Saturday Morning Confusion: Which is the better place to live: Canada or the USA?

 By Michael Lewis

Originally Answered: Is living in the U.S. better than living in Canada?

My girlfriend and I compare living in the U.S. Vs Canada all the time. She lives in the U.S. And I am Canadian. I could write a book on reasons I believe life in Canada is better than in the States, but to be fair, I will quote only those that she has stated. (* we have been together for over a decade)

• Healthcare: she works in a cancer centre in a hospital so her opinion is very much based on her experience. Single-payer healthcare, as most of the world knows, is much better and fairer than multi-payer systems. She sees too many people who wait until they are stage 4 because they just can't afford treatment, so they leave it until it's too late. Not only that but Canadian healthcare costs 50% less than the US (cost as a % of GDP)
• Because the Canadian gov’t pays our health insurance, they have a vested interest in keeping us HEALTHY. That's why products that are unhealthy (cigs, liquor, gas, fast food) are taxed more heavily while healthy things (sports, fresh food, etc) are subsidized or have tax deductions.
• Because of this, 24% of Canadians are obese, compared to 36% of Americans.
• Canadians live an average of 3 years longer than Americans
• We have a lower infant mortality rate
• Another by-product of free healthcare is that it makes it more advantageous for companies to open businesses in Canada; no business needs to include healthcare in their benefits packages.
• Health care aside:
• Canada’s populations average net worth is $363,000 higher than Americans
• New working parents get 50 paid weeks of parental leave vs 12 unpaid weeks in the U.S.
• It is illegal for Natural Gas and Hydro (electric) utility companies to cut-off services for late payment during the winter months.
• The US kills and incarcerates more of its own citizens than any other country in the world. In 2016 Canada had incarcerated 114 per 100,000 people (and killed 0); the U.S. Incarcerated 724 per 100,000 and killed 43 prisoners.
• Canada’s murder rate is 1.73 per 100,000 people compared to 4.7 in the U.S.
• We have 5 major federal parties that win seats in the House of Commons. The U.S. Has virtually only 2. This means Canadians have more representation in government.
• Donations to political candidates are capped and $1,550 and can only be made by citizens. No corporate donations, no PACS or SuperPacs
• The number of wealthy politicians is far lower than in the US. Most Canadian politicians are lawyers, doctors, teachers, journalists, farmers, tradesmen, etc. Nearly 0 millionaires.

This is my shortlist but we believe these are some of the most important.