Political Economy of Canada from Various Perspectives - Essay Example

?Canadian history Political economy of Canada from various perspectives Introduction The most apparent aspect of the writings on the growth of Canadian political economy published over the past four decades presents the consistent growth which it shows as compared to the earlier array of analyses. What is possibly more amazing is the reality that a broad range of neo-Marxism inputs to the country’s political economy rationally perceives of their contribution as the reasonable zenith of the already understood multiculturalism nature of the society. This paper seeks to explore the various works of various authors in regard to their contribution to the effective political processes and economic emancipation in the country for the good of the common man. Canadian economy in few hands “The Trouble with Billionaires” seeks to explore the manner in which the Canadian traditions, the various government agencies, and the country’s economic sector has handed a few opportunistic individuals the opportunity to accumulate colossal amount wealth and influence to the detriment of the mainstream population, who continue to live without adequate resources. The author makes a persuasive account that economic disparity tops the list of the gravest challenges facing Canada1. This serious affects the social wellbeing of the common man in the country by offering the wealthier a direct ticket to prosperity and dominance. The poor have nothing to celebrate as they are forced to toil, but take home peanuts. Canada follows US aggressive foreign policy This literary work indicates that as the United States adopted a militaristic attitude under former President George Bush, the Canadian political system took cue and acted in a similar way. As a result, the country strayed away from its usual role peacekeeping qualities, and instead espoused a tougher foreign policy stance, with military intervention taking center-stage. The country took a more active role in Afghanistan, helping the United States to fight terrorist suspects in the Middle East. The government has also strayed away from its previous middle-ground stance on key international disputes, especially in the Middle East region2. Further, Ottawa has joined its superior neighbor, the United States in spearheading obstructionist efforts across the world to stem the global problem of climate change. Canadian capitalism This book provides precise evaluation capitalism in Canada. The writers explore the impact of the fundamental tenets of the system to Canadian government, and punching holes in the system by highlighting its significant failures. The literature offers an account of the current political and economic growth, the amount of wealth in private hands, and the austerity measures implemented by the government to reduce the economic slump in the country. This comes in the wake of political pluralism in Canada. McBride and Whiteside conclude that, even though since 1980, when neoliberal practices formed the basis of government policies in the country, the political economy weathered recurrent economic crises3. This is manifest in policies meant to elimination of the welfare state, the empowerment of the private sector and the input of the state on economic issues and liberalized market has led the country to political and economic prosperity. Participation of Canada in the WTO This book is the first of it kind in terms of looking into the link between the World Trade Organization's (WTO) and Canada, regarding the search for political economy solutions in the global context. Froese goes ahead by analyzing the veracity of these objectives through various dispute resolution case studies involving various goods. These include; softwood lumber, Bombardier regional jets, the Canadian Wheat Board and Canadian pharmaceutical patents, and split-run publications4. In light of this, the author manages to provide details of how the international resolutions impact Canadian policies, industrial sector, and the job market. Further the author presents information on how the international community can be prevailed upon to safeguard the national interest of Canada. In a nutshell, “Canada at the WTO” provides an overview of both sides of the participation of Canada within the international community and the positive role that WTO plays to enhance the country’s political economy. Labor issues in Canada Errol Black and Jim Silver offer an account of the ambitious nature of labor relations in Canada. The authors explain the manner in which unions operate; their scope of work and the prevailing conditions in which they carry out their operations. The literature delves in a number of the negative labels about labor organizations, and offers solutions to a number of the more serious problems that unions are forced to grapple with such as challenging economic conditions, human rights issues, stringent government policies and austerity measures, which affect employees5. The book provides comprehensive political and chronological evaluation of the society, encompassing almost all the fundamental issues such as hypotheses about the labor organizations, collective agreements, organizing, equality, complaints, politics, past and future problems affecting workers. Effect of corporate entities on Canada’s democracy The few wealthy have historically been asked to take charge at a business level to shape economic policies in Canada, at all levels. This has, however, come at a price for the ordinary man. Regardless, this book reveals the increasing scope of the influential few and their intrusion into the other sectors of the economy as a new opportunity to dominate the society by consolidating their wealth and influence. Covering the increasingly solid and class-conscious predilections of the elite, this book reveals how the small group continues to thrive, dictate, and pressure Canadian democratic structures through several methods such as occupying positions of influence in the corporate sector; more ownership of wealth; manipulation of the public avenues of communication; and the several corporate think tanks, charity and corporate bodies in charge of policy formulation. The citizenry are urged to rise up and dismantle the networks of the few wealthy and influential people6. Canada's lack of media freedom The current Aspers that owns the largest media house in Canada uses its influence to shape public opinion in their favor. Asper Nation offers lessons in regard to why Canadians need to be wary about the contribution of the state’s main news media, in political circles. Izzy Asper, an influential figure in the organization was a strange politician in the second half of the twentieth century. Economically, Asper was affiliated to the right-wing of the Conservatives of the 1970s. As a popular newspaper columnist, whose pieces were read across the nation, he advocated for constant tax and conservative social welfare policies. As an articulate journalist, he contributed toward the thwarting a program aimed to include business organizations rather than the middle-class group, in the fight against tax burden in the country7. The author indicates that the media house has negatively influenced free speech in the country. The secret 1959 Avro arrow that never was The emergence of the Avro Arrow project in Canada was widely believed to be the key milestone in the country’s aviation history. The mysterious annulment of the project in the early 1959 raised major security issues that have never been sorted out for more than five decades. Most important among these national security issues is the probable contribution of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the termination of the venture. Also unclear is who in the government circles took part in the cancellation of the initiative; what the Canadian society got in return; the key person(s) who sanctioned the destroying of the project archetypes; and whether the Arrow technology was taken up by the United States. Notably, the publication of the literature in the early 1990s raised major concerns relating to the national security8. Issues such as the poor design, and inflated costs were among factors that had touched off the cancellation of the Arrow. Impact of Canada’s Nuclear System Jim Harding explores the controversies surrounding Saskatchewan’s uranium mining project, and exposes the negative repercussions it would have on the rights of the natives as well as on the ecology. The project would also take toll on the liberal Canadian market. The author avers nuclear energy is not the panacea to the problem of climate change, emphasizing that an atom is never safe for life. In light of this, the maintenance of the chemical plant and the disposal of the nuclear wastes would undeniably impact the peaceful existence of animals, especially humans9. Nuclear plants should be established in remote lands, but the increasing Canadian population has led to the occupation of most idle land, hence the vulnerability of large populations to environmental pollution. Canadian imperialism The Canadian government has been in the recent past steered clear of the phantom likeness as a diplomatic power in the North America and adopted a more aggressive stance as the foreign policy. This picture completely is manifest in the militaristic response of Canada, which today supports for government overthrows, incursions and occupations. The country’s participation in Afghanistan, which has lasted more than one decade, is enough evidence to reinforce this argument. Gordon provides an account of the manner in which multinational companies established in the country maintain unfair relations with the United States, with the Canadian government throwing its weight behind them10. He also exposes the persistent regal empire-building initiatives of denying locals of their resources not only in the country but across the world. Economic impacts of Tar sands In Tar Sands, the author provides a meticulous evaluation of the frenzied growth of the tar sands and the long-term impacts on the entire North America. The publication indicates that Bitumen, the viscous substance that the olden man used to build the Tower of Babel, is the most valuable hydrocarbon on earth. This valuable resource has led to major economic transformation of Canada as it is the leading exporter of crude oil to her southern neighbor. Most big multinationals now own a share of the Alberta resource11. On the contrary, Nikiforuk provides an account of the devastating ecological, social, and political problems the tar sands present, emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift of policy to protect the national values and resources. Energy privatization in Canada Taking a critical look against the reverting of energy companies and to the private sector, the author provides an exceptional account of the manner in which the effective public organization of energy in British Columbia is being replaced, making the citizenry more susceptible to fluctuations in the energy market as witnessed in the United States. The integration of British Columbia's energy sector into the privately-owned Northwest grid; this research indicates how Canada has contributed immensely toward the enrichment of energy investors in British Columbia12. This, however, is viewed as a wrong step in the government’s effort to provide sustainable and affordable energy in the province. Role of NAFTA after September 11 attacks in the US The events that followed the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States arguably led to the literal dissolution of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The organization has not come out in the open to speak about major issues facing the region as the European Union does. Clarkson's thorough research of the several issues revolving around political economy among the United States, Canada and Mexico, provides a deep insight into the economic phenomena facing the region13. The work exposes a paradigm shift of trade policies, which were replaced with security policies by Canada in an effort to bring to avoid a recurrence of the terror attacks14. Canadian Politics Canada is an important member of the English-speaking countries of the West, as its government structured is highly shaped by both the American and British cultures. The Canadian relations with the better economies is therefore, cordial and more les the same to ‘sister’ countries. The “Canadian Politics” literature offers a rarely accessible account of government operations and the ideology of political parties in the countries15. The text offers appropriate evaluation of the voice of women, the native communities, French, and new ethnicities in the country. It also goes a great length to address the issues related to social class, and the link between the fact and government debt. Important social issues such as communication channels, civic opinion polls, election budgets, and voting patterns are also tackled in the text16. Conclusion Generally, Canada’s political economy has been impacted differently by both internal and the external factors prevailing in the North American region. Several authors have ventilated on several social-economic and political issues that have shaped the country’s nationality over the five decades. These fundamental issues include security issues such as the development of military hardware and Canada’s military role in the Middle East, social relations among different races, media freedom, and economic resources such as bitumen and energy sources. All these issues have impacted the country’s policy formulation and implementation. In light of these, Canada’s role in the world has changed to a significant ally of the United States in its aggressive foreign policy measures. Bibliography A. T. 2011. Private Affluence, Public Austerity: Economic Crisis & Democratic Malaise in Canada. Canadian Dimension, vol. 45 no. 6: 54-55. Brownlee, Jamie. 2005. Ruling Canada: corporate cohesion and democracy. New York: Fernwood Pub. Calvert, John. 2007. Liquid Gold: Energy Privatization in British Columbia. Toronto: Fernwood Pub. Campagna, Palmiro. 2010. Storms of Controversy: The Secret Avro Arrow Files Revealed. Toronto: Dundurn Press Ltd. Clarkson, Stephen. 2008. Does North America Exist?: Governing the Continent After NAFTA and 9/11. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Clayton et al. 2006. Building a better world: an introduction to trade unionism in Canada (Book Reviews). Russian Review, vol. 65 no. 2: 302-368. Dyck, Rand. 2011. Canadian Politics. New York: Cengage Learning. Edge, Marc. 2007. Asper nation: Canada's most dangerous media company. Toronto: New Star Books. Froese, Marc D. 2010. Canada at the WTO: trade litigation and the future of public policy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Green, William C. 2006. The Real World of Canadian Politics: Cases in Process and Policy 4th ed./Reinventing Canada: Politics of the 21st Century/Canadian Politics, 4th ed. American Review of Canadian Studies, vol. 36 no.1: 137-142. Harding, Jim. 2007. Canada's Deadly Secret: Saskatchewan Uranium and the Global Nuclear. New York: System Fernwood Pub. McQuaig, Linda and Brooks, Neil. 2010. The trouble with billionaires. Toronto: Viking Canada. McQuaig, Linda. 2007. Holding the bully's coat: Canada and the U.S. Empire. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. Nikiforuk, Andrew. 2010. Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent. Toronto: Greystone/David Suzuki Fdtn. Rowe, Dan. 2007. Whose War Is It?: How Canada Can Survive the Post-9/11 World/Holding the Bully's Coat: Canada and the U.S. Empire. Quill & Quire, vol. 73 no.5: 43. Todd, Gordon. 2010. Imperialist Canada. Toronto: Arbeiter Ring Pub. Read More