[SPEECH] A BRIEF LOOK AT THE STATE OF THE NATION: CANADA

Written by Rossie Lim

On May 31st, 2022 (Tuesday), Wil Martens, a professor from NSYSU International Programs, was invited by Professor David Andersson to give a speech on the topic of “A Brief Look at The State of The Nation: Canada,” which was conducted online, to provide students with an overview of the Canada market. 

During his career, Mr. Wil Martens had different experience in various countries like South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. He used to be the finance lecturer of RMIT International University Vietnam, the director of marketing and student recruitment in Canadian International School Kunshan, the business development in Vietnam Asset Management Ltd., the business manager in Spring International School, and the business Administrator in Mountainview International Christian School.

Although the class was conducted online, the guest lecture was very successful and effective. During the speech, Mr. Wil Martens takes us around Canada from different aspects and follows up with the connection between Canada’s history. We get to know one of the trivia is the name from Canada comes from the Iraqi word for village. Close behind was the topic of immigration to Canada. Mr. Will Martens present the pull factor (why people immigrate to Canada) and the push factor (why people emigrate from Canada). As the rules, to get into Canada Independent immigrants must achieve a certain amount of points. We discussed the points systems, compared them with other countries, and concluded that it’s not too difficult to immigrate to Canada. Given that Mr. Wil Martens has a German and Russian background, he presented a  comparison between Canada and Germany. Both professor, guest speaker, and students enjoyed discussing and discussing the differences with the combination of personal experiences.

Every coin has two sides. Mr. Will Martens also mentions that Canada is not perfect and follows with the discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples, housing issues, inflation, etc. Lastly, he summarized an overview of the cultural part of Canada by applying the Hofstede Cultural Framework. The Q&A section has been integrated into the lecture; students seemed unusually willing to share their thoughts. Afterward, we all took a group picture to remember this unique occasion.