Wednesday, May 4, 2011

A Question of National Identity

So before I get into the break down of what each party offers, I stopped to think of the things that affect us as Canadians and the things that would need to change in order for us to not only survive but allow us to strive.

Time

As Canadians we are working harder and longer but yet we enjoy less fruits of our labour than generations past. We have less time to do the little essentials that are needed such as going to the doctor, dentist, with our kids or even on vacation to balance out the stress of everyt day life. Less time to spend in the garden or growing. Ultimately less time to think and if you're not thinking how can you make the right decisions?

Money

Money makes the world go round and though it grows on trees it's less than abundant.  We have become a nation of people on a treadmill, literally but also figuratively.  Let's look at the fact that actually running on a treadmill means your in comstant movement while going nowhere- some would say like the people of Canada. Less money for pensions, less money for infrastructures, less money for schools, arts, sports and depressingly on and on. And the only people who seem to be thriving are those that broker deals behind closed doors; the people who can afford to pay more into our society and don't.

Jobs

Everyone needs a job,  it's simple economics- no job, no money. We rely so heavely on imported jobs that we have our back to the wall. How can the government make it so we aren't bullied into doing things or making decisions that don't benefit the people of Canada? How do we implement Canada first job creation?

Education

The smarter the people are, the stronger the country. That being said, learning is something that should be done over a lifetime but often after one finishes school, you barely have enough time to eat or sleep during your 40-60 hour work week. Meanwhile, the schools that we have are in serious need of help and teachers and methods have not stepped into the world that we are now living in. The schools are outdated, the teachers are outdated and the methods are outdated. How can we not fall behind in the world rankings?

Environment

From our lakes, to our forests and national parks- canadians are very proud of their natural treasures and spend a decent amount of time ensconsed in them. Understandably we want them protected. We also take green matters seriously and could be at the forefront of the green revolution because of our ressources, so why aren't we?

Healthcare

This one is a big one. We congratulate ourselves so much for not being like the Americans when it comes to healthcare but realistically, we are only slightly better. Some provinces have better healthcare than others; more doctor's, nurses and specialists so they don't really feel the squeeze. In other provinces there are long waiting times at the hospital (6-12hrs), to see specialists (3-6months or longer) and those things are rendered easier if you have a family doctor, which many people are lacking. Not to mention that some of our hospitals are in very bad shape. How then can we be healthy enough to contribute to economic growth when because of delays we end up costing the government more?




I realize that not everything can be done at once but the longer we wait to get on these things the worse off we will be. I want to look at my country and be proud that we not only survived one of the greatest financial disasters of all time but that we innacted measures to solidify our place in the world market by making smart decisions early on and focus on what is truly important- The people.