Where is canada going?

[Kakato]

So, did you have a suggestion for the list?

No.just pointing out where we would lose to China,We export about 96% of our coal to China,it keeps many people working in B.C.
You tell them were going to stop importing their cheap goods and making them ourselves then they will just stop sending boats for our coal putting thousands upon thousands out of work.
They have done it before and they will do it again.
We dont have a lot of pull when it comes to trade with China,they pull the strings.
And as long as peeps shop at Wally world then they contribute to this.

You dont see "made in Canada" on many products these days,just "assembled in Canada".

 

[petros]

For # 9 We really really lack R&D. Research funding has all but disappeared.

 

[countryboy]

For # 9 We really really lack R&D. Research funding has all but disappeared.

Yeah, it seems to be one of our weaknesses. Which kind of R & D do you think would be most important? (In what field...)

 

[petros]

All of them.

 

[countryboy]

All of them.

Woo, that's a big bite. Pretty hard to deal with though. There must be one or two that spring to mind....please?

 

[petros]

It is a big bite indeed but a big bite was lost over the past 40 some years and now we're left with crumbs. We used to have one hell of an aerospace and aviation industry, medical research, nuclear development, ship works, electronics,.

We have a half decent nano-tech lab through NINT but the physicists working there are all imports (great guys to drink with and no martin you ARE NOT god no matter that the tequila worm says).

Since we are now resource based more than ever a half decent mining technology center would be wise. Our silviculture disappeared in the 90's. NRC needs a complete revamping and upgrade. I'd really like an automobile that was made for our climate and bone rattling infrastructure.

How about a high speed rail system that used as much solar and wind energy as possible to run?

Geofreakinthermal on a mass scale. Most of the prairie cities sit atop a subterranean salt sea. Tapping into that would mean cheap extremely efficient heating. Not to mention ice free roads which would never be damaged by frost.

Same goes for the West coast. The geothermal potential of the seductive plates inland and offshore. There is no excuse for piss ant countries like Iceland and Malaysia leading the way in the technology.

Is that enough for #9?

and finally #10.

ELIMINATE ALL SENSELESS WASTE!

 

[VanIsle]

Wow! Tough guy tonight! As Cliff would say - you sure seem to have your nickers in a knot!!!

 

[Kakato]

Geothermal-We used to laugh one of the guys at the mine who quit his job after 20 years and got into the geothermal bussiness.
Now he's laughing all the way to the bank.
Alberta's just starting to crack into this field and it has excellent potential.
AGEA Members - Alberta Geothermal Energy Association

 

[darkbeaver]

As long as the present economic stewards are allowed free reign we can forget any benevolent improvements with the possible exception of cheezeburger technology. Any possible way to stuff more lard soaked rotten meat and freak potatoes into us will be chased with vigor. Pass the ketchup please.

 

[countryboy]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A LIST!

Petros weighed in with a long list of very interesting suggestions for our list, and now we've gone over the target number of 10. Here's what it looks like...

LIST UPDATE, Revision 05:

1. Environmental Management Industry (name being discussed)
2. Farming & Food (Non-industrial)
3. Furniture Manufacturing
4. Alternative Power
5. Alternative Medicine
6. Clothing
7. Footwear
8. Deep Sea Technologies
9. Aerospace & Aviation Industry
10. Nano Technology
11. Mining (Techology / Research Centre)
12. High Speed Rail System (Energy efficient)
13. Silviculture
14. GeoThermal Industry (Heating)

I may have missed something here, so please feel free to correct the list. At this point, it's a very exciting list of industries and areas for improvements. If we overlay all of them with an emphasis on environmental and energy conservation/efficieny, it begins to look like something Canada could use to build a bright future.

Let's mull it over a bit during the holidays. I have to take a break for a bit of travel, but will get back on it very soon...Thanks to all for the input - it was really great to see such great ideas from our great posters!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season!

 

[AnnaG]

It is a big bite indeed but a big bite was lost over the past 40 some years and now we're left with crumbs. We used to have one hell of an aerospace and aviation industry, medical research, nuclear development, ship works, electronics,.

We have a half decent nano-tech lab through NINT but the physicists working there are all imports (great guys to drink with and no martin you ARE NOT god no matter that the tequila worm says).

Since we are now resource based more than ever a half decent mining technology center would be wise. Our silviculture disappeared in the 90's. NRC needs a complete revamping and upgrade. I'd really like an automobile that was made for our climate and bone rattling infrastructure.

How about a high speed rail system that used as much solar and wind energy as possible to run?

Geofreakinthermal on a mass scale. Most of the prairie cities sit atop a subterranean salt sea. Tapping into that would mean cheap extremely efficient heating. Not to mention ice free roads which would never be damaged by frost.

Same goes for the West coast. The geothermal potential of the seductive plates inland and offshore. There is no excuse for piss ant countries like Iceland and Malaysia leading the way in the technology.

Is that enough for #9?

Awesome stuff, Pet.

and finally #10.

ELIMINATE ALL SENSELESS WASTE!

ooops There goes Ottawa.

 

[countryboy]

Awesome stuff, Pet.

ooops There goes Ottawa.

...which appears to have become our biggest "industry!" :lol:

 

[Liberalman]

Good topic CB

Canada needs to get back in the manufacturing business so everyone can have jobs and trades.

The Conservative government has been busy in the past couple of years making trade agreements with different countries so we don’t have to solely rely on America.

We seem to be selling our resources to other countries so they can make products and sell it back to us at a higher price.

If Canada manufactured their own products from the resources that this country has then all the money can stay in Canada and all taxpayers benefit.

This country has to manufacture everything from clothes to shoes to consumer and industrial goods and sell it to other countries.

If we don’t do this then we, as a country will always be vulnerable to the global economic shifts.

 

[L Gilbert]

Until we get the idea of looking ahead into the dense skulls of those morons we elect, Canada won't be going very many places.

 

[lone wolf]

Until we get the idea of looking ahead into the dense skulls of those morons we elect, Canada won't be going very many places.

That's where you see the Made in Canada label. It's printed inside those dense skulls. Eyes truly ARE the windows....

 

[jjaycee98]

If you have children that throw their Candy wrappers on the ground, you should not be trying to tell the rest of us about the importance of saving the Environment.
Just home from a Christmas visit to the coast. Discusting roadside trash everywhere!

 

[countryboy]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A LIST!

Petros weighed in with a long list of very interesting suggestions for our list, and now we've gone over the target number of 10. Here's what it looks like...

LIST UPDATE, Revision 05:

1. Environmental Management Industry (name being discussed)
2. Farming & Food (Non-industrial)
3. Furniture Manufacturing
4. Alternative Power
5. Alternative Medicine
6. Clothing
7. Footwear
8. Deep Sea Technologies
9. Aerospace & Aviation Industry
10. Nano Technology
11. Mining (Techology / Research Centre)
12. High Speed Rail System (Energy efficient)
13. Silviculture
14. GeoThermal Industry (Heating)

I may have missed something here, so please feel free to correct the list. At this point, it's a very exciting list of industries and areas for improvements. If we overlay all of them with an emphasis on environmental and energy conservation/efficieny, it begins to look like something Canada could use to build a bright future.

Let's mull it over a bit during the holidays. I have to take a break for a bit of travel, but will get back on it very soon...Thanks to all for the input - it was really great to see such great ideas from our great posters!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season!

Well, this did turn into an interesting list of opportunities that “we” think could and should be Canada's areas of opportunities for a sustainable future.


As the old expression goes, “If you're going to eat an elephant, it's best to do it one bite at a time.” In this case, it might make sense to break our list down into smaller pieces to make it more understandable.


Let's take a quick look at No. 1...We changed the name from “Green” to Environmental Management Industry. My own thought is that it could include a wide variety of industries or businesses focused on keeping the environment clean. In some cases, the products or services generated by any businesses under this “umbrella” could be sold to businesses within Canada and outside the country to help them produce whatever they make, cleaner and cheaper than they do it now.


So how about something like this, as a start?...


Environmental Management Industry
Total consumer products recycling systems
Commercial products recycling systems (non manufacturing industries)
Industrial products/byproducts recycling systems (manufacturing industries)

Can you think of more types of businesses that would fall under this category?

 

[countryboy]

Here's an email that I sent to Tony Clement, Minister of Industry with a copy to Prime Minister Stephen Harper today...I'll post any reply that comes my way (if that happens)...

Dear Minister Clement:

I belong to an online forum called "Canadian Content" at http://forums.canadiancontent.net . This is a forum where members are free to post new topics and discuss them. Currently, this forum has 37,834 members. Late in 2009, we began to discuss a topic entitled "Where Is Canada Going?", and the opening post was:

We hear a lot from ourselves about how wonderful Canada is, and how many nice people we have, what a nice place we have here, and so on...all very good and much of it likely true.

But, do we know where we're going as we forge ahead into the future? As a country, do we have a plan to sustain ourselves with a focus on anything in particular? Something we can all get behind and support? Something that could benefit us, the citizens, and perhaps the whole world?

To give this a bit more meaning, let's go back in time to a different place for a thought-starter. In the late 50s, a number of large companies in Japan got together and formed a sort of "national industrial strategy" to become the best in the world in at least 2 fields - electronics and automobiles. From those humble beginnings emerged the giants of industry that we all know today...companies like Toyota, Nissan, Sony, Matsu****a (Panasonic, Pioneer, and many other brand names) and others. It was a plan and they implemented it rather well, according to the results.

What is in Canada's plan? Do we have one? Should we have one? Are there things you think we should be focusing on to help us build a bright, economically-sound future for our children and grandchildren?

Any ideas?

It didn't take long for members across Canada to jump in and offer a very impressive list of industries that they felt Canada should pursue, with government encouragement and support. The industries include some traditional (footwear) and some "leading edge" (Environmental Management Industry), and we didn't go into great detail as it was essentially a simple brainstorming exercise. Here is the list:

1. Environmental Management Industry (name being discussed)
2. Farming & Food (Non-industrial)
3. Furniture Manufacturing
4. Alternative Power
5. Alternative Medicine
6. Clothing
7. Footwear
8. Deep Sea Technologies
9. Aerospace & Aviation Industry
10. Nano Technology
11. Mining (Techology / Research Centre)
12. High Speed Rail System (Energy efficient)
13. Silviculture
14. GeoThermal Industry (Heating)

I am forwarding this list to you as input from a broad cross-section of Canadians with no affiliation with any particular industry or interest, other than a desire to see Canada follow a direction of economic success and sustainability into the future. I am curious to see how our list might fit with any economic/industrial development priorities currently being followed by the Canadian government.

With your permission, I would like to be able to post your reply to this input on the forum so that all the members can enjoy some feedback and gain some insight into how Canada defines what is important to our economic future.

Thank you for your attention and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Signed and sent February 6, 2010

 

[Mowich]

It will be interesting to see how Tony Clement responds to your letter. We will know if he took us seriously when the buget comes out. I would look for more investment in science and technology as a hopeful sign.

Great idea, by the way.

 

[countryboy]

It will be interesting to see how Tony Clement responds to your letter. We will know if he took us seriously when the buget comes out. I would look for more investment in science and technology as a hopeful sign.

Great idea, by the way.

Yes, it will be interesting to see what reply might be forthcoming, if any. I suspect if there is one, it'll be some "boilerplate" stuff (aka a form letter) but you never know...