Notice who’s on top !
We’re above the USA in so many ways…
Scott Gilmore, Maclean’s magazine, was too apologetic when he appeared on CNN‘s Fareed Zakaria news show Sunday, Mar. 5th. See Scott Gilmore
The topic of discussion was “The American dream has moved north to Canada.” The interview was a follow up to Gilmore’s recent column in Maclean’s where he compares life in Canada to that in the US. Though Gilmore would understandably be biased, he trumps the many ways living in the US is worse than living in Canada with numerous statistics and some reinforcing statistical graphics.
Longevity, incarceration and happiness
We live longer than Americans, 2.5 years longer. It is easy to live longer when one doesn’t dodge bullets as if living the American wild west. Canadians are 6 times less likely to be incarcerated than Americans. The World Economic Forum ranks Canadians as the 6th happiest people in the world, the US, 13th.
Education, jobs, homes, shorter work weeks, and more vacation time
Canada outranks the US for college degrees by 13% (59 vs 46). Employment rates in Canada surpass those in the US by 4 points. Home ownership is 5% greater in Canada. Plus Canadians work 80 fewer hours per year than Americans, and take three more vacation days than they do.
Greater freedoms: personal, speech and press
Freedom is shrinking in the US. The Cato Institute’s Human Freedom Index ranks Canada as 6th in the world in relation to freedoms, the US, 23rd. In economic freedom, the Washington based Heritage Foundation ranks Canada and the US, 7th and 17th.
Free speech may be under attack in Canada with fingerprinting and RCMP registration of Parliament Hill journalists but Reporters Without Borders score Canada 18th for press freedom; the US 41st.
Economic-social mobility
We surpass Americans in another way, socio-economically. Canada’s “Gini coefficient”, a measurement of economic inequality, is better than America’s. You are twice as likely to improve your economic-social ranking in Canada than in the US. The link between parental income and offspring has the American being weaker than Canada’s by half. Your children are likelier to do better economically in Canada than American children in relation to their parents.
The world is noticing
Canada surpasses the US on nearly every measure as a better place to live. Canadians recognize it, but people around the world are beginning to notice too. Refugees and asylum seekers are now fleeing from the US into Canada hoping for a fair immigration hearing. Latin Americans economic emigrants are heading north, with the US merely a temporary stopover to their ultimate destination, Canada. Overseas, ESL students are increasingly choosing Canada over the U.S.
Safe, healthy and happy
Gilmore does not declare why we are doing so well even though he considers geography, history or political factors. He merely concludes Canada is a great country in which to live and supports this with data. Arguably we are among the safest, healthiest, happiest human beings to have ever existed.
National complacency or apathy?
But Gilmore doesn’t paint everything with the same rose-coloured brush. Tongue in cheek, he casts a critical eye at our winter escapes to the Caribbean, our bulging physiques and our tendency to be passive and lacking constructive initiatives.
No generation of Canadians has ever had more and been able achieve more than us—and no generation has been less ambitious. We have all the tools and all the opportunity to do great things, but no purpose, no national project, no imagination and no sense of determination.
Our leaders offer fatuous and cynical platitudes
Gilmore has a point about how Canadians seem to sit and whine more than act. He writes about “…this complacency is abetted by our shameless political leaders, breathlessly emoting about “helping the struggling middle class”—a less ambitious slogan than “Make America Great Again”, but just as fatuous and just as cynical.”
Call to do act, do something
Without outright criticism of any particular Canadian group or demographic faction, he does point out that Canada is failing in some areas.
He proposes two ideas as national projects Canadians should consider undertaking. First, it is horrifying that while most of us luxuriate in the shiny Canadian Dream, many Indigenous Canadians live in communities without running water, basic healthcare, or any hope of a prosperous future. Surely, if we finally stopped kowtowing to the false gods of the Reserve System and the Indian Act, we could end this injustice within a generation. He is right; though we have moved past the talk stages, we seem to be incredibly slow at actually achieving even small incremental steps of change in relation to Indigenous Canadians.
A national welcome
And second, as the American Dream has now become Canadian, perhaps it is time we also took on the role as the land of the free, and opened our doors wider still. Numerous studies have shown Canada could easily absorb far more immigrants than we do now. In fact, if we want to protect our economy from the effects of an aging population and declining birth rate, we need to attract more. We’ve opened the doors to a trickle from Syria. We should bust down the doors to many more immigrants from all over the world.
It is often noted that in the early 20th century, Canadian prime minister Sir Wilfred Laurier declared, “Canada shall be the star towards which all men who love progress and freedom shall come.” Let’s make that line as famous and meaningful as this once was: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
The last word
Though I agree with Gilmore fully and sincerely appreciate what he writes, I do want to make one observation about his appearance on the show. People should see it. Many foreigners view Canadians as “being really nice people,” very polite, courteous and mindful of others. This is not something we should change or something for which we should apologize. But heavens, when appearing on American TV, stand tall and proud and avoid justifications, rationalizations and second guessing. It portrays us as being apologetic for who we are. Canada is great…and I ain’t apologizing for it !
