- Sep 13, 2002
- 99,053
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From the Article:
With a population of only 31.5 million (in 2013), a famously frigid climate and a below-replacement fertility rate, Canada would seem an unlikely candidate to become a superpower. But Canada has three huge, fundamental strengths that will almost certainly be telling in the long run. These are natural resources, good government and an almost unbelievably tolerant and open culture.
In terms of natural resources, Canada is almost unmatched. In terms of renewable freshwater -- the best candidate for the essential scarce resource of the next two centuries -- Canada is exceeded only by the U.S. and Brazil. Its percentage of arable land, at 4.6 percent, is relatively small, but this probably will increase as climate change proceeds and the glaciers retreat. Basically, there is room for a lot more people in Canada.
Good government is another hallmark of Canadian strength. Canada regularly ranks in the top 10 least-corrupt countries in the world,according to Transparency International. The U.S., in comparison, only makes it to the lower reaches of the top 20. That’s especially impressive given Canada’s rich endowment of fossil fuels, which usually causes countries to become more corrupt -- a phenomenon known as the Resource Curse. Canada’s institutions, derived from the very best of the U.K., are rock solid.
It is probably because of these high-quality institutions that Canada was able to implement universal health care. Whatever you think of the merits of universal health care, it definitely requires that citizens trust their government. In a country as spread-out and diverse as Canada, attaining a level of public trust equivalent to that received by the ethnically homogeneous countries of Europe is quite a feat.
And Canada’s strong institutions have allowed it to implement less controversial economic policies, such as a low corporate tax rate (15 percent, compared with the U. S.'s 35 percent). Basically, Canada can usually get things done a lot better than the U.S.
With a population of only 31.5 million (in 2013), a famously frigid climate and a below-replacement fertility rate, Canada would seem an unlikely candidate to become a superpower. But Canada has three huge, fundamental strengths that will almost certainly be telling in the long run. These are natural resources, good government and an almost unbelievably tolerant and open culture.
In terms of natural resources, Canada is almost unmatched. In terms of renewable freshwater -- the best candidate for the essential scarce resource of the next two centuries -- Canada is exceeded only by the U.S. and Brazil. Its percentage of arable land, at 4.6 percent, is relatively small, but this probably will increase as climate change proceeds and the glaciers retreat. Basically, there is room for a lot more people in Canada.
Good government is another hallmark of Canadian strength. Canada regularly ranks in the top 10 least-corrupt countries in the world,according to Transparency International. The U.S., in comparison, only makes it to the lower reaches of the top 20. That’s especially impressive given Canada’s rich endowment of fossil fuels, which usually causes countries to become more corrupt -- a phenomenon known as the Resource Curse. Canada’s institutions, derived from the very best of the U.K., are rock solid.
It is probably because of these high-quality institutions that Canada was able to implement universal health care. Whatever you think of the merits of universal health care, it definitely requires that citizens trust their government. In a country as spread-out and diverse as Canada, attaining a level of public trust equivalent to that received by the ethnically homogeneous countries of Europe is quite a feat.
And Canada’s strong institutions have allowed it to implement less controversial economic policies, such as a low corporate tax rate (15 percent, compared with the U. S.'s 35 percent). Basically, Canada can usually get things done a lot better than the U.S.
