Sustainability Trends in U.S. Businesses

I've learned my lesson. I assume the Chinese have as well. We will undoubtedly witness a backlash to Zhao's expulsion. It may even be crucial. But the Trudeau government's apparent reluctance to intervene is a victory for China's so-called "wolf warrior diplomacy." It indicates that Canadian policymakers have internalized the economic and geopolitical disparities between the two nations. Joly's odd parliamentary testimony admitted as much.What Canada requires is a government capable of translating the words of the Indo-Pacific Strategy into policymaking action. The evidence of the last seven days suggests that we will need a new government to accomplish that.I assume it was just a question of time. That did not make the news of Gordon Lightfoot's death any easier. Gord was an odd celebrity. I didn't know him, yet it was difficult not to feel like he was a distant acquaintance. He was a rare Canadian musician who achieved international success while expressing stories that were uniquely Canadian. Stories about a country with infinite opportunities. I am concerned that our concept of Canada is eroding.Gordon Lightfoot began as the type of musician who would do a set in a Sudbury bar, and he ended up doing the same thing—albeit in larger venues. He performed nearly 60 gigs in 2022, including trips in major cities like as Minneapolis and Toronto, as well as smaller communities such as Troy, New York, and his hometown of Orillia, Ontario. His audience grew, yet he continued to travel sites that others might skip.

It's good to hear songs about familiar locations 

from someone who grew up largely in small cities that most people don't recognize. Lightfoot sang of a land that I recognize. Generations of railroad workers, loggers, and miners have connected the country from coast to coast, on Indigenous lands that predate Canada. A young, growing land. A difficult place populated by imperfect people from all over the world. I hope others notice the same country when they glance around. I'm not certain they always do.Gordon Lightfoot's Canada is enormous. There is no focal point. Some like the Rocky Mountain sunset, while others like the Toronto skyline. It's a realm of possibilities, unconstrained by a single definition of what's good or desirable. The verdant country he described had infinite potential. We have opened up this soil with our tears and labor. Canada is a limitless canvas.I am concerned that our perception of Canada is decreasing. A few months ago, I was drinking coffee with an economist at Commerce Court. From that vantage point, the country seems little. All of Canada's largest bank headquarters are located near the junction of Bay and King. We'd occasionally point to one building or another, citing a study issued by this or that bank. People who work for those five institutions wield significant power over Canada's economy. I was wondering how well they knew the rest of the country. Things look different in Medicine Hat or Thunder Bay compared to Toronto.

I am fortunate to have lived throughout the country

I believe it has provided me a perspective that I would not have had if I remained in Toronto. I am in the minority. Most folks do not have the opportunity to travel from city to city like Gord and I do. Highly mobile professionals who have the option of choosing their destination typically select Toronto or, in some situations, Vancouver (or Montreal if language is not an impediment). I am concerned that our image of Canada is limited by the bounds of Toronto.There is nothing wrong with Toronto. Okay, I'll retract that. There's a lot wrong with Toronto, but it has an intuitive charm. It's English Canada's only true cosmopolitan city. As much as I moan, I am here for a reason. The issue arises when people in positions of authority forget that there is a vast area north of Bloor, west of Pearson (and east of Vancouver).Many Torontonians believe that the Prairies are just a few suburbs and a rodeo grafted onto some countryside. This winter, I was sitting in my old hometown of Winnipeg, wondering if anyone in Toronto realized that Winnipeg is a real city, with people who own historic lofts and cycle to work just like they would in Toronto. Or that Saskatoon has a charming historic core where couples walk hand in hand to cute little restaurants (on the lower side of town). Or that there are Francophones in Edmonton, gays in Calgary, and elderly communists in Regina. People defy categorization.

I doubt I'll have much success getting them 

to spend their summer vacations in Swift Current or Brandon. If Gord couldn't persuade you that bumming across the country is romantic, I certainly can't. There is a lot of beauty in this country, I guarantee you. Not just in nature, but also in tiny cities. Gordon Lightfoot visited places like these.It's easy to overlook how large Canada is. When you get off the tourist trail, the country appears very different. Bigger, more varied, and diverse. Glass towers, farms, and cul-de-sacs do not exist everywhere. There is a wide variety of cities, towns, and villages. One is not better than the other. They all fit onto this lovely canvas. Gordon Lightfoot noticed that. I hope we can too.Fears of a recession have increased in the wake of two major bank collapses in the United States. This has heightened concerns among central bankers and elected politicians, prompting renewed calls for government action to prevent a downturn.Though many may want the government to "do something," we must recall two key patterns. First, recessions are less numerous and milder than they once were. Second, much of this transformation can be attributed to economic independence.Consider the frequency and severity of recessions. Recessions in Western countries are now wider apart and shallower than they were previously. Indeed, the average period between recessions has increased by more than a year since the late nineteenth century. Over time, recessions have become less severe.According to the most recent revisions to Canada's GDP data, inflation-adjusted GDP decreased roughly every four years between 1870 and 1900, with the average contraction equal to three percent of GDP. From 1900 until 1945, the proportions stayed nearly constant. However, since 1945, inflation-adjusted GDP has fallen just once every 15 years, with an average decrease of 2%.