UNPARALLELED SUCCESS: The first-ever TradeTalk Community Discussion on Trade concluded on May 4 beyond the expectations by its hosts, and the statistics do not display it better.
- 365 people registered for the Community Discussion.
- $819 worth of hot dogs sold at the event.
- $1200 worth of donations given to TradeTalk, primarily by famed Slovak economist Sid Milos, from the University of Bratislava.
- 82% of participants were between the ages of 18 and 30.
- 79% of participants polled had a positive opinion on the Community Discussion.
THE OPINION: Addressing the increasingly controversial issue of free trade, there is bound to be opposing opinions on the issue.
- 77% of participants thought of free trade agreements as beneficial for Canada.
- 20% of participants thought of free trade agreements as detrimental for Canada.
- 3% of participants were not sure and attended to gain an opinion, whether by official TradeTalk information or through debates occurring among participants.
- 1 fight occurred during the event.
- 12% of participants described being "dissatisfied" with how the event turned out for them.
- 20% of participants said their opinions changed on free trade, 92% of whom swayed towards the cause of free trade as beneficial.
CANADA'S (CITIZEN'S) ECONOMIC ACTION PLAN: Participants voiced their concerns and complaints over Canada's existing trade policies.
- Only 12% of participants were satisfied with Canada's current trade policies.
- Out of those dissatisfied, 56% of those polled said Canada "was not doing enough" for free trade deals, 44% arguing the contrary.
- The concerns of 5 randomly selected people were placed into a promised letter addressed to the Parliament of Canada, detailing the calls for action during the Discussion.