Laurier's famous prediction was just 100 years too early.
Allan Gotlieb, former Canadian ambassador to the United States, after reviweing the book The Canadian Century by Brian Crowley, Jason Clemens, and Niels Veldhuis, had this to say.

"It isn’t just that they have reminded Canadians of the remarkable vision and record of one of our greatest prime ministers, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and shown how his plan for Canada is as relevant and vital to us today as it was in his day..... What they have done is to go beyond each of these individual stories, weaving them together into a single comprehensive look at the opportunities that await Canada in the twenty-first century. In so doing they reveal something of the genius of Canada. We are neither a boastful nor a prideful people, but we think that we ought to do the right thing, even if it takes us a little while to figure out what that might be. And when we get the bit between our teeth, we see things through.....and they succeeded in reversing Canada's fortunes from self-imposed decline. And they did so creating one of the great fiscal and economic turnarounds the western world has seen in decades. Not a bad story for a country teetering on the brink, as the Wall Street Journal warned in 1995, of honorary membership in the Third World. Since Canadians put their shoulders to the wheel, then we enjoyed a long period of growth greater than all our friends in the other G7 countries and Canada became a destination for world leaders seeking guidance and advice on how to achieve for their own countries what Canadians did for themselves.

.....What none of us realised at the time, but the authors of this timely and thoughtful book eloquently show, is that we were not the originators of the comprehensive reform program we were unwittingly putting in place. That honour belongs to [i]Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the first French-Canadian Prime Minister and a man who saw perhaps better than anyone before or since, the boundless opportunity of Canada and knew just what was necessary to move the opportunity from promise to reality."
OK now. If anyone of you is interested in investing in what is fast becoming the new "Wunder kind" of the Western World, here is some reading to do first: Why Invest in Canada.

Federico wrote:OK now. If anyone of you is interested in investing in what is fast becoming tne new "Wunder kind" of the Western World, here is some reading to do first: Why Invest in Canada.

Canada has invested in me.

I reckon they might do well in a warmer climate.

Mister Agenda wrote:I reckon they might do well in a warmer climate.

The Whitehorse and Iqualuit have summer highs of around 30 degrees Celcius. Whitehorse goes as high as 35. This week in Eastern Canada it seems to be around 40 Celcius with the humidity. The winters are cold, but the summers are hot.

Kazaman wrote:

Mister Agenda wrote:I reckon they might do well in a warmer climate.

The Whitehorse and Iqualuit have summer highs of around 30 degrees Celcius. Whitehorse goes as high as 35. This week in Eastern Canada it seems to be around 40 Celcius with the humidity. The winters are cold, but the summers are hot.

You are absolutely right, Kazaman. But there is a small problem with the seasons of Eastern Canada:
The summers last one-two months at a maximum. All the rest is winter.
"Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays c'est l'hiver, mon pays ce n'est pas un pays c'est la neige..."(Gilles Vigneault).

Nonsense, we've had summer temperatures here since May and they normally last until October.

It all depends on what you consider "summer temperatures".
But I notice your age is 16. Then your blood runs faster than mine.

No. Forget about it. A Canadian century is not possible. Its land is great, if perhaps not of an ideal geographic location, but its population is way too small for it to become a supoerpower.

Hugin wrote:No. Forget about it. A Canadian century is not possible. Its land is great, if perhaps not of an ideal geographic location, but its population is way too small for it to become a supoerpower.

It was never a question of Canada becoming a super power in the mind of Sir Wilfrid Laurier: Canada never was and I hope will never be a militaristic Nation. But rather -- as underlined by Allan Gotlieb, former Canadian ambassador to the United States -- " [Canadians].... succeeded in reversing Canada's fortunes from self-imposed decline. And they did so creating one of the great fiscal and economic turnarounds the western world has seen in decades. Not a bad story for a country teetering on the brink, as the Wall Street Journal warned in 1995, of honorary membership in the Third World. Since Canadians put their shoulders to the wheel, then we enjoyed a long period of growth greater than all our friends in the other G7 countries and Canada became a destination for world leaders seeking guidance and advice on how to achieve for their own countries what Canadians did for themselves"
It's true there are in this world richer, more populated, militarily much more powerful Countries than Canada (which, incidentally, has always refused to build and store Atomic Bombs, although fully capable of doing so at Chalk River). But it's rather through an amazing combination of untold natural riches, good economics, social justice, and free medical care for everybody, that Canada and Canadians have gained a measure of universal respect certainly unjustified by the modest military strength. Which has made the Country and its citizens the ideal choice for prestigious and important jobs, such as Louise Arbour who was, in turn, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal for Ontario and a former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda; and Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general. Dallaire is widely known for having served as Force Commander of UNAMIR, the ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, and for trying to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against Tutsis and Hutu moderates; and the decommissioning of Provisional IRA weaponry was monitored by Canadian General John de Chastelain's . And so on so forth.

In my panegyric of Canada, I incredibly forgot to mention its generosity in providing matériel and especially human lives for just causes, often above and beyond that of Countries twice as large.
As in Afghanistan where, as of August 31, 2010, there have been 1,985 coalition deaths of which 151 were from Canada, 332 from the UK, 49 from France, 47 from Germany, and 27 from Italy.

Almost 2 yers ago I wrote this piece of work for ourForum sustaining the prediction made by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the first Canadian Prime Minister, that Canada would play a very important role in the World scene in the 21t century.
Has his prediction been realized? In my very personal view YES and NO.

Lets examine briefly the arguments in favor of either conclusion, realizing at the same time that only a limited number of forumists might be interested in this subject compared to the large response to some other Threads of mine such as:
"Should the Denial of the Shoah be Considered a Crime?, " or: "Is Psychiatry Going Crazy?," or:"Are the Jews Genetically Different? "

If we reexamine the over optimistic opinion of Sir Laurier as related by Allan Gotlieb, former Canadian ambassador to the United States, we read:

"....the remarkable vision and record of one of our greatest prime ministers, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and..... his plan for Canada is as relevant and vital to us today as it was in his day......[Canadians] are neither a boastful nor a prideful people, but we think that we ought to do the right thing, even if it takes us a little while to figure out what that might be. And when we get the bit between our teeth, we see things through.....And they succeeded in reversing Canada's fortunes from self-imposed decline. And they did so creating one of the great fiscal and economic turnarounds the western world has seen in decades.....
....Since Canadians put their shoulders to the wheel, .... we enjoyed a long period of growth greater than all our friends in the other G7 countries and Canada became a destination for world leaders seeking guidance and advice on how to achieve for their own countries what Canadians did for themselves."Since Canadians put their shoulders to the wheel, then we enjoyed a long period of growth greater than all our friends in the other G7 countries and Canada became a destination for world leaders seeking guidance and advice on how to achieve for their own countries what Canadians did for themselves."

What most Canadians and even more Americans have by now forgotten is the little war they fought in 1812 for supremyacy in NA, as reminded by the Economistn the Jan 7th 2012 issue.
" CANADA and the United States started the new year by firing cannons at each other across the Niagara river, which separates the province of Ontario from the state of New York, leaving a whiff of gunpowder and politicking in the air. The guns at Fort George on the Canadian side and Old Fort Niagara on the American shore were replicas of those from the 1812 war between the two countries, and were loaded with blanks.

They fired the first salvo in what Canada’s government plans as a noisy 200th anniversary celebration of a largely forgotten war in which British redcoats, colonial militia and Indian allies stopped an American invasion (which Thomas Jefferson mistakenly predicted was “a mere matter of marching”) of what was then a sparsely populated string of colonies. “The heroic efforts of those who fought for our country in the War of 1812 tell the story of the Canada we know today: an independent and free country with a constitutional monarchy and its own distinct parliamentary system,” says James Moore, the minister of Canadian Heritage.
"The 1812 war did help to forge a common identity among disparate colonists, many of whom were Americans who had come north out of loyalty to the Crown or in search of cheap land. But the Indians did more to foil the American invasion than the Canadian militia, and the British reneged on a promise to reward them with land, according to Alan Taylor, a historian of the war. The Canadian side won mainly because the Americans were poorly led, supplied and organised. Both sides plundered and murdered civilians."

But nowadays, if we look at real dollars and cents, has Canada realized at least partly Laurier's dream of Canada becoming an ecnomic world leader?
Lets have a look at an article published in The Economist:"Canada's economy, Still safe and sound? Aug 10th 2011".

"The last time the global economy cooled off in a hurry, frigid Canada proved the best place to take shelter. Its tightly regulated banks had avoided subprime mortgages entirely, its housing market was reasonably valued and its sound public finances gave the government ample room for stimulus. Moreover, strong Asian demand for Canadian commodity exports had tied the country’s fortunes to the world’s fastest-growing economies. While the United States and Europe plunged deep into recession in 2008, Canada’s GDP barely shrunk at all. And when the recovery began the following year, Canada quickly returned to growth."

"Most of Canada’s economic advantages remain intact. Employment is higher now than it was when the current Conservative government took office in 2006. Its battle-tested financial system is a source of strength. The government has been cutting the budget deficit since the recovery began in an effort to return it to balance by 2015, making Canada one of the only rich countries capable of further Keynesian Most of Canada’s economic advantages remain intact. Employment is higher now than it was when the current Conservative government took office in 2006. Its battle-tested financial system is a source of strength. The government has been cutting the budget deficit since the recovery began in an effort to return it to balance by 2015, making Canada one of the only rich countries capable of further Keynesian."

"The biggest threat to Canada’s economy is its intrinsic vulnerability to the outside world. With a population of 30m, the country does not consume enough on its own to maintain output if foreign demand dries up: exports make up one-third of its GDP. “Canada is not an island,” Jim Flaherty, the finance minister, said earlier this week. “We are a trading nation.” The world’s rising economic tide has lifted Canada higher than most rich countries over the past decade. A falling one could pull it down nearly as far[/i].

There you have it almost all to make you own opinion and eventually asking fr a Canadian passport.

And here is another Thread which helps me make up my mind in my confused view of Canada.
And I have no intention of mentioning Michael Moore and his "Canadian bacon."

from south asia I must say, there is a positive vibe for canada with regards to racism and pluralism in my opinion.
So, GO CANADA!, also there is a new advanced physics institute there.

Here is a piece of good news which should make Canadians proud:

"WSJ says Canada beats U.S. (They’re not talking hockey)

This article has been written by Michael Babad for The Globe and Mail. I quote:

"...this week, the [WSJ] published an article headlined "Canada Beats America," with this deck: "And we don't mean in hockey. Try taxes, spending and energy."

"Not too many years ago, Americans could get away with cracking jokes about spendthrift Canada, its weak dollar and the long wait for MRIs," the Journal wrote. "These days, the joke is on Americans, as Canada's government has cleaned up its fiscal mess and focused on private economic growth."

"....Those many years ago came in the mid-1990s, when the same newspaper referred to Canada as "an honorary member of the Third World" and its currency as the "northern peso."

Times have clearly changed, according to the Journal.

It cited Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's most recent budget, and his promise to erase the deficit by 2015 without tax hikes, Canada's "better policies" that dodged a housing meltdown and Ottawa's treatment of Canadian resources as "national assets to be exploited."

So, Yankees, eat your heart ( or rather your Canadian bacon) out: We are now number one.

So, IOW, we're going to rape our natural resources and hasten the destruction of the planet in order to benefit the richest members of our society. Excuse me if my heart doesn't exactly burst with patriotic pride at that.

Timeline 2025: Canadian banks already have a good foothold in the US economy. It's only a matter of time before they gain dominant control and then powerful influence in government. While some US citizens will be alarmed, many more will be mildly accepting of the breath of fresh air which promises to sweep away some of the stale stench of corruption and economic decay.

Landrew wrote:Timeline 2025: Canadian banks already have a good foothold in the US economy. It's only a matter of time before they gain dominant control and then powerful influence in government. While some US citizens will be alarmed, many more will be mildly accepting of the breath of fresh air which promises to sweep away some of the stale stench of corruption and economic decay.

What seems to be overlooked is that the reason Canada escaped the 2008 recession relatively unscathed is that it resisted the pressures of the right wing to deregulate the banking and financial sector and allow it to act unfettered. This meant that we did not experience the booming growth the the US experienced for awhile, but it also meant we excaped the devastation that resulted when it became obvious this boom was based on widespread fraud. If the current gov't had been in power at the time, our fate may well have been the same as that of the US.

Or, it could be as simple as that we are lucky enough to have more oil than we can use ourselves.

Landrew wrote:Timeline 2025: Canadian banks already have a good foothold in the US economy. It's only a matter of time before they gain dominant control and then powerful influence in government. While some US citizens will be alarmed, many more will be mildly accepting of the breath of fresh air which promises to sweep away some of the stale stench of corruption and economic decay.

My bold. It pretty much sums up the current Conservative government. Most of the Cabinet including Flaherty are ex-Provincial conservatives from Ontario who did a great job screwing local economies by lowering provincial taxes though downloading of services to municipalities. Essentially, the Federal conservatives are still doing that by cutting social services communities depend upon. Just heard today that a program providing internet access to remote and poor communities has been cut. Their contribution to the $8,000,000 program -- just $650,000. The cost of a single high priced consultant working on a small study.

WSJ's article does little to analyze the conditions under which the current government has "earned" its favourable economic status as Shrunk notes above. This goes back to the Liberal government under Jean Chretien, and more particularly, his finance Minister Paul Martin who made some prudent decisions that the Conservatives have politically benefited from in the last decade and subsequently squandering.

Namely, the Liberals refused to let Canadian banks merge together in the 1990s and allow increased American investment. The banks complained that they couldn't increase their wealth --and as the can always goes, the wealth of average Canadians -- without doing so. The Liberals dug in their heels, with the banks, seriously complaining about "Canadians’ inability to understand the bankers’ point of view" -- cry me an effing river Cleghorn.

The Conservatives under Harper are squandering everything that makes Canada valuable. The first nail in the coffin was cutting the GST by 2% (a canadian VAT) that has contributed to the current fiscal shortfall that we now see getting slashed from critical social programs. That's a two dollar (!!) savings on a hundred dollar purchase that has in fact lead to cuts to social programs like the internet connectivity program mentioned above. We have a fiscal structural problem in this country and the supply side Cons are refusing to do anything significant about it.

If Canadians allow this government to reign (they are, after all treating it like their kingdom) we will find us in as dire a situation in the coming years as the Americans find themselves now.