Introduction
The movie “Caught in the Crossfire” is one that explores the prospects that are involved in peace keeping of the Canadian forces in the Yugoslavia nation which is war ton. The movie is crafted in such a way that it presents the actual reality of the situation through the eyes of a soldier who is directly involved in the dangerous mission. The movie is like a tribute aid to the great Canadian men and women who have laid down their lives for the sake of a good course of bringing peace I the world. The movie further presents the viewers with an opportunity to get to appreciate and understand how difficult the work of peace keeping is. Through the movie, the importance and the achievement of Canada’s neutrality in conflicts is portrayed.
Contemporary issues the film explore in Canadian society
The film exposes a lot of issues that face Canada. These issues range from the uncertainties, opportunities and the challenges that are both domestic based and globally based. The issue of policy making is also exhibited with the various players and expectations for participation and openness drawn. There are issues of public service policy at stale where Canada is still on the verge of trying which policies work and which ones do not work. Canada is a nation that is vastly involved in trading activities and in which globalization has really brought in a lot of development in terms of the customer choice range, the economic growth and the variety of jobs. The country in however not insulated from the effects of recession and fiscal deficits alongside the challenges that are faced by institutions in the country. The policies of Canada are being shaped and affected by the emergence of Russia, Brazil, India and China, with this emergence seeing shift from the traditional G8 to a more solidified G20. This has caused the emergence of multilateral and bilateral relationships that are vital in the advancement of the interests of Canada. These changes play a great role in the foreign policy of Canada including the peace keeping setups. The emerging structures have forced Canada to have a shift and be more strategic in terms of foreign involvement, being a member of the Commonwealth, NATO and the Francophone among other international affiliations.
With the East and West war coming to an end, there has been an ironic increase in instability. This has been attributed to the small wars, failed states and the rise of international terrorism. These changes in the world dynamics have eventually led to the shift and renewal of issues of security as opposed to the focus on peace dividend. There have been the rises of vices and negative attributes including angry men, people being jobless and unmarried among other societal vices which have continued to cause a lot of instability across the world including in Iraq, Pakistan and Yugoslavia. Canada considers the United States of America as a very important and close partner of the nation and this is not likely to change in the near future.
Canada has been pitted against a number of issues ranging from the domestic to global issues. There have been advancement in the economy of Canada as a result of globalization but there are still a number of issues that the nation is yet to address. This is because there are certain governance structures that are lacking in the country.
Challenges faced by the Canadian people in the 21st century
Despite the fact that the country has a lot of strength with respect to its economic growth, there are certain challenges that are faced by the people and the nation of Canada as a whole. Climate change is one issue that is yet to be dealt with by the Canadian government. There has been a huge increase in terms of energy that is consumed by Canada. This is due to the fact that industrialization has developed and the consumption of energy by these industries has been on the rise. The issue of climate is to be addressed and is a challenge because the rate of development and advancement is fast due to the globalization rate in the country.
Product and food safety is yet another challenge that is faced by the people of Canada. Canada has a lot of food contents that also include the ingredients from various countries. This has greatly compromised on the security and safety of food in the country. There is need for a comprehensive and effective food inspection policy and program in order to deal with this situation. In doing so, there is need to deal with the monitoring and strengthening of the systems so as to enhance the building of capacity. The rise of infectious diseases has also been a challenge to the country. The nation is faced with the challenges of stopping infections when there is an outbreak in order to prevent them from spreading.
The issues facing Canada are by and large similar to those faced by the United States of America. Just like Canada, there are the issues of climate change given the fact that United States of America is also intently industrialized. There is an increased level of energy consumption in the industries which eventually results to an effect on the climate. This results to climatic challenge which needs to be addressed by both countries. Just like Canada, the United States of America is faced with the challenge of food security as there are a lot of food substances that get their way into the American market. This is a task that both countries are faced with and which they both have to deal with.
Depiction of Canada
From the film, Canada is depicted as a country that loves peace and that is neutral in its operations even during times of regional conflicts. From the film, Canada moves into Yugoslavia with an aim of helping the country to move above wars and to achieve stability. This is a gesture that extends to the Canadians themselves as they are seen as being compassionate, neutral and caring about the well being of other nations. In the peace keeping mission, the Canadian forces endure the pain, sufferings and hardships that they meet in order to restore peace in Yugoslavia.
From the film, Canada has various groups of people. There are those low income earners, those in the middle and those who are in the high class. The gap exists between them as those in the lower levels are subjects to those at the top. This is common in various countries as the ones in the upper level of class act like the bosses. However, the relationship between the groups is cordial and one built on mutual respect. The wealth is seen to possess a lot of power and might due to the resources that they have. My view on Canada has greatly changed as I see it as a country with people who are warm and who care for other people’s welfare.
Work cited
http://www.nfb.ca/film/caught_in_the_crossfire
