The Canadian people elected a new Parliament in the midst of the great financial crisis of 2008. Prime Minister Harper extended his lead from 32 MPs to 67, and there is a good chance that this parliament will be around for the next four years.
Mr. Dion’s carbon tax did not resonate with the Canadian electorate-probably the critical reason why he was forced to resign as leader of the Liberal party on Oct. 20. It’s not that Canadians don’t believe in a greener environment, but rather under the current financial state, they require a more gradual approach to cleaning up our planet. The new Liberal leader that will surely be chosen in the coming months will have to devise a more palatable approach to reach Canadian voters.
As for politics south of the border, it looks like Barack Obama will be living in the White House quite soon. That will leave Prime Minister Harper as one of the only conservatives in the G8.
The month of October has not been easy for anyone. Our faith in the future will give us power in the present. I would recommend that you don’t even open your RRSP statements for the next few months. Panic will solve nothing. Like all cycles, this is a low point, and it will rise again.
For many of us who have been in this industry, we have seen many ups and downs and have learned the importance of keeping our heads down and continuing to work through the financial lows. Adopt the mental attitude of believing the world is simply going through a re-balancing act rather than a crisis, and you’ll notice the positive change in your productivity. Work hard and be focused while you’re performing your tasks, but also make sure you take breaks and get proper rest so that you see things as they really are as opposed to seeing situations through a tired and stressed perspective.
With a clear outlook you’ll see that, yes, we are going through a shuffle that will create a new financial order, but there will be money to be made in the future, and the sky is not really falling. It’s a shuffle-not a disaster.
We headed off to Graph Expo in Chicago at the end of October and will give you complete show coverage in the December issue. We hope to see many of you at Print World from November 22-24 in Toronto. We’ll be at booth 1132 – 1134 in the Direct Energy Centre waiting to give you a warm Canadian-Irish welcome!
Until next time, stay focused and stay positive.
