hc5, Wolfert Lyceum, Netherlands, Question:
What do you see as the major problems in your country, at the moment or in the near future?
Are there a lot of different opinions in your country about these problems and how to solve them, and how does your country deal with these different opinions? 

Answer from hc1

Some major problems in Canada are pollution, loss of jobs, and suicide/depression.

  Pollution is a major problem because out of all the countries in the world, Canada is rated 3^rd most polluted. This is a major problem because regular exposures to air pollution can lead to many different types of pulmonary diseases.

   In our opinion, there are two different types of opinions on pollution in our country. Some people think that pollution isn’t really a major issue, and chose not to do anything about it because they don’t see the effects that it’s having on the world. Then there are the people who care enough to do things such as recycling, picking up garbage, or biking instead of driving, in order to help with the cause.

  Loss of jobs is a major problem in Canada as well because there are plenty of people that are being fired from jobs that some of them have had for a very long amount of time. Our economy is struggling to maintain strength in global markets.  If this continues, people will not have enough money to support themselves or their children because they won’t be able to afford all of the stuff they need. More people in our country will also be on welfare which means tax rates will increase, which will make the people with jobs that have a decent amount of money, will also be losing the money that they use to support their families.

  The people who have lost their jobs are angry and upset because they need to search for a different job to support themselves and the ones they live with. The people who haven’t lost their jobs don’t really realize what’s going on because they still have their job, and that’s all that really matters to them.  We have a somewhat divided nation when it comes to priorities.

  Suicide and depression is a major problem in Canada as well. Our government is focusing more and more resources into mental health iniatives. 1 in every 3 people here has depression. Most of us therefore either have it, or probably know someone who has it, even if they don’t realize that they do know someone who has it. For example, on average 3,900 people committed suicide throughout the whole year. More people also die a year from suicide then they do from being in car crashes.

  If the suicide rate in Canada keeps increasing, then it could be an even bigger problem than it already is. Especially if it keeps increasing in people younger than 16, because most of the times here if you’re younger than 16 and suffer from depression, no one is really willing to help you.  The people who suffer from it, or know someone who does seem to care more than the ones who don’t, because they seem to believe that it’s attention seeking, or not they’re problem simply because they don’t have to deal with it.

  Our country deals with these different opinions mainly by letting people believe whatever they want to believe and whether or not act upon these issues.

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Answer from hc2



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Answer from hc3

The questions:

-What are the major problems in our country?

-How does our country deal with those problems?

-Are there a lot of different opinions about those problems?

-How can we solve those problems?

The answers:

-The economic crisis, The government gifs too much to other countries, companies go bankrupt and people get fired. The countries in the south in Europe have trouble with the northern countries in Europe.

-We try to think of many seclusions, the government and the citizens don’t always have the same opinions about those seclusions. Like raising the tax.

-Many people are mad or sad, and they disagree with the government of our country.

-The government increases the tax, so they have more money to pay the payment.

The answers:

-The many foreigners, taking over Dutch jobs, so many Dutch people are workless.

-Some ministers are trying to close the borders so the people without a passport can’t come in.

-A lot of  natives agree this seclusion and a lot of immigrants don’t agree this seclusion.

-Try to make an agreement so everyone is satisfied.

Sources: -www.groene.nl/dossier/eurocrisis

                -Ourselves

                -www.wikipedia.nl 

Answer from hc4

- The economic crisis is a major problem, people are losing their jobs, businesses go bankrupt and the economy gets worse and worse.

This occured because Dutch people think that foreign people take over the jobs, because they are "cheaper".And because people don't spend their money and put it into a saving account

Some people think they are stealing our jobs, but others think this is a good thing because foreign people come here, because in their own country the economy is even worse.

We can solve this problem, if people start spending their money again, so the economy slowly gets better again.

- The Netherlands has too many people, this is because a lot of refugees come to the Netherlands to hide from, for example, wars in their own country. This also occurs problems here. Alot of people can't find a job.

- A lot of people are fired, because machinery slowly takes the production over.

Answer from hc6

The main problem in our country is connected with the ecology. Our cities and villages become dirtier and dirtier. The rubbish is everywhere: in the streets, in the forests, on the beaches. Moreover, our rivers are polluted. The reason of water pollution is pumping industrial waste into rivers.
In our country some people don’t pay attention to this problem. But however our government tries to deal with it. Authorities provide fines for polluting. There are many conflicts in our country because our nation doesn’t want to pay these fines, but they must do this.

Answer from hc7

One major problem in our country is the economic crisis.

The economic crisis affected a lot of people we produce less than we had before.

People lose their  jobs because of the economic crisis.

There are 3 factors of the economic crisis: The housing Market, The banks, the pension.

The housing market is dropping by a lot because of this they have a high mortgage and a slow working rental market.

With houses dropping to lower prices the lower the value of the collateral for mortgages.

The pension is raised to a higher age and they cut the money they gave the retired people.

Our banks are depending on other countries income to make sure that the banks stay alive.

But this doesn’t solve the whole problem  our government is making a lot of financial solutions.

They have a lot of different opinions  they discuss everything together so they can see who’s agreeing with who.

Bronvermelding:

 http://www.ser.nl/nl/actueel/persberichten/2010-2019/2013/20130405-bijdragen-vertrouwensherstel-wegwerken-negatieve-wisselwerkingen-nederlandse-economie.aspx

Answer from hc8

     At the moment, as a major problem in our country I see the economical crisis. Also in our country there isn’t understanding, because people fight for everything and don’t care of rules.

     Some people try to solve those problems in different ways, like good business, for  the crisis and acting  nice. Some people think that changing the government is one of the best ways to reduce the crisis.

     The most serious problem is the fact that the economic crisis is affecting the people’s standard of living. If they have less money, this means that they will have less money to spend when they are sick or that they will not have a healthy diet. As a result, they life expectancy will decrease. In the long run, there will be less active employed people to “carry” the society, to “keep things moving”.

     The truth is that everything is connected and the society is a cycle in which all those involved are important.

Answer from hc9

   Initially, Romania was among the countries that have joined recently , but now they fod many similar problems, such as reduces consummation and strong  investment and widening external imbalances.

   Some elements were crucial in these developments, for example, around the time of accession, privatization and structural reforms, development of functioning markets and macroeconomic stabilization. A common view is why the widening deficit reflects the impact of macroeconomic structural changes.

   A more cautious approach considers that these imbalances are an expression of the fact that the transition was not always well-managed, the process of “catching-up” can not be achieved through isolated efforts at a time of economic growth and that the failure of proper settlement will increase potential risks arising in these economies.

Answer from hc10

A lot of people say that Canada’s politicians are our biggest problems. We say that we agree. along with the other people at The national post.com. No offense, but if this keeps up, a lot of people say that this country will deteriorate, and become a dictatorship. WWIII might be a possibility, if things go bad. But that’s just our opinion. Anyways, what might save this country is if We, the people, rebuild the Parliament with a common goal, and restore order. We hope that this hasn’t happened to you.  Another problem we Canadians have is that our economy is deteriorating. the people at CBC news are posting things on their website about this.  People are losing their jobs, prices are going up, nature is being destroyed. these are some of our biggest problems.

How we deal with all these opinions? Well, I’d say that we take less notice of the more negative ones. Everyone thinks that Canada is an optimist, and we agree. No one likes to think about the dark future, or things that could go wrong. Me neither. So, in short, our biggest problem is our politicians, and the way we deal with a lot of opinions, is that we take less notice of the negative opinions. Nathaniel and Damien, Sutton Public school, Canada

source: National Post: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/03/05/todays-letters-what-is-the-biggest-issue-facing-canada/

 CBC news: http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/04/do-you-agree-with-ottawas-faster-environmental-review-process.html