dizzy

Agreed. Tort reform is required, as is accountability for skyrocketing premiums that are pricing people out of quality care. But there is also an issue with doctors themselves, whose profit hunger has compromised their Hippocratic oaths. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande

LOL! Still, it's not that hard to learn a second language. I wish more Canadians would make the effort (and that the school system made it a more automatic experience).

I'm still clueless as to why anyone's respect for life and dignity would end at their borders. Yes, provinces and some individuals capitalize on the misfortunes in the US system, but we are talking about a very small pool compared to the many americans who suffer. A million Californians alone have to leave the country to get access to healthcare. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-05/uoc--n1m052609.php What insurance companies are doing in the US hovers very close to criminal behaviour.

Actually, I agree. Just look at our perceived national virtues: tolerance, diversity, equality, healthcare, international peacekeeping, low crime, etc... These are great foundations on which to build a society, but they don't suggest a people who are looking to make a big splash on the world scene. Add to that, we are the land of milk and honey from a resource perspective, so much of the nation's wealth comes without much drive or effort. At our best, we are a receptacle for the the best the world has to offer, with minimal ethnic chauvinism. But we also lack innovation, overt self-celebration and, frankly, motivation... we don't really have the character ingredients to be world leaders. FWIW, I think our lack of leadership potential is one of the reasons why Canada is such a great place to live.

The HDI is a feel-good tool that provides a rough sketch of wellbeing. I wouldn't bring it up in a discussion where people have already moved onto specifics.

About 84% of canadians are white. Look at current/recent year migration stats. It takes awhile to 'counter' generations of whites only migration.

Excuse the wiki reference but, no. And remember that multiculturalism does not refer exclusively to nonwhites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiculturalism_in_Australia

I don't see a lot to aspire to in economically conservative Japan or the culturally conservative scandinavian countries, but I do see a lot of common bonds with australia. Both have incredibly strong economies. Both enjoy and benefit from multicultural societies. Both have very high quality of lives (I believe that 7 of the top 10 cities in the world were in either of our countries - The Economist). Both have passports that are well regarded around the world. Life's good.

The wellness mantra has good moments, but I do agree that it has more to do with the pursuit of immortality and a mechanism of social control than it does anything sincerely human. That said, I don't have a family doctor. I have two. My main doctor is where I live in Quebec but I keep a file with a doctor in nearby Ottawa where I lived for a short while. I've never had any issues accessing either (last time I walked into my ottawa docs office, with no appointment and nothing more than a nasty cough, I was served within the hour). When I recently got a higher than normal blip on my LDLs I was given a nutritionist, not a drug prescription. I'm happy that the system still actively supports behaviour modification over tests, drugs and surgical interventions; it respects my power to effect my own condition. There are a lot of lonely people in emergency care. Still, your post is not indictment on our healthcare system but on the poverty of affluence that inflicts the entire west. We are the richest yet we are the loneliest.

While I didn't vote for him, I do live in the riding that elected Cannon. I appreciate Harper's appeal in the Québec metro region, especially in areas like Beauce. The success of the ADQ in the eastern ridings demonstrates that there is plenty of space for a federalist conservative party in Quebec if it is willing to support the nationalist plan. Indeed, I think Ignatieff could accomplish the same if the libs find the courage to articulate a vision for greater provincial powers like Paul Martin did.

Anecdotes are equally uninformative without context. You have to be willing to absorb both. As far as I'm concerned, a health insurance scheme is the first step toward a health care plan for those who do not have access, at least for those who do not have either. Baby steps. What did you not like about Obama's plan?

I personally haven't ever seen any soldiers disrespect any of the protective gear requirements, but I'd understand if they did. I've been to afghanistan a few times and, as a civie, I wear my protective gear faithfully, right down to the ballistic sunglasses. Still, I know if the lav I'm riding in hits an ied, none of that will protect me except maybe to help keep my body parts more intact for identification. If protective gear becomes more about the perception of safety in an environment where risks are beyond the control of the wearer, how much less significant is it in an environment where you can?

I do agree that their could be space for more protective gear in any sport, but I don't think this is purely a product of entertainment value. Athletes are looking to streamline so that they can reach their potential with the least amount of resistance. Also, like the military there is a strong culture of tradition in sport and, while some of it can be disturbed for the sake of greater safety, it's a balancing act.

When was this CROP poll taken? Leger and most of the Canada wide polls has the BQ dropping slightly and the libs rising. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/spector-vision/for-liberals-theres-good-polling-news-and-bad/article1468553/ Is Quebec starting to see a stronger future for asymmetrical federalism in Ignatieff? I think so.

Given some of the things figure skaters wear, a helmet would be a fashion improvement. Risk management for most elite athletes means pushing themselves safely beyond their limits while training and just within them during performance.

I support an athlete's decision to take whatever safety precaution fits within their sport's regulations, understanding that the decision to do so may mean a loss of speed, agility, strength, precision, or points.

Fair enough. We all sometimes long for simpler times. But this has proven to be a risky sport, whether or not one leaves the track. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/torino/sliding/2006-02-13-women%27s-luge_x.htm Once a track has been approved, risk management becomes the responsibility of the athlete.

When I look at the two threads, I see very little inconsistency in the the opinions of individuals. For my part, I think the collision of geography and technology has made this track an unprecedented experience, the latter effect seen on the beijing track last olympics. But, unlike the luge, people rarely make decisions that can lead to death while running on a rubber track. That said, Saturday, the CEO of USA Luge, Ron Rossi, said: “I understand that countries want to win, but please justify to me why you wouldn’t let the Georgians train. I’ve been in the sport since 1977 and I have never dealt with anything like this. Lots of drivers make errors, but they don’t come flying out of the track. They need to be asking questions about lack of training time.” In fact, it turns out Friday’s fatal run was Kumaritashvili’s 26th time down the track. His first nine, last November, were uneventful. They were all from the novice, junior or women’s start location. In 16 of his next 17 runs, he took on the full men’s run, and Friday’s crash was his fourth — three of them on the same Corner 16 that was the beginning of the end. http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/Georgian+president+thanks+Canadians+their+compassion/2563751/story.html These things are complicated and not well-suited to soundbites. People who have pursued excellence for its own sake understand this.

I haven't yet read a single thing from you that I can agree with, but i respect where you're coming from. I spend a lot of time in leslieville when i'm back home in toronto. I should look you up sometime for a beer.

block party.

I saw this somewhere. It's just an info graphic but it offers an interesting perspective to support your comment: http://www.fastcompany.com/1544692/infographic-lack-of-healthcare-vs-terrorism-which-one-kills-more Are you a fan of Obama's original plan? What do you think about the plan that's currently going through?

Bush party.

Canada does face a exit of doctors to the other jurisdictions but it is not in large numbers. http://www.chsrf.ca/mythbusters/html/myth29_e.php I think the perception of 'problem' here has more to do with a misguided sense of ownership that comes from those doctors' subsidized education. I don't blame them nor consider it an issue that doctors head for the bigger bucks on the american frontier or anywhere else. Indeed, the american system is facing a big problem with internal drain for the same reason... doctors leave their posts for more lucrative gigs as specialists. The real problem with the Canadian system on this front has more to do with the unwillingness of our medical bodies to recognize foreign credentials. http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=ff90ad9a-27fc-40e5-bd16-369bb739f6fe&k=68609 We've got thousands of doctors driving taxis while only a few dozen residency positions are made available each year. If governments are serious about increasing the numbers of doctors within their provinces, they only need to look within and, more importantly, have the will to confront the professional bodies who are keeping them from practising.

I'm talking about this thread. Context is everything.

I watched an interview with Nancy Greene this morning who, along with the other final torchbearers, was privy to the technical direction conversations by way of her earpiece. She said the Atkins calmly took in the news that the fourth wasn't working and had the system reprogrammed to its fall back position for the remaining three. They had a contingency plan and they executed it.