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The article offers business world predictions for 2012. Topics discussed is the expected implosion of the housing bubble in China, the crash of the Canadian housing market, and that Mitt Romney will win the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. Also considered are Germany's economy, the likelihood streaming video services will outperform broadcast television, and Russia's political power. Gadgets like tiny printers, powerful tablet computers, and encrypted USB storage devices are mentioned. INSETS: COULD CHINA BUY HUSKY?;WILL KINDLE PUMMEL THE iPAD?;WILL THE HOBBIT BE THE BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTER OF ALL TIME?;ON WHY WE SHOULD COOL IT

The article discusses strategies being employed by Canada's biggest banks to find new ways to connect with customers. The impact of increased competition from unconventional rivals and a decline in growth prospects in traditional revenue streams are examined. The attempts of large banks such as the Royal Bank of Canada, TD Canada Trust and Bank of Montreal to make over their physical locations by adding video screens and other amenities to improve the customer experience are described.

The article criticizes issues concerning high-frequency trading (HFT) scheme used in the Canadian Stock Exchange. According to the author, HFT systems do not focus on corporate growth strategies, earnings announcements, or management decisions. He mentions the controversial practice of HFT which is to allow companies to earn rebates from stock exchanges in return for providing business. He adds that the use of data mining allows HFT to get ahead of other traders by modeling trading patterns. The author also points out HFT's unethical use of algorithm.

The article explores the competition among Canada's biggest media companies in response to the emergence of digital platforms, social networking and the rise of smartphones. The media companies involved in the competition include Torstar Corp., Quebecor Inc., and Postmedia Network Inc. Information is also presented on various initiatives undertaken by the media companies to stay ahead of the competition.

The article focuses on the issue of antiviral stockpiling amidst the H1N1 flu epidemic in Canada in 2009. It recalls similar health threats during the years 1940 and 2000. A comparison with the stockpiling activity that happened in 2005 is detailed. Also noted is the conflict of interest between the Public Health Agency of Canada, which opposes private-sector hoarding of Tamiflu or Relenza, and corporations, which argue that they should be free to protect their employees.

This article profiles the 25 most influential people in Canadian commerce and industry. Corporate executives including Elyse Allan of GE Canada, Jim Balsillie of Research in Motion, and Geoff Beattie of Woodbridge Co. are described. These people are singled out for their use of corporate positions to develop influence in related fields such as financial services regulation, international governance, and business education.

The article profiles Canada's billionaire finance professional Eric Sprott of Sprott Asset Management. A discussion of Sprott's employment history in the fund management industry, and of his involvement in contrarian investing, is presented. A successful initial public offering which was seen at Sprott Asset Management is discussed. INSET: BIO.

The article presents an overview of many problems which manufacturing firms, including automobile manufacturing plants run by General Motors and other automobile companies, are seeing in 2008. A discussion of a decrease in factory and manufacturing employment which has been seen in Canada since 2000 is presented.

The article examines nine sections of the Canadian economy and forecasts possible developments in each in 2008. The sections are telecommunications, metals, the automobile industry, biotechnology, construction, gold mining, the entertainment industry, energy, and the retail trade. Specific companies expected to prosper are noted.

The article discusses the collapse of the asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) market in Canada. One company holding frozen ABCP wants the government to investigate ABCP dealers, including Coventree Inc. A memorandum issued to dealers by Coventree on July 24, 2007 may have provided material information investors say should have been shared with them.

The article profiles Eleanor Clitheroe, former CEO of Hydro One Inc. who is now an Angelican priest. Clitheroe's rise and fall in the business world of Canada is examined, with particular focus given to her controversial termination as CEO of Hydro One Inc. Also discussed is her religious background and upbringing. INSETS: The political players;In the boardroom, friend and foe.

This article discusses United States hedge fund activists who purchase shares and securities in corporate markets for immediate turn around sales in another. The author describes the effects that corporate control has on long-term shareholders and the economy itself. There are many cultural difference between the U.S. market and the Canadian market, but among the most visible is the Canadian justice system, which takes a more fundamental approach at solving attempted corporate takeovers.

This article discusses the reorganization of Canada's Stelco Inc. under the threat of losing its protection against creditors. Stelco had filed for bankruptcy protection in Jan. 2004, but had failed to negotiate a reorganization amidst a challenge to its insolvency claim by the United Steelworkers union. Judge James Farley threatened loss of creditor protection unless the union's Bill Ferguson and Stelco representatives could come up with an acceptable plan.

The article focuses on entrepreneur, Mark Sutcliffe, the president of Barrie, Ont.-based Specialty Board Games Inc. A few years ago, Sutcliffe studied transportation administration at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont. before starting his game-development company. Sutcliffe's company--which now has about 20 full-time employees and third-party manufacturing facilities in China, the United States and Canada--just released a CSI: Miami game. CBS and Alliance Atlantis awarded his former hobby firm the game rights to their hit CSI franchise two years ago. When Sutcliffe met CBS in 2003, he had produced just three geographic trivia games (on Ontario, Quebec and New York) and a sports trivia game on golf, generating revenue that would have made dot-com executives blush.

The article forecasts the outlook for seven sectors, transportation, technology, retail, steel, energy, gold, and automotive in 2005. Air Canada emerged from bankruptcy with a new name, ACE, a moniker that sounds kind of like a chain of discount hardware stores. Chinese imports have caused massive backlogs at the Port of Vancouver, where container business ramped up about 7% in 2004. The bottleneck was so tight it became a new excuse for executives who didn't make their numbers this year, including La Senza, which blamed a money-Losing third quarter on lineups at the dock. And it's only expected to get worse in 2005. Drewry Shipping Consultants predicts another 14% rise in shipments between North America and Asia. In early December, IBM announced plans to sell its personal computer division to Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group. As well, the low-level, undeclared feud between U.S. and Chinese companies over global tech standards (who gets to set them) will continue. On the biotech front, the sector faces a big challenge. David Emerson, file new federal industry minister and former CEO of Canfor, has made it a goal that Canada's biotech industry should be one of the Top 5 globally in terms of R&D. The government has shovelled money into the sector, but it continues to offer more promise than return. The king of Canadian biotech, Biovail, has lost nearly two-thirds of its value since mid-September 2003, while drug developer ConjuChem sold off in the second half of 2004.

The article discusses the staffing shortage at business schools. About 500 faculty positions remained unfilled at business schools in the United States last year, a vacancy rate increase of more than 100% since 2001. The right kind of PhDs are in short supply because business schools compete with the private sector for graduates, and universities are failing to attract enough candidates to meet market demand. Furthermore, since enrollment in business PhD programs has been falling across North America, some university administrations are responding by cutting back their expensive doctorate programs. In order to stay in business, some MBA programs have been converting PhD's from fields such as psychology and sociology into business profs; others are staffing up with non-academic instructors. Relying on "clinical" faculty who possess years of experience in the corporate trenches but lack the scholarly rigor that comes with a PhD is painted by the academic community as a dangerous short-term strategy. If you believe the Canadian Federation of Business School Deans, which wants Ottawa to fund an effort to generate more biz PhD's, the economy itself is at risk. With all due respect, that self-serving conclusion may be a bit of BS from the CFBSD. Fred Smith would certainly beg to differ with the deans. According to the founder, president and chairman of FedEx Corp., who does not have an MBA, everything anybody needs to become a great business leader is available online or at your local store. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence suggesting that what MBAs are taught doesn't make them great CEOs. Well, after taking a groundbreaking look at the effectiveness of CEOs with MBAs in 2001, McGill University management professor Henry Mintzberg and a British colleague concluded that graduate business schools often "give students the confidence to make decisions but not the competence to deal with the messy reality in which decisions are executed."

The article focuses on science competitions, Canadian high-school students who show genius in science, and creative ability during adolescence. With his spiky hair and bookworm specs, Vladislav Lavrovsky looks much like Harry Potter. Lavrovsky, who moved to Canada from Russia when he was 4, is a special kid--even among the gifted-kid set. He plays piano. He likes scuba diving. He even enjoys sketching. But he's really into enzymes. When not attending high school, doing university courses or working as a translator, Lavrovsky is a genomics and proteomics expert. Anila Madiraju, 18, was recently selected to carry the Olympic flame as part of an international relay leading up to the 2004 games in Athens. The attention is nothing new: the Montreal student gained global recognition (and US$50,000) last year when she was crowned the world's top teen scientist at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair. Picture a venture-capital fair, one where money is tight. People looking for capital must convince the judges they are onto something special. Same goes for science fairs, where the judging often lasts for days. That's what makes them so stressful. But the experience is also educational, a lesson in what comes after teen life. "It is very important to be able to communicate knowledge," Madiraju explains, "because if you can't share what you've learned, there is no use to it." That ability, says the former world teen champ of science, is what got her into Yale. INSET: And the winners are....

The article discusses a border problem that could affect more than $200 billion in trade that passes between Windsor, Ontario and Michigan annually, most of which is transported by trucks that face costly delays crossing the Ambassador Bridge. There is a nine-point plan that could open the door for private developers to eventually proceed with proposed new river crossings, including a possible quick-fix solution by the Detroit River Tunnel Partnership, a venture financed by Canadian Pacific Railway and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. The community wants to bypass red tape and transform an existing train tunnel into a new state-of-the-art rail line and designated two-lane truck route. The real conflict is being waged between Windsor's new mayor, Eddie Francis, and former city boss Mike Hurst, who didn't run for re-election after serving 11 years as mayor. Hurst, one of the few local politicians to support the nine-point plan, recently signed on as CEO of the DRTP. The Detroit International Bridge Co., a private firm that operates the 74-year-old Ambassador Bridge, claims there is no immediate need for more pavement. The company insists its existing four lanes could easily handle twice the current daily volume of about 11,000 trucks, provided border authorities added more resources. David Bradley, head of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, insists another route is needed now. Another crossing could also reduce the economic impact of a terrorist strike. According to a study commissioned and publicized as a lobbying tool last year by DRTP officials, Ontario's bill for a short four-hour bridge service outage would total $7 million. Two days without the crossing would jointly cost Ontario and Michigan about $180 million, while a two-week shutdown would cost a whopping $2.3 billion. The study assumed that the two-lane Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which opened in 1930, a year after the Ambassador Bridge, wasn't targeted.

Discusses the outlook for the Canadian economy in 2004, with a focus on the challenges for North America in the media, gold, transportation, technology, biotechnology, steel, energy, automotive, and merchandising industries. View that advertising spending will increase, according to forecaster ZenithOptimedia Group; Idea that the transportation sector will grow because of demand for low-cost travel; The risk in gold stocks; Expectation for a slight increase in budgets for IT spending; Effect of Iraq war on the supply and demand curve for oil; Concern in the steel industry about the cheap price of imported steel; Impact of competition on DesRosiers Automotive Consultants in Ontario and the problem of international border congestion with the U.S.

Focuses on Canada Steamship Lines, the Montreal-based CSL Group Inc., and finance minister Paul Martin. History of CSL under the leadership of Martin; Idea that there could be conflict of interests because Martin did not sell the company, but gave control of CSL to his three sons Paul, James, and David; Question of whether the rich shipping tycoons can manage business succession; Reference to "Atlantic Monthly" magazine which published a story on the global shipping industry and the competitive advantage of having "flags of convenience"; Mention of CSL finance; Role of Pierre Préfontaine at CSL; His comment about the use of self-unloaders; Opposition of the International Transport Workers' Federation to flags of convenience: Issues that the industry has with federal government policy in Canada. INSET: FAMILY TIES.

Profiles Maureen Kempston Darkes and her goal to become the first female chief executive officer of General Motors Canada. Lack of female executives in the automobile sector; How Darkes has worked to increase the company's revenue; Recognition by the Women's Automotive Association International; Consideration of how Darkes graduated from University of Toronto with degrees in law and the arts; How she sits on boards of companies such as Canadian National Railway and Thomson Corp.

Pulling off a luxury road trip is harder than you think. Being an image-conscious suck, I set out to make my trip both luxurious and acceptably masculine. My plan was brilliant. Everyone knows consumers have been carrying the economy, so I volunteered to celebrate consumerism by putting together a product-review package of camping goods. After weeks of skillfully working the phone, my dumbfounded neighbors watched as I packed my bright-yellow Hummer with solar-powered computing and entertainment gear to stock the common room in the Big Kahuna, a massive three-room Eureka tent, which I upgraded with a queen inflatable bed, ceiling fan and remote-controlled lighting supplied by Coleman. Soon I found myself overlooking a small dune that led to a secluded beach. "Don't do it; my wife said. But I didn't want to cruise the shore; I just wanted a photograph. Unlike my wife, I wasn't concerned about getting back up the small hill. None of that, of course, counted for much when the first local who found me stuck deep in sand informed me that a good storm would push the tide up and over my borrowed $83,000 truck. My cell phone didn't work. Then I saw OnStar. The service didn't send Batman, but some call centre in the US did get me a tow guy in less than two hours, despite the fact that I wasn't on a GPS listed road. My heart sank the minute my savior's truck started sliding off the road toward the Hummer, not the other way around. "Can't do it, pal,' he said. "Don't got enough truck." My pals are still laughing. As for me, I've learned to listen to my wife. I've also promised the god of consumer goods that I'll be more careful the next time I borrow almost $90,000 worth of stuff.

In a year when prices for lumber and pulpwood hit their lowest levels in a decade, forestry companies such as Canfor Corp. were already smarting. On top of that, Canfor had to pay $107.6 million in punitive duties in fiscal 2002 due to Canada's softwood lumber dispute with the US. The Vancouver company--the largest softwood lumber producer in Canada and fourth-largest in the world--still managed to carve out a profit of $11.5 million on revenue of $2.1 billion. CEO David Emerson is fighting a more grassroots campaign: to change the image of forestry. Since signing on as CEO in 1998--after overhauling the Vancouver International Airport Authority--he has led Canfor's initiative to gain certification from the Canadian Standards Association and American Forest & Paper Association. Tim Hortons is one of Canada's top 75 companies of all time because the food chain makes the best darn coffee in the country. It qualifies because, although it's been owned by American giant Wendy's Internat

Profiles Jacques Lamarre, the chief executive officer and president of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc in Montreal, Canada. How Lamarre runs the largest engineering and contruction company in Canada; His experience as the chairman of the Conference Board of Canada; Role of Lamarre as a capitalist; How SCN acquired the engineering assets of Lavalin Inc. in 1991; Consideration of Lamarre's conservative accounting and strong balance sheet; Efforts to bring SNC into the international market.

Like Sy Sperling, founder and former president of Hair Club for Men, Canada's Steve Hudson plans to do more than just head the famous wig and weave maker he took over late last year. Despite failed attempts to unload his massive mansion in Toronto's Rosedale district for $17.5 million--Hair Club's second-largest shareholder is now happily settled in sleepy Boca Raton, Florida far away from the short sellers and critics who drove Hudson to pull out his sandy-brown locks during a turbulent tenure as chief executive at Newcourt Credit Group Inc. Sperling--who is credited with delivering non-surgical hair systems to the masses--can't quite figure out why Canadians are so interested in Hudson (which is why he'll tell journalists he fully expects Hair Club to become another Newcourt). Under Hudson, Hair Club (which has dropped the "for Men" from its name) plans to aggressively target the legions of North American women--about 30 million in the US alone--who suffer from hair loss. To get its hair wet in transplants, Hair Club has partnered with Medical Hair Restoration--an operation roughly the same size as Bosley Medical.

Discusses bank mergers in Canada and the impact mergers will have on consumers. Expectations regarding legislative vote of the Canadian House of Commons finance committee on bank mergers; Approval vote of bank merger legislation by the Senate finance committee, suggesting mergers benefit shareholders and the public interest; Why banks feel they need to grow internationally; How the average citizen should regard bank mergers.

Profiles Pentecostal minister and British Columbian politician Bob Gaglardi. Biographical information; Details of a book he is writing about nearly losing his family fortune; Information on his company, Northland Properties Corporation; Link to Denny's Corporation of South Carolina.

Done right, deregulation of electricity in Ontario would have promoted conservation. But even with price caps, there are still incentives for industry to manage energy use.Energy industry watcher Tom Adams hopes the provinces of Canada will rise up and live out the true meaning of energy market deregulation. Like industrial users who invest in energy management technologies, Web-enabled interval meters could also empower residential customers to watch market prices in real time, giving them an incentive to switch energy usage to low-cost periods. According to Adams, executive director of Toronto's Energy Probe, a public policy watchdog that has been fighting for energy industry deregulation for years, sophisticated interval meters and other emerging energy management technologies are perfect examples of market forces in action. Indeed, years ago, when Canadian politicians in Alberta and Ontario first started jumping on the deregulation bandwagon, there were concerns about extreme price increases and possible blackouts without offering any real suggestions beyond maintaining the status quo--which is what led Ontario Hydro to build up $38 billion in debt. According to more than one board member of Ontario's Independent Electricity Market Operator (IMO), the organization set up to run Ontario's deregulated power system, a California-style energy crisis could be created:supply problems put Ontario on the edge of the blackout cliff last summer. INSET: Power Scare.

Evaluates the public relations (PR) business in Canada. Turnover in PR companies; The International Association of Business Communicators' (IABC) assessment of the rise in communications spending; Problems that plague PR firms; Money that is used towards ineffective strategies; Costs of PR consulting; Suggestions to companies that seek PR consulting.

Profiles William Shatner, chief executive officer of a special effects company in Toronto, Ontario. Business degree of Shatner from McGill University; His career in acting on the 'Star Trek' television series; Support of a foundation for handicapped children by Shatner; Work of Shatner as the spokesman for Priceline.com.

Profiles husband and wife Moira Stott-Merrithew and Lindsay Merrithew, who have their own line of Pilates equipment. Biographical information; Hopes to expand Merrithew Corp., which includes an independent brand of Pilates exercises marketed under the Stott Pilates banner and a manufacturing facility in Toronto; Description of the body/mind Pilates exercises; Outlook for Merrithew Corp., which ranks among Canada's fastest growing companies.

Ranks the top 100 wealthiest people in Canada as of December 31, 2001. Kenneth Thompson, a publisher; Galen Weston, in the grocery business, retail, and real estate; Business activities of the Irving family; Bernard Sherman of Apotex, Inc.; More. INSETS: Wealth creators;Dearly departed;Bubbling under.

The cover story predicts that the Canadian housing market will crash in 2012. According to the article, the residential real estate market in Canada has experienced uncommon growth over a long period of time. The author argues that such growth is a sign of a financial bubble that will soon burst. The article cites concerns that were expressed by the leaders of three major Canadian banks about the housing market in January 2012. The article argues that Canadian housing is overvalued that condominium development in places such as Toronto, Ontario, is oversupplied as compared to other major North American cities. The article states that Canadian home buyers must be aware that their houses may not increase in value for several years. INSET: ON WHY WE SHOULD COOL IT.

An interview with Robert Pritchard, appointed chair of international business law firm Torys and the Canadian arm of book publisher Penguin, is presented. When asked about what is it like to join a law firm at 61, Pritchard claims he is thrilled to be a working lawyer at long last. He describes his role at the law firm and at Penguin. According to Pritchard, he has no plans to seek public office but he admires people who do.

The article presents a profile of the Canadian businessman and millionaire Dominic D'Alessandro. Details are given describing the businessman's personal financial value, charting his salary, the stock performance of his company Manulife Financial Corp., and his age and tenure at the company. Additional details are given describing his previous career history and business attitudes.

The article reports on the currency exchange rate between Canada and the United States. In 1957, Canadian finance minister Donald Fleming's experiences being asked to weaken the national currency are described. The relationship between a rising Canadian dollar and a loss of manufacturing jobs is presented. Bank of Canada governor David Dodge is expected to consider an interest rate hike sometime in 2007.

This article discusses how the global economy continues to revolve around the United States. The author suggests that Canadian investors remember how various economic shocks have historically crossed borders because the next major shock may affect Canada more directly. The author continues by noting how foreign investing is affected by currency fluctuations. INSET: IS EVERYBODY HAPPY?.

Discusses venture capital since the Internet bubble burst in 2000. Decline in the amount of VC financing in Canada; Interest of investors in tech companies; Statistics from a survey by Deloitte & Touche and the Canadian Venture Capital Association showing optimism among VC managers; Mention of Ventures West Management Inc.; Views of Sean Wise, an expert on the venture capital industry and director of Ernst & Young's Venture Capital Advisory Group, on the demand for good deals; Tips for entrepreneurs.

So you're contemplating kissing the corporate world goodbye, walking forever from your veal-fattening pen or corner office. Here's what you need to know to help smooth the transition from working stiff to self-employed success story. Oh, and just in case things don't work out, we've also provided some tips on how to go broke. Opinions vary when it comes to the "how to" of quitting--some human resource professionals suggest a resignation letter isn't necessary. Quitting with consideration is really about making things easier on you. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Canadian small and midsize enterprises get a far better deal on financing costs than their US counterparts do. And according to Thomas Carleton, president of bankruptcy specialists T. Carleton& Co. Inc., these types of commitment create a spillover effect from a failed business that often drives one's personal finances into the red. According to Margaret Johnson, president of BC-based Solutions Credit Counselling Service Inc., bad credit can make it" impossible" to open a new account, and Canadian banks and credit unions often dump borrowers who file for bankruptcy or turn to credit counseling.

Focuses on the financial situation facing Canada's steel industry. Losses as a result of low demand and competition from cheap imports; Positive signs for the industry, including increased demand for automobiles; Possible impact of a U.S. proposal to increase tariffs on steel imports to protect domestic producers.

The article predicts that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney will be elected president of the United States in 2012. The author argues that the 2012 U.S. presidential election will be decided on the status of the U.S. economy and that Romney's business background will be to his advantage. The article contrasts Romney's trade policies with those of U.S. president Barack Obama and what a Romney presidency might mean for Canada. INSET: ON A THIRD U.S. NATIONAL PARTY.

The article predicts that regularly scheduled television programming will cease in Canada in 2012. The author argues that media outlets such as Netflix, YouTube, and Apple are making video delivery by television networks obsolete. The article cites a 2011 study that indicates that Canadians watch more video content online than Americans and British citizens.

The article considers the implication of the export of Canadian resources in raw form. According to Diana Gibson of the University of Alberta Parkland Institute, such export relocates the job of processing and upgrading the resources into valuable products to other countries. But Fred McMahon of the Fraser Institute warns about the consequences of preventing the export of goods to customers willing to pay the most. He illustrates his point by using the history of Argentina as an example.

The article presents an analysis of the global economy in 2011. The annual rate of inflation in Canada dropped to 1.4% in late 2010 and interest rates are not expected to increase before the second half of 2011. Although bonds in California are lower than any other state, they are still investment grade and investors are still buying them.

The article reports on issues related to corporate taxation in Canada. Economists believe that politicians should do their best to make sure that the private sector in the country can support the economy in the absence of stimulus dollars and a tightened monetary policy by central banks. Corporate taxes as well as income taxes in the country have been reduced in 2000 and will be further reduced in 2012.

The article discusses criticisms from Canadian senior executives and company directors against the hostile takeover bid of BHP Billiton for Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Potash Corp. Potash shareholder Dick Haskayne claims that the bid implies that the purchase of Canadian companies by foreign businesses is just a matter of price, and the government does not need to give its approval. The results of a poll indicate that many chief executives and business leaders believe that the sale should be blocked.

The article reports on the status of free trade agreement negotiations between Canada and the European Union that would better integrate Canada's economy with the European Union. According to a joint government study published in 2008, a deal could generate a 38-billion Canadian dollars in annual bilateral trade. Despite the optimistic outlook for the benefits of a deal, Canada's business community demands solid proof of its advantages to Canada.

The article discusses the possible free trade agreement between Canada and the nations of the European Union. According to the article, if a deal is reached, a 2008 government study estimates it could generate billions of dollars in annual bilateral trade and provide Canada with a 12 billion dollar gain in gross domestic product. The agreement could also remove tariffs that hinder trade in goods, services and investment. Why businesses oppose the agreement is discussed.

The article reports on the Canadian and world economy. The Statistics of Canada revealed that recession in the country ended in the third quarter of 2009, with real domestic gross product down just 3.3 percent from third quarter of 2008. Canada's economy has turned around faster and is expected to grow 6.2 percent in the first quarter of 2010. Equities in the U.S. rose in April 2010 due to U.S. employment report for March 2010. Though the world can rely anytime on China, its economic growth is supported by bad debt, according to the author.

The article reports on the U.S. congressional investigation into the safety of Toyota vehicles, which has raised concerns about the political motives of some U.S. lawmakers. The Japanese automobile manufacturer was prompted to recall more than eight million vehicles due to potential safety issues. The recall has severely affected Toyota sales in the U.S., but not in Canada. Supporters of Toyota claim that U.S. politicians are using the company to raise their political profiles.