The latest UN Human Development Report rates Canada as the 4th best country in the world for its overall success in achieving well-being for its citizens. The UN defines well-being as a combination of three things : "living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and gross enrolment in education) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income)". 4th is the same position as in 2004.
I daresay that since the data was compiled in 2007, Canada will have moved up into 3rd at least since number 3 Iceland's woes in the 2008 crash would have put a big dent in its standard of living.
Note that the USA is 13th and the UK 21st in the ranking. It is nice also to notice that the upward trending lines of the total averages suggest that the world is becoming a better place to live!
The chronically grouchy CBC doesn't even mention Canada's outstanding result, choosing instead to play up the negative with its UN Calls for Better Deal for Migrants. In contrast CTV highlights the UN's praise for Canada's immigration policies.
Tuesday 6 October 2009
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2 comments:
if we're 4th I would hate to see the state of the rest of the world, especially the bunch below the median.
Traciatim, on a purely subjective basis, comparing Canada and the UK, they come out pretty equal, with fairly minor pluses and minuses on each side. Here's my partial list.
UK vs Canada - more available and more coverage public health care; higher cost of living; better TV; more competitive insurance, banking and financial products; better financial regulation; worse litter problem; better food; better postal and public transport; worse weather
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