The past couple of years have been extremely difficult on the world’s economy.  Nevertheless, as we emerge from the economic downturn, Canada has proven itself to be a strong and resilient country. While many countries continue to struggle to find their footing, Canada is managing well amid an uncertain global recovery.

The strength of Canada is not based solely on its economy, but rather a combination of elements that when compiled together give Canada a tremendous advantage.  A recent study by Newsweek Magazine, has ranked the world’s countries based on five different factors: education, health, quality of life, economic dynamism and political environment.  Based on this study, Canada is ranked seventh in the world and the only North American country to crack the top ten.  This is an exemplary feat even without the difficulties of the past couple of years. To find out more, check out the interactive study on the Newsweek website.

David Dodge, former Bank of Canada governor and now Chancellor of Queen’s University and Chair of the Ontario Economic Summit, will co-chair a new global risk group, the “Market Monitoring Group”, created by the Institute of International Finance.

The Market Monitoring Group will be studying weak points and vulnerabilities in the global financial system that could potentially cause large problems. The group will analyze the system and suggest ways to safeguard it from risks. Let us know in the comments what you think some of the major issues are.