Some Kind Words For Canada

[Christa]

Last Saturday, Karen Zipdrive over at Pulp Friction wrote a very nice post about Canada and the Olympics that were recently held there. I especially liked the way she ended her post, and personally, I agree with her sentiments. These are her words:

You see, the fact is, Canada is what America tried to be and failed.

Canadians are far more united as Canadians.

They are neither gun freaks nor warmongers. They never owned slaves, they aren't filled with racism, and gay people can get married and enjoy the same rights as any Canadian adult taxpayers.

They have good healthcare for all.

The Canadian dollar is strong.

Except for the cold weather and lack of even one tropical climate in any of their provinces, Canada would be a most desirable place to live.

Sure, America is richer and we have more exportable goods. We have more diversity of nature, more Hollywood and more New York City-style sophistication.

But Americans are not as kind as Canadians, and we can be way too aggressive and prone to violent bullying, discourtesy, and a sense of superiority toward citizens of most other nations.

The Vancouver Olympics may have had their share of uncooperative weather and a modest opening ceremony (especially compared to the Chinese!)but they have done themselves proud by reminding the world that Canada is filled with warm, welcoming people and a charming, national sense of humility.

The rest of us could all learn a lot from the Canadians.

http://bestoftheblogs.com/Home/26693

[polly7]

1. What a nice article.

The only comment I'll make on it is that there were people who abused the slaves who managed to get here. Dresden, ON was a fairly safe place for them and they did wonderful things integrating into society, building schools there, etablishing a great communtiy, but some did indeed still suffer horrible lives here in other places. Just an aside, my relatives lived right down the river from the son of Josiah Hensen, the man written about it Uncle Tom's Cabin (old Bible records, whether it's accurate or not I'll never know for sure). Nice article though, I'm still reading other major news papers saying what a disaster the Olympics were, we shall see how they go in England and Russia in the next four years. If Canadian papers diss them though the way we've been, I'll be so disappointed.

[3324SS]

3. I Love Quebec! - J'aime le Québec !

and it is where I will be retiring.
et il est où je me retirerai.

[Kablooie]

5. My daughter lives in Montreal right now and loves it. (Except for the painful cold temperatures)

She was offered a job there.
The job fell through at the last minute but she and a friend had already rented an apartment so she moved there anyway.

[polly7]

6. Quebec is now 'the go-to' place for a lot of younger Canadians.

I have two nephews there going to University and they love it.

[ensho]

2. kick

nt

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. k&r for my soon-to-be homeland!

click the link, and then click to link to the original Pulpfriction post to read the interesting and entertaining comments.

[ChicagoSuz219]

7. It would be perfect...

...if the English-Canadians didn't dislike the French-Canadians so much... LOL

I was married to a Canadian & we lived in Vancouver for awhile. I loved it... however, I did get to see the underbelly, as well.

You will never meet a more nationalistic people though... they are soooooooo proud of their fellow Canadians that do well.

The main religion is Hockey. The country is gorgeous! The people were all friendly to me. And, they have a kick-ass healthcare system!

[polly7]

8. That could be just a regional thing.

Here in SK and Man at least many communities are bilingual. It's kind of funny, a lot of the older French speaking generation watching a hockey or curling game start talking French, sometimes a 'lil gossip, but they forget the younger people around them have taken French in school most of their lives. It's possible many are upset at the French only signs in Quebec, but they do have a right to keep their identity as best they can. Diversity ........ I think that is what is attracting a lot of younger Canadians, ....... and the people. Quebec is a very friendly province.

[ChicagoSuz219]

10. Could be... n/t

[applegrove]

15. I think having to make deals with Quebec and bring them into the fold

even though they have a separate identity and laws makes us a more understanding people on the whole. Except for in parts of Alberta. Someone wanted to name a public school in Alberta after Pierre Trudeau and there was an outcry. One person said Pierre Trudeau gave us the charter of rights and freedoms (shame :sarcasm: ) and the national energy policy. I can understand people being upset about the nep if you are from out west but our constitution???? what a bozo.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

11. Will a tourist from a neither-English-nor-French speaking country, who speaks English but not French

encounter rudeness while visiting Quebec?

[Spazito]

12. Yes, it can happen mostly in smaller communities...

but I found most French speaking people in Quebec to be very accommodating if you do not speak French and very appreciative if you have tried to learn at least a few words in French.

Where I ran into rudeness was in France, at least with one shop owner. I was with a friend who wanted to by one of his products but, because she didn't speak English he turned his back to her behind the counter and refused to serve her, I was astounded as this was in Nice, very much a city dependent on tourists. I loved France and most of the time felt very welcomed but this incident certainly remained in my memory as well.

[ChicagoSuz219]

26. Doesn't sound very 'Nice'...

(sorry, couldn't resist... ;-)

[slampoet]

9. What I love about Canada is that different Ethic peoples live next to each other.

There is very little of that separation like there is in almost all USA cities.

You go to Vancouver and people from India live next to Portuguese and Chinese and Cubans and there isn't the separation of people into Little Italy, or Chinatown like there is in our cities.

Funny how GOPers tell everybody to assimilate while locking them into their own little barrios.

[Berry Cool]

13. It's not true that Canadians never owned slaves.

They just abolished slavery before we did--1830.

Also, there are many people who find Canada "a most desirable place to live" despite its cold weather and "lack of even one tropical climate." Not all human beings are unable to withstand cold weather. Really, Toronto gets less snow than Cleveland.

I also doubt that the USA has "more diversity of nature" than Canada.

Canada has its problems--and not just the weather--it's not a crime-free paradise (although it has less crime than the US), it's not a place where everyone gets along (but there are still a lot of hospitable people), but it really is a great place. In other words, it's not necessary to exaggerate its merits to value what it has to offer. And it's not necessary to be a polar bear to endure the climate.

[Oregone]

14. The weather actually isn't so bad at all on the east side of Vancouver Island

Ive lived in various places on the east and west coast of the US, and the climate here tops that in terms of livability

[Lyric]

16. Why do these "kind words for Canada" sound more like

jabs at the USA? Is it not possible to compliment Canada without comparing it to us? Surely Canada has an identity all its own and doesn't need America comparisons in order to be praised?

[spin]

17. While Canadians are not "gun freaks" their violent crime rate is HIGHER than the U.S.

Britain's violent crime record is worse than any other country in the European union, it has been revealed.

Official crime figures show the UK also has a worse rate for all types of violence than the U.S. and even South Africa - widely considered one of the world's most dangerous countries.



The U.S. has a violence rate of 466 crimes per 100,000 residents, Canada 935, Australia 92 and South Africa 1,609.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196941/The-violent-country-Europe-Britain-worse-South-Africa-U-S.html#ixzz0hKZispz2

The number of firearms in the U.S. has increased dramatically in the years since 1973. Semi-auto "assault weapons" are very common in our society and since Florida started a national trend in 1987, 37 states have "shall issue" concealed carry, 9 states have "may issue", 2 have unrestricted carry and ONLY 2 states deny any form of carry.



And yet despite all these firearms (300 million by some estimates) and all these individuals carrying firearms concealed in public (5 million by some estimates) our crime rate has been falling since 1993.


Note: this graph and many more interesting graphs can be viewed at the The Bureau of Justice Website at:
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=kftp&tid=3

The Canadians might learn a little from us and realize that more firearms does not mean more crime.

I should point out that I enjoyed the Winter Olympics and that I have known many friendly Canadians, including two very nice older gentlemen who used to winter in Florida and enjoyed shooting their handguns at least once a week at the pistol range I used to shoot at in the Tampa Bay area. Handgun ownership is very restricted in Canada.

[daleo]

19. The U.S. murder rate is 6 times higher than Canada

The definition of violent crime is highly variable. Murder rates are a good comparison, because dead is dead.

[spin]

23. You make a valid point, but ...

Reaping what we sow
January 3, 2006

After a spasm of heart-rending, frightening violence, Toronto's Mayor, David Miller, and its news media want Torontonians to remember one thing: The city is very, very safe. Really.

"Chicago: 445 homicides. Washington D.C.: 195 homicides. Baltimore: 268 homicides. Toronto: 78 homicides." So opened a story in Sunday's Toronto Star.

***snip***

Feel better now? Well, don't. The Prime Minister, the Mayor and the media are hiding crucial facts. Here are three:

1) America's crime problem has dramatically improved, while Canada's is becoming seriously worse. Toronto's 78 homicides in 2005 appears to compare favorably to the homicide totals of the three American cities cited by the Star. But those 78 Toronto homicides in 2005 represent a 28% increase over the 61 homicides recorded in Toronto in 1995. Meanwhile, the three U.S. cities cited by the Star each achieved dramatic decreases over the past decade: Chicago down 46% from 823, Washington down 46% from 365, Baltimore down 17% from 322.

More broadly: Canada's overall crime rate is now 50% higher than the crime rate in the United States. Read that again slowly -- it seems incredible, but it's true. It's true too that you are now more likely to be mugged in Toronto than in New York City.

2) America's crime problem is becoming concentrated in ever fewer places, while Canada's is spreading out to ever more places.

The United States is a huge country, and it will always be possible to find a jurisdiction with shocking crime numbers. The overwhelming majority of Americans, however, live in places that are becoming steadily safer. Since the early 1990s, crime rates have dropped in 48 of the 50 states and 80% of American cities. Over that same period, crime rates have risen in six of the 10 Canadian provinces and in seven of Canada's 10 biggest cities.
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=fb715fde-9cee-42e2-ae75-81061c3cee14

Often people hold up Canada and Great Britain as shining examples of why the United States should implement draconian gun law such as banning or severely restricting all hands guns and "assault weapons.

Yet recent statistics show that the violent crime rate and the homicide rate in the U.S. has been declining while it has been increasing in both Canada and Great Britain.

Last year 14 Million + Guns were sold in the United States which is more than the combined total of firearms owned by 21 of the world's standing armies. Ref: http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/13/gun-owners-buy-14-million-plus-guns-in-2009/

Now I'm not suggesting that more guns = less crime. It is possible that this is indeed true, but there are so many factors that figure in the crime equation that such a statement would be simplistic. More effective policing in the United States is a prime contender as the reason for the drop for me. But, never the less, it should also be obvious that more guns = more crime is a false statement.

My objection was the use of the term "gun freaks" in the OP. Gun owners in our country have proven to be overwhelmingly responsible in the use of their firearms. We have a much larger and far more diverse population than Canada and many more large cities. It is hard indeed to compare crime statistics between the two countries as the demographics vary so much. Still, our crime rates are in decline and Canada's are on the rise. Your statement that the homicide rate in the U.S. is six times larger then in Canada may be dated. According to Wikipedia the homicide rate in the United States in 2007 was 5.6 per 100,000 while Canada in 2004 posted 1.9 per 100,000. That would divide out to 3 times higher. Since our homicide rate has been falling and Canada's rising the actual comparison should be lower.
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States

Canada is a wonderful country filled with good people. Unfortunately, the original poster had to inject a derogatory term for American gun owners because of her bias. The poster painted 40 million gun owners with a very broad brush.

I also do not consider the statement "You see, the fact is, Canada is what America tried to be and failed" to be a valid appraisal. Despite our faults (and they are many) we are definitely the current world leader. There are items such as Canada's superior heathcare system that we might copy and improve on and Canada also could also find some policies that we have that could benefit their society.

edited for misspelling in title

[proteus_lives]

20. Yeah, the gun-freak line made me roll my eyes too.

[snagglepuss]

21. Using the Daily Mail as a serious reference.? What a joke. Find some

real stats.:silly:

[spin]

24. I don't pretend to know much about the Daily Mail ...

but if my source bothers you, please see post #23 which contains a link to an article in Canada.com.

[snagglepuss]

25. The Daily Mail is entertaining but not a reputable source of information

nor is canada.com. The crux of the matter is that comparison of violent crime statistics between countries is meaningless because all countries have different defintions for violent crimes.

For instance in Canada violent crime includes homicides, attempted murder, all assaults, all sexual offences, abduction and robbery but in the US violent crimes includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.

[RandomThoughts]

27. Driving a person to poverty, or ill heath, or homelessness is a form of violence

not shown in that chart.

[daleo]

18. I think a cold climate can be a plus

A difficult environment can force people to be cooperative. Plus, our neo-cons often are drawn to the U.S. (e.g. David Frum), and many of our rednecks find congenial retirement places in Arizona.

[LWolf]

22. I think that you mean that Canada is what the U.S. tried to be and failed.

Canada is part of America, and Candadians ARE Americans.