Darrell Bricker | Trends to Watch in 2017

With a new year upon us, organizations are fine-tuning their strategies to stay ahead of the curve. As the head of Ipsos Public Affairs, Darrell Bricker has his finger firmly on the pulse of public opinion, allowing him to provide an unparalleled perspective on the trends affecting business and the economy.

We sat down with Darrell to hear what’s in store for Canada in 2017.

Trend #1

Decline of Rural Canada

According to StatsCan ¹ the proportion of people living in rural areas has steadily declined over the past 160 years. Compared to other G8 countries Canada holds one of the lowest percentages of rural-dwellers ². Not only is the overall population shifting, but young adults (aged 15-29) residing in rural Canada is lower than the national average³. What does this mean for your organization and industry? What questions do you need to be asking to take advantage of this move to the cities? Darrell’s highly customized presentations will look at these trends to show you just where you need to be looking as Canada becomes a more urban-dwelling society.

Trend #2

Increasing Ethnic Diversity

With over 300,000 new immigrants to Canada and the strong majority being from Pacific Nations, the ethnic makeup of Canada is undergoing a profound shift. In his presentations, Darrell does a deep dive into the makeup of these new Canadians analyzing figures around Countries of Birth, Economic Immigration, and their new cities of residence, and what it means for the diversity of your customer and member base.

Trend #3

Ageing Population

Canada’s current median age sits in the low 40’s, but will continue to grow. This trend also takes into account a new reality in the workplace: a large number of boomers are putting off retirement to stay in their positions. What does this mean for employers and the next generation of employees? What about meeting the needs of the elderly? Darrell’s talks look at potential problems that will arise for Canada around job availability, working age, and dependency.

Bonus:

On Canadian Exceptionalism:

“One of the things we talk about an awful lot, particularly in the current political environment, is Canadian Exceptionalism. Here’s where I’d have to add a caution.

Some of the seeds of discontent that we’re seeing in other places are muted in Canada, but they certainly exist. The right combination of political leadership and incidents happening outside of the broader Canadian context could create a situation in which that Canadian Exceptionalism gets challenged.

This is going to be a really important thing that we have to keep an eye on. Our ability to accommodate all these changes could be threatened the same way we see it happening in the United States and other countries, particularly ones in Europe. It will play an important role as we move through 2017 and in particular as we near the next federal election.”

-Darrell Bricker

On Populism

This change of more concentrated voices in cities, increasing diversity and the ageing population are three trends that show some of the makeup of our society in Canada. Globally we also see the trend of populism on the rise. 2016 saw some significant swings in public opinion in two of the biggest economic nations in the world: The UK’s Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump. This year will see elections in France, Holland and other jurisdictions. There are many things driving this change, but Darrell asks if this is the year we can fully understand it and whether or not we can direct this sentiment into positive outcome for society.

Learn more about how Darrell’s insights can help your organization be future-ready by reviewing his speaker profile or by contacting us.