Farewell, America, Canada could learn a few things from you

Some props for USA without gushing about it. Not enough to make me want to live there tho.

Someone else posted something on CKA recently comparing the US on freedom of information with Canada. In the US the vast majority of requests are fulfilled and in Canada the vast majority are denied at least in part.

No offense, but this is consistent with our differing views on governance and on where the source of rights and authority come from.

Most of us down here see the government as only having the authority we give it and most of the Canadians I know see government as the source and guarantor of their rights.

The Canadian view of government is to me a variation on the Divine Right of Kings in that you believe the government has an inherent (God-given) right to rule.

The problem with this is when people who hold to that view run your government they believe they are possessed of a special right to rule and that their actions are not subject to review or question by their subjects. In short, they don't see any reason why they have to answer to you.

Other than his first comment on the price difference - which is a conspiracy AGAINST Canada, not by Canada - and the bit further down about NYC and free speech, most of Neil's comments are easily debated and one-sided.

Political accountability in the US??? Please!!!

US Health system "more democratic"?

4 (out of 50)states legalized Marijuana: So? The only reason it isn't legalized in Canada is because h we have a conservative government. I'm sure if it fell under provincial jurisdiction, more than 8% of the provinces would have legalized it by now.

American uninsured is not fewer than in Canada where the number of uninsured is zero. And many of those American people are still under-insured and/or burdened with costly premiums and out-of-pockets. And the Republicans still want to end it.


Because workers get fewer holidays, fewer rights, hardly any Mat Leave,etc.

Because their endemic poverty, lack of social programs cause them to depend more on charity and a more church-based society compels members to give.

if he's turned on a TV in the last 30 years, he must not mean public employees but volunteerism.


Well that's nice and all I suppose, but....that and 25 cents gets the veterans a phone call.

And to be honest, a lot of the flag-waving, veteran-cheering activities don't come from a health place. See: Vladimir Putin's recent efforts to promote more the same type of society, to turn the populace in to a bunch of unquestioning patriots - "my country right or wrong" kind of thing.




You gotta be kidding me.

Price differences in Canada vs. the USA are typically a function of your willingness to pay.

Meaning that the reason a product that sells for $4.99 in the US can sell for $13.99 in Canada is because too many of you are willing to pay the higher price.

It also doesn't help that your government has made your market rather insular in many sectors - like satellite TV for instance. There really is no defensible reason why your government prohibits someone in Surrey from getting the same DISH network service that someone across the border in Bellingham gets.

If your market was more open to competition then your prices would come down but then you'd have no end of US businesses operating in Canada so I guess you'll just resign yourselves to paying what you pay.

An odd irony here is that I love Murchie's scone mix and it's cheaper for me to buy it in California (shipping and all) than to buy it in person at the sales counter in Victoria.

And that's a 100% Canadian company doing this.

Someone else posted something on CKA recently comparing the US on freedom of information with Canada. In the US the vast majority of requests are fulfilled and in Canada the vast majority are denied at least in part.

No offense, but this is consistent with our differing views on governance and on where the source of rights and authority come from.

Most of us down here see the government as only having the authority we give it and most of the Canadians I know see government as the source and guarantor of their rights.

The Canadian view of government is to me a variation on the Divine Right of Kings in that you believe the government has an inherent (God-given) right to rule.

The problem with this is when people who hold to that view run your government they believe they are possessed of a special right to rule and that their actions are not subject to review or question by their subjects. In short, they don't see any reason why they have to answer to you.

Beats the hell out of "Freedom is the smoking muzzle of a Smith and Wesson"

Price differences in Canada vs. the USA are typically a function of your willingness to pay.

Meaning that the reason a product that sells for $4.99 in the US can sell for $13.99 in Canada is because too many of you are willing to pay the higher price.

It also doesn't help that your government has made your market rather insular in many sectors - like satellite TV for instance. There really is no defensible reason why your government prohibits someone in Surrey from getting the same DISH network service that someone across the border in Bellingham gets.

If your market was more open to competition then your prices would come down but then you'd have no end of US businesses operating in Canada so I guess you'll just resign yourselves to paying what you pay.

An odd irony here is that I love Murchie's scone mix and it's cheaper for me to buy it in California (shipping and all) than to buy it in person at the sales counter in Victoria.

And that's a 100% Canadian company doing this.

I'm not saying you're wrong but to my knowledge a nationwide consumer boycott of everything had never happened in human history so it doesn't sound like a plausible solution.