The Canadian Club of Toronto, alarmed by the emigration of 18,000 young Canadians to the U.S. last year, asked a group of young Torontonians how the “export of brains” to the U.S. could be checked. From Garth Weedon, 23, postgraduate student at the University of Toronto came the sharpest answer:
“Would you buy a 1947 automobile and leave it in your garage for 20 years before you use it? Well then—why buy the executive abilities of a university graduate and leave them unused for 20 years? The widely held concept that you must have grey hair and considerable rotundity before accepting major responsibilities is costing Canada millions of dollars in wasted dormant assets. American business wants Canadian youth, and deliberately creates attractive openings for them. Can we not attain comparable recognition here in our own country? . . . We are prepared to start at the bottom of the ladder, but won’t you please give us a chance to climb up fast?”
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