CrazyCanuck

Education system, well, i think that it is common knowledge that Alberta students do substantially better in reading, math and science testing, mainly because of the standardized system. The roads are the best and i base that on experience. I live in Ontario right now, before that i was in BC, and if Albertans think that their transportation systems are poor, they need to leave the province and just open their eyes. The health care system is something that i don't know a lot of details about, but again, just based on experience, i received better care in Alberta, not a lot better, but it was better. (In ontario, they have a huge shortage of doctors and they seem more concerned about whether or not you have an Ontario health card than if you are sick.) Your percentages that showed only 13% were in poor condition really seems to prove my point because 13 % isn't that bad at all (be realistic, not everything can be perfect. If it were, nothing would be perfect, right?). Now i'm not saying that ALberta doesn't have its faults, of course it does, but it has fewer than the other provinces.

Fiscal prudence? Sure, if chopping mercilessly to defuse what was a mostly a non-crisis over debt is prudence. If paying off the debt while allowing services and infrastructure to crumble is prudence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Which one's are crumbling, or were crumbling? I never understand that. Why does cutbacks automatically mean things are worsening, to some people? Its not how much you spend but how you spend it. If the infrastructure took such a hard blow, why are the roads, hospitals, and education system the best in the country and were basically the best during the crumbling of the alberta infrastructure, as you put it. Alberta had the highest standard of living in the country throughout the Klein cutbacks. Maybe i'm just dumb, but a little clarification into what exactly crumbled?

She did give her rapist-husband her sister as a Christmas present. Enough said. I wonder how many other stable countries in the world ever have to deal with the problem of what to do when one of their worst murderers gets out of jail.

I've met lots of nice people everywhere in Canada, too. But hey, whats so wrong with a little boasting now and again, even if it is biased? Can you honestly say that central canadians have a true respect for the west and its contributions? Many people in Ontario, including a number of University profs i've had, actually still believe that Ontario supports the weight of the entire country on its back, and i think we all know how true that is. You know what though, since this has nothing to do with the thread, i'll just stop now.

Alberta ranks in the top 10 (tied for fourth place) in North America for economic freedom amongst the states and provinces. Every other province in the country makes up the bottem 9 of the list ( ranked 52-60) and are comparable as far as prosperity to the poorest southern states like Mississippi and Alabama. They have the lowest taxes in the country, with provincial tax being 25% lower than the next closest province. I could go on and on but i don't want to boast too much. Does anyone really not understand why Alberta kicks ass on the rest of the country? Oh yeah, and believe it or not, Albertans are the friendliest people in the country too (I've been told this by many tourists, and i didn't believe it at first, until i travelled around the country. Personally, i think the east coasters are probably about the same, but central Canada, give me a break, i've never met so many rude snobs as i've met in Ontario. Maybe its just me though.)

Knowing that they can refuse to do things that are unsafe or puts them at risk of being killed or paralysed can save lives. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Everywhere i've worked, everyone knew that we can, in theory, refuse to do things. In reality, however, nobody listens to that rule. The boss can fire you if you refuse to do things that he/she asks by simply saying he didn't like the way you worked. Worker's rights don't protect them to the degree the people who made them hoped for. Besides, if you looked at the stipulations behind the 12yr olds being allowed to work, you will see that it is totally reasonable, and i don't think we will see any increase in injuries and deaths as a result of the decision. Lastly, they were already working before so whats the big deal? Similar to the common pro-SSM argument that "nobody is forcing anyone to do anything and if you're not gay, it won't affect you.", as far as this ruling goes, "nobody is forcing 12 year olds to work and if you aren't planning on working, or allowing your 12 year old to work, it won't affect you."

I'm a chairperson on a joint health and safety committee, certified through WSIB and I can assure you that injuries occur in restaurants as well. The most injured in ANY environment are young inexperienced employees who aren't aware of their rights. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It sounds like you're implying that knowledge of rights will protect workers. I agree with the "young, unexperienced" part but i don't think the injuries are a result of the ignorance of their rights as workers. Would knowing his rights prevent Timmy from standing under the lift of scaffolding that fell from the crane and crushed him? No, knowing how the job-site works would prevent that from happening. Anyways, are people really opposed to the removal of the red-tape because of its effect on the young people, or is the real issue because the decision was made by the "right-wing nuts" in Alberta? It's not like 12 and 13 year olds weren't allowed to work before this, they just don't need the governments permission to do so anymore. Also, how many of those previous requests for permission to hire these kids were denied by the government anyways?

Tolerance does in fact increase the younger and more educated Canadians are. I'm sure this is very disconcerning to the Conservatives, who rely on older, uneducated, and ignorant Canadians as their voter base. Through the magic of time, these voters will eventually die off, leaving a much more progressive Canada. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alberta is the strongest supporter of the Conservatives, and they are also the youngest population in Canada (not including the Territories). The other strongest Conservative area is Sask and it is the next youngest. I'm confused then, I thought that the Conservatives only relied on the old dumb people for support. Could you clarify all this for me?

Why don't you respond to something i said? Are you ignoring what i'm saying so you don't have to accept that MAYBE, just maybe, you aren't right? Very simple question. Can you describe your own identity without making a comparison to your neighbor or someone else? Are you saying that Canada doesn't have an inferiority-complex? Do you think that maybe it is better to stand for something, make a mistake, and learn from it? Or is it better to do nothing for fear of offending someone else? How is real progress achieved? I'm just curious as to what you think because you won't respond to those questions.

After reading these posts and listening to Canadians from coast to coast continually bash the Americans, i came to a conclusion about Canada: In general, we don't even know what we are or what we stand for, except that "we aren't American!!!!". In my experience, most Canadians respond to a question like "The Canadian Health Care system is under criticism by many, what is the main problem?" with an answer like, "Well at least we ALL get treated if we're sick, unlike the United States." My girlfriend took a course on Canadian Identity and she said that everytime an issue was to be debated, the prof had to tell everyone that we are talking about Canadian identity so don't relate comments or questions to the United States, and then the debates would sputter and end. She said that when not allowed to refer to the USA, nobody could even develop worthwhile comments. I don't think i'm alone with this observation about us. If countries had slogans, ours would be, "Well, we may not all be Canadian, but we're definately NOT American!" While i don't agree with all decisions made by the USA, i at least respect their ability to make decisions. They didn't become so powerful and influencial by worrying if they were going to offend someone. True progress is achieved by making mistakes and learning from them, which is something us Canadians need to realize. They may have a superiority-complex, but we have an inferiority-complex, and we need to get over it.

If you could come down from your union high horse for a minute, consider this: first of all don't assume anything. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Funny how you make an assumption in the same sentance that you are telling me not to make assumptions. I hate unions. I think that they make people weaker and lazy and although they were essential in the 19th century and early 20th, they have should have no place in today's society. If we have the best education, why are kids dropping out like flys. Sorry but you are trying to relate quality of education with drop-out rates when there is no causal relationship between them. And besides, i'm just basing my opinion on the results from national tests. When grade 9 students from each province all write the exact same math or science test, and Alberta students consistently do better than everyone else (the most recent science testing showed substantially better results from Alberta over everyone else), I will conclude that they have a stronger education system overall. Are you advocating education up to Grade 9 and then hit the trades? Is this the strong quality of education of which you speak? No i'm not. I value education highly, but i'm realistic. If someone either can't do the work, or won't do the work, they should do something else. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, but our society seems to revolve around focussing on improving your weaknesses, instead of just honing your strengths. Would you rather have a society full of people who are mediocre at everything, or one where everyone is an "expert" in a field that they are capable of being an expert in? If you can't do Calculus no matter how hard you try, but you can build a solid, high-quality house, why stay and be unsuccessful in Calculus?

Well, I live in Alberta and have since I was born. In terms of education system, gotta wonder why 1/3 of kids don't graduate. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The reason Alberta has a lower number of graduates and people entering post-secondary education than the rest of the country is because it is easy to be successful in the province without an education. Construction and primary industry is a very lucrative business if your good. What's so important about an education anyways? If you barely scrape by in high school and you can become an apprentice without a diploma, why waste your time? It's a lot smarter to focus on your strengths, whatever they may be. It's kinda funny because I've lived in urban centres like Vancouver and Toronto where people seem unaware of the fact that a good carpenter or welder can make a damn good living. Most urbanites i've talked to actually look down on the blue-collar workers and dread the idea of their child entering the field, yet they'll continue to let their children play on the playground built by Jim: the unlearnded dumbass, and go to the school that was built by a bunch of half drunk "rednecks" who aren't worth the dirt that stains their hands. Before i stray too far away from where i started, it's insulting to the people of Alberta that you, as an Albertan, don't understand the blue-collar-backbone of the province and don't recognize the strong quality of education its children receive.

Its very easy for the rest of Canada to say the ONLY reason Alberta is debt-free and have surpluses year after year is because of oil. This isn't entirely correct. If anybody realizes it, the price of oil was VERY low throughout the entire 90s and yet, Alberta eliminated its net debt (by 1999, I believe) and was just a couple of billion dollars short of eliminating it all in 2001. The sudden surge of the oil price after that only allowed the province to erase the remaining debt quicker. If the price had never jumped so high, Alberta would have continued to erase the debt, although it may have taken a few years more. In case there are any misunderstandings, I'm not saying oil isn't a factor, i'm just saying that it isn't the only factor and it's a little more complicated than that. If you disagree, why isn't Saskatchewan debt-free? They would have plenty of oil to get out of debt if oil is the only reason.

My post has nothing to do with the quality of your post nor anyone elses. What it does have to do with is the seething hostility toward, and outright rejection of, education and formal study that many, if not most, right wingers on this forum endorse. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure the "Right-wing" province of Alberta has the strongest education system in Canada. They consistently outperform the rest of the country and most of the world in Science and Math testing. If they reject education in Alberta, and they are still this good, wouldn't it be really scary how smart they'd be if there actually was a focus on learning?