Despite what Canada’s nation hating extreme right would have you believe.
I don’t think you have to be extreme right wing to have legitimate concerns for the future of Canada. The country is literally on fire. Houses are over $1 million and health care is barely functioning.
I’d hate to see the other guys I guess.
See, that’s the thing. The 10 factors in the ranking include 1) Entrepreneurship, 2) “Open for Business”, 3) “Movers”, 4) Power, and 5) “Agility”, or a place that is ‘efficient in its actions, adopt and accept modern solutions’
So, like, half the factors are “how badly do you screw the environment and average non-capital-class citizen”
And in case you think I might be wrong about what they mean by “Movers”, the top 5 are the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Saudia Arabia, and India.
Of COURSE our country, which is composed a bunch of oil, gas, and mining corps in a trenchcoat shaking hands with a couple of oligipolistic banks and telecoms will score well.
Look at the source: its a law firm who brings immigrants over to Canada. Of course they’re going to pump our tires. It helps them with business.
This comment needs to be higher up.
This kind of article isn’t news, it’s marketing.
Putting us in 2nd is like 9/10 dentists
Where did you find the source link? When I clicked on the link it brings me to no specific article with no sources, just here:
Entrepreneurship
How the hell did we rank well then? Our productivity is very poor, and our economy is trading houses. The amount of capital flooding the housing market over the last few years is crazy.
No, but the extreme right call Canada a dictatorship, a third world country, a shithole, etc. Hell, the leader of the official opposition called our freely and fairly elected right of center milquetoast Prime Minister and his father, “Marxists.” It’s ridiculous. Literally worthy of ridicule.
Most of the people who are complaining have no frame of reference other than being brought up in the safe, warm busom of one of the best countries in the world.
It is scary. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t disagree that Canada is a great place to live. However, we can’t take that for granted.
Absolutely true. There are problems but they are first world problems and we really are very lucky to live here. I just bristle at hearing things like, “Canada is a dictatorship”, no it isn’t, “Canada is a third world country”, no it isn’t, “Justin Trudeau is a Marxist and so was his father”, ridiculous. Some people need a dose of perspective.
Yes. This is correct however making it more on fire which is what the extreme right want to do is not the way. The majority of provinces have had Conservative governments over the last 8 years, until we resolve that issue Canada isn’t going to get better anytime soon. People don’t realize that the provinces have way more involvement in their day to day lives than the federal government. Many of our issues can be fixed by the provinces but they literally choose to make things worse instead, pass the blame to the federal government and morons eat it up
For the perspective, a house in the top ranked country cost CAD 1.5 million.
Go Canada, but I think this might show how much more of a depressing state the rest of the world is in
That’s what it looks like from Finland as well. Often in high rankings, it’s just horrible to know what others are going through
As a Canadian expat, these sorts of surveys are an embarrassment. Canada is not that great. It has some good things going for it, but “second best in the world” is a laughable statement.
- The wealth disparity is terrible
- Nearly every inhabited patch of land is a suburban hellscape.
- The government is routinely dedicated to accomplishing as little as possible, especially on climate
- The fossil fuel lobby is embarrassingly strong
- The cost of living is extreme for many, with little effort to reign it in
- The country suffers from an inferiority complex in relation to the US of all places.
- The electoral system is broken
I mean, I love my country, but I’ve seen a lot of places that I’d rather live. The idea that we’re 2nd best compared to even half of the countries I’ve visited in the last 10 years is just silly.
I can really relate to this. I lived outside of Canada for 25 years. I recently-ish moved back to Canada and am totally blown away by things here. Life isn’t always amazing in any place you pick on the planet, but god damn, Canadians need to stop contemplating their collective belly button lint and focus on some of the massive issues that need attention.
Meanwhile my girlfriend just got back from travelling around Europe and all of those “superior” countries, and couldn’t wait to get home.
Said everyone was rude, taxis scammed her frequently, the public transit was pretty subpar with no other choice, the food was pretty mediocre, she had to be extra careful about pick pocketers, and lastly she said everyone stunk so bad from perfume that she had a constant headache.
Canada isn’t perfect, but it does have a ton going for it.
Well she wasn’t in the nordic countries at least, public transport can be subpar but is almost always servicable and gets you anywhere (we have on-demand minibuses for rural areas), the only part that could apply is being seen as rude because we don’t greet every person within our field of view…
Sounds like your girlfriend did the typical North American thing of visiting “Europe” by hitting a bunch of major cities and sticking to the touristy centres.
- The Netherlands is gorgeous, quiet, and safe, but if you don’t wander further than one or two kilometres from Amsterdam Centraal, you’ll never see that. Rent a bike and ride through Haarlem or Utrecht if you want a proper experience.
- Brussels has some of the best food I’ve ever tasted, but you have to break away from the tourist traps first.
- Athens is an exciting, “young” city with ancient treasures literally on display in the subway stations. You’ll never see that if you just wander around the Parthenon. The food everywhere is great too, though the best spots are usually well outside the touristy areas.
- Paris has some really exciting stuff happening with cycling right now, and the view from Momatre is amazeballs. Yes, the locals can be rude, but fuck it, take the train and get out of the city!
Which brings me to the other important point: Europe is not just the (impressive) cities, but rather a continental patchwork of interconnected but distinct cultures. Have breakfast in a B&B in Arras before you trek out to see the Vimy memorial, then board a train and be in Nyon by dinnertime where you can sit on a clear blue lake and munch on baguette. Hop on the train again and you’re in Torino, Venice, or Florence which is just gorgeous. I had the best pizza in my life there in a dodgy little place at 1am.
Stay a few nights in Warsaw and take a stroll through the old city. Gobble some perogi in Krakow and then push yourself to visit Auschwitz. Then take the train across the now undefended border to Berlin where you can walk the path of the former wall, and the next night go for the best danishes in the world… in Denmark.
Seriously, your girlfriend is out to lunch if that’s her impression of “Europe”. You two need to take another trip and rethink your priorities.
What parts of Europe would that be?
First world problems.
That is sort of an assumption when talking about a list of the best countries.
The best countries in the world are at the top of the list. There are 204 countries on the list.
I have lived all over the world and I agree. It’s one of the better places in the world but it’s not as great as a lot of Canadians believe
United States is fifth.
Yeah, “best” is a rather vague metric, and in this case, simply bullshit
Hey the USA is a great place to live if you make good money. Not a great place to be poor though.
Pretty much. Most of the best Universities in the world. That most of it’s citizens could never afford to attend. Many of the best Hospitals and specialty clinics in the world. That again most of it’s people can’t use.
Most American’s are somewhere in the middle, and I’m sure the median household has more disposable income than most other first world countries, it’s just that the prosperity is so unevenly spread.
Granted, some would speculate that it is because of the unevenness that the US is so prosperous, but I would dispute that. I think the US could go a long long ways towards helping it’s less fortunate without compromising it’s prosperity.
Most of the best Universities in the world.
Not sure if the world agrees. You certainly have a lot of universities in the country. Also not sure about best hospitals…
How does it compare to canada? I legit have no idea. I just remember reading in a thread like 2 days ago how an american person moved to canada and one of the main complaints was how pay was less and housing was way more.
House prices are much more reasonable in the USA. Obviously it’s a huge country and it depends where you want to live, but in comparison house prices in Canada make no sense whatsoever.
Culturally, very similar. There are subtle differences. Americans are louder and more confident in general I think. Also way more business oriented. People in general seem less healthy but the disparity with Canada isn’t that big anymore. Wealth disparity is though. Way more very poor people, way more really rich people. In Canada I’m a top 1% earner. In the USA I’m not really even close.
The obvious major difference from Canada is health insurance. If it’s not covered by your employer (92% of Americans have coverage last I checked), I hope you have some disposable income to pay to pay for health insurance. That being said, taxes are usually way lower depending on which state you’re in, so you very well might come out ahead, even with copay and deductible. For reference, I had a global health insurance plan with Cigna. It had 1 mil USD coverage and max out of pocket per year for me was like 3 k USD. That was 205 USD/month. This didn’t cover general doctors visits, or anything related to that. It was basically for visits to the emergency room. So if you’re looking for coverage at the same level as Canada, you’re going to be paying more. I have heard from numerous sources that the health care in the USA is way better than in Canada–as long as you can pay for it.
These are broad generalizations. USA is a very diverse place. Of all places I’ve been in the world, USA is the most similar to Canada, and Australia probably comes second.
I’m about to shake your world. Ready?
What you believe doesn’t change reality. Your feelings don’t matter.
Sorry.
Relevance?
You believe it’s bullshit.
What you believe doesn’t change reality. The report is as the report is, the metrics are all there, and whether you believe it or not makes absolutely zero difference.
If I find a rival study then will it no longer be true?
Best country Winner: South Africa Second: New Zealand Third: Maldives
What if we use the happiness index?
I think you can see how it’s subjective even if you present the metrics that you used
Not even close to the same metrics but if it makes your fee fees happy then you do you.
So what makes how you (USNews) weigh metrics the correct one?
Sorry…you’ve bored me. There are YouTube videos calling to me.
Fee fees? That’s Sarah Palin talk
I saw some right wing idiot say it and thought it was funny. A delicate snowflake blocked me so I won’t have to listen to his incessant whining about my comments anymore so I call that a win.
USA #5 and UK #9 lol
I have been to a lot of first world countries for extended periods as a digital nomad. Canada is not even in the top 5 imo
As a digital nomad, I’m guessing you would have been to relatively low CoL places like Bali, Thailand, maybe Eastern Europe or LatAm. You have to remember that your experience as someone from the global north, earning in a strong currency is very different from a local person there.
Not that i disagree with you that rankings are flawed but by the same token, Canada /is/ in the top 5 for many people from low standard-of-living countries
Typically you’d be right but as a DN I actually spent most of my time in North America and western Europe—mostly in countries people would compare Canada with (UK, France, Spain, Norway, Germany, USA, Australia, etc.). I never went to Asia or South America as a DN. Actually the only time I stepped foot in LatAm was in Panama for a month this past winter.
It really changed my perspective on Canada. I don’t think it’s a bad country at all but I don’t hold it in as high regard as I once did. Every country has its strengths and weaknesses. What those are is different for everyone. Canada is squandering immense potential in my opinion. If it wasn’t for family, there are several places in the USA I would consider living long term instead.
Fair!
Which one is your favorite county?
I’m not sure I really have a favourite. Every country has good and bad. There are some parts of the USA (ex. Colorado, Washington) that I really like. But also the USA has its own issues that we all know about. France is beautiful but there can be civil unrest, taxes are high, etc. I spent some time in Singapore and it’s very safe, clean, great food, but it’s also stale and far from a lot of places. Culture comes into play a lot. I can recognize that somewhere is a great place to live but it’s not for me. I didn’t grow up there, I don’t speak the language, etc. In Europe I feel most “at home” in the Netherlands.
Different things matter to different people. So saying things like “this country is #2” are meaningless. Countries I personally would rank above Canada: USA, Netherlands, Norway, Australia, New Zealand.
as a digital nomad
I don’t know how they measured this at US News either, but the digital nomad experience is pretty different from the local experience. By digital nomad standards certain third world cities are great.
What you believe doesn’t change reality.
What U.S. News believes doesn’t change reality either. These rankings are and always have been subjective BS
Whatever you have to tell yourself, dude.
Thanks Trudeau. Can’t get us to #1.
Fuck right off, Canada is nowhere in top 10.
Did everyone from Hexbear and Lemmygrad move to lemm.ee? I notice that that’s where most of the anti-Canadian hate is coming from. Was there a brigade message sent out or is this just organic?
you sound like you live in paranoiasville.
Does that ever work or do most or just laugh at you?
I’m not the fucking moron who is making assumption, you are.
At least I didn’t try to gaslight anyone. That’s just sad.
That dude is an asshole, but it is not gaslighting. people try to apply gaslighting to everytype of conflict now. Gaslighting would be them saying you formerly told them you lived in Paranoiaville and now you are denying it. it is when somebody actively tries to twist your memory, not just contradict you , or be sarcastic or condescending.
Gaslighting is the act of trying to convince someone that they are crazy. In its simplest form telling someone who is not crazy that they are crazy is gaslighting.
Source? I’m guessing you haven’t recently lived as an average person both inside and outside of Canada.
Through a survey of over 17,000 people from 36 countries
Oh, so subjectively “better”? What about objective measurements, like how many people are a paycheck away from losing it all? Or the cost of living? Or worker rights?
Specifically, Canada was chosen as the:
- 2nd best country to start a career
- 4th best country for education
- 7th best country for studying abroad
- 7th best country for raising kids
- 2nd best country for racial equality
- 6th best country for women
- 6th best country for comfortable retirement
- 6th most transparent country
- 2nd best country to headquarter a corporation
Imagine a sports team coming in 6th place for most tournaments, and never winning first in any of them, yet they win an award for being the 2nd best team in the league… makes no sense to me.
2nd out of 204.
Would you love your child less if they came in 2nd? I sure as fuck wouldn’t.
But Poilievre says Canada is the worst place on earth!
He also says that it milquetoast right of center Prime Minister is a Marxist. He’s a liar but the people who believe his nonsense are fucking idiots.
I had to click through to see the ratings in each category, and they all seemed reasonable to me aside from Canada’s low rank for “Adventure”. Eco tourism is huge in Canada. People come from all over the world to Canada for outdoor adventure.
Maybe I’m just not a traveler, but that ranking seemed odd to me.
Then again, I don’t live in the continuous urban sprawl of Southern Ontario all along the 401 and up the 400. I guess if you live in Toronto, you’re like 2+ hours from eco tourism destinations, while, in Europe, 2 hours is enough to have the option to go to several other countries.
I wonder if the ecotourism being seasonal knocks off prospective points. You can only comfortably travel the cannuck wilds for ~5 months out of the year, if that.
Maybe east of the rockies. In BC I have friends that go camping all year long. Our mountains are open all year for activities (skiing, snowboarding, etc. in the winter mountain bike, hike, etc. in the summer). Heck, you can ski, bike, surf all in one day on Vancouver Island if you’re so inclined, though it’ll be a long ass day.
I didn’t actually read this… because I’m actually supposed to be working right now. After a bit of digging i found their methodology. someone want to look it over and see how legitimate it is? https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/methodology
A set of 73 country attributes
an online survey […] total of 17,195 individuals from 36 countries. Of the respondents, 8,267 were informed elites, 4,622 were business decision-makers and 7,402 were considered general public (43%). Survey participants were given a random subset of countries and country attributes to consider: about half of the attributes for roughly a third of the countries.
Participants assessed whether they associated an attribute with a nation. The more a country was perceived to exemplify a certain characteristic in relation to the average, the higher that country’s attribute score.
Attributes were grouped into 10 thematic subrankings. Subranking scores for each country were determined by averaging the scores that country received in each of the attributes comprising that subranking.
To determine the weight each subranking score had in the overall Best Countries score, using correlation with GDP(PPP) per capita […] a stronger relationship weighted more heavily: Entrepreneurship (14.13%), Quality of Life (14.12%), Agility (14.02%), Social Purpose (12.83%), Movers (11.54%), Cultural Influence (10.44%), Open for Business (9.43%), Adventure (5.37%), Power (5.00%), Heritage (3.13%).
The math sounds alright. My main gripe would be that it’s survey-based (so highly affected by biased perceptions) and that an attribute impact in the overall ranking is dictated by its correlation with wealth, which is kinda arbitrary - and bleak. Great things like “friendly, fun, good for tourism, pleasant climate, scenic” (Adventure) and “culturally accessible, has a rich history, has great food, many cultural attractions, many geographical attractions” (Heritage) are heavily discounted.
To be honest, the only category of attributes I care about in this methodology are in the realm of Quality of Life (Canada #3), but I still find it wildly arbitrary that “good job market” is QoL but things like “pleasant climate” and “good food” are not. Anyway, the top 20 in QoL are the usual suspects, so I don’t really care about minor changes in relative position between these - lol at US #23.
Mission accepted.
Edit: Nevermind, they block me. :(
How?
“Welcome to Canada! I’m sorry, are you not a millionaire? Then you can live on the streets.”
Well, don’t I feel like a real Mexico right now…
- USABack when the Glorious Orange Leader was taking about building a northern border fence my American coworkers asked me how Canadians felt about it. I said that we were all for it since the US was Canada’s Mexico.
Don’t insult Mexico like that!
I know. I love Mexico. It only works because Americans hate Mexico.
I’m from south Texas and it took me forever to realize that people don’t like Mexico. It really confused me to hear Mexicans supporting building the wall…
Considering Nazi Gold, Fascist Genocide Money Switzerland is #1, I’d put Canada at #1 myself. I get the reasons for the rankings though.
Also USA is #5, so we good lol. Sweden and Australia is 3 and 4.
I was thinking Canada was going down the tube for years and then I left vancouver to go to a smaller city. I just don’t see the point of struggling every single day just to have some temperate weather and nice mountains in the background. Even if I liked skiing or hiking I didn’t have the time or money to reap the benefits of that city. In 2 years since I left I have bought a house, with a yard for my dog. sure the Prarie winters are hard but at least I’m saving for my future. my advice to anyone who is barely making it by those large city centre, go somewhere that will value your effort and provide the opportunity for you to be happy. It’s not as scary as you would think.
Very positive message.