Canada is below countries such as the United States, Britain and Germany in terms of productivity and competitiveness (and is just two places above basket-case France)....
Canada attacked for 'dwindling productivity'
May 23, 2007
The Toronto Star
Canada's global competitiveness continues to decline as weak productivity endangers the country's standard of living, says the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada, blaming low business investment, weak education and excessive regulation, along with "institutional corruption and inefficiency."
The CGA-Canada report released Wednesday notes that Canada's place on a global competitiveness index has fallen in four years to 16th from ninth.
What productivity growth the country has generated is due more to people working longer hours than working smarter, CGA-Canada says.
"Canada's dwindling productivity growth can be attributed to low rates of capital investment, weak investment in higher education, poor quality of math and science education at the secondary level, a reduction in employer-supported job training, barriers to private-public partnerships, restrictive government policies inhibiting the market openness of Canadian businesses, and the cost of complying with excessive regulations by small and medium-sized enterprises," stated Rock Lefebvre, CGA-Canada's vice-president of research.
"Institutional corruption and inefficiency, particularly within government, has also had a decidedly negative impact on productivity and competitiveness."
Lefebvre calls for investment in human capital by focusing on high-school mathematics and science skills, spending more on post-secondary education, and providing tax credits for employer-sponsored training.
The CGA-Canada study also urges that regulations surrounding public-private partnerships be reduced and simplified.
The accountants' group notes that politicians play an important role in competitiveness, and calls for increasing accountability and transparency in government, reducing the regulatory burden and easing foreign ownership restrictions "especially in the telecommunications industry."
Competitiveness - How Canada is compared (selected countries)
1) Switzerland
2) Finland
3) Sweden
6) United States
8 )Germany
10) Britain
12) Norway
15) Israel
16) Canada
18 ) France
28 ) Spain
42) Italy
www.thestar.com
http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm
Canada attacked for 'dwindling productivity'
May 23, 2007
The Toronto Star
Canada's global competitiveness continues to decline as weak productivity endangers the country's standard of living, says the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada, blaming low business investment, weak education and excessive regulation, along with "institutional corruption and inefficiency."
The CGA-Canada report released Wednesday notes that Canada's place on a global competitiveness index has fallen in four years to 16th from ninth.
What productivity growth the country has generated is due more to people working longer hours than working smarter, CGA-Canada says.
"Canada's dwindling productivity growth can be attributed to low rates of capital investment, weak investment in higher education, poor quality of math and science education at the secondary level, a reduction in employer-supported job training, barriers to private-public partnerships, restrictive government policies inhibiting the market openness of Canadian businesses, and the cost of complying with excessive regulations by small and medium-sized enterprises," stated Rock Lefebvre, CGA-Canada's vice-president of research.
"Institutional corruption and inefficiency, particularly within government, has also had a decidedly negative impact on productivity and competitiveness."
Lefebvre calls for investment in human capital by focusing on high-school mathematics and science skills, spending more on post-secondary education, and providing tax credits for employer-sponsored training.
The CGA-Canada study also urges that regulations surrounding public-private partnerships be reduced and simplified.
The accountants' group notes that politicians play an important role in competitiveness, and calls for increasing accountability and transparency in government, reducing the regulatory burden and easing foreign ownership restrictions "especially in the telecommunications industry."
Competitiveness - How Canada is compared (selected countries)
1) Switzerland
2) Finland
3) Sweden
6) United States
8 )Germany
10) Britain
12) Norway
15) Israel
16) Canada
18 ) France
28 ) Spain
42) Italy
www.thestar.com
http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm
