Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Myths surrounding what Canadians do.



GDP represents what Canada produces in one full year. Why is this important to know? So you can make informed decisions about your career future, your companies future or just so you can make informed political decisions. Politicians don't care about GDP they care about votes.

Some common myths:


Agriculture is very important to our economy.
- In 2009 agriculture accounted for .02% of our economy. So why are farmers always a hot topic in political decision making? In 2001 1 rural vote is worth 34% more than 1 urban vote. Who lives in rural areas? Read here to find more

Our natural resources are the main engine driving our economy.
- Mining and oil and gas extraction was worth twice as much as agriculture. A huge .04% of our economy.

We manufacture goods that other people around the world buy.
- True, but it's not as much as you might think. Manufacturing is about 10% of our economy.

So what kind of economy do we have?
- We have a service based economy. 80% of our economic activity is classified as Services-producing industries. Services the man you called to fix your toilet, the bank you used to finance your mortgage, or the teacher that taught you how to read.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

So Shoppers says they'll have to close down.

What does it mean when pharmacies say they're going to have close down stores and layoff employees because of a reduction in government subsidies.

What they're really saying is that taxpayers are paying to keep pharmacies, people and profits in place.

Personally I'm ok with government staying out of shoppers profit margins.

Article

Thursday, April 1, 2010

How gaming might just make our world a better place to live in.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html