It’s been a while since I wrote a column, and with it being that time of year when the news slows around Cochrane, I figured now was a good time to write about our beautiful country, that is Canada, and pose the question: when will this great nation take over the world as the universally-recognized ‘best country in the world?’
The reason I ask this question stems from a recently released study by the Reputation Institute titled ‘The world’s most reputable countries,’ in which, Canada is once again numero uno.
The study looks at three main facets into determining which countries have good reputations: the effectiveness of government, how advanced the country’s economy is and the appealing nature of their environment.
Each of the three areas researched include several sub-categories – for example, effective government includes social and economic policies, ethics and the business environment, to name just a few.
Out of a possible 100, Canada scored a 78.1, and moved from its second place finish last year to first in 2015. In fact, Canada has finished in the Top 2 every year since 2010 – placing first in 2011, 2012, 2013 and this year, and second in 2010 and 2014.
This is amazing for so many reasons, but, for the sake of my argument, the main one being that this is the perception others around the world have of our country…we have the best reputation in the world!
One of the reasons I felt it was important to bring this study up was because I often find it perplexing how negative some people can be about their own country…in this case, my country, Canada.
Unfortunately, the root of this pessimism is political. People who dislike liberal-minded politicians are unhappy when left-wingers are in power, and vice versa…when conservatives are in power, liberals complain about how the country is going to hell and being destroyed…how our ‘reputation’ around the world is being tarnished.
Well, cheer up people, because according to this study, that is not what is happening at all.
I’ve always tried very hard to be as centrist as I possibly can, because there are policies and platforms on both sides of the political spectrum that I agree with – to be frank, it amazes me how often I come across people who are steadfast about which party they agree with about every single issue. How can you possible agree with everything a person (or party) says? Have you ever met someone in everyday life you agree with on 100 per cent if the issues? Really? Is that even possible?
Lately, I’ve even seen something from many Canadians I haven’t seen before – looking south of the border and saying, ‘Now there’s a good example of how things should be done.’
President Barack Obama has certainly had his share of achievements, and his share of setbacks. What those are specifically would be argued heatedly between those on the left and right.
Don’t get me wrong; I love it down in the U.S. Great country, great people, great landscape, great food…the list goes on. I grew up in a border city and my family and I travel to the U.S. all the time and have never had a bad experience. We were recently down in San Diego and it was amazing...we’d move there in a heartbeat.
But for some Canadians to now look at the U.S. as this ‘shining city upon a hill’ that can all of a sudden do no wrong, simply because its president has the political stripes they are partial of and our leader does not is so disingenuous, and should be upsetting to many patriotic Canadians.
Let’s take a look at where the U.S. fell in the Reputation Institute’s 2015 study.
The U.S. scored a 57, good enough for 22nd place out of the 55 that were studied. Since 2010, the U.S. has never been in the Top 10. The study indicates that the U.S.’s reputation has gone up since Obama became president in 2008, rising 9.6 points since that time, but that since 2013 has began to level off, not having increased during the past two years.
Now, I realize that these scores are not solely based on one individual, they are based on each country’s governments as a whole, but the leader of each nation has a significant effect on how a country is perceived. They are, after all, the most prominent faces of their respective homeland – Obama (U.S.); Angela Merkel (Germany); Vladimir Putin (Russia); David Cameron (Britain); Stephen Harper (Canada).
This study just goes to show that Canada is not going to hell in a handbasket, as many would have you think; on the contrary, our ‘reputation’ around the world is solidly in tact.
In the study, Canada was also named the best country to visit, live, work and study, and second best place to invest.
Another recent article I read argued that Canada has the goods to become a ‘superpower’, citing three main reasons: natural resources, an ‘almost unbelievably tolerant and open culture’ and good government (pointing to Canada’s Top 10 place in Transparency International’s government corruption perceptions index).
Our government, our economy, the allure of our environment…each has enjoyed an amazing global reputation for some time.
So don’t let the partisan pandemonium blur your view of what’s truly important…you live in the greatest county on this planet, and everyone in the world knows it.
