Last year, my wife and I were having lunch with another couple, some good friends. The gentleman in question made an interesting comment by saying that we were all lucky simply because we were all born in Canada. He was stating that for no other reason, simply being born in this country represented a stroke of good fortune. Canada as opposed to many other countries in the world gave all of us an upper hand by statistically giving us more choices and better chances than elsewhere. This is certainly not something I normally think about; after all, like everyone else I am very much caught up in living my life and I do not always turn my attention to such ideas. Nevertheless, I must admit that my friend was right and I suppose I do not always fully appreciate that fact.
This past February, my wife and I had a wonderful trip to Egypt - I recommend everyone going - but beforehand, did a little research to better understand our destination. Unlike previous vacations, Egypt is a 3rd world country and we had never visited a country which is officially classified as 3rd world.
The per capita income of Canada according to numbers from a 2009 IMF study shows approximately $39,700 US per year, #18 on the list while Egypt was listed #114 on the list with $2,450. What? I was stunned when I read that. How in terms of my life here in Canada could I possibly conceive of what it would mean to live with only one sixteenth of our average income? That is not just stunning, it is unbelievable. Note the word I used: unbelievable as I truly can't believe it would be possible to live on such a small amount of money. Certainly not in Canada and I can't quite imagine in what circumstances I could live with so little money.
The United States has a per capita income of $46,400 but would I want to trade my life here in Canada for an extra $6,700 per year?
According to some 2009 statistics, the United States had 16,200 murders while Canada had 523. Okay, the United States has 10 times the number of people but do the math. 16,200 divided by 10 = 1,620 or 523 times ten equals 5,230. That still means that the murder rate in the U.S. is three times higher than in Canada. 3 times!
Aside: The Michael Moore film "Bowling for Columbine" has some very interesting things to say about guns, murder and the United States. Some may argue that the film is merely one's man opinion but I do think Mr. Moore brings up some valid points.
My sister moved to the states and married an American. While her husband, as former military has benefits, my sister has to fend for herself. She's explained to me that now that she has had a lump removed from her right breast, she no longer has coverage for it. What? Yep, that's right; she can no longer have her right breast insured. I'm shaking my head. I walk in some place and slap down my O.H.I.P. card and get service. My sister has also said that she had a problem with her cervix and now that part of her is no longer covered. Something doesn't add up. Is all this coverage in the newspapers about Obama explaining how poor health coverage is in the United States is true? Once again, Michael Moore in his film Sicko had some very interesting comparisons to make between the U.S. and Canada and other countries. There's no way I want to give up my O.H.I.P. for the extra $6,700 US I would have if I was an American!
Aside: The film Sicko shows an American who accidentally cuts off 2 fingers with a table saw. Having no health insurance, he is told the middle finger will cost $60,000 to be reattached and the ring finger will cost $12,000. With limited funds, the man opts for his ring finger so he can continue wearing his wedding band. When Moore visits Canada, he discovers that if a Canadian accidentally cut off his fingers, he could have them reattached for free.
On May 10, 2010, Iraq saw at least 20 bomb attacks which resulted in over 100 killed and 350 wounded. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that like 20 more bomb attacks killing people than we had in Canada for all of 2009 and 2010? Yes, we've had some bomb attacks against the oil pipeline out in B.C., I see we just had a bomb attack against a military recruiting office in Québec but does that in any way compare with what is going on elsewhere in the world?
Once in a while, it pays to look down and appreciate just how high up the ladder we are. It isn't perfect; I'll be the first to admit it but still, in comparison with other areas of the globe, Canada ain't so bad. In light of this, imagine my shock when I'm walking around during the G20 and I go by a protester, a woman who looked to be 35, just your normal type of suburban mom wearing a T-shirt which reads "F*** Canada". I beg your pardon? Let me consider that to be more a target of the G20 in general and not Canada specifically.
From what I've read, Canada has the highest per capita net immigration rate in the world. Is that surprising? Considering our reputation as a peaceful, multi-cultural, diverse country, I can see that this nation would represent a possible land of milk and honey overseas. However, are we perfect? The answer is an emphatic no but looking around at other places in the world, I do have to ask myself why Canada in many ways has succeeded while others have either failed or have a long way to go to match us.
For once, I'm going to pause, take a moment and mull over the fact that I'm Canadian and be grateful. I am lucky to be Canadian.
References
Per Capita Income
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita
Murders by Country
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur-crime-murders
Bowling for Columbine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_for_Columbine
Sicko
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicko
May 10, 2010 Bomb Blasts in Iraq
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_May_2010_Iraq_attacks
2010-07-03
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