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Regardless of report card, Canada still best place to live |
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Written by Todd Whitcombe
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Sunday, 06 July 2008 |
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BRUCE STRACHANTODD WHITCOMBE
I would go even farther and say "B.C. is the best place on Earth."
(Carbon tax aside, of course!)
And Prince George has to be one of the best cities in the province. Sure, we don't have the surf, turf, and mountains of Vancouver.
But we also don't have the traffic congestion, the smog, and the line ups.
We do have some of the most incredible outdoor recreational opportunities right on our doorsteps. We have a wide range of services, from some fantastic restaurants to two hockey teams. And we definitely still have affordable housing where a family can still manage to live.
But even if you don't agree with me about Prince George or B.C. for that matter, most Canadians think that Canada is the best country in the world. We love our country.
I know that, as Canadians, we do not blow our own horns with quite the same fervor as our neighbours to the south. Talking about how great Canada is seems to be, well, un-Canadian. It's just not something we do.
Still, it was a bit surprising to read the below-the-fold headline in Monday's paper: "Canada's quality of life slipping." The day before our birthday, too!!
The highlights from the Conference Board of Canada report card on Canada were released this past week and they say that Canada is not the great place we think it is.
My first response, upon reading the article, was "who is this Conference Board of Canada and why are they saying this?" I started to dig a little. It is not that hard as they have a website with the pertinent information.
Up front, they do make the point that the preliminary report card lacks the detailed depth of the full report. This won't be released until September. And without the detailed report, it is hard to know exactly what was the methodology used in coming to their conclusions. From the little I was able to glean from their site, they use a number of indicators in each of six categories to score some 17 countries.
Canada's ranking, within this class of 17, has slipped towards the back of the class - to ninth overall when we used to be fourth. Or, at least, so claims the Conference Board.
It further points out that Canada is like a gifted student that started out strong but is coasting toward the bottom of the class. Of course, this is a class of gifted students. The 16 other countries represent the best economies in the world. Not the largest but the best.
I am not sure why "report cards" have come into vogue over the past decade. Seems that everyone wants to provide a report card on something. The Fraser Institute, for example, hands out its annual report card on education and the World Wildlife Fund does one on the environment.
What these "report cards" fail to do, though, is to tell us what a grade means. Is a B grade good, bad, or indifferent? I certainly know that if my child came home with all Bs, I would be happy with their performance. All As would be better, but Bs certainly beat Fs!
So, when the Conference Board gives our economy a "B", what are they saying? Apparently, according to their methodology, the fundamentals underpinning a strong economy are in place. We have booming resource industries, fiscal surpluses, a strong currency, modest inflation, and the lowest unemployment rates in 30 years. But that just isn't good enough.
Excuse me? Seems pretty good to me.
Still, they say: "Canada must do more to make sure its economic performance is strong enough to ensure a high and sustainable quality of life for all its citizens."
Just how would we do that? "Canada needs to work smarter to improve productivity," they say. And there it is. We are doing very well, by any number of standards. But the Conference Board thinks that Canadian workers are lazy. They are simply not generating the output per person that other countries generate. Or maybe we have too many workers for the amount of output we produce.
Either way, the Conference Board wants us to produce more for less. Where have I heard that before?
This is where it is useful to realize who sits on the board. It is made up of the CEOs and presidents of companies. In that context, it is not that surprising that their report card would suggest that we are not living up to our potential. The "type A" personalities at the top always want more out of their companies.
But is that the sort of thing that should influence a report card?
Probably not. And it is certainly not going to make me change my mind.
Canada is the best place to live.
-- Dr. Todd Whitcombe is a professor at UNBC and a politically active member of the community. His column appears Mondays. E-mail:
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 July 2008 )
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For many workers, BC is becoming The Best Place On Earth to be out of.