Canada in 2017

[reinge]

You think Canada would be absorbed all at once? As a state? As a territory? As series of states? Would they leave any parts out?

I'll jump in here to give my unsolicited opinion: the differences between the countries will become more and more meaningless until it's like the difference between states, then counties. There won't be a need to merge the countries because they'll gradually dissolve into the same entity.

It's not a matter of just the US and Canada merging, it'll be the whole world and for the better. I can tell you the economic outlook looks way better when anyone of us can work wherever in the world, setup shop wherever. Nations are already losing relevence in the big scheme of things, why bother with the nationalism anymore. What happens in Montana or Idaho or even Texas usually has a bigger influence on my life than what happens in Halifax or even Montreal/Toronto anyways. It makes more sense to draw the lines culturally and economically if you need to draw them at all.

What I can tell you with *certainy*, is that when I go shopping on the weekend or do groceries, the average language spoken in the background is something other than English.

Live in Toronto? Vancouver? Everywhere else in Canada is really English (besides Quebec of course).

Neither - I live in Mississauga outside Toronto. I find Toronto to be more English belive it or not than all the outside cities of Toronto.

And oops, guess what, 25% of Canada's Population is within 100km of Toronto.

People underestimate just how much of our country speaks a language other than English. If I really had to wager, I would say the majority of Canadians speak languages other than English and French.

I find it funny how people make stats look anyway they want!!! The fact is that 98% of Canadians speak either french or english. The stat your talking about is mother tounge. I work downtown Vancouver and can tell you for a fact that the vast majority speak english. You maybe worried about visible minorities and just not saying it. I don't feel Canadians should be worried about this either. The fact is the european majority will be the majority for a very long time. only 13% of the population is a minority and at our pase of immergration it would take about 500 years for euro's to be a minority if euro's stopped having babies now. this is really becoming a boring topic. I fear were becoming a nation of worrie warts.

[cybercoma]

All I know is moving from where I lived to the east coast, there was a huge difference in the number of people who speak and understand english well. Sure a huge percentage of people "technically" speak english, but if it's broken english and they have a hard time understanding things said back to them, do they really "speak" english? When someone's accent is so thick that they can barely get proper service in a store because a clerk can't understand them and they don't understand what the clerk is saying....I'd hardly say that's speaking english. But, technically speaking...according to surveys, they'd be english speaking.

[jdobbin]

All I know is moving from where I lived to the east coast, there was a huge difference in the number of people who speak and understand english well. Sure a huge percentage of people "technically" speak english, but if it's broken english and they have a hard time understanding things said back to them, do they really "speak" english? When someone's accent is so thick that they can barely get proper service in a store because a clerk can't understand them and they don't understand what the clerk is saying....I'd hardly say that's speaking english. But, technically speaking...according to surveys, they'd be english speaking.

The East Coast speaks English? Half the time the CBC has to put up subtitles when they do an interview in Newfoundland. <heh>

[Canuck E Stan]

When someone's accent is so thick that they can barely get proper service in a store because a clerk can't understand them and they don't understand what the clerk is saying....I'd hardly say that's speaking english.

Cyber, you've got to shop beyond 7-11.

[cybercoma]

Cyber, you've got to shop beyond 7-11.

I don't care what science says....one can live on a steady diet of chewing tobacco and rockstar energy drink.

[jdobbin]

Canada having been the target of a homegrown terrorist attack, being labelled as an Al-Qaeda cell (since Al-Qaeda is no longer an actual group, it's a frame of mind for people of a certain ethnicity), we'll see how important the United States is to us. Their support will be beyond what most Canadians expect. We'll actively support our military and build it up enough to become a major player in the world hunt to stop terrorism.

I agree that we are likely to be a terrorist target but it might not be Islamic extremists. I think we could see increasing numbers of eco-terrorists, disaffected anti-globalization terorists and some nationalist attacks against other countries in Canada such as an embassy attack.

It remains to be seen whether we can intercept these people consistently. One of the poorer arrest records has been for eco-terrorists.

[cybercoma]

Canada having been the target of a homegrown terrorist attack, being labelled as an Al-Qaeda cell (since Al-Qaeda is no longer an actual group, it's a frame of mind for people of a certain ethnicity), we'll see how important the United States is to us. Their support will be beyond what most Canadians expect. We'll actively support our military and build it up enough to become a major player in the world hunt to stop terrorism.

I agree that we are likely to be a terrorist target but it might not be Islamic extremists. I think we could see increasing numbers of eco-terrorists, disaffected anti-globalization terorists and some nationalist attacks against other countries in Canada such as an embassy attack.

It remains to be seen whether we can intercept these people consistently. One of the poorer arrest records has been for eco-terrorists.

I think what you're going to see are people with the same mindset as those who support hezbollah during this war, attacking stuff at here at home.....

[mikedavid00]

5 Ottawa–Gatineau CMA, Ontario–Qué.

Why are you stating Ottawa-Gatineau is a city (in the singular sense) when you know very well Gatineau is in the province of Quebec and Ottawa is in the province of Ontario.

They are part of National Capital Region in a (federal sense) and associated with the workings of the N.C.C (National Capital Commission) whose main function is maintaining and beautifying federal assets between the two provinces separated by the Ottawa River.

I resent and am offended that my city Ottawa being referred to by you as part of a city in Quebec that harbours a population of around 50 % the wishes to separate from Canada.

Ottawa, Ontario is a municipality like any other municipality, a city totally separated from Gatineau a city in the province of Quebec.

I lived in Ottawa my whole life and 2 years ago moved here to Pakistan.. err I mean Mississauga.

Ottawa is the worst place to live. It's filled with no hope, no jobs, and outsiders coming in and taking those precious jobs. The dating is horrible there too.

Nothing ticked me off more than a graduate coming in from Toronto to take our precious gov't jobs that are now impossible to get.

There's litterally no private sector in Ottawa. Everyone is sad and hopeless there. Ottawa people are filled with hate and complain all the time.

Here at least there is something to shoot for and you can move forward with your life..

That is if you don't mind hearing "Dirka.. dirak diraka" all day long when you're doing groceries and having slews of people from the 3rd world swerving all over the road who have no clue how to drive.

[jdobbin]

I lived in Ottawa my whole life and 2 years ago moved here to Pakistan.. err I mean Mississauga.

Ottawa is the worst place to live. It's filled with no hope, no jobs, and outsiders coming in and taking those precious jobs. The dating is horrible there too.

Nothing ticked me off more than a graduate coming in from Toronto to take our precious gov't jobs that are now impossible to get.

There's litterally no private sector in Ottawa. Everyone is sad and hopeless there. Ottawa people are filled with hate and complain all the time.

Here at least there is something to shoot for and you can move forward with your life..

That is if you don't mind hearing "Dirka.. dirak diraka" all day long when you're doing groceries and having slews of people from the 3rd world swerving all over the road who have no clue how to drive.

Ottawa has a huge tech sector. There are no jobs there?

And which precious government jobs are you talking about? Federal jobs, provincial jobs or municipal jobs?

[jdobbin]

After a critical reduction in services to OHIP in Ontario cripples healthcare (even though Ontarians are paying hundreds if not thousands a year for it in premiums), they'll finally wake up and ask why they can't shop for services instead of paying into the provincial healthcare premium. We'll have a two-tiered system, where no person will be denied access to healthcare, but people will be allowed to supplement their public insurance by their own means.

I think the Supreme Court has already decided that if services can't be provided expeditiously, Canadians can pay for them on their own. I think in the future we will see more health plans to pay for things like tests, ortho surgeries and the like. I don't the system will go fully private simply because the costs are too much for even private companies to bear.

[mikedavid00]

Ottawa has a huge tech sector. There are no jobs there?

And which precious government jobs are you talking about? Federal jobs, provincial jobs or municipal jobs?

All gov't jobs.

Also I wonder where the myth started that there's this huge IT base in Ottawa. Maybe it was Nortels headquarters a long time back and they where the largest employer for a couple of years..

There's no jobs - no private jobs, no nothing unless you scored something at the gov't.

I've lived and grew up in ottawa for almost 30 years from the west end to the east end - i think i know the city and the job situation there. There was never a mass amount of IT jobs. That was a myth started from who knows where.

[mikedavid00]

The fact is that 98% of Canadians speak either french or english. The stat your talking about is mother tounge. I work downtown Vancouver and can tell you for a fact that the vast majority speak english. You maybe worried about visible minorities and just not saying it. I don't feel Canadians should be worried about this either. The fact is the european majority will be the majority for a very long time. only 13% of the population is a minority and at our pase of immergration it would take about 500 years for euro's to be a minority if euro's stopped having babies now. this is really becoming a boring topic. I fear were becoming a nation of worrie warts.

Please post your fact of 98% of Canadians speaking english and french.

Also, that wasn't the context of the conversation. The facts are these people speak the majority of their day in their mother tonque and have no intentions or desire of conversing in English unless they have to. I also said that the inner city of Toronto is actually more 'English' speaking than the outsides. For instance, if you lived in Richmond or Surrey, you would probably hear English the minority of the time.

Your views are rosey becaue your life is rosey so you have a positivie outlook on things.

Things are fairly good for me also, but because I'm a Canadian and want to see our country and fellow Canadians lives improved, i have to point out the problems of our country and no bury my head in the sand and say everything is OK.

Facts are, Canada is approaching a 40% 'a special satus'. That would mean native and visible minority. I don't care if they were born here or not (because I don't beleive the latest gen in highschool kids hold Canadian values at heart).

There are economical and cultural problems that are going to happen very soon if something isn't done.

I don't find it positive that Canadians can no longer afford to buy homes and live in space and comfort. I don't find it positive that public schools have teachers wearing ethnic indian clothing and have class time dedicated to teaching about the country of India and the culture of India. I don't find it positive that people graduating with degrees and dimplomas can no longer get white colar jobs - this is not a problem in many other countries. I don't find it positive that Canada is the most 'educated' country in the world and we have a complete saturation of skilled labor and devalution of degrees and dipmlomas due to mass, mass immigration. I find it troubling that young people beginning their first jobs litterly have live in with roomates when just 20 years ago a simple lowely job could afford your own full apartment.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that by 2020 if the current immigration crisis continues, we are goign to suffer problems that we had no Idea could possibly happen in Canada.

But hey waht do you care, things are rosey for you.

[jdobbin]

All gov't jobs.

Also I wonder where the myth started that there's this huge IT base in Ottawa. Maybe it was Nortels headquarters a long time back and they where the largest employer for a couple of years..

There's no jobs - no private jobs, no nothing unless you scored something at the gov't.

I've lived and grew up in ottawa for almost 30 years from the west end to the east end - i think i know the city and the job situation there. There was never a mass amount of IT jobs. That was a myth started from who knows where.

Federal government jobs are not just reserved for Ottawa residents. I can't speak for Ontario or Ottawa's governments but that's still a lot of jobs for Ottawa residents.

And I see listed in the tech jobs:

List of major technology companies

* 3M

* Adobe Systems

* Agere

* Agilent

* Alcatel

* Bell Canada

* Cisco Systems

* Corel

* Cognos

* CGI Group

* CSC

* Dell

* Entrust

* Fidus

* General Dynamics

* Hewlett-Packard

* Hot Lava Software

* IBM

* JDS Uniphase

* LogicVision

* MBNA Canada Bank

* Nortel

* Northern Micro

* PMC-Sierra

* Sybase

* TELUS

* Tundra Semiconductor

* Xandros

* Zarlink Semiconductor

You don't have computer skills?

[ClearWest]

What do I think Canada is going to be like in a decade? A fascist socialist regime by the looks of some of attitudes on this thread.

I don't care if they were born here or not (because I don't beleive the latest gen in highschool kids hold Canadian values at heart).

Different people hold different values. There are no 'Canadian' values. I bet my values different from yours, but that doesn't mean your values, nor mine, are more 'Canadian'.

There are economical and cultural problems that are going to happen very soon if something isn't done.

You may have your opinions about what is 'Canadian' and what is not. But what I find scary is what you think should be done about those who do not hold the same values as you. Would you bar them from entering the country? Would you insists on a melting pot type system where all who come here must share the same values and culture?

I think we should be lenient with borders and immigration, and eventually get to the point where there are no countries. But people will be free to choose wherever in the world they wish to live, which values they wish to hold, what they wish to do with their time and money, and who they will or will not worship. That is the future I want for Canada, but sadly it is not a future that I expect will come about at the rate we're going right now.

People, please let me know if you agree or disagree and explain why.

[jdobbin]

I think we should be lenient with borders and immigration, and eventually get to the point where there are no countries. But people will be free to choose wherever in the world they wish to live, which values they wish to hold, what they wish to do with their time and money, and who they will or will not worship. That is the future I want for Canada, but sadly it is not a future that I expect will come about at the rate we're going right now.

People, please let me know if you agree or disagree and explain why.

I'd like to see the security concerns go back to normal with the Canadian/U.S. border but we seem to be moving in the opposite direction.

I just wonder how much tracking we will allow of citizens over the next years.

[jbg]

I'd like to see the security concerns go back to normal with the Canadian/U.S. border but we seem to be moving in the opposite direction.

I just wonder how much tracking we will allow of citizens over the next years.

Sure, if the US can man a continent-wide security perimeter.

[jdobbin]

Sure, if the US can man a continent-wide security perimeter.

It might not be necessary if we all submit to implants on our bodies so the government can track us.

[mikedavid00]

All gov't jobs.

Also I wonder where the myth started that there's this huge IT base in Ottawa. Maybe it was Nortels headquarters a long time back and they where the largest employer for a couple of years..

There's no jobs - no private jobs, no nothing unless you scored something at the gov't.

I've lived and grew up in ottawa for almost 30 years from the west end to the east end - i think i know the city and the job situation there. There was never a mass amount of IT jobs. That was a myth started from who knows where.

Federal government jobs are not just reserved for Ottawa residents. I can't speak for Ontario or Ottawa's governments but that's still a lot of jobs for Ottawa residents.

And I see listed in the tech jobs:

List of major technology companies

* 3M - never met anyone who works there or seen job openings.

* Adobe Systems - never met anyone who works there or seen job openings.

* Agere - never met anyone who works there or seen job openings.

* Agilent - never met anyone who works there or seen job openings.

* Alcatel - Rarely openings, although I do know one person who works there.

* Bell Canada - Low paying call center jobs that are mostly billingual.

* Cisco Systems - Very small building and don't know anyone that works there.

* Corel - Rarely openings, although they do have a low paying call center.

* Cognos - Extrememly high level of experience required. Never met one person who works there.

* CGI Group - Low paying call center jobs.

* CSC - Never heard of and don't know anyone who works there

* Dell - Unelss things have changed in 2 years, there are no Dell headquarters or callcenters at all in Ottawa and never has been.

* Entrust - Low paying billingual call center jobbs.

* Fidus- Low paying billingual call center jobs.

* General Dynamics - Small staff, never met a person who works there.

* Hewlett-Packard - I have worked here. Low paying call center.

* Hot Lava Software - 6 people work there?

* IBM - Low paying telemarketing jobs.

* JDS Uniphase - Never met anyone who works there after the bubble burts. Don't even know if they're still around.

* LogicVision - 3 people work here?

* MBNA Canada Bank - low paying billinual call center jobs. I couldn't even get a job here becuase I didn't have the qualificaions to get a $10.60/h job.

* Nortel - almost all gone.

* Northern Micro - Very high experience needed, no one i know works there.

* PMC-Sierra

* Sybase

* TELUS

* Tundra Semiconductor

* Xandros

* Zarlink Semiconductor - all small companies with few openings. Telus is low paying call center stuff.

You don't have computer skills?

I do have skills, but you don't get a job by showing skills, you get it by resume qualfiications which are 2 COMPLETELY different things.

[jdobbin]

I do have skills, but you don't get a job by showing skills, you get it by resume qualfiications which are 2 COMPLETELY different things.

I've never had to look for a job in Ottawa but they seem to have job growth listed each year and an low unemployment., lower than Toronto's at least.

Sometimes, we need to do new training to qualify for better paying work. Sometimes, we have to relocate.

[mikedavid00]

I do have skills, but you don't get a job by showing skills, you get it by resume qualfiications which are 2 COMPLETELY different things.

I've never had to look for a job in Ottawa but they seem to have job growth listed each year and an low unemployment., lower than Toronto's at least.

Sometimes, we need to do new training to qualify for better paying work. Sometimes, we have to relocate.

That's because Ottawa is an artificial economy with gov't employement. It's not a natural local economy. This has been written about countless times. And I think Ottawa was pretty much on par with Toronto.

I beleive that relocation is the modern key to getting better work. Sometimes additional training helps but I know too many people with Cisco certs and other certs that are doing nothing for them but expiring. That's the thing - there are too many people with certs, too many people with qualifications looking for jobs, too many people looking to Ottawa for jobs.

15 years ago it was simple: you went to one of our local colleges or universities, took any program, and you were rewarded with a gov't job. Now it's like winning a lotery.

Why? Because we have *way* too many skilled people trying to get a peice of the pie when there aren't enough peices to go around - this is a *bad* thing.

[jdobbin]

That's because Ottawa is an artificial economy with gov't employement. It's not a natural local economy. This has been written about countless times. And I think Ottawa was pretty much on par with Toronto.

I beleive that relocation is the modern key to getting better work. Sometimes additional training helps but I know too many people with Cisco certs and other certs that are doing nothing for them but expiring. That's the thing - there are too many people with certs, too many people with qualifications looking for jobs, too many people looking to Ottawa for jobs.

15 years ago it was simple: you went to one of our local colleges or universities, took any program, and you were rewarded with a gov't job. Now it's like winning a lotery.

Why? Because we have *way* too many skilled people trying to get a peice of the pie when there aren't enough peices to go around - this is a *bad* thing.

Winnipeg has had to adjust its economy several times over the decades. We've lost skilled people both east and west and yet the economy continues to chug along. One of the big complaints has been about wages. Private businesses just don't pay as well as other places. It is probably why you have people create their own busineses. A diversified economy is all important to long term growth.

[jdobbin]

After a critical reduction in services to OHIP in Ontario cripples healthcare (even though Ontarians are paying hundreds if not thousands a year for it in premiums), they'll finally wake up and ask why they can't shop for services instead of paying into the provincial healthcare premium. We'll have a two-tiered system, where no person will be denied access to healthcare, but people will be allowed to supplement their public insurance by their own means.

I can't comment entirely on Ontario's healthcare system since there are variations in all provinces but I think we might see some more services like MRIs, CTs and other diagnostic tests that can be covered by private insurance. We might see more private surgical clinics but the surgeries will still be covered by the public plan. I think hospitals are more expensive to maintain that a clinic that say only does knee and hip replacements are done.

I think we'll more 24 hour clinics set up at major hospitals to handle the emergency room overloads. I think basically they'll be walk-in clinics that handle cases that defitely shouldn't be clogging the E.R.s

[jdobbin]

Canada having been the target of a homegrown terrorist attack, being labelled as an Al-Qaeda cell (since Al-Qaeda is no longer an actual group, it's a frame of mind for people of a certain ethnicity), we'll see how important the United States is to us. Their support will be beyond what most Canadians expect. We'll actively support our military and build it up enough to become a major player in the world hunt to stop terrorism.

I agree that we are likely to be a terrorist target but it might not be Islamic extremists. I think we could see increasing numbers of eco-terrorists, disaffected anti-globalization terorists and some nationalist attacks against other countries in Canada such as an embassy attack.

It remains to be seen whether we can intercept these people consistently. One of the poorer arrest records has been for eco-terrorists.

On July 26, I said the next terrorist attack could possibly come from a eco-terrorists.

Today: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/20...firebombed.html