Chris Liu

www.quora.com /What-are-Canada%E2%80%99s-shortcomings/answer/Chris-Liu-22

Having lived now in Canada, coming from an Asian background, I would say that Canada has several issues that
I think need to be addressed:

Low levels of political engagement: Turnout is not very high in many Canadian elections and people are
cynical. I would advocate for a reward system for people to become knowledgeable about our nation and
civic engagement. Perhaps a Swiss style referendum system would also be worth looking into.
Growing economic inequality: A very serious problem right now in Canada, because high inequality leads
to social problems. An even bigger problem is that the economy is not working out for many Canadians,
especially in the bottom 80%. There is also a permanent underclass, particularly among Aboriginals. The
housing market in Vancouver and Toronto is not affordable and in a bubble state. See: Canadians spend
more income on housing than almost anyone in the world
Very short term oriented: In the business world, there is an excessive focus on quarterly profits over long
term ones. There is also little investment in employee training. On the infrastructure and R&D front, there
is too little investment, leading to few jobs, and less innovation in Canada. Funding for education also
should increase and I would advise a student debt relief program to allow the next generation a serious
shot at middle class status.

The myths about Canada's skill gap

Note that it is worse than the US. Be more like the Swiss or the Nordic nations it would seem is the way to go.

Note the decline in R&D too since about 2005. It peaked around 2001 and then seemed to stagnate, but is now
in rapid decline. Business R&D is falling rapidly, and government R&D is falling slowly too.

Canadas Innovation Conundrum: Five Years After the Jenkins Report

First of all, the Canadian government must immediately reverse the trends since 1981 of cutting. Even more
shocking is the drop in business R&D.

Note of course how bad business R&D is compared to the rest of the world:

Seizing Canada's Moment: Moving Forward in Science, Technology and Innovation 2014

This must be reversed immediately. There is a reason why South Korea is still rising and why Israel, despite its
smaller population, often is at the forefront of many technologies. Japan also punches above its weight and I
believe that the stagnation or Lost Decade hides the fact that Japan actually leads the world in many areas,
especially producer goods. Canada is way behind the US as well.

It can be difficult for immigrants as well to get settled in because Canadians often only recognize Canadian
experience and credentials.

Lack of economic diversification: Our previous Prime Minister focused excessively on the tar sands to the
detriment of other industries. Now with oil prices low, a problem because tar sands are more expensive
than light sweet crude oil, the economic consequences are apparent across Canada.

1/2
Is the Canadian dollar a petrocurrency?

This is an extremely alarming development and one you would expect from a nation whose economy is not
diversified. To be fair, Harpers predecessors must also take their share of the blame on this one. So in that
regard, the past several Prime Ministers and their respective Cabinets must all take responsibility their share of
the blame. It is only now with the price of oil dropping that the Canadian dollar seems to be decoupling from price
of oil.

A case could be made that Canada is overly dependent on the US right now. With 10 times its population
and by far its largest trading partner, if the US is in trouble, it will take Canada with it. Given the direction
the US has gone, Canada may need to diversify greatly.
I think that universal healthcare should also cover universal dental care. There are a few other gaps and I
would like the doctor to patient ratio to go up. A universal prescription drug plan would also be a good idea
(With universal drug coverage, Canadians could save billions: study). Take a hard look at New Zealands
program.

As far as overall Canadas performance in healthcare:

It is certainly better than the US, but it seems to be in the middle of the pack. Finding opportunities for cost
savings would be a big plus. I suspect that dental care, if made universal (as it resembles the US more than
anything else) might lead to similar cost savings.

Eastern Canada is stuck in a decades recession. Alberta is also in trouble right now due to its over-
reliance on oil with high unemployment.
Low birth rate below replacement rate. I would advise more incentives, a system allowing parents to go
back to work, and subsidized childcare (currently only in Quebec, and often with long wait lists).

Its difficult to answer this question in greater detail without going on for pages or for that matter about specific
areas that the question asker wants. I have focused on the challenges I think that Canada could solve.

There are some inherent challenges, such as the northern climate, the large size combined with low population
density concentrated along a line near the US border, etc. I have tried to structure this answer around the self
inflicted problems though (ex: we cant change our latitude from the equator!).

Canada is certainly not the only nation with these challenges, but I think that these are the most serious
problems that Canada faces.

2/2