NO RISKS, NO WIINS & OUR LOSSES
Canadians not only have a culture that combines risk aversion and reluctance to change, as David Crane comments in his Sunday Star Global column, "Innovation is key for any economy" in response to Canada's drop in competitiveness ranking as a disappointment, they are creating glass ceilings that hve pushed and is accelerating its push that drives our best innovators, inventors, visionaries, scientists, change catalysts, philanthropists, change makers, artists of a variety of mediums and others into the United States and into other more progressive countries.
A prime example of this glass ceiling, other than the obvious emigration, is what I call non-profitis -- another incentive for such innovators to leave for greener pastures.
Non-profitis is Canada's risk aversion in action. Many great ideas that also have practical and strategic plans are presented to banks, businesses and communities and most of these ideas require some funding -- especially for start-up, but several things happen during the process of trying to make great and effective ideas realities.
One of the first is that many innovative ideas are just that -- innovative. New. Not tried. And conservative, non-progressive financail institutions and communities don't back innovation. Other funding sources, require the huge cost of creating and the running of yet another non-profit organization and also carry the strong possibility tht the innovator may not even be "hired" to work on the innovation, whether because they have had to become a founding board member or because the board may select someone else to do the job.
In fact, we have created a culture that keeps innovators poor and jaded or for the most determined, we push them with all of our risk aversion and reluctance to change right out of our country to other countires who reward innovation that is progressive, often entrepreneurial and often beneficial to so many.
That is, of course, unless you are already established, but even then, Canadians are well known for only taking an innovation or business so far, before an Americna or another progressive country buys out the Canadian and teakes the project or business to the next level.
What have we done? What are we doing to oursevles, our country and our children's future? Who will remain in Canada? Yes, those averse to risk and reluctant to change will stay but change things will anyway. We can either be forerunners, creating the change we want or we can be the followers, having to adapt to the changes others will make to our country from the outside.
Unless we change and grow, we will have no one else to blame but ourselves. This line of
Canada, like a rising your star, has so much potential -- and we must choose the right course to fulfill that potential -- and that includes keeping our best resources here in Canada, those who will lead us into the new world as global contenders and partners -- with innovative ideas and creations that serve us all.