Score another point for my native land, Canada. A recent NYT article cites a study soon to be published in The New York University Law Review where its authors coded and analyzed the provisions of 729 constitutions adopted by 188 countries from 1946 to 2006, and they considered 237 variables regarding various rights and ways to enforce them.
From the article:
The new study also suggests that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, adopted in 1982, may now be more influential than its American counterpart.
The Canadian Charter is both more expansive and less absolute. It guarantees equal rights for women and disabled people, allows affirmative action and requires that those arrested be informed of their rights. On the other hand, it balances those rights against “such reasonable limits” as “can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.
Canada has long been in the shadow of its big American brother and has long deserved its moment in the sun. I’m glad the country is finally getting it. As someone who has experienced life in a number of cities across both Canada and the U.S. over the past 15 years, there are a number of benefits to Canada that you simply can’t find in the U.S., and they should be recognized. In a lot of ways, Canada has done well.
This doesn’t mean, however, that Canadians should start gloating while America is down. I’ve always viewed the two countries as partners in a global economy. Canada does the heavy lifting in some areas, America does it in others. Much of what America has wouldn’t exist without Canada, and vice versa.
I see this time as one where Canada and America can enjoy a new, more respective partnership where both countries gain from each others’ experience. Canada needs to loosen the government grip in a lot of areas, whereas America needs to tighten it. For instance:
Banking: Canadian banks should be adopting some American policies around small business and return lending decisions back to bank managers. They should be more incentivized through a free market, like American banks are, to give second chances to the poor, the struggling, and entrepreneurs in their community. The Canadian financial system fails miserably in this area which causes it to both lose talent to the U.S. and stifle growth. Of course on the other hand, the U.S. financial sector could learn a thing or two from Canada about lending reserves and regulatory partnerships between government and the banking industry.
Health care: both countries both need to adopt more of the other country’s style of health care into their system, and stop worrying about “looking” like the other country. It’s not about appearances, it’s about people and their health. America’s got a great system in a lot of ways (ex: 3x more MRI’s per capita), Canada in other ways. The “best” system is found between the two.
Gun control: I’m a firm believer that a sane, law-abiding person should have the right to own a firearm, and defend themselves with one. I have yet to see the argument, however, as to why I need a bazooka or a 30-round automatic rifle to do so. The only arguments I’ve really heard on this point are “slippery slope” arguments, but I think it’s an illegitimate one. Canada, on the one hand, needs to loosen up and not give criminals more freedom than law-abiding citizens when it comes to firearms. America, on the other hand, needs to really look at why someone needs to walk down an Arizona sidewalk with an AR-15.
Education: This goes into another rant, but suffice it to say that America was supposed to have an education system second to none. It doesn’t. In fact, overall it’s probably 30 or 40th down the list where Canada’s is 7th or 8th (consider PISA Math and Science scores). If you watch documentaries like “The Cartel” and “Waiting for Superman” you see why this is true, and more importantly, why this has happened. Two words: Teacher’s Unions.
Canadian public schools, by and large, are excellent. PISA math and science scores are just one metric, but let’s look at another metric which doesn’t seemed to get measured, which is safety – especially in more impoverished areas. I’d like to find a study that shows how many Canadian vs. American schools have metal detectors in them.
I’m sure Canada’s standing in terms of education can be attributed in part to the taxes it collects. I also think it has to do with Canada’s relationship with the teacher’s unions, and the power that the unions are allowed to wield in the interest of their members vs. the kids.
Bottom line for me is this:
1) I’m glad Canada is continuing to get its moment in the sun, as I’ve said before. It’s a great place to live, work, and invest, and many Americans would benefit by learning (or better yet, experiencing) how things are truly done up north.
2) I’ve always appreciated America – and always will – for the degree to which it grants freedom. Unlike any other country (including Canada), America puts the highest degree of faith in individuals and their ability to choose. It grants people the most freedom by granting them the most responsibility, and with that, grants people from all countries the greatest opportunity to make the most of their lives compared to any other country in the world. This is why I have been proud to call it “home” in many respects.
3) Where America has screwed up, I believe, is in assuming that everyone was deserving of that freedom. Let’s face fact – there’s people who don’t deserve it because they deliberately cause harm to others, and there’s people who don’t deserve it because they deliberately cause harm to themselves (like with Stated Income Declared Value Mortgages).
Education of the masses is what makes the difference here. Freedom only leads to great things when its powered by an enlightened and progressive mind, not an ignorant and regressive one. In that respect, I think both Canada and the U.S. need to get better on educating each other regarding the strengths of both our systems if either country has any hope of competing with other countries over the next 20 years.
