2012 THINKING CANADA, CHANGING MINDS
Javier Mendoza Jiménez University of Latvia 1
Thinking Canada 2012
Introduction: There´s life outside Europe The Thinking Canada 2012 project has change a lot of things in my life. I can affirm that this month I have spent with other 31 people from 24 countries of the EU has given to me new visions, new experience and overall has opened my horizons. Traveling to the other side of the Atlantic and knowing some many different aspects and places of the second biggest country in the world has been useful for knowing more things about me and especially to re think about my opinion in many topics. Canada is different (the topic would say that is like USA but better) you can feel that people worry about people, that even in the supermarket at the cash they ask you how has been your day. And another thing, they like Europe, they are open minded and eager to know more things about our continent and about European Union. Through more than 120 conferences, trips, meetings and also free time I could explore more than the surface of the country and all I have discovered woke up in me the immense willingness of coming back and pass a part of my life learning and living there. This report is just a small summary of all the good moments, the huge variety of topics and emotions that this trip has produced in me. I could write a book with the anecdotes but maybe I will when in a near future I will come back there. Because I have one think clear, after this trip I also want to be a Canadianist.
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Thinking Canada 2012 1. Brussels: The Thinking Canada tour 2012 began with 3 days in Brussels. During those three days more than 20 conferences in several institutions of the European Union were attended. Star ting from the introduction of the professor Berlin, very prominent speakers appointed very different topics among can be highlighted the following. The current economic, financial and social crisis: For obvious reason, the issue of the crisis was touched directly or indirectly for all the speakers. So different point of views like Guntram Wolff (Brugel Foundation), Willem Noë (European Commission), Jean Pierre Vidal (ECB) and Judith Kirton Darling (European Trade Union Congress) were given and discussed with the students. The democratic deficit and the political future in EU: The role of politicians and institutions was also a hot topic in those 3 first days. Simonetta Cock (Council), Charles White (DG Regio), Timothy Beyer Helm (EP) were some of the speakers that addressed this issue. One of the main conclusions is the necessity of the bigger involvement of citizens in the policies that directly affect them and the need of improving the mechanism for doing so. The European Citizens Initiative was discussed by Mr Helm as one of the most ambitious steps in this direction but that still needs time for check it effectiveness. EU-Canada relations: Of course, the relation among EU-Canada was discussed especially in terms of trade (with the CETA agreement in the final stage before approval or refusal) and immigration with the recent agreement among Canada and the majority of EU countries for the not need of visa. This was one of the most interesting points cause the non existence of reciprocity that can create discrimination among EU countries. As one of the speakers remark, “this is a problem of EU, not Canadian one”.
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Thinking Canada 2012 2. Canada The arrival to Canada the 6th of September gave start to an unforgettable travel during more than 3 weeks that take the students for 6 different cities. In order to make this report more comprehensible the experiences in every one of the cities will be pointed separately. 2.1 Ottawa.
The first stop of the trip was the capital of Canada. Ottawa is a city that one can define as quiet, made at human measure, without a lot of big buildings. Maybe the word that would define it better is familiar. Regarding the conferences hold there, since the Federal institutions are concentrated in this city a visit to the Parliament was provided in the first days. However the first day of the stay was devoted to the EU delegation in Canada (as reciprocity for the visit of the Canada delegation in EU). In the delegation the main topic was the EU Canada relations especially in the frame of CETA agreement. The most impact point of the visit to Ottawa was the meeting with the first nations that allows us to know a completely different reality and we could enjoy and discover a culture and traditions totally opposite to the normal vision of Canada. Through documentaries, group talks, traditional dances and songs, the innuits (non esquimals) taught us how they have survived and try to keep their traditions with the trials of the former Canadian government of “integration�.
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Thinking Canada 2012 Culture also had space in our visit to Ottawa with the visits to the Museum of War and the Museum of Civilization in where we were assisted and explained in the role of Canada in war and peace and more in deep in its relation with the different first nation across the country. One of the topics slightly treated but that will have more importance in Quebec was the language policy in Canada and how to manage to combine English and French taking into account the deep differences among the evolution of both languages and their impact in the country. The crisis had also a space with the visit to the Canadian Labour Congress in which student could discuss on this topic having the point of view of workers. The last interesting topic to bring will be the visit to the bank of Canada and to learn how Canada managed in a completely different, and I would say smarter, way the financial crisis with a bigger regulation to the bank system and more political willingness. The lecture on this institution gave to me the conviction that the way that EU should follow has to be many point of common with this policy.
2.2 Quebec
After Ottawa the next stop was Quebec and the first impression that one has when arriving is that you are in a country inside a country. The French culture and influence is everywhere (Quebec is the only province in which official language is French). Is a lovely city with
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Thinking Canada 2012 reminiscences to the past and where you can already see the fortress and where nature is just one step from the city center. But, apart from the city charming, in Quebec we could discover the real dimension of what is a federal state. The projection of Quebec in the exterior, will multiple embassies and delegation, more or them in Europe, gives an idea of how spread is the idea of the differential factor of this province regarding the rest of the countries. The current political, cultural and language situation of Quebec was analyzed by different speakers from the Ministry of International Relations and the Parliament that analyzed the relations among Quebec and Ottawa (meaning federal government). The public opinion was also given with the visit to the Journal Le Soleil that allowed the student to know how the street is breathing and which are the forecast for future evolutions.
2.3 Montreal.
Montreal was the middle of the way and the topics changed in this city. A complete different aspect of Canada was given with the visit to Portage a centre for desintoxication of the young people in which we could share the experience with the interns and now how they pass the process to abandon the drugs. Immigration policy was a recurrent topic. The Quebec policy on this field was deeply analyzed focusing on points like qualification recognition, language issue, process of acceptation, etc.
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Thinking Canada 2012 Environmental management was also overviewed with the visit to Hydro Quebec, the main organization in terms of resources management for energy. Its relation with the first nation and the attempts of collaboration with that community in order to establish a fair system where discussed. Public policies in the context of the recent elections in Quebec were exposed in the Institute for Research on Public Policy and also students could know from the first hand the experiences of student revolution with the meeting of two of the responsible of Classe, a student organization that impulse the biggest protest in the history of Montreal claiming (and succeeding) against the rise of taxes.
2.4 Toronto.
Coming back to Ontario province, the most populated city of Canada, was the city that followed in the program. Toronto is probably the most American city in terms of structure, buildings and even mentality that make it more similar to cities like New York than the rest of Canada. CETA agreement was the central point of the conference and was analyzed from many different points of views. The visit to the European Union Chamber of Commerce and to the headquarter of General Electric as well as to the Ontario General Government enlarge the vision on this topic enriching it with point of views from many parts involved on it.
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Thinking Canada 2012 Also culture played a big role with the interesting conference of the Canadian Writers Association in which the future of the book was discussed and with the visit to the Italian center. A social bias was touched with the visit to the ARTSCAPE center that allow the student to know the project of reconstruction and recovery of a marginal area in the suburbs of Toronto combining the creation of new spaces and jobs for taking out the zone form the depression. 2.5 Victoria.
From East to West, the province of British Columbia (B.C) was the last stage in the trip. A 3 days stay in Victoria cover topics so different as the film industry in BC, the environmental management with a very interesting conference from Ken Wu, from the Ancient Forest Alliance. The political opposition from the New Democratic Party gave it vision on the political situation and the future evolution.
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Thinking Canada 2012 2.6 Vancouver.
The last stop of the tour had an Asiatic taste which is quite normal when almost the half of the population has this origin. The Asia Pacific Foundation allowed to have a vision of Canada and its relation with the other part of the Pacific and to watch from a different perspective of the Atlantic focus one that normally is done from Europe. Also a visit to Chinatown to know the reality of this community that was complemented with the visit to the Chinese garden, a place for peace and serenity, took us inside such an interesting experience. The French fact in BC was as well visited with a complete overview of which is the current situation and how this community manage to live in a mainly English environment. The final remark will be the visits associated with social issues. The housing program of the city of Vancouver but especially the visit to Insite, a center for drug addiction treatment where users can inject themselves in a clean and controlled environment, showed the students the “side B� of a wonderful city that has chosen to face the existing problems and not to put them under the carpet. The end the trip and farewell ceremony was conducted in the Capilano University of Vancouver.
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