Thousands of Canadians demanded an immediate withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan this weekend. After more than 40 casualties, there’s a growing sense in Canada that the operation in Kandahar is not a peace mission. “We fear that we have become involved in a war we cannot get out of.”
The Canadian oil sands are an enormous reserve of non-conventional oil. Because of the high oil price, the difficult extraction process has become economically viable. Energy companies, including Royal Dutch Shell, are investing billions of dollars. The regional economy is overheating – and opponents point to environmental damage.
Banff National Park attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. A highway is being widened to improve accessibility. How do animals respond to the split in their habitat? Scientist Tony Clevenger is doing research into bear crossings. “Our challenge is to maintain a viable population despite human activity.”
Canada receives 250,000 newcomers per year and is regarded internationally as a model country when it comes to integration. The Dutch government copied the citizenship ceremony from the Canadians. All rise for a citizenship ceremony in Hamilton, Ontario.
Waterloo-based tech company Research in Motion has revolutionized corporate communication with its mobile e-mail service, BlackBerry. Users love the addictive gadget. But a patent dispute threatens to disrupt the Canadian success story.
Toronto’s Khadr clan is known as the self-described “Canadian Al-Qaeda family”. Patriarch Ahmed Said Khadr relocated his family from Toronto to Pakistan and Afghanistan to pursue jihad. In Canada, grandmother Elsamnah is trying to help her grandchildren as they return one by one.
The Inuit of northern Canada suffer the consequences of global warming first-hand. The sea ice is becoming impassable and traditional hunting areas are getting smaller. “For us, climate change is something that we live with every day.”
Because of growing oil production in Canada, the Canadian dollar is increasingly seen as a ‘petro currency’. The loonie rises with the oil price, causing the competitive position of Canada’s industrial exports sector to erode. As a result, the Canadian economy has been diagnosed with ‘Dutch disease’.
Syrian-Canadian Maher Arar was deported by the United States to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured. Back in Canada, the computer engineer is waging a spirited battle to clear his name and uncover the reason for his deportation. “The Syrians weren’t interested in me, they were doing contract work.”
Canadians should take more pride in their accomplishments during World War II, such as the liberation of Holland, say historians. In the brand new Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, the achievement takes its place in Canada’s sometimes uncomfortable military history.
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