4 ms·

Canada is intensely mediocre as a country. Maybe the most overrated first world nation. I do not think nationalization would be any better.

fithisux 4y ago
+1
BiteCode_dev 4y ago
Never been there, what makes it mediocre ?
- ChuckNorris89 4y ago
  I guess high CoL and low wages relative to the US.
- melony 4y ago
  Most of their "advantages" (in "progressive" policy, "free" healthcare etc.) come from the fact that they have us paying for their defence, coupled with having plenty of natural resources and good geography. It is not a country that seeks or bothers to innovate much beyond riding the coattails of the US like a typical large anglosphere nation. In other words, the Australia of North America. Their primary tech sector functions as a cheap outsourcing service for US companies. The national industries are natural resources, real estate, and immigration. Canadians are tremendously proud of their "recent" innovations that are decades if not centuries old. If you look at the typical Canadian cultural propaganda, the country appears to have nothing to show beyond insulin (invented a century ago) and the Canadarm (a gimmick that allows them to pretend to be an aerospace player). They have no launch vehicle to speak of and their leaders happily destroyed their aerospace industry (see Avro Arrow and the whole Bombardier forced sale incident during the Trump era). The primary reason for their high quality of life is easy access and integration with the US market, without which they would be much poorer. They claim to be a middle power but are more like a middling power. By every metric of innovation and technological achievement, they are an embarrassment.
  - pupppet 4y ago
  - mb7733 4y ago
    As a Canadian, I agree. Canada has plenty of natural resources, good geography, powerful military allies, huge trading partners and high quality of life. It sure is tough here! (But seriously though, you are more or less correct except for the part about us all being "tremendously proud" of our recent innovations. Nobody gives a shit.)
  - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
    So, basically, the Europe of North America.
  - refurb 4y ago
    The country has nothing to show beyond insulin and the Canadarm. And basketball. Don’t forget Canada invented basketball.
  - desiarnezjr 4y ago
    Given where Canada is and what we have, this is our perfect place. We have never needed to be a superpower, and we don't have the population base nor the geography. Our economy is resource based, and most everything centres around that, so more efficiency rather than innovation is needed. We have a reasonably high quality standard of living and output. Not every nation needs to be a testosterone driven "we're #1".
  - katbyte 4y ago
    Canada used to innovate, a lot- and was a decently recognized power during the world wars. Now.. not so much. I blame it on companies gaining more power, the conservatives privatization national assets leading to higher col and lower standards of living. More and more companies extracting wealth to provide the bare minimum. Canada of today is not the Canada of last century.for both better and worse. But that’s just what I think, and what I’ve seen over my life, could be wrong
  - TMWNN 4y ago
- isthisthingon99 4y ago
  I've lived there and in the US (and other countries.) I would say it is best to be poor in Canada, best to be rich in the US. So if you are middle class in Canada, there is a good chance you are living hand to mouth and if you are poor in Canada, you have the luxury of time. From first (well technically second) hand experience, a family of 6 can be on the dole in Canada until the children are grown up after which the parents can go on disability until retirement kicks in. It's not necessarily a bad way to go, the children of the aforementioned family utilized the free education and healthcare to get a leg up and most of them became middle class. At which point they will see the other side of the coin.
mb7733 4y ago
It's interesting to me how often you comment things like this about Canada. What exactly is your relationship with Canada that you find it necessary to chime in like this everytime the country is mentioned?
- LeeroyWasHere 4y ago
  You weren't kidding, this guy is angry.
- ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
  There seems to be a smug moral superiority among Canadians that they are somehow better than the Americans. Having lived in both countries and many other places in the world, I have not come across a more mediocre, conservative, lethargic, non innovative, risk averse culture than modern day Canada. It wasn't always like that but the last 50 years have been a disgrace. They are only getting by because of their small population which will change soon because tax payers need to be brought in and only the bottom of the barrel will immigrate there due to a lack of exceptional skills / industries in the country. Places like the US and UK are where you can really flourish if you want to push humanity forward. When Canada's only industry is real estate you know it is a country filled with risk averse people sitting on their bums on top of a house like a lazy dragon and waiting for it to appreciate. Also if you have been there recently, nothing works there anymore especially their healthcare and airports.
  - voisin 4y ago
    As a Canadian, I vehemently want to disagree with this comment, but I have a difficult time doing so. Our government failed to rein in the housing market and it became easier to just sit and watch your house appreciate than strive to do better. For example, there were years recently where average houses in cities across the country appreciated more than average incomes in those same cities - I.e. the house “earned” more than the owner. With that kind of nonsensical scenario, why would anyone feel motivated to work harder? Just leverage up and buy another house. I hope this corrects. Good times make weak men, weak men make tough times, tough times make strong men, strong men make good times. I think we are heading toward tough times.
desiarnezjr 4y ago
And where you live is better?

fithisux 4y ago

BiteCode_dev 4y ago

Never been there, what makes it mediocre ?

ChuckNorris89 4y ago
I guess high CoL and low wages relative to the US.
melony 4y ago
Most of their "advantages" (in "progressive" policy, "free" healthcare etc.) come from the fact that they have us paying for their defence, coupled with having plenty of natural resources and good geography. It is not a country that seeks or bothers to innovate much beyond riding the coattails of the US like a typical large anglosphere nation. In other words, the Australia of North America. Their primary tech sector functions as a cheap outsourcing service for US companies. The national industries are natural resources, real estate, and immigration. Canadians are tremendously proud of their "recent" innovations that are decades if not centuries old. If you look at the typical Canadian cultural propaganda, the country appears to have nothing to show beyond insulin (invented a century ago) and the Canadarm (a gimmick that allows them to pretend to be an aerospace player). They have no launch vehicle to speak of and their leaders happily destroyed their aerospace industry (see Avro Arrow and the whole Bombardier forced sale incident during the Trump era). The primary reason for their high quality of life is easy access and integration with the US market, without which they would be much poorer. They claim to be a middle power but are more like a middling power. By every metric of innovation and technological achievement, they are an embarrassment.
- pupppet 4y ago
- mb7733 4y ago
  As a Canadian, I agree. Canada has plenty of natural resources, good geography, powerful military allies, huge trading partners and high quality of life. It sure is tough here! (But seriously though, you are more or less correct except for the part about us all being "tremendously proud" of our recent innovations. Nobody gives a shit.)
- ChuckNorris89 4y ago
  So, basically, the Europe of North America.
- refurb 4y ago
  The country has nothing to show beyond insulin and the Canadarm. And basketball. Don’t forget Canada invented basketball.
- desiarnezjr 4y ago
  Given where Canada is and what we have, this is our perfect place. We have never needed to be a superpower, and we don't have the population base nor the geography. Our economy is resource based, and most everything centres around that, so more efficiency rather than innovation is needed. We have a reasonably high quality standard of living and output. Not every nation needs to be a testosterone driven "we're #1".
- katbyte 4y ago
  Canada used to innovate, a lot- and was a decently recognized power during the world wars. Now.. not so much. I blame it on companies gaining more power, the conservatives privatization national assets leading to higher col and lower standards of living. More and more companies extracting wealth to provide the bare minimum. Canada of today is not the Canada of last century.for both better and worse. But that’s just what I think, and what I’ve seen over my life, could be wrong
- TMWNN 4y ago
isthisthingon99 4y ago
I've lived there and in the US (and other countries.) I would say it is best to be poor in Canada, best to be rich in the US. So if you are middle class in Canada, there is a good chance you are living hand to mouth and if you are poor in Canada, you have the luxury of time. From first (well technically second) hand experience, a family of 6 can be on the dole in Canada until the children are grown up after which the parents can go on disability until retirement kicks in. It's not necessarily a bad way to go, the children of the aforementioned family utilized the free education and healthcare to get a leg up and most of them became middle class. At which point they will see the other side of the coin.

mb7733 4y ago

It's interesting to me how often you comment things like this about Canada. What exactly is your relationship with Canada that you find it necessary to chime in like this everytime the country is mentioned?

LeeroyWasHere 4y ago
You weren't kidding, this guy is angry.
ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
There seems to be a smug moral superiority among Canadians that they are somehow better than the Americans. Having lived in both countries and many other places in the world, I have not come across a more mediocre, conservative, lethargic, non innovative, risk averse culture than modern day Canada. It wasn't always like that but the last 50 years have been a disgrace. They are only getting by because of their small population which will change soon because tax payers need to be brought in and only the bottom of the barrel will immigrate there due to a lack of exceptional skills / industries in the country. Places like the US and UK are where you can really flourish if you want to push humanity forward. When Canada's only industry is real estate you know it is a country filled with risk averse people sitting on their bums on top of a house like a lazy dragon and waiting for it to appreciate. Also if you have been there recently, nothing works there anymore especially their healthcare and airports.
- voisin 4y ago
  As a Canadian, I vehemently want to disagree with this comment, but I have a difficult time doing so. Our government failed to rein in the housing market and it became easier to just sit and watch your house appreciate than strive to do better. For example, there were years recently where average houses in cities across the country appreciated more than average incomes in those same cities - I.e. the house “earned” more than the owner. With that kind of nonsensical scenario, why would anyone feel motivated to work harder? Just leverage up and buy another house. I hope this corrects. Good times make weak men, weak men make tough times, tough times make strong men, strong men make good times. I think we are heading toward tough times.

desiarnezjr 4y ago

And where you live is better?