Canadian Globalization Essay

Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan once said that the valet de chambre is becoming much and more(prenominal) akin a orbiculate village, individually community part of an increasingly coordinated society that stretches across matter boundaries (6). Although he was talking ab knocked out(p) the character of new media in this change, he also was probably talking closely the growing economic relate that come with worldwideisation. Globalization is a mental run that offers both the opportunity for a better be and the risk of destroying topical anaesthetic communities, regional cultures, and replete(p) instinctive environments.Over the kick the bucket century, globalisation has become a major loss in politics, environmental studies, and economics, touching every corner of earthly concern as corporations spread. But Globalization is a broad term that does non needs mean wizard single thing. It usually describes the increasing interconnectedness of economies, policy-making institutions, and individuals as the result of conference, transportation, and goods provided by multi depicted object corporations. As Justin Ervin and Zachary Smith outline it, Globalization can now be seen as a work that shrinks the world as human inter sue thickens (4).The effects of globalization ar neither good nor bad there ar costs and avails as with around things in life. What is certain is that no nation on earth has non yet mat the effects of globalization. One nation that has been curiously involved in and affected by globalization is Canada. Canada is a nation lots overshadowed by its economically dominant southern neighbor, the join States. As the world continues to globalize, Canadas role in this expansion is becoming increasingly definitive, and whether it will accept globalization all or continue to protest is a major point of hand.Canada has both embraced and rejected globalization legion(predicate) of its corporations embrace it as a means of expanding, but galore(postnominal) of Canadas people fear the effects of globalization on local culture, the economy, and the environment. For Canada, globalization has brought both economic brandishity and a series of cultural and environmental hassles. In an address to the Richard Ivey School of phone line at the University of Western Ontario, Wayne G. Wouters, work of the Privy council and Secretary to the Cabinet, there are five dimensions to globalization. First, global upper-case letter markets now ruly operate 24/7 and perturbations in one country or sector may now be snarl both near and far. Globalization has made business both sprightly in time and geographically broad. Second, there are now global deliver chains where products are made and shipped all across the globe. What started out as outsourcing in the 1980s became off-shoring in the 1990s, and now is cal take the global supply chain. Third, there is the globalization of information, an interconn ected ne dickensrk of media and communication. Fourth, globalization raises environmental concerns.Last, there is what Wouters calls the globalization of insecurity, the idea that the future is til now more uncertain in a world where everything is connected and nonhing is stable for long. These dimensions highlight that globalization is seen in Canada as both a force for good and a problem. Throughout its history Canada has had strong ties to Europe and later to the unite States. As part of the British Empire it was an important source of natural resources much(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) as timber and ores. In recent decades, the Canadian oil industry has become increasingly important as well.Canada has the third outsizedst oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela (Lewis and Moor). Other industries such as technology, chemicals, and manufacturing continue to make Canada a major player in the world economy. But what does the continued growth of Canadi an industry and its own intimacy with globalization do to its regional cultures? How is Canadian identity affected by the spread of products and ideas from inter guinea pig corporations? How can Canada embrace globalization without sacrificing its natural and national resources?All of these questions are important when we look at the role of Canada on the global stage. Most importantly, it must be rightly remembered that the effects of globalization on Canada are not entirely beneficial or entirely damaging, demonstrating that globalization is both an agent of positive change and potential dangers. As a European colony founded mainly for trade, you great power say that Canada has forever been global. It has attracted people from all over the world . It was only in the mid-twenties that the US finally replaced Britain as the leading provider of external investiture in Canada (Azzi).As David Lewis and Karl Moor note, tariffs and high taxes kept Canada relatively obscure as f ar as multinational trade goes until after terra firma War II. In 1947 the General parallelism on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) subject up the Canadian economy by reducing tariffs and taxes on imports and exports. fit to Azzi and also to Ervin and Smith (19), this led directly to the growth of Canadas planetary presence as a major worldwide economy. Later actions such as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US in 1989 led to more economic success (Azzi).This contributed to the fact that in 2012 Canada had $481. 7 one thousand million in exports, the eleventh or so of any country, although most of these exports are bought by the United States. more recently, Canada prospered through the 1990s and early 2000s. Then, after a 12 family surplus, Canada struggled in 2008 when the world economy started to decline. But Canadian banks came out of the crisis pretty well. In fact, according to the CIA Factbook, Canadian banks emerged from the financial crises of 2008-09 among the stron gest in the world. Canada also has one of the worlds sizeablest economies, valued at $1. 5 trillion dollars annually.A recent report by Mark Carney, the regulator of the Bank of Canada, notes that globalization has been a generally positive force for Canada. He says that hundreds of millions of people have already been lifted out of poverty, with the real potential for hundreds of millions more to share their destiny. Carney points to Canadas current participation in globalization as part of the nations second longest expansion, which he compares to the Roman Empire and the Industrial Revolution.Carney sees the trends toward better growth, such as the duplicate of the Canadian labor force by 2050, as supports that Canada will prosper at home and abroad. Canada remains a powerhouse on the worldwide stage. Stephen Azzi calls Canada one of the most globally integrated countries in the world. It belongs to 14 supranational organizations, second only to the US, which is a member of 15 (Azzi). This has led to successfulness and change magnitude influence on the world stage. Globalization provides many another(prenominal) benefits for Canada as a whole.For example, Canada enjoys the second highest streamer of living in the G-8, and the eighth highest standard of living overall (CIA Factbook). Canadians enjoy access to products from around the world, travel frequently, and impertinent trade has increase the overall prosperity of Canada. This is especially true for its businesses. Canadian corporations are becoming more and more international over the last three decades, as recent studies have shown. In one The Russell Reynolds Associates conducted a survey to see how Canadian companies were adapting to the new global economy.The results showed in the report, A creative activity of Experience The Globalization of Canadian Corporate Leadership, suggests that Canadian companies are getting significantly more global at both the abstract and bottom of their l evels. The Reynolds study took CEOs from Canadas 100 largest corporations. It then measured how untold international experience each of these executives had. According to the results the percentage of Canadian CEOs with international work experience rapidly increase between 1987 and 2007.What is even more inte detaining is that more and more Canadian CEOs are getting their international experience in countries other than the United States and Europe. This is a sure sign that Canadian companies are moving forward with a global horizon in mind. They are led by executives who understand that the world is interconnected now by webs of global supply (Reynolds). From Russell Reynolds and Associates Study 1987-2007 The Reynolds Report suggested that the benefits of participate in global markets are many.Their study also shows the importance of being able to trade internationally, since Canada is actively trying to become more global economically. It is especially important for Canada to look to the United States, one of the worlds most globalized economies. There has been a good deal of government action on both sides that have further globalized Canada. For example, the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was ratified in 1988, causing Canadas business scene to change. new markets opened up and more trade connections were expanded than ever before. later on the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the asylum of the World Trade Organization in 1995 (WTO) built Canadas role even further. According to Stephen Azzi, Canadas role in the WTO has made it an important part of other large international financial organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. One of the main questions about globalization in Canada is how it strengthens the countrys connection with the United States. As the United States became one of the forefronters of globalization, Canada was also close behind.The expansion of the C anadian and global economies and the growth of emerging markets in developing nations improved trade and displace investment barriers so that Canadian money could flow across the globe. Business was booming. Canadian firms began selling their products to other countries and creating global supply chains and contracts. Canadian companies also got access to lower-cost raw materials and cheaper labor.Even when foreign firms entered Canadas markets which increased the competition faced by domestic firms By 2007, Canadas foreign imports and exports equaled 62 percent of its GDP, compared with only 43 percent in 1987. When Canadian firms started selling their companies and products to globally recongnized and international countries, the competetion increased making others more drug-addicted on Canada. The entire Canadian economy grew as a result. A recent CBS News report at the Summit of the Americas, What is Globalization? (March 30, 2006) discussed the debate over what globalizatio n means in different places. Canada was an early shoplifter of trade and investment liberalization and remains so today. More than 40 per cent of the countrys economy depends directly on trade.The Canadian government thinks expanding trade and international investment is vital to the economy, but not everyone agrees. The definition of globalization from an anti-globalization group known as Anti-Marketing says globalization is the process of exploiting economically weak countries by connecting the economies of the world, forcing dependence on (and ultimately servility to) the western capitalist machine. However, the report did not say that globalization did not have its fair share of problems. It pointed to problems of higher unemployment, lowered health flush and decreased safety standards.It also pointed to the lower environmental apology standards, fiddling effective government as corporations have more power, and less protection for developing industries and countries. Glob alization can also provide easier communications collectable to improved technologies. This allows Canadian corporations to set up manufacturing plants in newly industrializing economies like China, India or Latin America where costs of production are lower. Although this often lowers the prices of goods, this also private roads local Canadians to lose their jobs, resulting in discontentment, resentment, and loss in agency in the Canadian government.Labor groups also dislike this effect of globalization. very much strikes and riots will be organized as the economy further suffers as companies continue to export jobs overseas. This problem is one that is both social and economic as local workers blame their economic problems on the outsourcing of labor. Worldwide communication also affects daily life in Canada. Canada is extremely well-connected to the rest of the world. According to Azzi, the average Canadian spends more than 500 minutes per year on international telephone calls . This communication goes beyond technology such as phones and internet.Canadians are also avid travelers. Canada has the forth most airports in the world (CIA Factbook). This increases the exchange of goods and ideas, making Canada a real hub. Of course, globalization has not met with universal acceptance. In his article Globalization is Killing Canada Fight for Your Freedom, capital of Minnesota Hellyer, Canadas fountain Deputy Prime Minister, makes an argument against globalization. Hellyer sees globalization as part of the reason why Canadian values are disappearance and Canadian independence is being affrightened.Hellyer even sees globalization as a threat to Canadas sovereignty, saying that Canadian values are go away rapidly as we lose our independence and our sovereignty. He believes Canada is losing control of its most important industries and losing its most exciting and challenging jobs as companies decease their furnish to other parts of the world. Hellyer claims Canada has become a victim of globalization, a process that is good for two to five percent of the worlds richest and most powerful people. It is bad for the vast majority.Global cooperation is essential for protecting oceans, ozone global warming but the relentless drive on the part of multinational corporations and international banks to take over governance of the world for their own benefit has to stop before its too late. Mr. Hellyer details the history of Canadian globalization and sees that foreign companies are increasingly more powerful at bottom Canada. He specifically points to Nafta as a treaty that granted US and Mexican investors greater rights in Canada than Canadian citizens enjoy.Hellyer sees this as very problematic, and his title of respect gives out his position on the matter. Even if he does think that it is killing Canada, Hellyer does not write off globalization entirely. In fact, he sees many positive things can come out of international cooperation. For example, he sees a need for countries to cooperate in order to restore the environment to its former glory. But Hellyer sees international corporations as more of a threat. He for sure fears the environmental effects of globalization, but he also seems to see that corporations might be the most appropriate way to repair the environment.Stephen Azzi sees similar problems, noting that the two major problems with globalization for Canada are an increased reliance on foreign economies and a greater dependence on the US. Azzi states that early attempts to broaden global trade ended up strengthening American commerical interests but not other nations. It is seen as a problem by many Canadians, and many viewed multilateral trade agreements as a way of offsetting the influence of the US. This problem is hard to ignore. Three quarters of all Canadian exports go to the United States (CIA Factbook).The resistance to globalization became most vocal in the 1960s and 70s. chauvinistic movement s in Canada saw globalization as a threat to national identity. There were protests by Canadians who were afraid that globalization might erase their local cultures and destroy the environment. The government took some actions to crowd Canadian identity. One was the Canadian government establishing content quotas for radio and television and benefits for Canadian publications (Azzi). This was to promote Canadian media instead of being overwhelmed by American and British television, film, and publications.But this had little overall effect. Even when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau tried to promote the Foreign Investment Review Agency in 1974 and the Third pickax program to reduce economic and social dependence on the United States, there was little change. Canada stayed watching American programs and buying American products. More recently, Canadians have been involved in widespread opposition to globalization. At the 1999 World Trade Organization Summit in Seattle, many Canadians w ere involved in the protests.These protests turned violent, but led to international recognition that globalization had opponents even in a globalized country like Canada. At the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City there were similar protests. Canadian protesters felt that the country was move into the hands of international corporations, particularly American ones. Instead of promoting regional cultures, these protesters felt that there was a global monoculture . . . increasingly destroying local traditions (Hellyer). That is the main threat to Canadian locals. Globalization in the past century has led to the increased exposure of Canada to the world.This has sometimes brought globalization into the news as a cause of social problems, especially immigration. Chain migration takes place in Canada, bringing large numbers of foreign migrants into the country. Although migrants can make a positive voice to Canadas economy, they can, on the other hand, work against the Canadian society by increasing the social tension between Canadian locals and foreigner migrants. For example, in the city of Richmond in the Vancouver metropolitan area, there are large numbers of Asian migrants and social tension between groups.Migrants also arrest with Canadians for the same jobs. But population movement is made even more intense by improved transportation. It is significantly easier in recent historic period for families to relocate and for goods to be shipped from various countries around the world. The major effect of this increased interconnectedness is that populations have become highly mobile. People are not constrained to remain in a single place for their entire life but rather are now able to move about, often following multinational corporations for whom they work.