It’s no secret that the word “socialism” is getting more attention now than it has in years. Some people think this is a bad thing, but what do they know? Socialism is awesome! The fact of the matter is that Canada isn’t quite as socialist as some people think (which might be a good thing). Socialism is obviously great, which explains why so many Canadians are embracing it with open arms. However, some people (*cough* haters *cough*) seem to think that Canada has become some kind of socialist hellhole overnight. In reality, we’re not even close to being a socialist country, and here are reasons why.
Is Canada Socialist Country?
No, Canada is not a socialist country. Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The federal government is headed by a prime minister, who is typically the leader of the party that holds the most seats in the House of Commons. The government is formed by the party that has a majority in the House of Commons. The federal government can create and pass laws that apply to the whole country.
Is Canada Socialist Country?
1. Canada is a Capitalist Country
First and foremost, Canada is a capitalist country. Specifically, we are what’s known as a “mixed economy.” However, this doesn’t mean that we’re some kind of hybrid between capitalism and socialism. Instead, it means that we’re a combination of several different types of economies. Like most countries in the world, we have a capitalist economy, which means that most of our wealth is controlled by private businesses. In fact, most of our businesses are privately run and there is no state-run economy. As a result, the government doesn’t own any businesses. Now, this doesn’t mean that the government doesn’t regulate or influence businesses at all. In fact, there are tons of laws and regulations surrounding how businesses operate in Canada. However, these laws only apply to businesses and not to the government. In other words, the government doesn’t control or own any businesses.
2. Taxes Are Too High
One of the biggest misconceptions that people have about socialism is that it’s cheap. People think that a socialist country would have lower taxes, but they’d be wrong. In fact, if Canada were a socialist country, we’d have some of the highest taxes in the world. In Canada, we have lower taxes than many other countries. However, this doesn’t mean that we’re a socialist country. Canada’s government simply collects enough taxes to fund all government programs. Taxes are a necessary part of any society and are not inherently bad. That being said, there’s such a thing as too high taxes. Taxes should be high enough to fund government programs, but no higher. Unfortunately, taxes in Canada are too high. We have one of the highest tax rates in the world. In fact, some people are so fed up with high taxes that they’re trying to move to a different country.
3. Canada’s Healthcare System Is Broken
This might sound like an odd thing to say, but it’s a valid argument. The healthcare system in Canada is notorious for being broken. This is simply not how a socialist country’s healthcare system should work. In a socialist country, healthcare is provided to everybody for free. In Canada, healthcare is provided to everybody but it’s not free. In fact, healthcare in Canada is so expensive that many Canadians can’t afford it. In a socialist country, everybody is entitled to healthcare. This is a human right and is important to maintain equality between people. Unfortunately, not all Canadians have access to a doctor. We’re one of the few countries in the world that don’t have universal healthcare. That being said, there are some Canadians who have health insurance for their families.
4. Canada’s Wealth Is Very Unequal
Some say that the best way to measure a country’s level of socialism is by looking at the distribution of wealth. In Canada, the distribution of wealth is very unequal. In fact, we have one of the highest levels of inequality in the world. In a socialist country, wealth is evenly distributed among the people. Nobody has more or less than anybody else. Unfortunately, many Canadians live below the poverty line. In fact, we have one of the highest rates of child poverty in the world. Some Canadian children are actually poorer than some third-world countries. This is why it’s so important to measure a country’s level of socialism by the distribution of wealth. If a country has a high level of inequality, it’s not a socialist country.
5. Canadians Don’t Have Equality in Employment or Housing
There are several ways to measure a country’s level of socialism. However, another important factor is equality between citizens. In a socialist country, every citizen has the same rights and privileges. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Canada. In Canada, we have a long history of discriminating against minority groups. We also have a long history of not having equality between citizens. In fact, many Canadians are discriminated against because of their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, etc. Equality is a huge problem in Canada. Unfortunately, it’s not something that we’re working to solve. In fact, our government is actively trying to put a stop to the progress that we’ve made.
Why Is Everyone Talking About Socialism?
- Socialism is suddenly a hot topic. In the past few years, there’s been an increased interest in socialism and the government has started talking about it more. This is not surprising considering the recent economic crisis. The global economy crashed and many people lost their homes and their jobs. Many people are worried that capitalism isn’t working anymore. We need to find a new system that works better for everyone, but what?
- Many people think that socialism might be the solution to our problems. They think that socialism would be better than capitalism because it’s less greedy and fairer. However, this isn’t necessarily true. Socialism is just as greedy as capitalism because governments control businesses instead of individuals controlling them themselves. In addition, socialism doesn’t work well in practice because nobody knows how to run a socialist country properly. There have been many examples of socialist countries failing over time, including the Soviet Union in 1991 and China ending their “ Great Leap Forward” campaign in the 1960s. That being said, some people think that the socialist movement is a good idea.
- Socialism and capitalism are not two separate entities that can be compared easily. One is not better than the other; they’re just different. The only way to figure out what works best is to try different things and see what happens. This means that we need to continue experimenting with socialism as well as capitalism because both of them might have the potential to succeed in the future. Many people think that socialism and capitalism are fighting each other right now, but this isn’t true at all. In fact, socialism and capitalism can totally coexist together in one country, as Canada does right now!
What Does Canada Have?
- Healthcare and education are two of the main things that people associate with socialism in Canada. But how well do they work in practice? As of 2018, 84% of Canadians were covered by the single-payer healthcare system.
- In practice, this means that only the poorest 16% of Canadians do not have access to necessary medical procedures. Meanwhile, in the United States, almost 30% of the population does not have health insurance.
- Canada also has a government-funded education system. In the United States, there are many privately owned and operated universities. Canada also has a lower rate of youth unemployment than the United States. 93% of Canadians aged 15 to 24 have a high school diploma, and 55% have a post-secondary education.
- In the United States, only 84% of young people have a high school diploma and only 36% have a college degree.
Bottom Line
Canada is not a socialist country. It has universal health care and government-funded education. But it also has a strong private sector and little government control over the economy. In fact, when you look at the facts, it’s clear Canada is not even a social democracy. Compared to many other countries, Canada is a capitalist country. As such, it is more similar to the United States than it is to other “socialist” countries like Denmark. And yet, despite the facts, many people continue to call Canada a socialist country.
