Birth of a Boom: Saskatchewan’s Dawning Golden Age

Saskatchewan, Canada's Prairie heartland, stands on the cusp of a Golden Age. The enormous growth of international trade means billions of new global customers want to sell us their goods and buy our scarce natural resources in return. Meanwhile, the province has matured and stabilized politically; little will hold its people back from capitalizing on these very favourable conditions. Saskatchewan is poised to become the richest province in the richest country on earth, but what of it? Is being rich really enough?In this concise and well-researched book published in collaboration with Canada's Frontier Centre for Public Policy, David Breen Seymour seeks out the most vibrant and successful societies that have ever existed: Ancient Athens, the Islamic Golden Age, and Enlightenment Scotland-times and places in history where people achieved more and in a wider range of fields than anywhere else, ever. He then modernizes the lessons they offer and applies them to Saskatchewan's choices from education and health care to Aboriginal policy and the shape of cities. Seymour concludes that money isn't enough, but that Saskatchewan's prosperity provides the breathing space required to herd some sacred political cows on the way to becoming one of history's truly Golden Societies.

Saskatchewan, Canada's Prairie heartland, stands on the cusp of a Golden Age. The enormous growth of international trade means billions of new global customers want to sell us their goods and buy our scarce natural resources in return. Meanwhile, the province has matured and stabilized politically; little will hold its people back from capitalizing on these very favourable conditions. Saskatchewan is poised to become the richest province in the richest country on earth, but what of it? Is being rich really enough?In this concise and well-researched book published in collaboration with Canada's Frontier Centre for Public Policy, David Breen Seymour seeks out the most vibrant and successful societies that have ever existed: Ancient Athens, the Islamic Golden Age, and Enlightenment Scotland-times and places in history where people achieved more and in a wider range of fields than anywhere else, ever. He then modernizes the lessons they offer and applies them to Saskatchewan's choices from education and health care to Aboriginal policy and the shape of cities. Seymour concludes that money isn't enough, but that Saskatchewan's prosperity provides the breathing space required to herd some sacred political cows on the way to becoming one of history's truly Golden Societies.