This study was stimulated by the recent successful launch of the euro, the prospect of official dollarization in Argentina and Mexico, the relatively poor performance of the Canadian economy, and the depreciation of the Canadian dollar.

The Canadian system of public education is inefficient and inadequate: 33 percent of Canadian high-school graduates are functionally illiterate; 27 percent of Canadian adolescents drop out of high school with no diploma.

On May 23, 1997, Simon Fraser University (SFU) fired swim coach Liam Donnelly with cause, for severe sexual harassment. SFU claimed his guilt had been proved by a three-person Investigative Panel which had found him guilty of numerous offenses including having sexually molested a student. Within two months SFU reversed itself, exonerating Donnelly on all the charges, SFU acknowledged problems with both the evidence and the fairness of the procedures.