Global Imperatives:

1
Symposium on GlocalizationSession I
Internationalization of the Living Environment (I)

• Global Imperatives
• Multicultural Realities
• The Experience of Canadian Cities

Ron MacIntosh Executive Director/ Directeur
exécutif Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Bureau
commercial du Canada à Taipei ??????????? ?????
2
What is the Agenda?

• Enhancing communities capacity to cope with
  internationalization?
• Orenabling communities to take advantage of
  internationalization?
• Degree of success will likely involve progress on
  both
• Canadas experience maybe or maybe not a model
  but it is an example

3
Elements of an internationalized community
What are they?

• For new arrivals housing entering school
  social services access to jobs/mobility
• For new business establishment ease,
  infrastructure, skill availability, access to
  capital, IP protection, overall regulatory
  environment
• For both benchmark factor for eg, speed,
  clarity, transparency, fairness, quality of
  life
• And more.

4
Canada

• Is urbanized 80 in cities over 100K
• Is industrialized 95 of labour engaged in
  services or manufacturing
• Is a trading nation over 70 of GDP
• Is an investing nation over 400m inward close
  to 500m outward
• Is a highly educated workforce 53 with college
  level degree (worlds highest)

5
Shared Challenges

• Sustaining living standards
• Strengthening productivity
• Achieving social goals
• Assuring public safety
• Environmental protection
• Managing change speed flexibility
• Governance to achieve all of above

6
Internationalized Living Environment

• Internationalized living environment is an asset
  in dealing with challenges
• An accommodating multicultural setting reinforces
  those assets further
• Both coping and taking advantage
• Object is not making outsiders happy but
  enabling communities to thrive in harmony
• Internationalization is win-win for all

7
Consensus in Canada

• Issues once controversial now accepted
• Not all resolved outstanding issues
• But international standards and benchmarks set
  new tone
• So what are points of consensus in Canadian
  cities that might inform others?
• A Six plus perspective

8
(1) Liberalization

• Much more widely accepted as a good thing and
  linked to sustainable prosperity
• NAFTA, once feared and politicized, now largely
  accepted
• Investment restrictions in most sectors not all
  - largely dismantled
• Regulatory harmonization slower jurisdictional
  factors and health, safety, and other concerns

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(2) Infrastructure

• Accepted as critical to sustaining
  competitiveness and in adapting to new
  international realities
• Facilities at US border
• Asia Pacific Gateway
• New dimension of national security
• Infrastructure as strategic dynamic more
  than just nice airport terminals

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(3) Innovation

• Accepted as critical in sustaining growth,
  productivity, living standards
• Agreement more collaboration and coordination
  among diverse stakeholders
• Recognition cities as interface with global
  knowledge-based economy
• Need to incent investment, diffusion and adoption
• Taiwan more a model for Canada than reverse we
  can all learn from each other

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(4) Immigration

• Over one million Canadians identify Chinese as
  their first language
• Immigration 70 of labour force growth
• Seen as key tool in sustaining progress and
  achieving industrial adjustment
• Near full employment indeed labour shortages,
  broadly accepted by Canadians
• Yet issues persist accreditation, income

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(5)Education Foreign Students

• Internationalization of education accepted as
  being to Canadas advantage
• An asset in building ties between Canada and
  Asia, including Taiwan
• Between 5000-10000 Taiwanese students studying in
  Canada at any time
• Language training essential in sustaining both
  adaptation and acceptance

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(6) Connectedness

• Once slow to adopt, Canada use of PCs, internet,
  broadband among worlds highest
• Broadband access considered essential to economic
  growth, learning options, and even social service
  delivery
• and the more wireless, the better
• Not only IT multiculturalism enhances
  connectedness

14
The Plus Agenda Other Benchmarks

• Human development options
• Safety of urban environment
• City Living Quality of Life
• Cost competitive business personal
• Smart growth strategies or not?

15
Implications for Taiwan

• Assess weaknesses of communities in coping with
  realities of globalization and seizing its
  opportunities
• Adapt solutions to local situations but will
  benefit from learning from others and noting
  benchmarks
• Some public education is involved some
  resistance can be expected
• Balance sheet good, getting better

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Some Questions to Ask

• Are infrastructure priorities geared to
  international realities or (only) local needs
• Do skilled people from abroad want to relocate
  here and once here to stay?
• Do businesses find it easy to establish, operate,
  innovate, manage costs, protect IP etc?
• Benchmarking for eg, product safety based on
  science tax/financial rules based on economics
  immigration responsive to demographics and in
  line with international practice?