December 17, 2009

Meet the new boss, not quite the same as the old boss.

Canadians have built a comfortable way of life from
delivering raw materials to the world's superpower. We have
been hewers of wood and drillers of oil for decades. The
weakness of our branch-plant mentality is that we have
failed to mature as a nation.

Prime Minister Harper likes to put a positive spin on our
status as a client state by calling Canada an "energy
superpower." But superpowers are in the driver's seat of the
engines of economy, not pumping the gas.

It's finally dawned on Harper what other governments have
known for years: the sun is rising in the Orient and Canada
has some catching up to do in China.

It's a bitter lesson for Harper. His every gut instinct
tells him that Canada should follow America. He takes his
cue from the U.S. on everything from our military role to
dealing with climate change. Harper was carefully nurtured
by his American professors at the University of Calgary to
carry their plans for Canada into the office of prime
minister.

The statistics of Canada's neglect of China are evident.
Only one per cent of all China's imports come from Canada
while we import $40 billion worth of goods.

Charles Burton, a Brock University professor, calls the
figures "appalling" and laments: "We are losing in China
because we are not allocating the sort of resources and
long-range planning that's necessary."

Some of that neglect is understandable. Harper has been
preoccupied with survival of his minority government. His
political machinations are designed to manipulate public
opinion. He calculated that he could score political points
by criticizing China's human-rights record while
simultaneously encouraging expanded trade ties.

"This was noticed," says Colin Robertson, a former diplomat
and an authority on Canadian foreign policy. Now Harper
grins weakly as his Chinese hosts publicly scold him and
Chinese newspapers point out Canada's sad record of handing
Afghans over for torture.

There are some similarities between the old boss and the
new. Health care in the U.S. and China is a chaotic mess of
private and public. Both are fiercely capitalistic. Both
support brutal regimes.

The differences are substantial. China owns capital; the
U.S. owes it. China has a real industrial economy; the U.S.
has financial bubbles. China makes one-third of the world's
solar cells, six times the U.S. In the next decade, China
plans to build enough wind turbines to double the entire
world's energy output.

China takes a soft approach on world domination. Where the
U.S. attempts to dominate with military might, China
controls through investments. China's strategy is not to
invade the U.S. Instead, China wants to keep the U.S. dollar
strong; they hold trillions of dollars that have purchasing
power around the world. A vibrant U.S. economy suits China
in the way that healthy cows suit farmers; dead cows produce
no milk.

In contrast, U.S. foreign policy is demanding, prescriptive,
and interventionist.

New Chinese values have much to be admired. China has
rehabilitated Confucius as a source of inspiration. After
being vilified by Maoists, Confucius is gaining resurgence
with values such as a strong civil society, public duty,
respect for law, and emphasis on education.

U.S. religion is ostensibly Christian but its practice is
closer to the vengeful god of the Old Testament and the
grasping materialism of Mammon.

Canada will easily adopt the serenely oriental approach to
world domination. China is introducing itself to the world
as a developer and peacemaker (Tibet excepted) instead of a
colonial warmonger.

Immigrants have always influenced Canada in negative and
positive ways. Not only did U.S. immigrants inculcate Harper
with his libertarian views but peace-loving Americans made
Canada a better place.

The 1.3 million Canadians of Chinese origin will help us
learn the inscrutable ways of our new managers.

The Canadian government doesn't seem to recognize the value
of Chinese Canadians who have a foot in both countries. The
government's new citizenship guide discourages world
citizenship and stresses allegiance to Canada. Minister of
Citizenship, Jason Kenney, wants exclusive commitment from
immigrants to "lay down roots here."

Many Canadians of Chinese origin do business in China while
maintaining homes in Canada and they should be regarded as
an asset. They project Canada to the world as an
outward-looking county.

Our next prime minister should be schooled in the sublime
philosophy of the Orient to prepare Canada for its new role.
 

David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca

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