Canada comes to Columbia

Students learned Canada is the U.S.'s largest trading partner.

By Dan Salter

Published March 7, 2008

Through a series of film screenings, lectures and roundtable discussions, organizers of Canada Days sought to show students Canada is more than cold weather and hockey sticks.

Canada Days, a series of free events that were open to the community, offered students the opportunity to learn more about the second-largest country in the world.

“Canada Days encourages students to think about the importance of our relationship with Canada,” Canadian Studies coordinator James Endersby said. “It helps students and faculty think about incorporating Canada into research, class and study plans."

An event held in Cornell Hall’s Bush Auditorium gave students an inside look at Canada’s trade relationship with the United States.

Some students said they were shocked at the thought of Canada providing economic benefits for the United States.

“Canada trades with us?” sophomore Andrew Cusumano said. “The only thing they offer us is cold air.”

Jet stream aside, Canada does in fact play a major economic role in the U.S., Endersby said.

“Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner,” Endersby said. “Most Americans don’t realize that the U.S. has significantly more bilateral trade with Canada than any other nation. Large numbers of people travel legally across the border daily, and this travel is important for the U.S. economy.”

University of Windsor engineering professor Peter Frise spoke with students about the Canadian automobile industry Thursday.

“Fifteen thousand cars cross the Canadian border every day,” Frise said “That’s much more than America and Japan trade.”

During his presentation, Frise found time to plug his native country.

“We are hard workers, reliable, adaptable, internationally trusted and the worlds experts of in-climate weather, so come visit,” Frise said.

Frise also spoke about Canada’s high energy prices compared to the United States.

“Fuel costs about $3.80 in Windsor right now, compared to $2.75 right across the river in Detroit,” Frise said.

Several other events held throughout the week were planned to help students understand Canadian culture.

Roundtable discussions where students talked with professors about Canada’s importance allowed students to expand their knowledge beyond the U.S. border.

“We often neglect thinking about Canada because our relationship is so strong, but it is critical to the U.S. — and to Canada — to maintain a strong and cooperative relationship between our two countries,” Endersby said.