The Next Canadian Century: Building a Competitive Economy

David Robinson is an economics professor at Laurentian University.

This is probably the best inventory of what is wrong with Canada that
you will find. In chapters with names like “Our Competitors Try
Harder,” “Aging Canadians and Young Mexicans,” and “It All
Begins in the Classroom,” it lays out what Canada’s elites are
saying about our economy.

Crane knows what he is talking about; the list of sources he provides
is an international Who’s Who on the Canadian economy. Despite his
concerns, Crane seems hopeful. In “Getting It All Together,” he
proposes changes that will begin to make Canada a high-tech, high-skill,
knowledge-based manufacturing economy.

What the author is really calling for, however, is a cultural
revolution. He wants us to build a consensus on national goals, to
commit ourselves to fair distribution, effective training, and a managed
market. He says that any attack on social spending will be
counterproductive. Instead, he wants a social contract that will make
Canada the Sweden of North America.

What is surprising is that this is not a radical book in the
traditional sense. There is no hint of class analysis, for example.
Crane knows it’s hard for a hewer-of-wood-and-drawer-of-water to
become a technological leader, especially when resource exports
systematically undermine the competitiveness of urban industries. He
knows that foreign ownership is a major obstacle, as is a business class
that refuses to invest in research or training.

If you want to be in on the debate about Canada’s future, you should
read this book. You may even want to buy it for the more persistent
optimists in your life. There is even a small chance that the book will
mark another step in building a uniquely Canadian culture in the North
American wilderness.