Canada is not broken

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/07/2024 (622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We hear much about our toxic cultural and political environment. How the polarization of the U.S. has seeped into Canada. How Canada is broken. I say it’s high time we took stock of what is good and how we might deal with our problems in a positive way.

“What happened to Canada?” That is a question that Canadian writer and podcaster Tara Henley reports being asked. She says that she never used to hear that question, but is being asked that more and more by her podcast guests.

“Canada has long been viewed as a model country,” Henley reflects. “But recently, the social fabric has frayed dramatically.”

Maybe what’s wrong with Canada is that too many people think that a lot is wrong with Canada. Maybe too many are affected by the angry, polarized rhetoric from the U.S.

There are legitimate complaints about the current Justin Trudeau government. After almost a decade, change looks inviting. Democracy is a beautiful thing. But many of the memes circulating within the culture and within Conservative criticisms of Trudeau are like the rancour and polarization of the U.S.

Some of the examples that podcaster Henley mentions — and that I hear in everyday discourse — reflect the narrative that a “woke” Trudeau has ruined Canada. These include traditional books being taken off school shelves, COVID lockdowns, vaccine mandates and heavy-handed measures used against the 2022 trucker protest convoy.

The question: after the Trudeau years, is Canada even a free country any more?

There are research groups that rank countries for freedom enjoyed by their citizens. Freedom House is one. It looks at political rights and civil liberties. Another is the team effort by the Cato Institute in the U.S. and the Fraser Institute in Canada. They look at personal, civil and economic freedom.

According to Freedom House, Canada is the sixth most free country in the world. According to Cato and Fraser, Canada ranks 13th. In both listings, Canada is more free than the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.

So, after the fuss about Trudeau wokeness, COVID restrictions and the trucker convoy, Canada remains one of the most free countries in the world. Let’s look for further improvement — and in the Cato and Fraser index we did move up from the year before. But let’s keep some perspective. Look: we are more free than the United States, the “land of the free.”

And we are doing well in general. According to the global list compiled by U.S. News & World Report, Canada ranks second for the best country overall and third for quality of life.

I miss the days when a prime minister like Brian Mulroney or Jean Chrétien would brag about such results. They were delighted to brag about how great Canada was. Of course, it was a subdued, Canadian bragging. But I still miss it.

Words have consequences. The Pierre Poilievre slogan that “Canada is broken” is now blithely believed by a majority of our population. Can we calm down? Can we embrace a larger perspective?

Speaking of perspective, I have to comment on the latest flyer from our Member of Parliament, Larry Maguire. Our MP is still peddling his “Axe the Tax” nonsense. In Maguire’s telling — because of the carbon tax — Canada is a land of desperation and hunger.

“After nine years of Justin Trudeau, Canadians are struggling just to put food on the table.”

This Maguire portrayal of a desperate, hungry land doesn’t jive with reality. Canada has the third highest quality of life in the world. Maguire’s Canadian dystopia evokes American politics and its polarized, apocalyptic tone.

And it is dishonest to criticize the carbon tax without mentioning the corresponding rebate. Because of the rebate, the carbon tax has a negligible impact on family budgets, especially on lower income households.

It is also dishonest to ignore the larger context of the carbon tax, which is climate change. In his flyer, Maguire’s photo boasts a grin that to me is reminiscent of Alfred E. Neuman. Maguire’s expression seems to say, “Climate change: What, me worry?”

With respect, sir, we citizens elected you as our member of parliament to worry about problems like climate change and to propose solutions. Stop laughing at the problem and get to work.

Let’s remember that Canada is one of the best countries on Earth. Let’s be grateful and use those advantages to better build our own lives and to help others in the world. Let’s be forthright about describing problems and aim to work constructively on improvements. Let’s encourage our politicians to make honest arguments.

And Conservatives: run against other parties. Please don’t run down Canada.