In honour of Canada Day, have a look at how Canada stacks up when compared to other countries. Overall, things are looking good—although Toronto's pride and joy, the CN Tower, may soon be out-distanced by an 800 metre-high sky-scraper currently under construction in Dubai. But as of today, we still have the world's tallest building (with a new and better lighting system), our image is good in the global community, we rank high in press freedom (except in Ottawa, some say) we have some of the best cities in the world, and we're happy. Read on.
Global Popularity: A recent poll conducted by BBC shows that Canada still maintains its 'nice guy' image. The survey asked more than 28,000 people in 27 countries to rate 12 nations including Canada, Britain, France, Iran, Israel, the United States as well as the European Union in terms of whether theses countries have a positive or negative influence. Canada ranked the highest with 54 per cent "mainly positive" votes and 14 per cent "mainly negative" votes, followed by Japan and the EU.
Life Expectancy: Canadians live 80.34 years on average, just behind Iceland and ahead of Italy, according to the CIA World Factbook. The country with the highest life expectancy, at 83.52 years, is the small European Principality of Andorra, located between Spain and France. Interestingly, this is the only country where the male life expectancy exceeds 80 years, as women tend to live longer than men.
Corruption: Transparency International ranks Canada as the 14th least corrupt country in the world. The Corruption Perceptions Index, compiled annually by Transparency International, rates countries according to the "degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians." New Zealand, Iceland and Finland rank as the least corrupt of all, while Belarus, Cambodia, the Ivory Coast, and Iraq are among the counties perceived to be most corrupt.
Press Freedom: The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RWB) ranks Canada 16th in its annual worldwide press freedom report published in 2006. RWB uses 50 criteria for assessing the press freedom index, including cases of violation directly affecting journalists such as murder and imprisonment, and those affecting news media such as censorships, searches, and harassments. Countries that topped the chart in 2006 include Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, and Czech Republic. In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper claims that restricting media access to the government allows him to do his job better. But based on a national survey conducted by Innovative Research Group, the Hill Times reported recently that among voters aware of the PM's strategy of limiting media access to the press gallery, 67 percent are opposed to the policy.
Tallest Buildings: The Canada Day weekend is set to kick off in Toronto with the unveiling of a new and brighter lighting system on the CN Tower, the world's tallest building. The LED lighting system is more energy efficient, since it uses only 40 percent of the energy previously required to light the tower. The CN Tower is 533.33 meters tall and an iconic symbol of tourism for Toronto and Canada. According to skyscraper databases and websites, three buildings are either being proposed or are under construction that would top the CN tower: the Burj Dubai (under construction, 800 metres) in Dubai, UAE; the Tower of Russia (proposed, 648 metres) in Moscow, Russia; and the International Business Center (proposed, 580 metres) in Seoul, South Korea.
Happiness Ranking: While it might be impossible to truly asses the happiness level of a nation, there have been attempts made to determine the comparative happiness of different countries by simply asking people how happy they are or how satisfied they are with their lives. One such survey was a study done by the UK's New Scientist magazine 2003 edition, in which Nigeria ranked first and Canada ranked 11th out of the 65 countries considered. In another survey by the University of Michigan's World Values Surveys, Puerto Rico ranked first while Canada was ranked 10th. All in all, Canada seems to rank relatively high in most such surveys.
Immigrant Population: Built on a strong tradition of immigration, Canada continues to be one of the countries with the highest immigration levels per year. According to the U.N. World Population Policies 2005 publication, Canada is host to over 6 million immigrants, or 3.2 per cent of the total number of immigrants in the world. The 2001 Canadian Census showed that over 18 percent of Canadians were born outside of Canada, with a majority of them coming from Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. Canada accepted 254,400 immigrants between July 1, 2005 and July 1, 2006, 9,800 more compared to the previous year, when immigrants accounted for two-thirds of the population growth.
Best Cities in the World: When it comes to quality of life and world's best cities to live in, most major Canadian cities rank within the top 25. Vancouver, with its beautiful landscapes and shorelines, mild climate, and high standard of living, has historically been among the top 3 in the rankings. Other major cities like Toronto and Montreal usually make it into the top 10. A recent survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found Calgary to have the highest score for health and sanitation, based on availability of medical services, air pollution, and rates of infectious diseases. Ottawa took fourth place in the world.
U.N. Human Development Index: Until seven years ago, Canada held the highest U.N. Human Development Index (HDI) for seven consecutive years. The HDI ranks countries each year in terms of their standard of living, literacy and education, and life expectancy. In recent years, Canada has slipped from its top position, although it is still among the top 10. In 2006, Canada held the 6th position, dropping one rank compared to the previous year. Some areas in which Canada ranks relatively lower include gender empowerment, a measure of whether women take an active part in economic and political life (11th), and combined gross enrolment ratio in primary, secondary, and tertiary schools (17th).
Health Care System: In its 2000 World Health Report, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Canada's health care system 30th in the world. WHO used indicators such as the overall level of health system responsiveness, health inequalities, and overall level of population health in its assessment. According to the report, Canada ranks 12th in the world for life expectancy, and 8th in the system's responsiveness level to health needs.
Per Capita Garbage Production: In a list of municipal waste generation by country, the United States wins by a landslide, generating a whopping 214 million tonnes of trash per year, according to the OECD Environmental Data Compendium. That works out to 740 kg/capita of waste. Ireland actually has a higher per capita total of 760kg. Canada comes in 5th with 640 kg of waste per person.
Military Spending: Canada spends around US$10 billion on military, according to the CIA World Factbook. The United States spends US$278 billion on its military. China's military spending is an estimated US$60 billion, although the Chinese communist regime officially pronounces it to be much lower—US$25 billion.
Basic Education: In Canada, citizens enjoy universal access to education, yet a 2007 State of Learning in Canada report states that more than 4 in 10 Canadian adults cannot read, write, or do arithmetic and solve problems at a level required by today's economy. Alienation from peers, bullying, imbalanced diets, high rates of high-school dropout, and unequal access to post-secondary education are reasons cited for shortfalls. In 2000, one in five adults around the world aged 15 and over were illiterate according to UNESCO.
Post-secondary Education: Post secondary education attendance is on the rise in Canada. The proportion of Canadians aged 20 to 24 attending post-secondary institutions in 1990 was 25 percent. In 2005, it was 37 per cent, says a State of Learning report. According to the Canadian Council on Learning, Canada is among the top three countries in the world with regard to post-secondary attainments.
source: Epoch Times Canada
Global Popularity: A recent poll conducted by BBC shows that Canada still maintains its 'nice guy' image. The survey asked more than 28,000 people in 27 countries to rate 12 nations including Canada, Britain, France, Iran, Israel, the United States as well as the European Union in terms of whether theses countries have a positive or negative influence. Canada ranked the highest with 54 per cent "mainly positive" votes and 14 per cent "mainly negative" votes, followed by Japan and the EU.
Life Expectancy: Canadians live 80.34 years on average, just behind Iceland and ahead of Italy, according to the CIA World Factbook. The country with the highest life expectancy, at 83.52 years, is the small European Principality of Andorra, located between Spain and France. Interestingly, this is the only country where the male life expectancy exceeds 80 years, as women tend to live longer than men.
Corruption: Transparency International ranks Canada as the 14th least corrupt country in the world. The Corruption Perceptions Index, compiled annually by Transparency International, rates countries according to the "degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians." New Zealand, Iceland and Finland rank as the least corrupt of all, while Belarus, Cambodia, the Ivory Coast, and Iraq are among the counties perceived to be most corrupt.
Press Freedom: The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RWB) ranks Canada 16th in its annual worldwide press freedom report published in 2006. RWB uses 50 criteria for assessing the press freedom index, including cases of violation directly affecting journalists such as murder and imprisonment, and those affecting news media such as censorships, searches, and harassments. Countries that topped the chart in 2006 include Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, and Czech Republic. In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper claims that restricting media access to the government allows him to do his job better. But based on a national survey conducted by Innovative Research Group, the Hill Times reported recently that among voters aware of the PM's strategy of limiting media access to the press gallery, 67 percent are opposed to the policy.
Tallest Buildings: The Canada Day weekend is set to kick off in Toronto with the unveiling of a new and brighter lighting system on the CN Tower, the world's tallest building. The LED lighting system is more energy efficient, since it uses only 40 percent of the energy previously required to light the tower. The CN Tower is 533.33 meters tall and an iconic symbol of tourism for Toronto and Canada. According to skyscraper databases and websites, three buildings are either being proposed or are under construction that would top the CN tower: the Burj Dubai (under construction, 800 metres) in Dubai, UAE; the Tower of Russia (proposed, 648 metres) in Moscow, Russia; and the International Business Center (proposed, 580 metres) in Seoul, South Korea.
Happiness Ranking: While it might be impossible to truly asses the happiness level of a nation, there have been attempts made to determine the comparative happiness of different countries by simply asking people how happy they are or how satisfied they are with their lives. One such survey was a study done by the UK's New Scientist magazine 2003 edition, in which Nigeria ranked first and Canada ranked 11th out of the 65 countries considered. In another survey by the University of Michigan's World Values Surveys, Puerto Rico ranked first while Canada was ranked 10th. All in all, Canada seems to rank relatively high in most such surveys.
Immigrant Population: Built on a strong tradition of immigration, Canada continues to be one of the countries with the highest immigration levels per year. According to the U.N. World Population Policies 2005 publication, Canada is host to over 6 million immigrants, or 3.2 per cent of the total number of immigrants in the world. The 2001 Canadian Census showed that over 18 percent of Canadians were born outside of Canada, with a majority of them coming from Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. Canada accepted 254,400 immigrants between July 1, 2005 and July 1, 2006, 9,800 more compared to the previous year, when immigrants accounted for two-thirds of the population growth.
Best Cities in the World: When it comes to quality of life and world's best cities to live in, most major Canadian cities rank within the top 25. Vancouver, with its beautiful landscapes and shorelines, mild climate, and high standard of living, has historically been among the top 3 in the rankings. Other major cities like Toronto and Montreal usually make it into the top 10. A recent survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found Calgary to have the highest score for health and sanitation, based on availability of medical services, air pollution, and rates of infectious diseases. Ottawa took fourth place in the world.
U.N. Human Development Index: Until seven years ago, Canada held the highest U.N. Human Development Index (HDI) for seven consecutive years. The HDI ranks countries each year in terms of their standard of living, literacy and education, and life expectancy. In recent years, Canada has slipped from its top position, although it is still among the top 10. In 2006, Canada held the 6th position, dropping one rank compared to the previous year. Some areas in which Canada ranks relatively lower include gender empowerment, a measure of whether women take an active part in economic and political life (11th), and combined gross enrolment ratio in primary, secondary, and tertiary schools (17th).
Health Care System: In its 2000 World Health Report, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Canada's health care system 30th in the world. WHO used indicators such as the overall level of health system responsiveness, health inequalities, and overall level of population health in its assessment. According to the report, Canada ranks 12th in the world for life expectancy, and 8th in the system's responsiveness level to health needs.
Per Capita Garbage Production: In a list of municipal waste generation by country, the United States wins by a landslide, generating a whopping 214 million tonnes of trash per year, according to the OECD Environmental Data Compendium. That works out to 740 kg/capita of waste. Ireland actually has a higher per capita total of 760kg. Canada comes in 5th with 640 kg of waste per person.
Military Spending: Canada spends around US$10 billion on military, according to the CIA World Factbook. The United States spends US$278 billion on its military. China's military spending is an estimated US$60 billion, although the Chinese communist regime officially pronounces it to be much lower—US$25 billion.
Basic Education: In Canada, citizens enjoy universal access to education, yet a 2007 State of Learning in Canada report states that more than 4 in 10 Canadian adults cannot read, write, or do arithmetic and solve problems at a level required by today's economy. Alienation from peers, bullying, imbalanced diets, high rates of high-school dropout, and unequal access to post-secondary education are reasons cited for shortfalls. In 2000, one in five adults around the world aged 15 and over were illiterate according to UNESCO.
Post-secondary Education: Post secondary education attendance is on the rise in Canada. The proportion of Canadians aged 20 to 24 attending post-secondary institutions in 1990 was 25 percent. In 2005, it was 37 per cent, says a State of Learning report. According to the Canadian Council on Learning, Canada is among the top three countries in the world with regard to post-secondary attainments.
source: Epoch Times Canada
