Fresh Old Ideas

By Arnold Malone

In a previous article I outlined some reasons why Americans would wish they had the advantages that we in Canada enjoy. 

These are reasons why Canada will never become a 51st state but they may cause Americans to wish they were Canadian:

• Canada is a happier place. For decades international rankings have placed Canadians as being happier and more content with life than our neighbours to the south. A recent European poll asking, “If you could not live in your home country which country would you choose?” Canada was the number one first choice.

• For years Canada has recorded a longer life span than the USA. Currently, Canada has an average life expectancy of 82.72 years while the USA has an expectancy of 76.1 years.

• As for a healthy population Canada’s obesity numbers are also better than in the USA. In Canada 24.3 per cent of Canadians are obese while in the USA the obesity rate is 40 per cent. In the states of West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas obesity soars much higher.

• Guns and mass shootings: Phew! Here we have a huge difference. In Canada there are 34.7 guns for every 100 citizens. In the USA there are 120 guns for every 100 citizens. In 2024 there were 488 mass shootings in the USA, down from 690 mass shootings in 2021. I was unable to find dependable numbers for Canada but it is a whole lot less than the USA where they average more than one mass shooting every day.

• In Canada judges are appointed for their understanding of the law and their ability to be objective and non-partisan. Americans politicalize their judicial system. Judges have a tendency to favour those who appointed them. By contrast, Stephen Harper, when prime minister, appointed seven of the nine justices to the Supreme Court and spent $4.7 million on 15 losing cases. Canadian courts are not politicalized.

• Prison systems: United States has 10.35 million people incarcerated. As a per cent of population, the USA has the world’s highest percentage of prisoners. Prison sentences are also given for what other countries would consider a minor offence.

• The poverty rates: This is a more difficult issue to compare since many countries define poverty differently. Given that qualification, it is still easy to assert that Canada has a lot fewer persons in poverty as a per cent of population than the USA. The Organization Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states: “The USA has the highest rate of poverty amoung 26 most developed countries.” Canada’s poverty rate is 7.3 per cent while the USA is 19 per cent. Americans have 38 million people who are in poverty.

• Canadians would consider the voting ballot in the USA laughable. Everybody seems to be elected. The ballot is pages upon pages. The sheriff, the animal control officer, the coroner, even the local judges are elected. The very long list of elected people might seem democratic but the question needs to be asked: “For a sheriff is there a Republican or a Democrat way to enforce the law?” Should they not enforce the law without any political thought? The same questions need to be asked about the dog catcher, the health authority, the judges and so many more.

So, all of this talk about Canada becoming a 51st state begs the question: “Why in the world would we ever want to degrade the advantages we already have?” Canada is a place where we should continue to make the best better.