"An Industrial Strategy towards an "Optimum" Canadian Economy" was written in 1974 when the author was employed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. at Piniwa, Manitoba to examine the feasiblity and advisability of Canada establishing a "laser driven fusion"^[1] programme in response to its de-classification by the United States. The article was my attempt to rationalize why the federal government should fund a Canadian fusion programme.

In my article, I particularly insist that money earned from the export of depletable raw materials be treated differently that money earned from the export of renewable resources or from the export of manufactured goods to individual consumers.

I feel that some of my argumentation is particularly relevant today because of the impending energy crisis. Over the last year or so the price of oil and natural gas has sky-rocketed -- perhaps indicating the arrival of "peak oil". Canada is exporting the vast majority of its gas and oil to the United States. The Russian Federation is a major supplier to Ukraine and Europe and, by temporarily shutting of gas supplies on Jan. 01, 2006, signalled that it is capable of blackmailing these countries into paying higher prices. In this context, it would be interesting to try to develop a rational energy policy for Canada and for the Russian Federation as exporters and for the United States and Ukraine as net importers. By extension, such a policy should be applicable to the whole world.

Will Zuzak; 2006-01-08

Acknowledgement:
I am indebted to my niece, Lee Zuzak, for typing out an electronic version from a hard copy of the article that I had in my possession.

^[1] [The Laser Fusion Working Party at AECL eventually recommended that, instead of laser driven fusion, Canada establish a "magnetic confinement fusion" programme, which eventually came to fruition in the 1980's and 1990's with the construction of the Tokamak de Varennes at the Hydro Quebec research facilities on the south shore of Montreal. Canadian scientists quickly became part of the international fusion effort centred at labs in the United States, Europe, Japan and Russia. Unfortunately, Canada's fusion programme was shut down in 1996-97 by Industry Minister Anne McLellan as a cost-cutting measure ($7.1 million/year to the federal government) to free funds to pursue imaginary Nazi war criminals via the denaturalization and deportation policy ($45.8 million over three years). The loss of the fusion programme dashed any hopes that Canadian scientists had that Canada would be chosen to host the International Test Experimental Reactor (ITER) on its soil. ITER is presently scheduled to be built in Cadarache, France.]