Worthwhile Canadian Initiative: "Canada's banking system the healthiest in the world."

[pampango]

"Guess which country, alone in the industrialized world, has not faced a single bank failure, calls for bailouts or government intervention in the financial or mortgage sectors. Yup, it's Canada. In 2008, the World Economic Forum ranked Canada's banking system the healthiest in the world. America's ranked 40th, Britain's 44th."

"Over the past 15 years, as the United States and Europe loosened regulations on their financial industries, the Canadians refused to follow suit, seeing the old rules as useful shock absorbers."

"you've heard American politicians wax eloquent on the need for these expensive programs—interest deductibility alone costs the federal government $100 billion a year—because they allow the average Joe to fulfill the American Dream of owning a home. Sixty-eight percent of Americans own their own homes. And the rate of Canadian homeownership? It's 68.4 percent."

"Its health-care system is cheaper than America's by far (accounting for 9.7 percent of GDP, versus 15.2 percent here), and yet does better on all major indexes."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/183670

Canada is so similar to the US in so many ways. They have made better choices in health care policy and financial sector regulation. While we don't need to copy all that they have done, it is food for thought about the directions we should head in.

[PA Democrat]

1. Those commie bastards. Why do they hate unregulated capitalism?

Seriously, Canada should be studied as a model for successfully combining capitalism and some (gasp) socialism. They seem to have gotten an awful lot of things just right.

Canadian citizens probably have a lot less stress since they don't have to worry about their banks going belly up, their house values dropping drastically, or about being wiped out financially by an illness or accident.

Thanks for posting this great article. I'm bookmarking it to use as ammunition against my right wing family members' crazy resistance to socialized medicine and business regulation.

[Grey]

2. Forwarded far and wide. Thanks.

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. knr

[City Lights]

4. Great read. Thanks for posting.

Recommended.

[Celebration]

5. well, to be fair, this is also in the article

"Companies are noticing. In 2007 Microsoft, frustrated by its inability to hire foreign graduate students in the United States, decided to open a research center in Vancouver. The company's announcement noted that it would staff the center with "highly skilled people affected by immigration issues in the U.S." So the brightest Chinese and Indian software engineers are attracted to the United States, trained by American universities, then thrown out of the country and picked up by Canada—where most of them will work, innovate and pay taxes for the rest of their lives."

[pampango]

16. The author states that Canada handles immigration differently than the US.

"We (the US) issue a small number of work visas and green cards, turning away from our shores thousands of talented students who want to stay and work here. Canada, by contrast, has no limit on the number of skilled migrants who can move to the country. They can apply on their own for a Canadian Skilled Worker Visa, which allows them to become perfectly legal "permanent residents" in Canada—no need for a sponsoring employer, or even a job. Visas are awarded based on education level, work experience, age and language abilities. If a prospective immigrant earns 67 points out of 100 total (holding a Ph.D. is worth 25 points, for instance), he or she can become a full-time, legal resident of Canada."

Most legal immigration into the US is based on reuniting families (immigrants are petitioned by family members who preceded them here), thus differs from the Canadian system which ties immigration to the skills and education of potential immigrants.

[Eryemil]

20. This is true enough

As I wrote below, I came to Vancouver on a student Visa and should have no trouble attaining permanent residency and eventual citizenship if I so desired (and I do!) once I graduate.
The Canadian immigration model is quite brilliant I think.

[pampango]

21. The Canadian immigration model seems to reflect a consensus that immigration is good for

Canadians and their economy. Even when the conservatives try to restrict immigration they are careful to couch it in terms of it being for the welfare of the immigrants. The liberal opposition is against restricting immigration even when times are tough like now.

There doesn't seem to be much "We have to protect Canadian jobs" from the liberals or "We have to keep out people who don't look or talk like us" from the conservatives; both of which you hear often in the US. I don't know if Canadians see their country as a "nation of immigrants" as we often refer to the US, but you still seem to have a belief in immigration as a positive contributor to your country that opinion has fallen out of favor in the US.

[fasttense]

6. Be careful about gloating.

Canada's banking system the healthiest in the world? - for now.

I remember when the bush and McInsane were saying very similar things about the US economy and then the bottom fell out.

[pampango]

7. Since I'm not Canadian, I don't consider it gloating. Since I think that national health

care and financial industry regulation are policies we should pursue (and for the sake of our Canadian neighbors :) ), I hope the bottom does not drop out for them. You're right in the sense that you can never relax, because the world is always changing.

[FatDave]

8. You know what really pisses me off about those Canadian fuckers?

Their immigration rules are too tough. If you don't have a college degree and speak French, forget about it.

[screembloodymurder]

9. Yes, they're hard on stupid Americans, eh.

And, according to my Dr., you'll wait a year for a checkup. So don't get sick.

I'd like to hear from our Canadian friends: How do you feel about your health care system?

[nichomachus]

10. Canadians like their health-care system

Most American doctors lie about it -- so take anything your doctor says with a grain of salt.

I know a lot of Canadians and travel in Canada. I always ask about their health care system -- every one I talk to is satisfied. Are there problems with it? Sure. But there are problems with the US system that far outweigh those in Canada.

For example, 46 million people in the US don't have to wait a year for their examination -- because they aren't going to get any examination. They don't have insurance and they can't afford $500 bucks for 10 minutes of a doctor's time.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/44315.php

A Harvard Medical School survey has found that Canadians are healthier than Americans, have better health-care access than Americans and are generally more satisfied with their medical services than their southern neighbours.

Even though some Canadians complain about having to wait for operations, when their universal cover is compared to America's patchy services where tens of millions of people have no cover at all, America's overall medical services are seen as inferior Canada's.

Canadians, per head, spend much less than Americans do on health, and end up receiving much more and much better health care - Canadians are also enjoying far better health.

Here are some comparisons

-- 20.7% of Americans are obese
-- 15.3% of Canadians are obese

Incidence of diabetes in adults is 50% higher in America than Canada

-- 13.6% of Americans do no exercise at all
-- 6.5% of Canadians do no exercise at all

-- Even though 19% of Canadians are regular smokers compared to USA's 16.8%, the USA has double the percentage of people suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

-- 79% of Americans have a family doctor
-- 85% of Canadians have a family doctor

-- 10% of Americans say they cannot pay for needed medication
-- 5.1% of Canadians say they cannot pay for needed medication

-- 13.2% of Americans say they have unmet health needs
-- 10.7% of Canadians say they have unmet health needs
Canadians say this is due to wait times. Most of the Americans say this is due to not being able to get the care at all. The most common barrier to access in the USA is money. The most common barrier to access in Canada is the time you have to wait to get the treatment.

-- Life expectancy in Canada is three years longer than in the USA.

You can clip this out and bring it to your doctor.

[Sandrine for you]

11. How do you feel about your health care system?

Mostly good.

Your Dr. is lying. For a rendez-vous, 2 month. But you always can go to an urgency. In Québec-City, 4h of waiting. I did it Yesterday. I read a book.

But the problem reside in some interventions. For some operation you have to wait a lot, and that's not good. Ex: If you need an operation to the knee, I know a woman who wait 3 month...by the time she can't work.

But really I just prefer this system than the one you have. Just can't trust private insurance cie.

[Spazito]

12. I love it!

Here is my experience:

I was in a car accident in another province, was injured but not bad enough to require an ambulance. I went to emergency, gave them my health care number, waited maybe 15 minutes, was examined, my hand ex-rayed, a cast put on my hand because the bone they were concerned about may have been broken, my scrapes and cuts cleaned. Paid nothing, received no bill.

When I arrived back home, made an appointment with my doctor to check on the cast after 10 days, re-ex-rayed the hand, turned out the bone was not broken, had cast removed. No payment taken, no bill received.

At that time I paid $56.00 a month for my health care. I have since moved to another province and pay nothing as of January of this year. My blue cross costs for dental/optical/prescriptions was $29.00 a month.

[Grey]

13. I really, really like it.

I phoned my Doctor's office for an appointment yesterday morning, The receptionist said "How about two o'clock?"

Because of the way the buses run here I won't be seeing the Doctor till today and will probably have the out-patient work done next week at the hospital.
All of this comes out of my 'Medical' and I won't have to pay another dime. My husband and I have never encountered the dreaded 'wait time'.
I don't know of anyone, other than knee and hip replacement, that have had any 'wait time'.

[Billy Burnett]

14. My dad was in hospital (Kingston, Ontario) for 4 months, 1/2 of it in ICU.

After he passed away (metastasized terminal lung cancer) my mother was galled that they had the unmitigated nerve to ask her to pay a bill (co-pay) of $385 for 4 months of 1st rate care.

If this had happened in the US the bill would have been $385,000+,+,+, (with enough paperwork to cause a stroke).

[screembloodymurder]

17. Thanks.

I've been told most Canadians like their system and you all confirmed it. BTW, my Dr. is from Quebec.

[Sandrine for you]

15. Yep dont want to see the barbarian invasion from the south.

But you ca easely come here for study, work...

[truedelphi]

18. It helps to be youngish and marriage-able.

They don't have all that many people in some parts, and if you are intereted in producing some little Canadians (Provided you have the education to support them) it is easier to get citizenship.

[Eryemil]

19. Not as hard as you might think

I am here on a student visa, it was fairly easy to get in. I also plan to apply for citizenship once I've attained my PhD, which wouldn't be much trouble either.

[FatDave]

22. That's kind of my point.

Yes, it'll be easy for you to get in with a PhD. Shit, they'll probably meet you with the proper papers at your graduation ceremony. Me, I'm a self-taught computer programmer who suddenly doesn't have much money. Canada doesn't want me.

It's possible I could get in to one of the northern territories through a regional program, but I don't think I'm that rugged.

[Eryemil]

23. Since the system is based on accumulated "points"

I am not sure you can become a resident without a university degree but I know you can get temporary residency if you have a job waiting for you in Canada.
I think this would count in terms of working towards permanent residency, though I am not certain.

[FatDave]

24. Last I checked (November 2004)...

Having a job in Canada would get you 10 points. If I learned to speak and read French at an intermediate level and had a job waiting for me, I think that would have been enough to get me PR status. But that was a long time ago.