Some politicians tell us, and many of us seem to agree, that Canada is “broken.” It may come as a surprise to them, and to the rest of us too, that Canada is the country with the “highest perceived quality of life” in the world.
Every year, the Reputation Institute ranks countries based on how the rest of the world sees them. The world sees Canada as the Most Admired country in the world.
The countries are judged on three main points: economy, environment and governance. The economy is judged by considering the products, brands and technology, along with the reliability and quality of the workforce. The environment is judged on the country’s beauty and how welcoming the people are. The quality of governance is judged on how safe residents feel, their views on the country’s social and economic rules, and how people feel about the country’s ethics and beliefs. Our “appealing environment, effective government, and advanced economy” are cited as marking us with a highly perceived quality of life.
In spite of concerns over our high cost of living, the housing crunch and other woes, another analysis, of 87 nations, found Canada to be the second-best country in the world to live.
No matter how good anything may be, there is always room to make it better, but if Canada is broken, these studies didn’t pick up on it. That doesn’t mean we’re perfect, just not as badly off as some believe. Maybe we don’t appreciate what we have. Maybe we should take time to count our blessings.
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According to the weather people, we are in for a hot summer. I guess heat is better than torrential rains, tornadoes and other nasty weather events, but let’s hope it rains enough now and then to discourage wildfires and drought.
