COLUMN: Viewpoint – Canada is not broken

“Canada is broken.” Some politicians have been incessantly spouting that falsehood. It always makes me wonder if they have never traveled outside our country.

I spent February on the Honduran island of Roatan. I loved the sun and sea, but the roads were downright terrifying- winding, narrow, steep, deeply rutted, easily flooded. Paved sections were rife with huge potholes and cracks. There were no sidewalks, shoulders, guard rails or cycling lanes. It gave me a genuine appreciation for Canada’s road system.

I’ve travelled extensively in the United States. I’m a fan of its gorgeous scenery and friendly people. But would I want my grandchildren raised in country without universal health care, no paid maternity leave benefits, no national daycare program, rising infant mortality rates, an education department on the chopping block, a country where the leading cause of death for children is gun violence, college and university fees are exorbitant, and the current health department leader questions the need for vaccinations? I am beyond grateful my grandchildren are growing up in Canada.

I’ve traveled for both work and leisure to destinations in the interesting country of Malaysia. But I wouldn’t feel safe going there with my LBGTQ relatives. Malaysia criminalizes same-sex activity. Those found guilty can be sentenced to twenty years in prison and a whipping. LGBTQ people are subjected to discrimination and violence. I am proud in Canada we protect everyone legally, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Two years ago we rented a Cape Town apartment for a month. The modern South African city has much to offer visitors. One thing they don’t offer is reliable electricity. For hours, often several times daily, rotating power outages impact homes and businesses. You plan your schedule around them. When we rented a house in the scenic Algarve region of Portugal if we plugged in more than three appliances-out went the power. I no longer take the generous affordable supply of electricity in Canada for granted.

China is a fascinating, diverse nation. I have visited dozens of times. One telling experience happened as I toured Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. I asked our guide to show me where the military tanks had come into the square during the freedom protests in 1989. A panicked look spread across his face. “I’ll tell you later,” he said quietly. True to his word, when we reboarded our bus he did come to my seat to whisper an answer to my question. But he was clearly scared of repercussions for speaking openly about a part of China’s past that has been erased from its history books. I’m glad in Canada we have freedom of speech and can talk publicly about our past national mistakes and attempt to make amends.

I appreciated the excellent care my aging father received at a Ukrainian Catholic nursing home in Winnipeg especially because I had visited former Ukrainian Mennonite villages. Populated primarily by old folks now, whose children and grandchildren have migrated to big cities, many Ukrainian elderly live alone, without adequate housing, food, health care, or police protection in locations isolated because of poor roads and a lack of technology. I shudder to think how the current war must be impacting them.

How grateful I am for Canada’s excellent education system after spending time in public schools in the Philippines, Bali, Borneo, Tanzania, Cambodia and Jamaica where dedicated teachers tried their best to educate 50 or more kids packed into tiny, poorly lit classrooms with few supplies.

There are many things that could be improved about Canada. But our country is not broken. Anyone who travels globally knows that all too well.