Most of my fellow Ohioans are curious about Canada. Ever
since I was in high school people have talked about wanting to move to Canada to escape from this or that. From the war on Afghanistan
to our national debt to our profit-driven healthcare system, we have longed for
the apparent simplicity of Canada.
As I’ve gotten to know Canada
through dating Sean, I’ve noticed that sometimes the very things we envy about Canada are
sources of irritation for Canadians. Healthcare is one example. From having to
wait a year or more for acute illness treatment, to long waits and unpleasant
environments in clinics, Canadians have complaints about national healthcare.
An in-depth analysis of this topic is beyond my reach, but it’s a great example
of how the socialist leanings of Canada might not deliver all we
expect them to. Another topic I’m going to explore is the high price of
clothing and goods in Toronto,
which is a big controversy as cross-border shopping is becoming a threat to the
Canadian economy. What are the factors behind the fact that Wal-mart pricing is
not available anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area? Could it be because Canada’s presence in the global market is a mere
shadow of that of the U.S.?
The fact that Canada
has, perhaps, a smaller per-capita appetite for goods? And at least in the Toronto area, could this
be changing? Are Canadians wanting to “Americanize” themselves much as we Americans*
pine to be more Canadian? And why the heck do we know so little about our
northern neighbors?
(*Note: partial inspiration for the title of this
blog is that Canadians refer to U.S. citizens as “Americans”. Probably due to
the fact that “U.S.”
offers no viable monikers for a person – “U.S.er”=User? United-Statesian?...)
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