As the Olympics wind down, I think it may be interesting to point out to my US readers the essential difference between our two countries. It’s not that we like hockey and you adore baseball and football. It’s not that you’re somewhere around 300 million people and we’re about 30 million. It’s not that we can fit any state you want to mention (including Texas) into our central-Canadian lakes (never mind the size of our provinces)
Nope.
The difference is much more profound than that.
The U.S. has enshrined the rights of individuals into its fabric – with those rights above the rights of any other group or organization.
Canada has built the rights of the “common good” into our system and this trumps the rights of the individual.
Our entire political structures (both countries) are based on this simple, yet profound difference.
We believe the common good demands health care access for all. You believe that individuals should have the right to decide.
We believe the common good demands control of handguns and military style weapons in private hands. You have organizations whose very existence depends on promoting this right for individuals.
We believe that the common good demands we set eduction standards that are enforced and met across each province so all children have equal access to equal education and we fund each student equally no matter where they live. You believe in leaving education and funding of that system to the individuals in their communities.
It is this difference in our view of the world – a view of common good versus individual rights that makes the subtle but profound differences in our institutions and way of life.
The Most Misunderstood Issue
Health care has been on the top of the US agenda for some time now and we Canadians simply shake our heads at the amount of misinterpretation that’s being spewed in the U.S.
Here’s how the system works. The Federal Canadian government sets standards of health care that are to be uniform across the country. All citizens have access because that’s the common good. The funding for this is transferred to the provincial governments who have the responsibility to deliver those standards in regional appropriate ways and the provinces add funding to meet individual provincial programs.
In Ontario (my home province and reasonably representative of the rest of the country) the system is one most US citizens would recognize. We have an insurance company that funds everything and we have private contractors who deliver services. In our case, that insurance company is our provincial government and the private contractors are the medical staff (doctors etc), labs etc who provide the services. The actual fees for services are set in contracts with the groups by negotiation for a set period of time. So a physician is an independent contractor who gets paid for the work he/she does by the insurance company (the government). (and yes, we can pick our own doctors) Hospitals are funded under a slightly different system but the same access is guaranteed to all.
Who decides the treatment? The doctor does. The insurance company/government has absolutely no say in who/what gets treated. All they do is process the payments. Contrast that to the US system where the insurance company gets to make decisions about health care based on profit levels. In one case, it’s the common good that is served, in the other it is the individual corporation that is served.
Bottom Line
You can take any issue – at any level of our two respective countries and apply this simple “common good” versus “individual rights” analysis to arrive at an understanding of our systems work. In some cases, the US seems to have a better system. In others, the advantage would appear to be with Canada. But all this of course depends on your point of view.
But now you know.
And yeah, we do love our hockey.
Most interesting. Thank you for that explanation. I think I would prefer to live under the Canadian ethos. It’s all very well championing individual rights – unless you are one of the unfortunate individuals who are underprivileged by birth or have fallen upon hard times. Thankfully, we in New Zealand have systems which are based, for the most part, on the common good. Not perfect by any measurement but it works well most of the time. I wonder if the kindred value systems stem from our common origins as relatively recent British colonies?
Bricky – you’re right – those of us in the Commonwealth indeed have a more European “common good” system (for the most part) and while not perfect, it avoids many of the issues currently facing the US.
Renee – glad you’re happy enough with your system – as Bricky says, it works well when you’re doing well. Glad to hear you’re one of the success stories.
There’s a dynamic that works in countries – as they negotiate between the common good and individual freedom that swings under the pressures of the moment. It’s interesting to watch and try to learn from it.
I thank you too for the explanation. And I most definitely would prefer to live under the American ethos.
But I sure do love the fact that we can all be free.
And Britain doesn’t seem to have a “kindred value system”, but like you said- I guess it depends on each person’s point of view.
Well said. I hadn’t thought of it like that. The only problem with our Canadian medical system is that the government, way back in the Bill Davis days, stuck their thumb too far into the pie and created our present doctor shortage resulting in over worked doctors and under served public. doctors are, after all, just workers like everyone else and want a life too. There must be a better way to control costs, but that might require some in depth thought and non-partisan, long term policy.
Interesting post. However, you have as many misunderstandings of our system as you have of ours.
I have a post on subject you might want to read-
http://averygoodlife.blogspot.com/2010/02/health-care.html
As a former legislator, the common good AND individual rights are warp and weft to the fabric of our laws. Balancing the two is the reason for the constant back and forth.
Contrary to popular press reports, people in this country are not denied care for lack of service. The problem is how to access it can be an complicated process which starts with having to ask for help if you are without insurance. In this country, people without insurance managed to get help with diabetic supplies, medicine, surgeries and even state of the art cancer services. Clinic type services are available in lower income communities without question of citizenship or age.
There are places where a system such as Canada has can work well. Countries with relatively small or like populations with large reserves of cash from natural resources- can deal with the issue quite well.
However, we are a diverse nation who does not manage our borders well and whose compassion’s limit tests the ability to fund our desires.
Statistically- I believe you will find medicines in Canada are cheaper- however, we are the land of pharmacuetical breakthrough.
I have heard doctors who relocated from Canada speak about having more freedom to practice medicine as patient advocate here than in their homeland.
The concern is that we have a system which is 85-95% functioning in good health. The Federal Government is not an efficient deliverer of services. There are those of us who believe focus and appropriate level of jurisdiction are requirements to serving the citizenry well.
Lydia / Ron – not overly interested in political discussions of who is right – who is wrong or what is appropriate in which country. The numbers pretty much speak for themselves – for example of the numbers of citizens who declare personal bankruptcy due to medical bills are significantly higher in the US than Canada (Canada has 0% and the last number I saw on US personal bankruptcies put health care as 30% of a causal factor) and the percentage of GDP that Canada spends on health care is less than the US number. The numbers speak rather than bromides of goodwill or political perspective. And rather than push this to the political debate side of things that never seems to end – I’m not going to engage any further in what is right and what is wrong with health care. The orientations of our political systems was the main point of the article and these are well known and well documented. The point I made in the post isn’t a new thought or original in our country (or in Europe for that matter) although it may come as news to many US citizens. There is a difference. If you’re happy with your system – then bless you.
The last word on being Canadian
Now, this is the last word. This is Rick Mercer – a favourite Canadian comic explaining Canada to the US. We get it.
I love our neighbours to the south…but I’m glad I live here. Those who think they have the better system for health care down there are just deluded, as per your comment on how many bankruptcies there are due to health care bills in the US. I hope they can find some common ground for a solution, but I worry that they won’t. Neither system is perfect, of course. But I’ll stay here.
and Go, Canada, Go for that hockey game. Though being a Canadian, I’ll be happy whoever wins.
To Jodi: Well, I love our neighbors to the North, too.
We down here sure do have our diffuculties to be ironed out, there’s no denying it. They are vast and widespread, and go beyond healthcare. God bless you, our Northern Neighbors.
Doug, due to your article I became interested in the Olympic Hockey game. Well the last third, plus the overtime. Congratulations Canada !! I even watched part of the closing ceremonies. Kept yelling at the TV announcers to shut up so I could hear the speakers. (Didn’t help, tho.)
That is the first time I ever really watched a Hockey game. I couldn’t see the puck (small screen, large room), but enjoyed it anyway. I grew up in basketball country. The Indiana High School Athletic Assoc. has hurt the local teams and tourneys. They went to a class system. Attendance has fallen. Neighboring schools may not even be in the same class. Every student knows others that may live just across the boundary.
Anyway – in my mind there is a similarity between basketball, and soccer and hockey. There is action and competitiveness that hold ones attention. No long pauses nor short runs. I was pleasantly surprised, and proud, that the US had such a good hockey team. They held their own in ‘hockey country’. As for soccer/fussball, am making some progress in understanding that game. Well, the fact that it goes on every summer weekend in German Park, just out my back door, probably helps. And they serve good beer.
Were I to take a vacation, Canada would most likely be my choice over most of the US. However I plan on living out my life right here. I am only about 30 miles from seeing elk and wild turkeys, and coyote, deer, fox, hawks, etc. have all been sighted within a few 100 feet of my back door.
Thank you for your article.
Doug, to quote you ‘not overly interested in political discussions of who is right – who is wrong …’ Just check the last phrase in your fifth paragraph. Hee hee, you started it.
L
Thank you, Doug, for pointing out to your USA readers our painful difference. I am a US citizen and trying to change at least our health care system. As you’ve so well stated, many people in the US are more concerned with their personal rights rather than the common good. Frankly, I’m tired of it and wish people would stop just thinking about themselves. There are many more like me, so please don’t assume that all of us can’t see beyond then ends of our own noses.
Vanessa – let me make it clear that those differences aren’t intended to be “painful”. it’s the structure of your country – it’s in your founding documents. It has nothing to do with individual concerns (we all have our personal concerns at the heart of our existence) it has everything to do with the structures we live under and our historical perspectives. I’m not assuming anything about any individual other than enlightened self-interest… Let me repeat…. it’s in the system.
OK – heads up. The message was in the difference between our two countries. What I neglected to take into account was the sensitivity of US folks to having their health care issues compared/contrasted to Canada and the rest of the world. My bad. So I’m now exercising editorial control and will simply delete all further comments that deal with health care.
As for getting back to gardens – this blog is about the things that interest me – and gardening is only one small part of my life.
Here in Massachusettes everyone is required to have health insurance just like car insurance. At first, there was much rummbling in the hills yet now it works perfectly. We send in our tax returns and we are assessed how much we pay per month. The great part is when you’re having a not so good year..premiums go lower. I do hope everyone is looking at Massachusettes as the first role model. PLUS in the US. no one is ever denied care…ever!
Now let’s get back to OUR GARDENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God bless you and all you do for the good health of our gardens. May all your readers live long and healthy lives. There plants, too.
Doug; I had my suspicions that you were a brave man. This blog is proof! Live long, prosper & continue to share your points of view./betty
This “difference” can be summed up in one sentence from the article – “..you’re somewhere around 300 million people and we’re about 30 million.”
Also another big difference. In America, it’s something called The Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Nuff said.
Larry – my point exactly. In the US you have a constitution and bill of rights that guarantees individual rights – in all matters. In Canada we have a Charter of Rights that does something quite different – it guarantees rights to people within the country but those rights do not belong to those individuals (they belong to the common good not to the individual). Glad we agree. And given that Europe via the E.U. operates on larger numbers than the US (around 500 million people)- that argument re Canada vs US size doesn’t go very far with me. Canadian rights are based on European models (specifically the UK). The US population makes choices based on their political will and orientation – not their size. And this is as it should be given your political model.
Hey, Doug…enjoyed your post and reading the responses to it. Didn’t know if you knew the Rick Mercer “Canada explained” video is blocked to me. A message says it was produced by Canadian Broadcasting and indicated showing it borders violated its copyright. Just wanted you to know.
Barbara – interesting because even though I have a US ip at the moment, I’m not blocked. And it’s a youtube video so shouldn’t be an issue. But interesting – thankshttp://blog.douggreensgarden.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php#comments-form