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Originally Posted by highthief
Mostly what we've been doing, whether it is the Liberals or Conservatives in power - pay down the debt. Also, take greater advantage of Canada's strengths beyond the primary resource sector and invest heavily in R&D in new technologies. It is one area where Canada really lags, R&D, despite having a massively educated workforce, bags of capital and fine infrastructure. You see a bit of it happening in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario, but I'd like to see more.
I'm OK with us in Afghanistan except that I'm not sure we (and I mean both Canada and NATO as a whole) are well suited to "win" the mission, just as the US is unsuited to "win" Iraq with the current strategy.
Maybe invade Iceland, too - there are some hot chicks in Iceland and they don't actually have a military, per se, so our odds are good.
Yourself?
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Interesting. I pretty much agree with you.
R&D
Infrastructure
Paying down the debt (another massive surplus this year I see).
I would also increase military spending in an effort to be able to:
a) better defend ourselves (especially in the north)
b) put our money where our mouth is on international affairs (this need not mean becoming a US lite)
I would look at the structures of our political system and consider given more power to the larger municipalities (i.e. Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton). They need better control of their collected tax dollars. Currently they are practically powerless to bring about any infrastructure changes.
I would have a serious think about ripping up NAFTA. Though it is a sound agreement in principle, in practice it seems to favour the US side of the equation, espcially the clauses about our oil production.
The Iceland idea sound good... and interestingly isn't far off from what I'd like to see, more trade and cooperation between Canada and Scandinavia. We have much in common (shared borders, common political leanings, hot babes, similar weather... did I mention hot babes?)
Oh, and Afghanistan... I agree we should continue to be there. THAT is where the real threat is and where it always was. We (and NATO) are doing good work there. I agree that we should continue to reexamine the mission as it evolves, but in the end the Afghanis need help both in infrastructure and "Taliban control".
NATO may not be up for the job... I agree.