Genties & Ladlemen–
What do you think of your government?
Do you think it is fair?
Just?
Your Legal System–good or bad? Effective/ineffective?
Do you feel that you get a good return on the tax money you pay?
Other input?
This is not any form of political rant.
What do you think of your government?
For the most part, it works. Not perfectly, but it works. I don’t like the current Conservative government, though.
**
Do you think it is fair?**
Not always.
Just?
Not always. I think we need to some national soul-searching regarding the men we sent to Syria, including Mehar Arar.
**Your Legal System–good or bad? **
Fairly good. Not perfect.
Effective/ineffective?
Somewhat effective. I disagree with what courts decide often; serious crime requires serious punishment, and I think we’re too lenient often.
Do you feel that you get a good return on the tax money you pay?
No. I feel heavily taxed, while public services such as health care, erode. In BC there seem to be a lot more user fees on things that did not have them.
Other input?
It’s not a perfect country. It’s a pretty good place to live, though.
One thing that bugs me about my country (and the Conservative government) is that instead of looking south and learning from the mistakes the US makes, we seem to be aping them more and more regarding national policy, even when it’s not a good example to follow. I wish we’d look more at the Scandinavian countries as examples of how a country can be fair, liberal, democratic and a good place to live for all of its citizens, not just the wealthy and privileged.
I think our government is full of people who, for the most part, can’t relate to the lives of the average Canadian (the elected officials that is). I don’t think most of them really know what it’s like to work a blue-collar job or save for things or struggle to make ends meet. They pay lip service to many of those issues but most of them couldn’t imagine life with only one vehicle. The government is not fair or just, it all depends on how important your riding, demographic, etc., is to their party. I certainly don’t trust the government at any level to do what’s best for me without a lot pushing and prodding from the people. They’ve proven many times that are wallets are what interest them.
I think the legal system is better than the coverage it receives in the media but there is room for improvement. I think the legal system is mostly fair and has improved in that area over the past few decades.
For the most part I think we get a good return on our tax money but I would like to see the Auditor-General have a lot more power because they have identified many areas of waste which haven’t been addressed.
What do you think of your government?
It’s ok - better than a thought a Conservative govt would be - I don’t know how they would be if they got a majority in October.
Do you think it is fair? Yah, for the most part.
Just? Yep - they screw up but generally try to fix things.
Your Legal System–good or bad? Effective/ineffective? Pretty good, pretty effective although you can always find stories to make it look otherwise.
Do you feel that you get a good return on the tax money you pay? Yes.
Other input?
I’m pretty pleased overall - of course there are things that I would like to be different - I would prefer it if Canada wasn’t quite so much like the US and was more like Europe instead.
I kind of wonder about your definition of an average Canadian, actually - the tone of your post suggests that perhaps you’re thinking of an average Canadian in a depressed part of the country, or the average Canadian in a small town.
Two cars per household are pretty standard in Calgary - even folks just starting out seem to have a car. My SO and I own four and I don’t think we’re particularly above average where we live. Perhaps four cars would be absurd where you live.
It’s not perfect. You could find a lot of cases of injustice and waste. But it works as well as any government ever created, so we’re pretty lucky.
I like the parliamentary system. I like that the people who form the cabinet are drawn from a pool of actual elected representatives, but I know that much of the expertise is really in the civil service and assistants behind the ministers. I like that things are debated on the floor of the house, even if a lot of the important stuff happens in committee. I like that the system has room for a little human direction when funny situations come up, rather than being slavishly mechanical to a fault. I know it’s got all sorts of silly remnants of older times, but that doesn’t really bother me very much, given that the result is largely pretty good.
I have the impression that, in general, the government does things in a pretty fair and just way. The increased focus on ‘security’ in the last few years has brought some problems, I think, but could have been much worse. Lately, the government seems to have tried, and often been successful, at reducing the interaction between the media and the cabinet, and more closely controlling information reaching the public. I’m not too keen on that.
As far as fairness goes, the effort to accommodate all the different regions is a constant juggling act that requires longer-term thinking and better leadership than some governments have been able to muster. And over the last decade or so, homelessness and poverty have increased even as the economy has boomed.
The legal system largely works fine, with two main comments. First, in terms of criminal law, it seems fairly frequent that I hear about a twenty-year-old conviction for a violent crime being overturned after an innocent convict spent the intervening years in jail. There haven’t been that many cases, but enough high-profile ones that I think about it. Second, in terms of civil law, although legal aid exists, I basically don’t feel that I’d have access to justice unless it was a big expensive deal. I expect any damages I incur in my life due to vandalism, carelessness on the part of another, or other things that don’t burn my house down to simply become losses to me.
Mechanisms are in place to address areas of chronic inequality in society, which I think is good.
For return on my tax dollar: yes, in general. There are high-profile wasty things like the governor-general that, in reality, are a tiny fraction of the budget, and don’t bother me much. And there have on occasion been famous money pits. But the national environment and meteorological service is top-notch, compared to other countries I’ve lived in, the public broadcaster is pretty good, the air traffic system is well-regulated, the military does a great job with the budget they have, and the national statistical agency does a good job. There are plenty of government services that I’m happy to use, and that I think are well done. Definitely waste exists, though, like the road-building projects I see in my home province (largely funded by the provincial government).
In general, I like the way things are, though I can think of areas in which we need more vigilance.
How many walls would it take , how many bullets
No govt system is either fair or just, the sqeaky wheel gets the grease.
Ineffective at enforcing laws on the books, simple enactments of new laws aimed at what ever is in the Toronto Star at the time tends to be how parliment and the lesser govts seem to act.
No , not in a demonstratable way. The govt has a PR problem when it comes to taxation, all levels of govt really. As it is, the payout/money well spent ratio may actually be good. But so many boondoggles give one some taxation fatigue when this question comes up
The Canada of today is not the Canada of 1970 when I first arrived here, an adult Canadian of then may well have looked at me as batshit insane , had I described the Canada of today and thats not a good thing.
Declan
No major complaints. They pretty much leave me alone and vice versa. Interactions at the Federal level are very few and far between. The Provincial government has never given me any trouble.
Hmmm… define fair. You can get on the wrong side of the government but you have to put serious effort into it.
I certainly don’t feel oppressed in any way.
Mostly good. Somewhat ineffective because the police, courts and corrections all have different goals.
No. A lot of tax dollars get sent to Ottawa and do not come back to BC in any meaningful way.
It could be a lot worse.
I love our system of government, and I’m very skeptical about many of the people who want to reform it. I think it is poorly understood, especially by politicians themselves - our current setup works very well indeed, and I think that even as we may be on the verge of it producing a result I deplore.
Good, despite certain massive errors. Stephen Trusscott, Donald Marshall, David Milgaard, Maher Arar all come to mind as innocent people who have suffered at the hands of our justice system. (Yes, Syria did the actual torturing of Maher Arar, and the US was who deported him there, but it was the RCMP who provided the inaccurate information that got him flagged by the US in the first place.)
And we also have injustices that have not been addressed for an unconscionably long time - our First Nations are still waiting for their land claims to be settled and it looks like they will be waiting a good deal longer.
I’m one of the few people who feels we don’t pay enough taxes, and I find at present, I get a worse return on my taxes because of cuts and limitations to services. I’m speaking of all levels of government here, but whenever the Conservatives come into power, I get less for my tax dollar. I’d rather have the services than the tax cuts.
If anyone is interested, there is an ongoing thread in Great Debates called The Race is on! Canadians go to the polls October 14. This is an interesting and respectful discussion of the upcoming election, and I’d invite anyone looking here to join in.
What do you think of your government? Do you think it is fair? Just?
Overall, it’s not bad, but I think there is room for improvement. I’d really like to see more representation of the MP’s constituents in Parliament, instead of the MP’s party platform. I’d rather vote for the candidate for Parliament who tells me, “I may be a _____ party candidate, but I know that the _____ issue is important to the people of your riding, and I don’t see that our party’s platform can address it in the way you’d like to see, so I’m going to push for our party to change it, and if worse comes to worse, I’m going to vote against it.” In other words, I’d like to vote for someone who represents the people instead of the party.
I’d also like to see an elected Senate. This would provide a check on what is now basically unrestrained power wielded in the Commons by the government. When a majority government can ram bills through the Commons, and stack the Senate with loyal party people willy-nilly (well, within the rules laid down in the Constitution, anyway) as Brian Mulroney did, there can be no meaningful debate on the bills. As a result, we get laws that the government likes, but that don’t necessarily serve the people as well as they could.
Your Legal System–good or bad? Effective/ineffective?
Good. I’m a little biased though, having completed law school and currently working towards being called to the bar. Anyway, if in light of this, my views still count, then here are a few.
Excepting Quebec, which uses a civil law system about which I know nothing, our common law legal system itself isn’t really anything different from that found in the US, the UK, Australia, NZ, and other countries that use a common law system derived from English law. Precedent rules, and it is precedent we look to when trying to resolve a problem. This works well, I think–it helps avoid the childlike argument of “But when Soandso did the same thing, you decided in his favour; why can’t you do the same for me when I did the same thing?” This is a very simple example, but it illustrates the fairness of the system.
Where problems occur and the public grumbles is, I believe, due to the media’s reporting of high-profile criminal cases. (Rarely does the media cover civil cases involving dull but significant contract disputes between two giant corporations.) Upthread, a poster alluded to serious crime requiring serious punishment, but I’d say that’s a question more for Parliament than the courts. Parliament enacts the punishments in the Criminal Code, and all the courts do is follow that law. True, the courts also follow precedent in sentencing, but always within the constraints laid down in the Code, so if Canadians no longer want the courts to have the options they do, it is up to them to let Parliament know that some of the options should be removed. In other words, don’t blame the courts for using the tools they have been given; blame Parliament for giving the tools to the courts and/or blame the media for fanning the flames of outrage.
Do you feel that you get a good return on the tax money you pay?
Yes and no. Oh, I suppose everybody thinks taxes are too high for what they receive and would like to see a better return; and I feel the same way, but when the question is looked at reasonably, I think we get a pretty good deal. At the federal level, it’s true that there are pork-barreling incidents, and the occasional scandal involving public funds; but taxes are not crippling, and public services do operate to deliver what they promise. I’m being very general here, and there are exceptions, but overall, at the federal level, the return is pretty fair for what you pay.
At the provincial level, I think things could improve. Here in Alberta, there seems to be a real hatred of taxes, and a fear of them rising. This has led to situations where services that are accepted as perfectly normal in other provinces are Simply Not Done here. Curbside pickup of recyclables as Ontario does? No, it will raise taxes! Eliminate the Alberta Health insurance premium? Well, how high will that raise taxes? (This premium is being eliminated anyway, starting in January 2009, but I don’t know how this is affecting taxes.) Again, simple examples, but they illustrate the point. I’d like to see Alberta and Albertans reconsider their stand on some issues that may raise taxes, if such a raise will deliver the services that will make Albertans’ lives just as easy as those in other provinces have it. I find it odd that many times, Albertans are willing to pay user fees out-of-pocket to anybody but the government to get the services that those in other provinces take for granted as government-provided and tax-funded services.
Other input?
Naw, I’ve said enough for one morning. 
If a Yank with job skills were considering moving there, possibly permanently, could you recommend it?
If you were in his place?
What do you think of your government?
I like it. It impresses more than disappoints.
Do you think it is fair?
Yes.
Just?
Yes.
Your Legal System–good or bad? Effective/ineffective?
Good and effective. Greater effort should be made in keeping people out of the family law and criminal law systems in the first place.
Do you feel that you get a good return on the tax money you pay?
Yes.
Other input?
The immigration system has fallen behind. The social services system is too complicated. The health care system should include drugs and dental.
All in all, I find my government competent, responsive, and responsible.
If a Yank with job skills were considering moving there, possibly permanently, could you recommend it?
Yes.
If you were in his place?
Yes.
Speaking as an ex-pat American, I think the Canadian government stinks, until I look south. At least they don’t throw away all my tax money on hyperpecunious supporters. The current Conservative gov’t seems to want to get all its ideas from George Bush.
But we do get a lot of services. Starting with medicare. Which even this Alberta-oriented gov’t won’t touch (Alberta=Texas north). Medicare has its problems, but when I hear the horror stories in the US, I realize that there are much worse possibilities.
Here is one that is unfortunately typical. My daughter-in-law’s sister is suffering from metastatic melanoma (diagnosed only two months ago). Her company was bought by another company (more than two months ago) and their medical coverage was switched. The new company has refused to pay, claiming it was a pre-existing condition. Apparently, even if they could prove it was a pre-existing condition, this violates federal law since there was no gap in her coverage (this according my daughter-in-law who is a physician and spends far too much of her time fighting insurance companies). Doesn’t matter because even if they eventually pay it, they will have the usufruct of the money for that much longer. Meantime, my son and daughter-in-law have not been reimbursed for the IVF they used to get a baby. The baby is now nearly 2. The coverage clearly specified that IVF was covered but the company has been giving one excuse after another why they won’t pay. They will eventually, I think. None of this can happen here since you never pay.
What do you think of your government?
Do you think it is fair?
Just?
There could be quite a few answers to these questions. Like wolfstu, I have an appreciation for the parliamentary system of government. On the whole, it is effective form for passing new legislation with the expectation that those elected as part of the governing party will vote along party lines. You will not often see a ‘free vote’ where members are free to break away from their party; sometimes it can lead members to “cross the floor” leaving their party, though this is a rare and noteworthy result. It reduces the scope of individual member lobbying that you see in the US, though lobbying does certainly exist. You also don’t get the weird add-ons to legislation that you see in the US. As a result, the PM and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) (at the federal level) can, and often does, wield a significant amount of control over Cabinet, caucus, and the legislative agenda. This has certainly been the case for our most recent PM, Stephen Harper, but this is hardly unique at either the federal or provincial level.
Counter-balancing this in part is the potential for a government to fall for failing to successfully get a “money bill” through the House. Referred to as a non-confidence motion, which can have a wider scope, these will result in an election being called.
The Senate exists at the federal level but has no provincial equivalent. It consists of appointed members, and can be irrelevant 99% of the time, and then suddenly perform a useful role as the place for sober second thought.
At the federal level there continues to be issues around regional representation, with provinces with higher population bases dominating the House of Commons. There are also political dynamics driven from this that cause angst in other areas of the country.
There are also some problematic aspects of the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments. Under the British North America Act, the provincial governments received power to deal with most of the social aspects of governing, for example, health and education. Unfortunately, they did not receive the same breadth of authority to tax as did the federal government; provincial governments can only tax directly. So, the provincial governments have the greatest responsibility as it relates to social spending, but not the accompanying revenue base. The scheme of transfer payments from the federal to provincial governments to support these programs is complicated and again leads to calls of favouritism.
Government services are increasingly being offered to citizens through umbrella agencies. At the federal level, for example, Service Canada provides a broad range of services including passport issuance, Social Insurance Number issuance, and Employment Insurance. It is the one-stop concept that is progressing, and available for both online, telephone and in-person services. These are also forming at the provincial level.
Your Legal System–good or bad? Effective/ineffective?
As Spoons did, I’ll admit upfront that I’m also a lawyer. That said, I think the legal system is a good one. Rooted firmly (excepting Quebec) in British common law, its foundation is not significantly different than the systems contained in the UK, or the US, for that matter.
Patriation of the Constitution in 1982, was a pivotal moment for the Canadian legal system on a number of fronts, including the establishment of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which addresses both collective and individual rights. The courts have taken a “living tree” method to interpretation, rather than “framer’s intent” which will ensure its continuing robustness. Canadian society has changed significantly since 1982, and both criminal and civil law has been changed along with it, sometimes reacting and sometimes driving the change.
Canadian governments have a strong legal infrastructure though that includes systems that include: corporate and company registries, provincial registries that record financial interests in personal property, and provincial registries of ownership of and interests in land (many of which also provide the definitive statement of ownership). We also have a fairly feeble (but expensively built) federal gun registry.
Some of the challenges include: the affordability of accessing the system. Legal aid (a provincial responsibility) is stretched thinly in most jurisdictions, and there may be very limited access for civil matters. Some civil issues such as dealing with landlords, or the claiming unpaid wages, or complaints to the Human Rights Commission, are made through expedited processes to government bodies, and legal representation is not needed.
Both the judicial system and the governments have struggled to address issues and claims of first nations people. Progress is being made on this front, but it is only progress.
Do you feel that you get a good return on the tax money you pay?
Reasonably good return, I suppose. As in many countries, we pay taxes at the civic level (property ownership), provincial level and federal level. Federal taxation is progressive for individuals (rate escalating with income). Provinces collect their taxes simultaneously with filing of the federal return; there is a provincial return component. Some provinces, like one that I live in, earn significant revenue through taxation related to resource exploitation. There has been big money for Saskatchewan in the oil & gas industry in the last few years. Spending is significant on health, and costs continue to rise with the aging of the baby boomers. How you feel about return on tax money varies by province, since as mentioned most of the social programs occur at the provincial level.
If a Yank with job skills were considering moving there, possibly permanently, could you recommend it?
If you were in his place?
Yes, though I am admittedly biased. I would advise said Yank, however, to confirm whether they qualify. As with the US, it’s not just a matter of packing up the van and crossing the border.
Not bad.
More or less.
More or less. It needs to cut the legs out of the banking system because it is too powerful here, but other than that, not so bad.
Mostly good - too much concern about criminal rights and not enough concern about victim impact. Too easy on young offenders. A kid doesn’t magically turn responsible at 18, and the damage they do before then is not to be underestimated.
Yup.
Sure, why not? I like my country just fine. Would an American fit in here? More or less, as long as they’re not married to bugging other people about religion and owning handguns.
I too would like to see an elected, representative, accountable and effective senate. I would also like to see limits on terms for Prime Ministers (two seems fair). All the other Canadians are going to groan at this, but I really would like to see our federal government looking to regions outside of Ontario and Quebec when making decisions, regardless of how many people live in those two provinces.
Yeppers - however it would depend on the job skills and what sort of lifestyle the Yank was looking for - Canada is a pretty big place and there’s a lot of diversity. There are places I probably wouldn’t recommend to anyone (Winnipeg, for instance) and places I would recommend 100%
Kind of depends really.
What do you think of your government?
The waste of resources, money and time is astronomical.
Do you think it is fair?
Hard to say what’s fair by a government.
Just?
Depends on how much money you have.
Your Legal System–good or bad? Effective/ineffective?
It’s good, not great, but good.
Do you feel that you get a good return on the tax money you pay? No. There is too much waste.
Other input?
This is not any form of political rant.
[/QUOTE]
Well, now, if the question boils down to ‘would I recommend you or a friend of yours consider living in Canada’, the answer becomes a “Hell, Yes!” I would enthusiastically recommend Canada for anyone, especially Winnipeg. Canada needs more Winnipeg - it’s one of the problems with the SDMB that there aren’t enough Winnipeggers contributing… [alice_in_wonderland - PBTTHHHH!]
Seriously, there’s lots more to any country than its government and justice system. Would I recommend our society? You bet - we’re open and tolerant about all cultures, religions, sexual preferences and political ideals. That tolerance and openness is one of the things that makes me most proud of where I’m from.
Just don’t go snarking off about Winnipeg!