Canada
Is It the Greatest Country to Live In?
Population Dynamics
Demography: Canadian demographics play a crucial role in showing us past and current trends and preparing for future developments. It helps us understand Canada’s current growth in population and whether it is in the developed stage which helps determine the quality of life in Canada. Canada’s birth rate is 10.29 (2014) and the death rate is 8.31 (2014). Canada’s death rate has decreased over the past few years because it has become a developed country sitting at stage 4, meaning the improvement of health and technology has increased.
According to the “World Health Organization’s Ranking” (2000), Canada is ranked 30th in the Worlds Health System. This tells us that Canada’s improvement in modern medicine, nutrition and public health has not only decreased the death rate, but it increased the life expectancy as most females can live up to approximately 84 years and males can last at approximately 79 years (2014 Canadian Demographic Profile). The increase of life expectancy has showed that Canada has a better quality of life than a country such as China because Canadians have become more aware of their health by eating right, medical assessments and doing daily exercises. Our country demands better quality of life by looking at our mistakes from the past and improve them and advertising recent medical discoveries or research.
Canada's Life Expectancy
China's Life Expectancy
Demographic Transition Model
Physical Characteristics
Canada, the world’s second largest country in total area is not only socially diverse, but its seven landform regions also make it physically diverse. Every region has its own landform, climate, natural resources and many were formed the same way whether it is from the movement of plates, erosion and the rock cycle. What’s good about this is that the different regions gives people the opportunity to choose where they would want to live whether it is the Great Lakes that has large bodies of water, the Innuition Mountains that is located in the Northern region or the Interior Plains that is covered mainly in flat land which is great for farming businesses. Each landform region provides natural resources making it profitable to live in. For example, many areas in the Interior Plains are great for farming and also business. It is very rich in grain production which increases the growth of wheat. This landform region is successful in the industry field and residential field. Canada gets to experience all 4 seasons. Each landform region has a specific climate that influences the amount of activities available for the people to participate in.
People have many choices to do when in Canada because of the different landform regions we have such as fishing in the Great Lakes, dog sledding in the Innuition Mountains and hiking in the Western Cordillera. Seven landform regions have come together to make a diverse country that people can benefit from because of the different options one can choose.
Managing Resources
Resources are an important aspect of a country because they provide necessary supplies that humans need to thrive and it contributes to the growth of the economy. Canada has a vast wealth of natural resources. Out of the three industries which are primary, secondary and tertiary, the primary industry plays a critical role in the country’s economic growth and job opportunities. In 2014, natural resources accounted for 20% of Canada’s GDP. In the same year, natural resources accounted for 1.8 million jobs in Canada. It also plays a significant role in Canada’s exports since in 2012, 52% of all exported goods were raw materials. The secondary industry which is the manufacturing industry, is responsible for 30% of Canada’s overall exports in 2012.
Other than the primary industry, Canada is known for its tertiary industry also known as the service sector since it employs around three-quarters of Canadians. The largest employer is the retail business as it employed almost 12% of Canadians. Since the tertiary industry is Canada’s leading industry, it recognizes Canada as a developed country because of its job opportunities, health care system and advanced education system. Another contributor would be NAFTA (The North American Free Trade Agreement) which is an agreement among the US, Canada and Mexico designed to remove barriers (taxes) between the three countries when importing and exporting goods. The trade between the three countries has increased to 1.14 trillion in 2015 because it eliminated tariffs which helped boost Canada’s economy. In the first five years of NAFTA, it has helped produce over 1.8 million jobs in Canada. With trade increasing, it creates the demand for people to work because more products mean more work, which means more jobs. With an increasing economy, the availability of resources and good relationships between other countries, Canada has a better and higher living standard than most other countries.
Contribution to Total Employment in 2014
Service Sector Growth in Canada
Livable Communities
It’s hard to keep up with Canada’s rapid growth as many areas are urbanizing into developed cities. Canada is working on making everything more convenient and not creating isolated communities. The country needs to constructed in a way that encourages human interactions and sustainability for future generations. The main issue Canada is working on is urban sprawl because cities are becoming too congested that people move farther away to areas with cheap land and low taxes. People living outside the community are having trouble commuting to work causing stress and obesity to increase because of the long minutes you are stuck in a vehicle. In 2011, 65.1% of commuters drive to work as a single driver. Seeing this issue, Canada is planning a system that people could benefit from such as building a transportation system that would decrease the amount of time it takes to commute to work and the stress levels. Also, to reduce the amount of land being used, Canada has been constructing upwards (upward expansion) rather than downwards (urban sprawl).
Canada is also responsible for making communities more sustainable. For example, Montreal has a rooftop garden company called Alternatives, where they focus on using unused space such as rooftops, balconies, etc. to develop green space. The idea behind it is to do a simple model of food production that will save space and make food that is affordable to deal with increasing urbanization and pollution. This is a perfect example of how Canada is taking action to encourage reusing and make communities more sustainable. Canada continues to urbanize areas into sustainable and human interactive cities.
Modes of Transportation to Work (2011)
The Edible Campus Garden
Bibliography
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"Top Reasons to Hire Immigrants - Skills Connect for Immigrants Program." Skills Connect for Immigrants Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2016.
http://www.skillsconnect.ca/need-to-hire/top-reasons-to-hire-immigrants
"10 Things Your Commute Does to Your Body." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 17 June 2016.
http://time.com/9912/10-things-your-commute-does-to-your-body/
"Pros And Cons Of NAFTA | Investopedia." Investopedia. N.p., 16 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 June 2016.
http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1212/pros-and-cons-of-nafta.aspx
Class notes