# Canada named Top Country in the World



## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

Canada ranked #1 country in the world


Joni Mitchell, Avril Lavigne and Drake are mentioned as "just a few" of Canada's influential musicians.




www.vancouverisawesome.com


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## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/us-news-unveils-best-countries-rankings?utm_source=vancouver%20is%20awesome&utm_campaign=vancouver%20is%20awesome&utm_medium=referral


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## RyanWalker09 (Apr 14, 2021)

😁


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

🇨🇦......🏆


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## MrBlackhill (Jun 10, 2020)

I don't believe any rank that has the US in the top 10.

There are as many different rankings published each year as there are countries in the world...





__





Quality of Life Index by Country 2022 Mid-Year







www.numbeo.com





OECD Better Life Index
(sort by rank : Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, etc.)









The Expat Hub - Blacktower Financial Management EU


Click below for source information:



www.blacktowerfm.com









__





10 best countries to live in as a women | Jump into freedom







jumpintofreedom.com













Quality of life in country comparison


Compare the quality of life around the globe: In which countries is life pleasant, safe and healthy?




www.worlddata.info


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

The more we travel the more we appreciate what we have here in Canada. It is incredible. So much opportunity, so many choices.


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## Mechanic (Oct 29, 2013)

2013 we were ranked 5th. I think we will go back up once we get rid of Trudeau.


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## MrBlackhill (Jun 10, 2020)

Mechanic said:


> 2013 we were ranked 5th. I think we will go back up once we get rid of Trudeau.


Higher than #1? (Based on OP ranking)


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## Tostig (Nov 18, 2020)

Mechanic said:


> 2013 we were ranked 5th. I think we will go back up once we get rid of Trudeau.


As Trump lawyer, Sidney Powell would say "No reasonable person would believe such hyperbole."


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## Tostig (Nov 18, 2020)

MrBlackhill said:


> I don't believe any rank that has the US in the top 10.
> 
> There are as many different rankings published each year as there are countries in the world...
> 
> ...


The US is number 10 in the OECD better life index.

Here are the countries that appear most in the top ten of these five lists.
Sweden - 5
Australia - 4
Denmark - 4
Finland - 4
Netherlands - 4
New Zealand - 4
Norway - 4
Canada - 3
Iceland - 3
Austria - 2

I supposed Canada can improve if we replace Trudeau with Singh.

Climate Change IS real.
Covid-19 IS real.
Systemic racism IS real.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Wait a minute......I have been assured that climate change is a hoax, that covid is nothing more that the flu by many of the right wingers in my Province. 

Does this meant that they are telling porkies?


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Tostig said:


> Systemic racism IS real.


Matters what you mean by "systemic racism"

I think too many people use systematic racism as an out, when they can't actually prove racism.

Singh is actually worse than Trudeau. I'd MUCH rather have Trudeau than Singh.


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## Tostig (Nov 18, 2020)

If we rank #10 with a score of 1 and rank #1 with a score of 10, then the overall list will be

Switzerland - 36
Denmark - 33
Australia - 30
Norway - 25
Netherlands - 23
Iceland - 20
Finland - 19
Canada - 14
Sweden - 13
New Zealand - 10


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## Tostig (Nov 18, 2020)

MrMatt said:


> Matters what you mean by "systemic racism"
> 
> I think too many people use systematic racism as an out, when they can't actually prove racism.


Erin O'Toole would like to know too. I guess Leslyn Lewis never told him.

However, Sheryl Underwood did do a good job even if some people would never understand it because they have never lived it.



MrMatt said:


> Singh is actually worse than Trudeau. I'd MUCH rather have Trudeau than Singh.


Some people will never accept a Prime Minister with a...

beard.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Tostig said:


> Erin O'Toole would like to know too. I guess Leslyn Lewis never told him.
> 
> However, Sheryl Underwood did do a good job even if some people would never understand it because they have never lived it.


I'm actually quite disappointed Lewis didn't do that well, I did actually vote for her.

She was one of the few people that was able to put forward a definition of systematic racism that wasn't immediately offensive and judgmental. 
I personally like Thomas Sowells take on this, but again like Lewis he's more conservative, so people hate him.

Also as a victim of gender based discrimination myself, I actually do think that people can understand something without ever experiencing it. In fact even if two people are exposed to the same event at the same time, they might have different experiences. 

Really nobody has the same lived experience, we have to accept that we are all unique, and we should treat everyone like an individual.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

There is a reason why the likes of Maxime Bernier and Derek Sloan found such a comfortable 'home' for so long in the Conservative Party.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Money172375 said:


> Canada ranked #1 country in the world
> 
> 
> Joni Mitchell, Avril Lavigne and Drake are mentioned as "just a few" of Canada's influential musicians.
> ...


Personally, I find these type of headlines a bit of click-bait. I like looking at the methodology to see how they derive the score.

*Agility** (14.18%)*: adaptable, dynamic, modern, progressive, responsive.
*Entrepreneurship** (14.16%)*: connected to the rest of the world, educated population, entrepreneurial, innovative, provides easy access to capital, skilled labor force, technological expertise, transparent business practices, well-developed infrastructure, well-connected digital infrastructure, well-developed legal framework.
*Quality of Life** (13.88%)*: a good job market, affordable, economically stable, family friendly, income equality, politically stable, safe, well-developed public education system, well-developed public health system.
*Movers** (13.87%)*: different, distinctive, dynamic, unique.
*Social Purpose** (12.23%)*: cares about human rights, cares about the environment, gender equality, religious freedom, respects property rights, trustworthy, well-distributed political power, racial equity, cares about animal rights, committed to climate goals, committed to social justice.
*Cultural Influence** (10.45%)*: culturally significant in terms of entertainment, fashionable, happy, has an influential culture, has strong consumer brands, modern, prestigious, trendy.
*Open for Business** (9.42%)*: cheap manufacturing costs, favorable tax environment, not bureaucratic, not corrupt, transparent government practices.
*Power** (6.09%)*: a leader, economically influential, has strong exports, politically influential, strong international alliances, and a strong military.
*Adventure** (3.79%)*: friendly, fun, good for tourism, pleasant climate, scenic, sexy.
*Heritage** (1.93%)*: culturally accessible, has a rich history, has great food, many cultural attractions, many geographical attractions.

I don't know how Canada ranks at the top for most of these, when compared to the other countries. But I guess most of it is perception, or Canada just averages near the top for all of the categories where other countries excel in some and not so much in others. For example, I would have thought that Scandinavian countries should be dominating the top spots, as they normally do, but Sweden is 9th.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

ian said:


> There is a reason why the likes of Maxime Bernier and Derek Sloan found such a comfortable 'home' for so long in the Conservative Party.


Bernier is a liberal and Sloan is a social conservative, I don't think you get that kind of political range in the other parties.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Tostig said:


> I supposed Canada can improve if we replace Trudeau with Singh.


It's possible this might be an improvement, and I think Singh would make a good PM. But Trudeau has obviously done an amazingly good job. (Government is a team effort, with many experts and advisors, so Trudeau is only a small part of the story).

Canada had record low unemployment before the pandemic hit. And now, we're showing a very fast economic & jobs recovery, practically back to the same employment level as pre pandemic. Currently at 98.5% of jobs restored.

In the most recent jobs report of a few days ago

Most of the rise was in payroll jobs, and a lesser amount in self-employment
Mostly full time jobs, about 58%
Canadian job growth/rebound is out-pacing the US
More importantly, we managed to protect more of our citizens from Covid harm and have a lower death rate than the US & Europe. We had about one third of the deaths as the US!


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

james4beach said:


> It's possible this might be an improvement, and I think Singh would make a good PM. But Trudeau has obviously done an amazingly good job. (Government is a team effort, with many experts and advisors, so Trudeau is only a small part of the story).


I think Trudeaus team has done an okay job despite Trudeau. Unfortunately we don't have separation of power, and the PMO is far too powerful.

That being said I'd rather Trudeau than Singh, he just doesn't have a clue what's going on.

I actually think Ford would make a great operational PM, I just think he doesn't have the charisma to get elected.


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## rl1983 (Jun 17, 2015)

I would take anything that " Vancouver is Awesome " or " Daily Hive Vancouver " or whatever trash Facebook publication says with a grain of salt. All these Facebook news companies all post the same crap. Vancouver is Awesome I guess had to publish something positive for once because all they usually talk about is high housing prices, murder and homeless people. Both these publications keep publishing this crap and I think it's a form of promotion from the federal government in exchange for grants.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Agree, the PMO is far too powerful. Harper did not allow any MP on his team to speak in the House without having his/her prepared speech reviewed, edited, and approved by operatives in the PMO-non elected operatives.

The only MP who ignored this, to his credit, was the late Jim Flaherty. 

No doubt the rules are the same in Trudeau's PMO.

In Alberta......Kenney must long for those good old days.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

ian said:


> Agree, the PMO is far too powerful. Harper did not allow any MP on his team to speak in the House without having his/her prepared speech reviewed, edited, and approved by operatives in the PMO-non elected operatives.
> 
> The only MP who ignored this, to his credit, was the late Jim Flaherty.
> 
> ...


That's why I'm totally opposed to proportional representation.

Could you imagine in addition to all that, they could simply take you off the list if you're "a problem".


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

MrMatt said:


> I actually think Ford would make a great operational PM, I just think he doesn't have the charisma to get elected.


You think _Ford_ would make a good PM?? After he has shown no ability to oversee and make high level decisions in Ontario's handling of the pandemic?

Ford is a disaster. A bad leader who has repeatedly made very poor decisions, such as prematurely "opening" Ontario and not responding with the agility (or intelligence) to the changing Covid situation.

Ford ignored the advice of experts, and has repeatedly relaxed restrictions. Now the hospitals are on the brink of failure and Ontario is paying the price for Ford wanting to "keep the economy open"


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

I don't think Ford would become a national embarrassment. Big step up for many Canadians.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

RyanWalker09 said:


> 😁


Letterkenny, is that you?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> That's why I'm totally opposed to proportional representation.
> 
> Could you imagine in addition to all that, they could simply take you off the list if you're "a problem".


There are more proportional systems where the independence of MPs is preserved. The STV proposal that a majority in BC supported in their referendum is such a system. I don't think we need a perfectly proportional system, but we need a system where we don't get complete blowouts with minor vote swings and having 'safe' ridings is disgusting. Every vote should need to be earned and not to be taken for granted.

By the way, the PM can already take you 'off the list'. It has happened to any number of MPs who were kicked out of caucus and had their nomination papers refused by the president of the party (aka the PM/leader). I think leaders should be able to remove people from caucus, but I think party leaders should be selected by MPs (who are actually elected by the people) and not through party votes. Parties are private organizations, and it is insane we let those gong shows with a few tens of thousands of highly unrepresentative and unaccountable partisans select our PM.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

We're probably somewhere in the top 20 if you were to base it on quantifiable measures, but a lot of the stuff in these reports is highly subjective. In real life, most people would place affordability as of paramount importance because it directly impacts their standard of living, while most of the other criteria only indirectly affects most people.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Eder said:


> I don't think Ford would become a national embarrassment. Big step up for many Canadians.


Ford already is an embarrassment, as is Jason Kenney.

Ford is incompetent.


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## hfp75 (Mar 15, 2018)

Regardless of who each of us likes or dislikes, lets all be happy power expires in approx 4 year periods.

Wether you like our elected officials or not, they were elected to their post and thus, are there by the will of the people....


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## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

james4beach said:


> You think _Ford_ would make a good PM?? After he has shown no ability to oversee and make high level decisions in Ontario's handling of the pandemic?
> 
> Ford is a disaster. A bad leader who has repeatedly made very poor decisions, such as prematurely "opening" Ontario and not responding with the agility (or intelligence) to the changing Covid situation.
> 
> Ford ignored the advice of experts, and has repeatedly relaxed restrictions. Now the hospitals are on the brink of failure and Ontario is paying the price for Ford wanting to "keep the economy open"


Did you see what he did when he got his AZ vaccine? In front of a camera? He pretended to faint/die!


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

james4beach said:


> Ford already is an embarrassment, as is Jason Kenney.
> 
> Ford is incompetent.


It is pretty bad when Trudeau makes such men seem viable by comparison - our new Canadian standard of less bad! I think it will be years before we get back to respectable government.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

andrewf said:


> There are more proportional systems where the independence of MPs is preserved. The STV proposal that a majority in BC supported in their referendum is such a system. I don't think we need a perfectly proportional system, but we need a system where we don't get complete blowouts with minor vote swings and having 'safe' ridings is disgusting. Every vote should need to be earned and not to be taken for granted.
> 
> By the way, the PM can already take you 'off the list'. It has happened to any number of MPs who were kicked out of caucus and had their nomination papers refused by the president of the party (aka the PM/leader). I think leaders should be able to remove people from caucus, but I think party leaders should be selected by MPs (who are actually elected by the people) and not through party votes. Parties are private organizations, and it is insane we let those gong shows with a few tens of thousands of highly unrepresentative and unaccountable partisans select our PM.


I fully support STV, STV is absolutely NOT proportional representation. They're completely different.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

james4beach said:


> You think _Ford_ would make a good PM?? After he has shown no ability to oversee and make high level decisions in Ontario's handling of the pandemic?
> 
> Ford is a disaster. A bad leader who has repeatedly made very poor decisions, such as prematurely "opening" Ontario and not responding with the agility (or intelligence) to the changing Covid situation.
> 
> Ford ignored the advice of experts, and has repeatedly relaxed restrictions. Now the hospitals are on the brink of failure and Ontario is paying the price for Ford wanting to "keep the economy open"


Ford is doing an excellent job. He's making the decisions and adapting to the situation.
He's also listening to experts.
He tries to address concerns.

Most importantly he actually takes action.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> I fully support STV, STV is absolutely NOT proportional representation. They're completely different.


Proportionality is a spectrum. It is 'more proportional' than FPTP. I like it, though it is not perfect. MMP is also something that is proposed, but I prefer the idea of Conservatives getting elected in the City of Toronto and Liberals elected in Alberta. You would see that with STV, but not necessarily with MMP.

One of the downsides of STV is that if we want to keep riding sizes manageable and still have a degree of proportionality, we might need to have somewhat more MPs. I kind of don't mind the idea of having more MPs, as it makes it likelier for backbenchers to exercise some influence like you see in the UK given their low probability of winning a plum cabinet gig.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

I disagree that STV is any more proportional that FPTP.

That being said I do think it's a better system, since it means the "most agreed" candidates win.
It would also make it possible for popular local independants to get in.

I think the end result is mostly okay representatives, that will cluster towards the political center of their Riding.

As it is now my riding is nuts, with our MP and MPP literally campaigning against our largest employer.
I'd be glad to replace them with candidates with highly similar views that simply didn't try to kill our jobs..

I think the reason Trudeau killed it is pretty simple, if you're voting ABC (anything But Conservative), you'll likely vote Liberal, because they're more likely to win.
But if you could vote NDP, then Liberal, people might do so, as it wouldn't be "a vote for the conservatives.

I really think STV would be a great step forward.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Isn't some form of "ranked ballot" voting the reason the Conservatives ended up with Andrew Scheer and Erin O'Toole ?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Uhm... it is? It's much harder to get weird results like we did in the last federal election where the CPC received more votes but less seats than the LPC. STV is not simply ranked choice voting.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

sags said:


> Isn't some form of "ranked ballot" voting the reason the Conservatives ended up with Andrew Scheer, Erin O'Toole, and Doug Ford........rather than better candidates ?


What better candidates?


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

MrMatt said:


> Ford is doing an excellent job. He's making the decisions and adapting to the situation.
> He's also listening to experts.
> He tries to address concerns.


He's doing a terrible job. He has not listened to experts, and he's repeatedly put business interests ahead of public health.

He has been incoherent in his response, creating tons of confusion. The healthcare system is collapsing under his leadership.

Hopefully, he'll be out of power soon so that Canada & Ontario don't have to suffer from his stupidity and incompetence any longer.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

andrewf said:


> What better candidates?


Depends on your perspective I guess. Ranked ballot does tend towards the least objectionable, rather than the best. Which is why someone consistently ranked 2nd or 3rd will inevitably win... probably why an implementation at a federal level would most likely trend towards Liberals.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

bgc_fan said:


> Depends on your perspective I guess. Ranked ballot does tend towards the least objectionable, rather than the best. Which is why someone consistently ranked 2nd or 3rd will inevitably win... probably why an implementation at a federal level would most likely trend towards Liberals.


I disagree, I think FPTP is always a compromise between best, and most electable.
STV will allow you to vote for "the best" in your opinion, and will get to the most agreable.

While there are hardcore liberals, I think many people vote because they're the lesser evil.
I think FPTP is best for Liberals, so it's not changing.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

james4beach said:


> He's doing a terrible job. He has not listened to experts, and he's repeatedly put business interests ahead of public health.
> 
> He has been incoherent in his response, creating tons of confusion. The healthcare system is collapsing under his leadership.
> 
> Hopefully, he'll be out of power soon so that Canada & Ontario don't have to suffer from his stupidity and incompetence any longer.


I completely disagree.
He's listened to experts, and he's trying to find a balance that people will support.

Look at what is happening in Simcoe, they're having illegal bush parties and massive spread. or the "protests" in Quebec and ontario.
The problem is the people who wont' follow the restrictions.

As far as not listening to experts, Trudeau was violating his own recommendations, going to protests, travelling between provinces, and he still isn't closing the border to non essential travel and enforcing a quarantine.
It's embarrasing.
Those are things that a politician can actually do, and he isnt'.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

andrewf said:


> What better candidates?


Bernier and Elliot?


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

sags said:


> Isn't some form of "ranked ballot" voting the reason the Conservatives ended up with Andrew Scheer and Erin O'Toole ?


Yes. That is hardly a ringing endorsement for ranked ballots.

I seem to recall Scheer was elected on the 8th ballot count. That explains a great deal.

Worked out just fine for the Liberals though. Not so great for the Conservatives. 

Seems to me that O'Toole is heading the same way. Into oblivion....with or without a carbon tax.


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## Karlhungus (Oct 4, 2013)

Tostig said:


> The US is number 10 in the OECD better life index.
> 
> Here are the countries that appear most in the top ten of these five lists.
> Sweden - 5
> ...


Well you are 1 for 3


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## Karlhungus (Oct 4, 2013)

Im not sure how anyone can say that Trudeau is anything but awful with that absolute train wreck of a deficit track record.


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

He has pretty much saddled younger generations with the prospect of never ending larger tax grabs and lower standards of living.


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## Mechanic (Oct 29, 2013)

The only thing worse than having Trudeau as PM, would be Singh. Although I'm not sure if he would be as corrupt.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Canada apparently has the wealthiest middle class of any country in the world, surpassing the USA (which held this position for decades)

Which Country Has the Richest Middle Class? - It's Canada as of 2019, and we've actually been very close behind the US for a long time. Considering that we also have a narrower rich/poor wealth gap, it seems that we aren't doing too badly at all.

Any way you cut it, Canada consistently ranks as [nearly] the best in the world, for both individual wealth and quality of life.


_Now I'm curious about another ranking_: which country has the crankiest, most unappreciative old men?


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

Interesting...but I don't even know what middle class means anymore.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

james4beach said:


> Canada apparently has the wealthiest middle class of any country in the world, surpassing the USA (which held this position for decades)
> 
> Which Country Has the Richest Middle Class? - It's Canada as of 2019, and we've actually been very close behind the US for a long time. Considering that we also have a narrower rich/poor wealth gap, it seems that we aren't doing too badly at all.
> 
> ...


I have a question, it's a very important question.
What is the importance of a rich poor gap?
Other than the greedy people looking at the rich with envy, what's the problem?

Like shouldn't we be looking at poverty, or reducing the number of poor?

While you're being sexist and ageist, I'll just be ageist.
As for another ranking, which country has the undeservedly angry entitled young people? I think that's clearly the US, Canada is close by, as we have a lot of angry people, despite not having the problems that the US has. Arguably they have much less to be angry about.

Honestly I think Canadians should be much less angry than Americans, Our teachers are excellent and well paid, higher education is cheap and available, our police are well trained and have civilian oversight, our government institutions have typically been less partisan, quality of life is generally high.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

MrMatt said:


> As for another ranking, which country has the undeservedly angry entitled young people? I think that's clearly the US, Canada is close by, as we have a lot of angry people, despite not having the problems that the US has. Arguably they have much less to be angry about.
> 
> Honestly I think Canadians should be much less angry than Americans, Our teachers are excellent and well paid, higher education is cheap and available, our police are well trained and have civilian oversight, our government institutions have typically been less partisan, quality of life is generally high.


I think Canada would have much fewer angry people without American media (and political) influence. I think a lot of the anger and outrage is inspired by America, of all political wings.

And I agree that Canadians should be much less angry than Americans. Our society works quite well overall.


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## Tostig (Nov 18, 2020)

nathan79 said:


> Interesting...but I don't even know what middle class means anymore.


Are do you have any money hidden in secretive overseas bank accounts and shell companies set up by KPMG?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> I have a question, it's a very important question.
> What is the importance of a rich poor gap?
> Other than the greedy people looking at the rich with envy, what's the problem?
> 
> ...


Highly unequal societies cease to be democracies. The plebs are ruled by a wealthy elite who control the levers of power through government and the private sector.

ETA: I think Canadian young people are far less angry than young Americans. We certainly have not seen the same kinds of riots as the US did last year. We had a few large demonstrations, but those were mostly in solidarity with the US. Canada has its own issues with racial injustice and biased policing, but nothing like that in the US.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

james4beach said:


> And I agree that Canadians should be much less angry than Americans. Our society works quite well overall.


I think that's the piece that is missing.
Conservatives seem to appreciate that despite it's flaws things work quite well.
Others only see the flaws, and there are many. 

But the fundamental ideas and structures here are much better than in pretty much any other place at any other time in human history.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> I think that's the piece that is missing.
> Conservatives seem to appreciate that despite it's flaws things work quite well.
> Others only see the flaws, and there are many.
> 
> But the fundamental ideas and structures here are much better than in pretty much any other place at any other time in human history.


A lot of Conservatives dwell an awful lot on the flaws in Canada. They seem to spend a lot of time fawning over how the US does things.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

andrewf said:


> A lot of Conservatives dwell an awful lot on the flaws in Canada. They seem to spend a lot of time fawning over how the US does things.


Some do, but lots of lefties look to the US as well.

It's also easy items that the US does different (right or wrong), the major influential English systems are basically the UK & the US. the US is the natural comparator, as the only English not completely UK based country.

I don't know much about the political structure of the other major countries.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> Some do, but lots of lefties look to the US as well.
> 
> It's also easy items that the US does different (right or wrong), the major influential English systems are basically the UK & the US. the US is the natural comparator, as the only English not completely UK based country.
> 
> I don't know much about the political structure of the other major countries.


In many ways, Australia is like Bizarro-world Canada. There are a lot of parallels. The one big difference is that they don't have a Quebec-analogue. Neither does the US, really. Quebec is more like Scotland in the UK or Catalonia in Spain.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

andrewf said:


> A lot of Conservatives dwell an awful lot on the flaws in Canada. They seem to spend a lot of time fawning over how the US does things.


Very much so. And the most dangerous part is that the Conservative movement in Canada imitates the American Republicans. That's who they want to be.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

Tostig said:


> Are do you have any money hidden in secretive overseas bank accounts and shell companies set up by KPMG?


Ha! It's funny, but I actually used to think that middle class was signified by a certain degree of wealth. I thought that if I saved, invested, and lived below my means I'd just eventually become middle class. Well, my net worth crossed 500K during the last 6 months, but I don't even feel remotely middle class. I only feel slightly less poor. It turned out that I was wrong -- entry to the middle class isn't based on net worth, it's actually based on the ability to finance a lifestyle. Someone could have less than 100K net worth, yet still be middle class as long as they can find a way to finance it. It turns out that all you need to do is finance a mortgage on a detached home, and everything else takes care of itself. The value doubles pretty much every 7 years, so you can just sit on the couch and watch the magic of leverage turn you into a millionaire, while laughing at all of those bums who actually have to save up for things they want.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

james4beach said:


> Very much so. And the most dangerous part is that the Conservative movement in Canada imitates the American Republicans. That's who they want to be.


And the Canadian left wants to imitate the US Democrats, that's who they want to be.
Heck Trudeau is engaged in his "fight for 15" right into the federal budget.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I don't see the Canadian political parties emulating any US counter parts. Which states are run by socialists or by by separatists. If you need to call Liberals Democrats or Conservatives Repblicans then you suffer from a simplistic world view which, by its nature is deeply flawed.

You just have to live in the States to realize that there may be parallels but no mapping that you might neatly want to simplify your world view.

Americans don't understand Canada and vice versa.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

kcowan said:


> I don't see the Canadian political parties emulating any US counter parts. Which states are run by socialists or by by separatists. If you need to call Liberals Democrats or Conservatives Repblicans then you suffer from a simplistic world view which, by its nature is deeply flawed.
> 
> You just have to live in the States to realize that there may be parallels but no mapping that you might neatly want to simplify your world view.
> 
> Americans don't understand Canada and vice versa.


The Liberals are stealing the US left wing talking points.
Fight for 15, BLM, wage gap.

Even the defund the police insanity is moving up here.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Yes, I don't think US political influence is a good thing for Canada, left or right. They have a toxic, dysfunctional political discourse and it is harmful to Canada.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

The US is a gong show.

Canada is completely different and social policies are our highest priorities. Voters elected and will elect Trudeau because he represents their views.

Until basic Conservative ideology and policies align with the values of Canadians....they will be standing on the outside looking in.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

sags said:


> The US is a gong show.
> 
> Canada is completely different and social policies are our highest priorities. Voters elected and will elect Trudeau because he represents their views.
> 
> Until basic Conservative ideology and policies align with the values of Canadians....they will be standing on the outside looking in.


Voters will elect Trudeau because they dont' understand how bad his policies are, they don't care that he is unethical, and the CPC has been unable to present a compelling option.


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## Tostig (Nov 18, 2020)

Voters will elect Trudeau because they've been through the bad policies of the Conservatives, and aren't willing to repeat unethical behaviour of the CPC.


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## diharv (Apr 19, 2011)

At 33% of the popular vote in the last election, he barely represents the views of a third of Canadians. Trudeau's idiocy, corruption and policies are ripe for the plucking, but he will continue to lead us down the shitter. He is sooo lucky that the CPC leadership is incompetent and ineffective, almost to the point of irrelevancy.


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## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

diharv said:


> At 33% of the popular vote in the last election, he barely represents the views of a third of Canadians. Trudeau's idiocy, corruption and policies are ripe for the plucking, but he will continue to lead us down the shitter. He is sooo lucky that the CPC leadership is incompetent and ineffective, almost to the point of irrelevancy.


And Harper won with almost 40%.....pretty similar.....and an effect of a multiparty system.....the Majority of Canadians will usually vote for someone else than the winner.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Money172375 said:


> And Harper won with almost 40%.....pretty similar.....and an effect of a multiparty system.....the Majority of Canadians will usually vote for someone else than the winner.


Which is why STV scares the mainstream parties, imagine having to be moderate enough that at least half the country thinks you're ok.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> Which is why STV scares the mainstream parties, imagine having to be moderate enough that at least half the country thinks you're ok.


In practice you would never have single party majority governments.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

andrewf said:


> In practice you would never have single party majority governments.


Good.
I want the trade offs and compromises discussed and debated. I want to hold politicians accountable.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Never before have we needed the accountability of an elected parliament as much as today.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

kcowan said:


> Never before have we needed the accountability of an elected parliament as much as today.


Trudeau knows he can run his minority government like a majority right now.
The guy is an absolutely masterful politician.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I really don't think Trudeau is masterful. I'd say Harper was masterful from a political strategy standpoint. He really threaded the needle in terms of keeping opposition parties weak and off-balance as well as his own small-ish relatively unstable tent from pissing either into or out of the tent through iron-grip media control. Trudeau has more charisma, but he is not a great speaker though he has improved. I think Conservatives just went too far setting low expectations for Trudeau as if he were some complete idiot drama teacher that spoke like a valley girl or something. Similar to Republicans setting low expectations for Biden (senile old man who can barely stay awake much less speak) that allowed him to surpass expectations in the debates with Trump.

Trudeau is, I think, just okay. He's skating on the fact that the opposition parties haven't found great leaders. And things are just strategically easier for the Liberals. The NDP aren't taken seriously as a part of government, and Conservatives have a hard time managing their fringe without alienating the centre-right they need to woo in suburban Ontario, BC, etc. to win.


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