit known as the ‘European Union’. This Union is represented by both the President of the European Commission and the president of the European Council.
The head chair of the G8 is rotated on a calendar basis among the seven original members of the council in the order of: France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada (DFAIT, 2002). The European Union is still considered part of the G8, but does not hold the head chair position. This position has many responsibilities in foreign affairs. The selected country’s spokesperson is required to organize an annual summit for all of the G8 countries. At these summits, G8 issues are discussed in a televised meeting. This spokesperson and the country it represents are responsible for negotiating with countries that are not members of the G8, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations (DFAIT, 2002).
During the year, before and after the annual summit meetings, representatives known as ‘Sherpas’ are present in G8 meetings. These Sherpas are spokespersons for the actual G8 representatives. They allow the G8 to remain an active council and enable the G8 to keep track of the status of international issues. The Sherpas inform each of the other countries about economic, international, and political issues that are pertinent to the G8 summit meetings. They also decide what major issues are to be discussed in the summit meetings.
The purpose of the G8 is to develop a better global society, while promoting peace and economic unity. The G8 works as a task force to attempt to improve the status of their country and other countries, to attain a potential mutual satisfaction of the global society. This organization pools governmental money to finance certain projects to better the living conditions of the world. In a recent summit, the G8 Leaders and the UN Secretary-General decided to start a global fund to promote the research of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. The G8 Leaders committed $1.3 billion to this fund(DFAIT, 2002). This organization, as a whole, realizes that they have to ‘come together’ to be able to fight global issues.
Explanation of G8 Country Selection
The country that I chose for this section is the G8 member known as Canada. I chose this country because I believe that it has a vast history of G8 involvement. It has hosted many G8 summits and has been an active member in the preservation of the G8 council. Canada’s innumerable resources and crucial importance in the world economy proves it to be a powerful country of governmental morality and a notable promoter of peace.
G8 Country Research and Comparison to the U.S.
Life Style
Canada has a very mixed population, having a range of ethnicity. Most Canadians live in cities and most of the cities are close to the southern border. Most of the population is ethnically British or French, although other European countries are well represented, and indigenous peoples are the majority in the north. French and English are the official Canadian languages. The people who speak English as their native tongue outnumber those whose native tongue is French by 2.5 to 1 (Statistics, 2002). Roman Catholics, who include most French-speaking people, are the largest religious group in Canada, followed by the United Church of Canada and the Anglican Church. Immigrants are a growing minority, particularly those from Asia, and have been changing the face of Canada’s largest urban areas. Canadians have a high literacy rate and a number of prestigious universities. Violent crime is low compared to other North American societies, but has been rising. The diversity of Canadian society is similar to the diversity of American society, containing many distinct cultures, religions, languages, and backgrounds.
Canada has a very good education system that is based on English, British, and French teaching methods. Many provinces, such as Quebec, have schools that teach all of their lessons in French. Canada teaches students in a bilingual method so that they can travel throughout the country and not have problems understanding the environment around them. I believe that the United States would be better off if they provided a sort of bilingual program for its students. This would allow our students to be able to take part in more international activities, not limiting themselves to a single language.
Canada is a very diverse country, which has such a vast amount of cultures and ethnic groups that it is impossible to describe a common way of life for the country as a whole. In general, Canadians are well fed, housed, and clothed and enjoy a high standard of living. They have one of the best medical systems in the world that is open to all members of society. Both American and Canadian societies have advanced medical facilities, allowing them to be able to research medicines and control diseases. Both countries have programs that provide for the health care of the poor and disabled, allowing all citizens to have a fair chance at living a healthy life.
Economic System, Governmental System
Canada has an advanced economy, and the majority of its citizens enjoy a high quality of life by world standards. Much of this wealth has been generated by the processing of natural resources, such as fish, timber, minerals, and farm produce. The Canadian civilian labor force numbered 15.7 million in 1996 (Statistics, 2002). Manufacturing and service activities have greatly increased in the Canadian market, allowing Canada, like America, to have one of the most complex economies in the world.
Agriculture is not as important to the Canadian economy as it was in earlier times, but it continues to be the main market of several regions. Farm life is continuously changing as farmers adjust to new trends. One trend is the consumer preference for foods with less fat, which has changed demand for specific products. For example, there is less demand for cream and more demand for vegetables. Also, the government has reduced its subsidies to the farming, making it necessary for farmers to introduce more profitable crops and more livestock production. Both Canadian and American farmers have developed new farming methods and have integrated new technology to improve their total output.
The mining industry in Canada has a vast history of exploration and technology development. This industry employs 1.3 percent of the country’s workforce and accounts for 4 percent of the GDP and 19 percent of goods exported (Encarta, 1999). Canada is among the top five producers of platinum, gypsum, copper, lead, cobalt, titanium, and molybdenum. A significant amount of exploration and development in Canada is now devoted to diamond mining.
Agriculture and mining are the major industries involved in the Canadian economy. Canada has a critical presence in the global market and is a key aspect of our global economy. They have a vast amount of natural resources and utilize them to efficiently manage a sound economy.
The Canadian Parliament is located in Ottawa, Ontario. The Parliament contains representatives from the Canadian provinces and territories. These representatives vote on issues regarding national policies, providing an equal voice and equality among all. The voting age in Canada is 18, the same as the United States. The head of the state is the Monarch of Britain, who is represented by the governor-general who has no political power. The chief executive is the Prime Minister, who answers to Parliament. The Prime Minister can serve a maximum term of 5 years, but, in most cases the Prime Minister holds an election for the next Prime Minister before his term is finished. Parliament’s representatives bring forth the vote of the Canadian people. All of these political positions are elected by the people of Canada, similar to the voting process of the United States. There are two key political parties involved in the voting process of the Canada. They are know as the Liberal Party and the Progressive Conservative Party, their names describe their respective promotion of political ideals. These parties can be compared to the Republican and Democratic parties of the United States. In both the Canadian and United States governments, legislation is based on the voting of the people, equality and fairness are promoted by allowing the majority to gain legislation passage.
The central government of Canada has all powers that are not specifically assigned to the provinces. It has jurisdiction over administration of the public debt, currency and coinage, taxation for general purposes, organization of national defense, fiscal matters, banking, fisheries, commerce, navigation and shipping, energy policy, agriculture, postal service, the census, statistics, patents, copyright, naturalization, aliens, indigenous peoples’ affairs, marriage, and divorce (Encarta, 1999). The powers assigned to the provincial governments are authority over education, hospitals, provincial property, civil rights, taxation for local purposes, regulation of local commerce, and the borrowing of money (Encarta, 1999). The jurisdiction of the provinces is similar to the states of the US, they are able to govern themselves, but must meet governmental regulations and abide by governmental rules.
The Canadian Parliament consists of two houses, the Senate and the House of Commons. The House of Commons contains about three times as many members as the Senate. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are chosen from the House of Commons by the majority party.
The executive head of government is the Prime Minister, the leader of the party in control of Parliament. Canada’s parliamentary system is a model of Britain’s, where the prime minister must be elected from a local electoral district like any other member of the House of Commons. The Prime Minister derives his or her executive position by being head of his party. If the Prime Minister resigns from his position as head of his political party, he also resigns from his executive position as Prime Minister. In this case, a new Prime Minister is the new head of the designated party. This method of electing a leader enables the political parties to have more voting power than that of American parties. The Prime Minister appoints the members of the Senate and allows members to remain in the Senate until they are 75 years old. Each of the Senators represents the province that he lives in and promotes the ideals of its people. The representatives in the House of Commons are directly voted on by the people. The House of Commons handles most important bills, most pertaining to money. Canada also has a judiciary branch that is lead by the Supreme Court, it has one chief justice and eight associate judges. Each province, like the United States has a government and representatives that are elected by its people.
Standard of Living, Currency
Canada’s massive economic system and intricate balance of imports and exports has allowed it to be one of the most prosperous countries in the world. The citizens of Canada have the ability to live in a free country, live with fundamental freedoms, and live happily. Canada, among the United States, most European countries, and Japan has a comparatively high standard of living. Canada utilizes all of it’s economic potential to allow the majority of it’s people to live a prosperous life, enjoying the ability to have income and support a family.
The unit of currency in Canada is the Canadian dollar, which consists of 100 cents. The Bank of Canada, which is owned by the federal government, has the sole right to issue paper money for circulation.
Canada has a banking system very similar to that of the United States. Citizens can put their earnings into banks, gaining compounded interest and being able to withdraw their money when they want. Canadians can also chose which bank they want to invest in and if they want to put their money into a bank at all. The Canadian banking system consists of six major banks, known as the ‘Big Six’. Canada has many foreign banks that its citizens can put their money into as well. All of the banks in Canada are regulated by the Canadian Government and must follow certain guidelines to be able to provide their services. The Canadian Government has the right to close any banks that have faulty services and have the right to regulate interest rates that the banks charge their customers.
GDP
The Gross Domestic Product of Canada is very large in comparison to other countries of the world. According to history, most of Canada’s GDP consists of the processing and extraction of natural resources such as furs, timber, minerals, and farm produce. In recent times, however, industry and services have been added to be the major contributors of the Canadian GDP, allowing Canada to have on of the most complex economies in the world. In 1995, Canada’s GDP consisted of 3 percent processed natural resources, 30 percent industrial transactions, and 67 percent gaining through services (Encarta, 1999). In 1997, the Canadian GDP was nearly 857 billion Canadian dollars, having increased greatly since 1990 when it was at 670 billion Canadian dollars (Encarta, 1999). The Canadian economy has grown more rapidly than those of most other developed countries. This success is due to several factors: low inflation, low interest rates, and a low value on the Canadian dollar, all of which helped exports to grow. Unfortunately, Canadian businesses have become extremely productive and have used so much technology to replace workers that unemployment has increased significantly in the region.
Trade
Canada has 0.5 percent of the world’s population but accounts for 4 percent of total exports in world trade (Statistics, 2002). Most of Canada’s foreign trade is with the United States, which typically buys about four-fifths of Canada’s exports and supplies about three-quarters of its imports (Statistics, 2002). The trade between Canada and the U.S. is the largest bi-national flow in the world. A large portion of this trade is made up of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts. Because so many corporations operate on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, much of the trade between the two nations actually consists of transfers within companies.
Canada also has significant export trade with other countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Italy, and China. Canada’s leading exports as of 1994 were: motor vehicles and parts, mineral fuels, machinery, wood products, paper and paperboard, electrical equipment, wood pulp, aluminum products, and cereals. Canada’s leading imports were motor vehicles and parts, heavy machinery, communication equipment, office equipment, and industrial machinery (Encarta, 1999).
Canada is obviously very active in foreign trade and has a large presence in the world market. Canada-U.S. trade is a major source of income for both countries and it shows the great relationship between them. Canada and the United States are very similar by the fact that they are a commanding presence in the world of foreign trade and can maintain an intricate balance between imports and exports.
Likes/Dislikes
I believe that Canada is a prosperous country that is well lead in it’s economic endeavors. Obviously, the United States and Canada are very similar countries constitutionally, governmentally, economically, and financially.
The Canadian economy is very stable because of its massive amount of foreign trade. I like the fact that Canada wants to gain money through foreign transactions as opposed to simply only using it’s own goods. This allows for the country to have good foreign relations, improving their international status. The United States, however, tends to limit its trade with certain countries due to conflicts such as the events of September 11. I believe that if the United States did not impose such embargoes, their foreign relations would improve. After all, the media never shows a rioting mob burning a Canadian flag.
In recent times, Canada has reduced the amount of natural resources that it has exported. This used to be it’s key source of income, but they have now changed their major exports to services. I believe that Canada is finally realizing the drastic effects that ‘using up’ your natural resources can have on the environment. Canada does still have a lot of natural resources left, but the fact still remains that they have destroyed many natural habitats and exploited the use of natural resources without considering the future. I believe that the United States has managed its natural resources much better, considering importing before destroying. This has enabled the US to maintain a more environmental perspective on its economy, allowing it conserve its natural habitats and maintain the foresight of the disastrous effects of ‘using up’ its natural resources.
Reference Page
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, 2002. About the G8.
http://www.g8.gc.ca/comon/inen.asp
Microsoft Encarta Dictionary 1999 (CD-ROM). ‘Canada’.
Copyright 1993-1998, Microsoft Corporation
Statistics Canada, ‘GDP’. Statistics Canada: Ottawa, 2002
http://www.statcan.ca/
Government of Canada, ‘Parliament’. Communication Canada: Ottawa, 2002
http://canada.gc.ca/

Well thats the paper...argh that took a while, its not that good either. Oh well, at least I got it done. Heres a rad link I'm going to add to my links...found it via Bryan's away message. YAY!

posted by Adam @ 12:21 PM Comments: 0