A State of Minds

Book excerpt: What happens when the world changes in ways that make Canada's physical capital, natural resources, and geography – once the ultimate competitive advantages – less important than knowledge, information, technological know-how, and human capital? What happens to Canadians? In A State of Minds Thomas Courchene examines the political structures that link local, provincial, and federal governments and challenges many longstanding beliefs about how society should be organised and financed. While focusing on Canadian competitiveness in a global economy, Courchene shows us how an open federal state like Canada can achieve both economic prosperity and social justice. Always provocative, Courchene blends compelling analysis and reasoned insight with a prescription for change: To stay ahead of the competitive curve and protect the Canadian way of life, Canada must become a "state of minds."