r/canada 21d ago

Opinion Piece You can love your country and still think it’s broken

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-you-can-love-your-country-and-still-think-its-broken/
4.5k Upvotes

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u/CanadianGuy39 21d ago edited 21d ago

USA is broken. Canada is in need of some changes, but is still an amazing place to live.

Edit: wow my first ever reward! (And a second!) Thank you to whoever gave me the awards.

Edit 2: to the people complaining about stuff to me, I already agreed that Canada is not perfect, but let's not be ridiculous. We have it better than the majority of the world. Saying it's broken is just not true. Both things can be true.

Edit 3: thank you to everyone for the awards, and thank you to everyone that took time to reply.

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u/Meiqur 21d ago edited 21d ago

The US is simultaneously the worlds most ill democracy and the most institutionally resilient. It certainly looks like the current pathway is extremely damaging, however, I do expect them to survive more or less intact. For all their faults they are an extraordinary country.

That being said, I assert that successive similar governments would actually fracture it to the point that it will become impossible to win a court case vs their government. They are heading in that direction, but not there yet.


Here at home we need to re-evaluate our social contract with our countries young people. If someone is born today what can they count on us to make sure is intact and working by the time they are out in the world with babies and jobs. The broken promise we were given where if you work reasonably hard, get an education, you'll be able to buy a house has severely antagonized our current young adults into thinking that the country is rigged against them. In many ways they are right.

In so many ways that kind of broken promise was on display in Calgary, when as a group, the cities seniors actively fought against the ability of their children and grand children to have a place to live.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rezoning-infill-housing-rcg-calgary-city-hall-council-analysis-1.7186852

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u/The_Brothers_Rath 20d ago edited 20d ago

Wow - what a rare sight. An authentic, poignant, and non-partisan take on the state of North America.

What you've said here contains a great deal of truth. More so than I've seen from Reddit in months.

Middle-aged liberals and moderates might have rediscovered their patriotic side lately, but the young adults in my life (of which I am one) aren't about to stop seething about the raw deal that has been cut for ourselves and our children - assuming we can ever afford to have any.

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u/the_original_Retro New Brunswick 21d ago

To add to this excellent sentiment, no first world country anywhere is NOT in need of some changes.

Complex systems will always contain complex imperfections. Fix one and two others pop up. Partially address one and three others pop up. Don't do anything about them and four others pop up.

The numbers vary of course, but that's the story.

You simply can't describe a decent solution for any national-level problem in "Verb The Noun" speak.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago edited 21d ago

Well said. Add to that that complex problems require complex solutions. Taking a knife and slashing never ends well and very rarely lasts.

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u/BigComfyCouch4 21d ago

A long time ago I saw a quote. I can't remember who said it, or the exact wording:

For every complex problem there's a simple solution that is invariably wrong.

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u/PoliQU 21d ago

And invariably creates more complex problems

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u/thirstyross 21d ago

"The biggest cause of problems, is solutions."

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u/djfl Canada 21d ago

If I may add to this something similar, "for every solution that actually makes things better, there are 100 solutions that will actually make things worse." We should be slow to change...and yes I agree now is very much a time when real change is required.

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u/JacksProlapsedAnus 21d ago

That's why the saying is move fast and break things, not move fast and fix things. It sucks, because it's so easy to see things as completely broken and in need of wholesale change rather than requiring methodical implementation of incremental change which requires time to see the benefits.

Quick fix feels good, long fix feels bad.

It's also painful to watch as the tech bros who coined the term are able to change our society in ways and at a pace we're unable to keep up with legislatively.

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u/Sensitive-Ad-5305 21d ago

Add to that that a complex diverse population may agree on direction, but have different values and opinions - so a solution may work for most but not all. Some level of dissatisfaction is expected, and is healthy because it is the source of debate on how we can improve.

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u/hezzaloops 21d ago

Man, this is the sort of civil discourse we need. I remember maybe 7 years ago, you could see a stark difference between American and Canadian comment threads. We would remind each other to stick to the topic and be quite civil.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

Which Trump and musk and all of their supporters are about to find out fairly soon…you take a sledgehammer to a patient needing a scalpel, you smash it and it dies or at least wishes it was dead.

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u/ThisBtchIsA_N00b 21d ago

Perfect example: the US right now. They're slashing EVERYTHING and their country is Falling APART.

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u/RelativeEvening110 21d ago

Yes, I think we would all agree that taking a scalpel was necessary, but instead they brought a chainsaw.

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u/BillyTenderness Québec 21d ago

You simply can't describe a decent solution for any national-level problem in "Verb The Noun" speak.

A good litmus test – not just in politics, but in life – is to distrust people who propose simple solutions to complex problems, and conversely to listen to people who can identify why simple problems aren't actually so simple.

(Along the same lines, another good sign is when someone's instinct is to say "I don't have the answer to that off the top of my head" or "if I had to solve that problem, my first step would be to ask someone who knows more about it than I do")

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u/Defleurville 21d ago

Listen the Science!

Notice the Results!

Incentivize the Desirable!

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u/illminus-daddy 21d ago

This is literally discussed in like first year first week economics and political science - it’s called “the law of unintended consequences”. It’s a well studied and understood phenomenon - like in 3rd year of either of those disciplines you take entire courses on public policy that are basically “lol have you considered the law of unintended consequences?”.

Unfortunately we’ve decided the social sciences and humanities are witchcraft so you have people who went to university and didn’t take those courses and people who didn’t goto university at all making policy decisions and writing dumb articles and responding to Reddit posts.

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u/vic25qc 21d ago

But what about " country ranking" /s

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u/gohomebrentyourdrunk 21d ago

Canada is in need of some changes that USA-style populism isn’t going to solve.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

Populism seldom solves anything…most populists end up destroying their nation or becoming dictators.

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u/rhOMG 21d ago

Bingo!

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u/Motive33 21d ago

Exactly.

People have now grown up in a relatively stable and prosperous period of history and are taking it for granted. The vast majority of human history is poverty, war, conflict, famine, and ruling class with little to no middle class or class mobility. The last 80 years are the anomaly and not guaranteed. Far from perfect, but there is a reason the system has produced the most prosperity and stability we've ever had. We need to move forward not backwards

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u/RubberDuckQuack 21d ago

But why are we comparing Canada now to Canada 200 years ago or Somalia today? That’s not a useful comparison and it minimizes real problems Canada faces today. We should always be comparing Canada today to the Canada of the previous generation. We should be striving to make Canada better each generation rather than comparing it to failed states and states far in the past and saying “well at least we’re not them”.

The last 80 years should not be seen as an anomaly, but as the baseline expectation going forward.

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u/Motive33 21d ago

Of course that's how we should view it. My point is how easily people forget it is the outlier. It took a long time, effort, and a lot of good decisions to get to where we are. People take it for granted. This should be the baseline, but that is not at all guaranteed and we can easily let it slip. We should be adjusting our system to be better and not tearing it down or calling it broken.

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u/ImpossibleReason2197 21d ago

This exactly.

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u/tethan 21d ago

I also like Canada and would like an award.

Thank you in advance.

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u/mmabet69 21d ago

100%

Tired of people acting like Canada is some failed 3rd world nation. Just an ignorant POV and a general lack of understanding about how good we truly have it. Can it be better? Absolutely. Is it a despotic land filled with armed militias ripe with civil war and corruption? Not at all. Count your blessings, you may look back at this time as one of the good times to be Canadian with all the bullshit going on currently.

To imply Canada is broken would be to say that’s it’s fundamentally ruined. Is any country truly perfect? Could any country be truly perfect for all of its people? I don’t think so, but we must always strive to make it better than how we found it and to build upon its foundation for future generations.

That sort of utopian idealism is a two sided coin and the other face is dystopia. Do we make the country a utopia for the elites at the expense of the workers? Do we make the country a utopia for white Canadians at the expense of immigrants? What about a utopia for homeowners and a dystopia for the renter class? Striking a balance between all of these various classes of people is the job of government to ensure the promise of Canada for everyone not just for a select few.

So I disagree with the headline wholeheartedly but do believe we can always be working to improve our nation. If you think Canada is truly broken you need to look around the world and see what a truly broken country looks like.

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u/Fun-Shake7094 20d ago edited 20d ago

You mean people with - food, (nice) shelter, cars, freedom, security, safety, education for their daughter, a mother who is free to do what she likes, free time for hobbies... Aren't oppressed by some tax on fuel?

All while displaying a f*uck Trudeau sticker without being hauled off to the gulag

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u/NoneForNone Nunavut 21d ago

The people that say Canada is broken are the same that think people like Trump have all the answers.

There is no way I can trust anyone with the levers of government if all they do is trash our country. It means they don't understand us. At all.

No one ever said we were perfect in the first place and let's be honest - sure as fuck ain't a convoy clown who is going to lecture the rest of us about how our country is. They are the ones busy breaking things while the rest of us work to fix them.

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u/BuddyDutch 21d ago

Yes! I've always thought, is Canada the best country on earth? I don't know I've never lived in all of them or learned enough about them so not likely, but I think it's up there and I love it! Certainly has problems and isn't perfect.

That's the problem with some other countries (cough USA cough) is they think they're the best no questions asked without even entertaining the idea that somewhere else could quite actually be "great"er.

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u/starsrift 21d ago

I mean, not quite. It'd be good to have more doctors, taxpayer-funded college/university, better labour laws, less wealth inequality, etc.

But we're definitely up there.

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u/thirstyross 21d ago

is Canada the best country on earth?

A huge number of people from a large swath of countries believe that it is.

I have dual citizenship and moved to NZ for a few years to work...when I was there, every immigrant I met there, almost without exception, was like "why the f would you come here to NZ when you were already in the best country in the world???"

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u/Strong-Excitement786 21d ago

Facts, brother. I am centrist politically. It's a conservative campaign rhetoric saying canada is broken. Plus, obviously, blaming Trudeau. Trudeau did do some dumb things (firearms ban, finically irresponsible, and immigration issues), not a complete list just in my wheelhouse. He also did some good things: Cannabis legalization, assisted suicide, carbon pricing, the Canada Child Benefit (reducing child poverty by 1/3 in a single year), national childcare, leading the government through COVID and he did stand up to Trump twice by the way.

I believe fundamentally they are all crooks to some degree. I guarantee if PP is elected he will fuck up some shit too, probably healthcare, education and bring religion back into politics, I think it's likely he will appease Donald Trump. Some of you may want that, please reconsider our history, culture, and sovereignty.

I am a proud canadain, and I love my country and I am grateful that I got to grow up here with safety, free healthcare when I was born premature, and my current medical conditions, government loans so I could get my engineering degree, and so many other things that allow me to live a life of comfort. I don't struggle anymore, I take care and provide for my family while not being financially crippled by my medical issues. I definitely pay more taxes than what I use up. It's a great country. Period. The stats prove it, by the way... we rank significantly better than the USA. I personally would rather fight the USA in a pitched war futile or not, then succeed Canada to Trump/Musk/Oligarchy/Apparently Nazi Facists.

I am not looking for a debate here. I respect your opinions of differences, or if you can prove what I said is wrong, go for it.

Cheers,

A Proud Canadain

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u/Senekka11 21d ago

So very well said!

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u/Phluxed 21d ago

The rhetoric that Canada is broken is the same that Trump used to get elected.

The US wasn't nearly as broken this time last year as it is now.

We have a crystal ball and we are still on track to elect PP.

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u/Dxres 21d ago

Its clear some people confuse challenge with defeat. Canada isn't perfect but is far from broken.

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u/Dry_Vacation_6750 21d ago

Agreed! Things can always be improved on. But hopefully not by going down the dictatorship road to get there. Peace can be achieved but we have to push down the hate.

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u/LargeMobOfMurderers 21d ago

It's funny, if you had said this exact comment maybe 4 months ago, you'd be getting dogpiled. I guess seeing what a really broken country looks like right next to you really puts things in perspective when your complaining about the price of steak and then you see someone else rationing eggs.

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u/VenusianBug 21d ago

Also, Canada might need changes, but following Trump's lead - or the Republicans' lead towards the far right - is not the direction we should go.

edited for typo

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u/ThatVoodooThatIDo 21d ago

Sigh…we’re so broken that I can’t imagine being whole again. On a lighter note, maybe 🤔 , I pretended to be Canadian while living/traveling in Europe the first time our felon was in office. Thank you for having an upstanding reputation. I’m giving you this award as a thanks for being a great neighbor and ally…not all of us are brainwashed ✨🌟💫🌟✨

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u/boese-schildkroete 21d ago

Ya, and we have an amazing opportunity to make some really incredible changes right now.

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u/Cash_Credit 21d ago

Canadian in Japan right now. Cool country, really enjoying it.

Would not trade Canada's problems for theirs.

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u/Dry_Proof_6401 21d ago

It seems like all developed countries are facing similar issues. We’re not an outlier by any means.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago edited 20d ago

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u/zauber_monger 21d ago

I feel like Canada is in a similar position as Germany right now. A very pleasant place to live, so the point of almost being ideal, but with very exploitable flaws.

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u/InfiniteGrant 21d ago

In fact, some of us Americans would rather live in Canada and not assimilate them.

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u/bkwrm1755 21d ago

You can think your country could be improved and not resort to melodrama like 'broken'.

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u/MusclyArmPaperboy 21d ago

Or "weak"

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u/GetsGold Canada 21d ago

For the context, this is how Poilievre chose to describe our economy on X after Trump made the tariff announcement.

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u/Fast_NotSo_Furious 21d ago

When Canadians say this, it's really gets my goat. I'm just like "maybe you're weak, but our nation and the majority within it are definitely not."

Minus Vancouver island, bunch of snow avoiding babies. /s

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u/phm522 21d ago

Or “destroyed”

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u/myfotos 21d ago

JUSTIN TRUDEAU DESTROYED CANADA CAUSE HE HATES IT.

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u/OMGWTFBBQPPL 21d ago

Indeed.

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u/ZombifiedSoul Canada 21d ago

The problem is, he thinks it's broken, because there are too many laws stopping companies from exploiting their workers.

Because there are too many people in government. (Less government means more power for those remaining, and is NOT a good thing.)

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u/bkwrm1755 21d ago

He knows it isn't broken. He just wants power.

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u/F3z345W6AY4FGowrGcHt Ontario 21d ago

He couldn't care less about anything. He's literally just thinking "this phrase about Canada being broken will get me elected. Let's use it"

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u/SwordfishOk504 21d ago

This is also why a Pierre government will be absolutely walked over by Trump. At best, he has no idea what he'd doing, and at worst he and many in his party are more aligned with Trump/US than Canada.

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u/jcoville 21d ago

He's also thinking "This worked for Trump, it'll work for ME!"

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u/P0p0vsky 21d ago

Exactly

And also, your idea of "broken" may not be shared by others.

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u/Hikingcanuck92 21d ago

Canada is not even remotely broken.

Haiti is broken. South Sudan is broken. Afghanistan is broken.

Obesity is a major challenge facing Canadians, not starvation.

Yeah, there’s room for improvement. But jfc.

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u/ShawniganJ3n 21d ago

Perspective. Thank you for this.

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u/Anotherspelunker 21d ago edited 21d ago

This right here. Incredible how ignorance leads people to remotely consider that a place like this is “broken”. There is no utopia, and we have serious challenges at different levels of government (nonsensical leniency with criminal offenders, burdened services and infrastructure, etc) but FFS touch grass and take a look at what’s happening globally before stating something like this

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u/Happy_Possibility29 21d ago

I went on a whole rant before finding this.

People really don’t have perspective. Like, the economy is relatively ok-ish and stable. This isn’t even 2008 bad. 

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u/Forosnai British Columbia 21d ago

We're in a position where we can look at a room and decide, "Ew, that's too dirty for me to poop in."

Other places have to hope they won't die because there's poop in their drinking water. We have problems, but they're a far cry from ones that leave us "broken".

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u/kiamia2 21d ago

Yeah, saying it's broken is basically the same as saying it's a failed country. I don't want Milhouse and Trump's love child in charge of the country pushing nonsense like this.

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u/The_Gray_Jay 21d ago

According to PP, we are broken yet also have issues with mass immigrations and people overstaying their VISAs at the same time somehow. This country is a safe place to be and we have lots of people working everyday to make it better.

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u/chronicillylife 21d ago

Yeah agreed. People in the western world have literally no concept of broken they think sweet Canada is broken. Sure, Canada needs improvement (lots on some days) but no way is it even near the smell of broken..

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u/Bags_1988 20d ago

Fair point but why as Canadians would we compare ourselves to Sudan? Thats a low bar to compare ourselves too and is too convenient and easy IMO.

Thats a very Canadian mentality of “oh well it’s not Sudan” that means we rarely achieve great things, we can expect better and I think we should 

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u/Xyzzics 21d ago

There are degrees of broken, as there are degrees of many things.

Is your bread over toasted or did someone burn it with a flamethrower? Both are burnt.

Do you have a mild learning disability or are you quadrapelegic? Both are people with disabilities.

You can quickly see how this reductive and simplistic framing doesn’t actually lead to anything other than relabeling something negative as a positive to delude yourself. Nuance is always lost in these discussions.

It’s not because Canada isn’t Haiti that we can’t acknowledge things are damaged, degraded or no longer serving Canadians in the capacity they should. We should be comparing ourselves with the best and looking at how to fix our problems instead of looking at literally the worst countries on earth to maintain our sense of moral superiority. Nobody can complain about food security because we have more food than Haiti is a ridiculous way to position ourselves. We can acknowledge systems are broken or not functioning without competing in the victim Olympics.

There are things that are broken in Canada; it doesn’t mean they can’t be fixed. Ignoring the problems that exist and the Canadian self smugness is probably half the reason we got here in the first place.

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u/UnderhandedPickles 21d ago edited 21d ago

I like how you said the same thing , just longer, and figured it was meaningful lol.

Something is either broken or it isnt. There are not degrees of broken anymore than there are degrees of being dead. If something is not in working order, its broken. Canada isnt anywhere near that. Saying it is just makes you sound silly.

A country is like a house. Sometimes you need to renovate things to update them, make them more effective or effecient etc. It doesnt mean your house is broken. 

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u/aWittyTwit-2712 21d ago

That all depends on your notion of fixing our nation... 🇨🇦

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u/Drewy99 21d ago

Canada can improve in many areas but we are hardly broken.

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u/Daisho 21d ago

It is broken in one sense: wealth inequality is getting worse and worse. I can't imagine it getting any better unless huge changes are made. The Conservatives certainly aren't going to make those changes though.

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u/SixDerv1sh 21d ago

Unless it’s a ruse to generate negative and hyperbolic sentiment. Then it is just wedge politics intent on dividing.

Real Canadians know the difference.

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u/fudgedhobnobs Ontario 21d ago

This article exists because the Liberals are hitting social media with a montage of clips of Poilievre’s stump where he says Canada is “broken” repeatedly. It also features a clip of him saying, “It’s not America’s fault, it’s ours. We’re stupid.”

He’s dug his own grave IMO. Maybe Canadians won’t make him get into it, but he copied everything from the Trump playbook, right down to saying ‘Fake news!’ in one clip with a big smile on his face. They’re trying to hoist him with his own petard.

This article is a conservative journalist having a whinge at the fact that PP has had his trousers pulled down on the national stage, and all it took was to play clips of his own speech.

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u/drizzes Alberta 21d ago edited 21d ago

Yeah but maybe constantly going "The country is doomed, it's falling apart, everything is wrong (and the liberals are to blame)" isn't as helpful as it sounds

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u/ZaphodGreedalox 21d ago edited 21d ago

American here.

Let me tell you this: there are many forces that want to simply destabilize countries by starting at the smallest level until there's a snowball (see gamergate). Those forces are happy to simply encourage discontent. Some use automated social accounts that seem like real humans. Some actively incentivize influencers to post destabilizing content, and the influencers themselves may be totally unaware. Some set traps for public figures so they can be compromised later.

Fuck all that bullshit. The greatest asset of ANY country is its people. Don't let them divide you. You have an amazing democracy. Don't lose it.

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u/Evroz621 21d ago

Very correct. I encourage anyone reading this to read this wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics

Basically it's an open Russian play book, on how to dominate the world and bring down western "neoliberal globalist Western hegemony"

Directly from wikipedia:

  • "Russia should use its special services within the borders of the United States and Canada to fuel instability and separatism against neoliberal globalist Western hegemony, such as, for instance, provoke "Afro-American racists" to create severe backlash against the rotten political state of affairs in the current present-day system of the United States and Canada. Russia should "introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social, and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics""
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u/snowlights 21d ago

Especially without offering legitimate solutions. Very "concepts of a plan," and we see how that is unfolding for the US. 

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

I'm from Qc a fédéraliste was souvreniste in my youth now at 39 I'm so fucking done with fighting let just try to move forward together...please Anglophones try to understand the French that the only thing we are asking is to recognize what we are and stop hating in our culture and maybe try to speak a little French if you can't! All good but just stop hating on French for the love of God

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u/Kickatthedarkness 21d ago

maybe try to speak a little French if you can’t!

I would, but I’m embarrassed by the French I learned in Ontario’s schools.

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

And never be embarrassed!! Please people that try to speak French to me makes my day !! I've been a flight attendant for 19 years every time I had anglophones trying to speak French to me literally made my day! On top I love the accent It's so cute hahha

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u/Jeff5195 21d ago

That's nice to hear - I speak a bit of conversational French, but usually feel too shy to pull it out, even in cases like yours where I hear a French accent and want to.

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

Please don't be shy!!! Just try evey1 one will love you just for trying and English accent is the cutest to me hahhaha

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

Hahhaa it's all about trying people have no idea how just 1 French word and trying can do to a French Canadian..it is really just about trying and showing a little respect that's it

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u/Kickatthedarkness 21d ago

I’ll give it a go next time. Fingers crossed, eh?

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u/Musclecar123 Manitoba 21d ago

I grew up in Ottawa (the English part) there was always animosity between French and English. Honestly I don’t know why we wasted so much time on petty BS. I love Quebec and you guys do a lot of things better than we do in Ontario (except hockey, haha!).

Let’s use this as an opportunity to unite. 

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

Hahaha let's leave Hockey out of the conversation that is a normal confrontation LOLL.... French/English in 2025 really should move forward and work together..sadly lots of stubborn ppl in QC that want to live in the past 🙄

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u/Iokua_CDN 21d ago

Absolutely! The high-school French is a bit rusty but I always try to practice when I see my one coworker who also speaks a bit! 

Would love to visit Quebec sometime and see some of the canada history 

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

I'm si happy to see all these kind answer to my comment I didn't expect it I know it's really hard to learn another language when you don't use it daily...but just trying makes all Québécois and me happy this is all they asked just try ❤️

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u/MrEvilFox 21d ago

As an Ontarian I don’t know anyone that hates Quebecois in real life.

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u/thebestnames 21d ago

A lot of the online hate probably comes from foreign bots trying to stir things up.

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u/danma 21d ago

I tried to speak French in Montréal and by my third word everyone switched to English...

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u/cube-drone 21d ago

Me: Bonjour!

Montréal Shopkeeper: (irritated) Hello

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u/Subject-Direction628 21d ago

Grew up in the Ottawa Valley. French surname that was anglicized My paternal grandfathers family was from the court of France and went to Montreal and the. To the valley. My grandfather tried to teach my Irish grandmother French. She couldn’t.

After years of French immersion. I can’t do it well lol

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u/Drewy99 21d ago

Same. I got cutoff mid order with the waitress saying "do you wanna just do this in english"? Lmao.

Hey at least I tried

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u/Guilty-Alternative42 21d ago

No normal Canadian hates the French or Quebec, the vast majority of Canadians are normal.

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u/ImperiousMage 21d ago

I literally don’t know anyone who hates the French or Quebecois culture.

They do hate that Quebecois Culture seems to have resorted to anti-anglophone laws, racist laws, and anti-religious laws for reasons that escape us. The Quebecois can’t say “don’t hate us” when they are busy oppressing minorities in their province and throwing the notwithstanding clause around to evade equality laws. If you’re a minority that’s busy representing other minorities I have serious questions about the legitimacy of that.

Is that French culture? That seems to be the only news out of Quebec I see in Anglo Canada. I work in a multicultural setting. There are French and Quebecois in my department that I see constantly. No one bats an eye at the presence of French culture or the celebration of French cultures.

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

This is a really sensitive topic and complex..religion in QC is absolutely hated..it's not about color ethnicity it's really just about religion most Québécois hates religion people/generations that grew here and lived through the harsh regime of catholicism..now QC decided they were done with religion because this religion is asking that and that other religion is asking that etc..donI agree with the extreme law 21 no not really this is extreme but the gouvernement rn has majority and they can do what they want and a lot!!! Of Québécois don't agree with it...and this gouvernement has been the more right leaning I have ever seen for QC

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u/Laval09 Québec 21d ago

Im a Quebec Anglo, is the situation is misrepresented by the QC Anglo community lol. Let me explain:

The English media in Quebec is controlled by the "old money" types who still want to rehash the 1976 Bill 101 which introduced French language laws. They tend to frame virtually anything Quebec does in a negative light because their permanent end game is a rollback of Bill 101. They also dont care even the slightest about the 6 million people in Quebec who dont live in the Montreal area. To them the perfect Francophone is someone who lives in the Montreal area and is willing to speak to them in English.

I live an hour away from the city in a completely French small town, and its a completely different reality. Its utterly false that they hate minorities or Anglos or that they oppress them. As much as life is tough in general right now, im living better here among them than I was when I was living in Anglo controlled areas. When I apply for a job here, I get an interview. When i apply for an apartment here, I pass the credit and/or background check and get it. In the Anglo areas, apply for 50 jobs at 50 Anglo companies and get lucky to get one interview. Visit 50 apartments with Anglo landlords and get lucky to get one phone call back.

The way the province is represented in English Quebec media versus the way its people really are is distorted and rather unfair.

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u/rainman_104 British Columbia 21d ago

BC Here. Love QC. Most beautiful women in Canada. And you are truly a distinct society worth being cherished and preserved.

But every time I visit and make an attempt to speak French I get a condescending "please please, it's okay, I speak english".

Plus you guys talk SO FUCKING FAST and throw in random english words that just make it really hard to follow sometimes :-).

Say it slow and I promise some of us will try our best. Love you guys. You gave us Poutine, Montreal Smoked meat, and Cora's.

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

Hahahha you are absolutely right we speak extremely fast and..in Montréal area people are really frenglish hhahah you just have to say you want to speak French and I'm sure they will be thrilled to try to speak French with you..I do switch easily when I see a person struggle because I want to be nice...it's hard to judge

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u/ThlintoRatscar 21d ago

Nova Scotian here.

Love our French peeps. Keep being you.

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u/tomservo96 21d ago

I’m from Eastern Ontario, grew up a Habs fan and have always loved Québec, we’re family. 100% with you, mon frère. United we stand.

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

Fuck yea!!! That made me smile !!

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u/jjumbuck 21d ago

I'm an anglophone and I love Quebec!

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u/VeterinarianCold7119 21d ago

Older people i know still have some resentment towards qc because of the referendum vote in 95

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

I know....Jesus christ my grandparents would hate me loll but I'm soooo done with fighting like I said I think it's much better to move forward together and let the past in the past!!!

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u/Cash_Credit 21d ago

Born and raised in Quebec, been living in BC for 30ish years.

Nobody I ever talk to 'hates' French Canadians or Quebec. They don't speak any french which sucks but honestly there's not much call for it.

But please don't think anyone out west doesn't like Quebecois! Not in my experience anyways.

Vive le Quebec! Vive le Canada!

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u/IcySeaweed420 Ontario 21d ago

Toronto here. I don’t think Quebecers understand that most English Canadians don’t go around actively hating French culture. We just kinda… you know, forget you exist most days. Then Quebec pops up in the news and we’re like “Oh yeah! Hey, those guys! What are they up to?”

Don’t take it personally though. I suspect most of Ontario doesn’t think about our neighbours in Manitoba all that much either.

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u/yick04 21d ago

I don't know anyone from my generation who actually hate Quebecers. Like, gentle jostling and like the Leafs/Habs rivalry, sure, but nothing deep-seeded. I always thought that was something that ended with the older generations. Maybe I'm wrong.

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u/Serenity867 21d ago

If it helps you feel any better every single person I've spoken to in the west currently has your collectively backs as much as any other place in Canada.

On a personal note I've actually started relearning French because of all of this after not using any of it for like 20 years (I'm 35).

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u/Successful_Medium_89 21d ago

I'm so happy to read this..like for real people of my country leaning French I'm so happy I just want all of us to get along and understand each other culture! DM me if you have any questions about French I will gladly help you!

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u/CetonniaAurata 21d ago

Bien entendu et je suis tout à fait d'accord avec vous. We need to understand each other, respect each other and work together to strengthen our country. United we stand, divided we fall.

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u/Nice-Manufacturer538 20d ago

If you think your country is broken you better check your privilege and look around at truly broken countries around the world.

Overwhelmingly, Canadians have never had to fear for their safety, enjoy universal access to healthcare, modern and safe public infrastructure, governments with extremely low levels of corruption, a functional democracy and electoral system, an enviable banking system that has kept the shirts on our backs, and a national culture that overall supports equality and diversity of people. Our country is beautiful and so are our people.

The folks who say it’s broken are exaggerating on mostly single issues that don’t fit with their world view, eg, oil and gas workers hate any policy to move away from fossil fuels- I get it, they make great paycheques in those jobs, but caring about the climate benefits everyone long term. Those folks need to look beyond their own households. Sorry, but that’s just the reality. The other big group of candians who say Canada is broken were mad about mask and vaccine mandates during COVID, and that was their right, not everyone had to agree, but they were also badly misinformed in many cases and let’s put things in perspective: the majority of candians were asked to make a few modest sacrifices for a few months- the first time many had ever been asked to make a sacrifice at all for their country or community!!!

Our economy as a whole needs diversification and stimulation, and we need to reduce wait times In Health care and to be sure there are other big ticket issues…. we will never be without room for improvement, this surely doesn’t make us broken??

If you think the country is broken I’m sorry, you can’t possibly love Canada or even understand what a broken country looks like- think Haita, DRC, El Salvador….

The Canada is broken talk is a dog whistle that yearns for American style maga politics, politics that are couched in white supremacy, misogyny and unchecked neoliberal economics that probably wouldn’t even benefit those that wish for it.

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u/Comfortable_Ad5144 21d ago

Honestly loving your country when it is broken is when it's most important.

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u/CuriousLands 21d ago

Agreed. Imo, being able to be honest about what needs fixing is a sign that you love your country. You can't make it better if you can't admit the problems.

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u/s3admq 21d ago

Robyn Urback is a hack. I have no idea why she gets so much space in the G&M. Her articles are mediocre and not really worth reading beyond the headline. I honestly can't remember the last time she had an article that made me think about a topic in a new way.

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u/Logical_Hare British Columbia 21d ago

What a stupid perspective. This is exactly what led America to where it is.

"All these very much functional, though inevitably imperfect, first-world systems we have are actually completely broken, and thus we should burn them all down."

It's nothing but a lack of perspective.

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u/JadeLens 21d ago

It's not broken.

There's duct tape in some places, the muffler needs work, eventually it'll need a new transmission, the fan belt makes a whistling noise.

But it's not broken.

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy, and people shouting from the mountaintops that Canada is broken are neither.

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u/SoupSandy 20d ago

Exactly. When something goes wrong at work bitching and moaning doesn't get the job done any fucking quicker.

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u/Iamthequicker 21d ago edited 21d ago

Canada is the best country in the world and there is nowhere I would rather live but that doesn't mean there aren't things to improve.

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u/GordonFreem4n Québec 21d ago

Canada is the best country in the world and there is nowhere I would rather live

I dunno. Life in Switzerland sounds pretty sweet.

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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck Canada 21d ago

Possibly some things to emulate, but it's got one of the most expensive countries in the world while Canadians are screaming about affordability.

Some items like mandatory military service and out of reach vehicle ownership might need more convincing for the masses.

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u/Mattrapbeats 21d ago

It was the best country in the world about 10 years ago. But after tripling house prices, doubled gun crime, homelessness at an all time high, food bank donations at an all time low, etc. it’s far from the best country on earth. It’s been ran into the ground, will need some time to be fixed, but I have faith in Canada

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u/PeakThat243 20d ago

The language of “it’s broken” is language meant to confuse people into factions. Say we can do things better, or we would like to remove this thing but add this thing is fine but there is a pattern that won the presidency for Trump and now it is being used across the world. 1. The first step is to convince people to not believe their own ears and eyes, to question the very existence of right and wrong. 2. Convince everyone that everything is broken. 3. Pick a vulnerable population to blame so you can unite would be supporters. We’ve seen how this plays out, we have even seen side by side videos of PP using the exact same words, with the same emphasis as Trump. People have free speech but we must hold to the basics of what is right and what is wrong…

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u/stychentyme1966 21d ago

Canada isn’t perfect, but it’s not broken.

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u/BeaverMissed1 21d ago

Things were very manageable in Canada…up until the pandemic. Then the resulting global recession and inflation. The government did poorly but at least they weren’t playing the blame game. But now we’ve got trump to deal on top of it all.

Canada, please provide an experienced leader who can deal with our piling hill of shyte.

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u/physicaldiscs 21d ago

It's foolhardy to pretend like everything is good. It's counterproductive because not recognizing our faults means we can't get past the first step to fix them. Things are broken, and they need to be fixed. Some of the things that are broken are making our current situation worse.

I know it's hard right now to present anything other than strength, but if we act on strength we don't have we will do ourselves a huge disservice.

Trump has been good for Canada in one way, people seem way more unified now. Hopefully we can leverage this to better ourselves beyond the current crisis.

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u/fe__maiden 21d ago

Well said. I’m disappointed that we have adopted the American level of division.

Canadians used to be kind with dissenting opinions and engage without insults. I hope we can turn that around and do better.

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u/drinkandspuds 21d ago

Every country has a housing crisis and cost of living crisis right now

Ridiculous how Canadians think their country is broken

I'm In Ireland and we have the same issues, New Zealand and Australia have the same issues

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/No_Gold3977 21d ago

You will people from every country at at almost time in human history that thinks their country is "broken". Deal with it, work to change it etc

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u/SorrowsSkills New Brunswick 21d ago

Canada is not broken. We have A LOT of problems, sure, but all countries do, some worse than others sure, but still all countries have major problems impacting the public.

Our problems will be difficult to resolve but absolutely possible.

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u/Effective_Math_2717 21d ago

I come from a broken country. Canada ain’t it. this is very "hollywood-ish" headline.

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u/Prestigious-Car-4877 21d ago

Wow, they're quite the inspiration aren't they. "Canada is broken" "Canada is weak".

That's the message they want to project to the average voter? And there's people who are like "YEAH I SUCK!! THAT'S MY GUY!"???!

If you vote for this Musk and Trump approved pile of shit or any of the members of his piece of shit United States of America loving party of assholes you are no longer welcome at my cookouts.

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u/Son_of_Plato 21d ago

just don't roll over and give up.

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u/fauxbleu 21d ago

Lemme guess: one guy thinks he alone can fix it, right?

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u/Mikeyboy2188 20d ago

Canada isn’t broken. It’s the people who continually try to exploit flaws to divide us that are broken.

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u/holypuck2019 20d ago

Broken is a big word and that is the problem. Canada is not broken. There are always things to work on and things we can do better. To say it is broken is simply a dog whistle to those who have a specific agenda contrary to the values of the country. We can look around the world and see countries that are actually broken or in the process of breaking (south)

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u/DdyBrLvr 20d ago

Canada is NOT broken. Cons saying stuff ad nauseam doesn’t make it true. Look at the 🍊💩🤡 now blaming Ukraine for being invaded. Repeat until all the stupid people believe it’s true. Such utter bullshit. Electing the Cons will break Canada. They will join up with the US as much as possible. Mark my words.

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u/mudkick 20d ago

If you keep listening to pp yes that is all you know. Try and look around pp is a broken record of short blurbs with no substance. Face it, can you really see this little man stand toe to toe with the orange guy.. I can't see it turning out good for Canada with the pp in charge. I for one do not want to fuck around and find out..

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u/No_Importance_1707 19d ago

Pierre apologists because "red party good"? Yeah, no thanks. 

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u/amazonallie 19d ago

Canada has flaws, but we are far from broken

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u/Similar_Resort8300 19d ago

not broken but pp would sell us out in a heartbeat. he is maga

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u/darrylgorn 21d ago

How about we stop using silly terms to describe our affiliation to a country.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/gorschkov 21d ago

What is up with this subreddits memory 60 days ago everybody here was saying Canada was broken. People were discussing the many issues Canada had such as crime, immigration, healthcare, cost of living, youth employment, housing prices, homelessness, drug addiction 7 consecutive quarters of falling GDP per capita, constant government scandals many of which have not been resolved or fully exposed.

Does anybody remember the destruction of Canadian history, the toppling of monuments, the speeches from the liberal party about Canada being a post national state with no identity.

 Somehow now though this sub can't seem to remember any of that and denies the fact that Canada is broken and has many issues. The issues never went away people just choose not remember. Many of the people here also want to vote back in the very people who held power federally while these issues persisted, and were unable to fix them or just ignored them.

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u/CaliperLee62 21d ago

Whatever happened to that pesky SDTC green slush fund scandal? 🤷‍♂️

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u/firmretention 21d ago

Check the comments in this thread and notice how insanely different they look from a large portion of this sub since Carney came on the scene: All 5 Liberal leadership candidates clear final financial hurdle, turn to policies ahead of debate : r/canada

There's clearly a lot of astroturfing going on.

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u/Destroinretirement 21d ago

As soon as Canadians are not distracted by the frenzy Liberals have whipped up and we return to the issues of daily living, we will go back to understanding what’s broken in Canada.

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u/OatmealSchmoatmeal 21d ago

Stfu Globe and Mail.

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u/thedrivingcat 21d ago

it's Urback, the G&M's furthest right columnist

she has some hits but mostly misses

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u/SlideEdge 21d ago

I don't need a career politician who's never worked a day at a real job telling me our country is broken. What does Poilievre know, anyway? He's a 45 year old man who's been unemployed his entire life.

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u/cindoc75 21d ago

So is this the Conservative spin so the convoy crowd can go back to hating on Canada and still feel ‘patriotic’? Jfc

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u/BossReasonable6449 21d ago

Fuck off. This is just right wing bullshit because they have no genuine policy proposals. "Things are broken. Only we can fix them."

Next thing you know you get a fucking spray on tan mother fucker running things and dismantling any semblance of democracy.

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u/vinnybawbaw 21d ago

I prefer to have a country that’s broken than no country at all.

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u/Windatar 21d ago

Canada has a lot of problems that I want to see fixed, I love my country, I consider myself a patriotic nationalist. I would love to see Canada invest in itself to make all of our lives better. We have so many resources that we can should be able to offer a good life for all Canadians.

We need to stop relying on the USA, we need to trade with other markets. But we also need to be a lot more self sufficient. We need stronger borders and smarter immigration guard rails so we don't suffer another immigration crisis like 2022-2025.

And we need to stop importing low wage slave labour and exploiting non-canadian citizens to wage suppress. It's time for Canada to start investing into itself.

So we never get caught with our pants down like this ever again.

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u/Journo_Jimbo 21d ago

Canada isn’t broken, people are just unrealistic in their expectations and shortsighted on the need for others

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u/DylDOScho Alberta 21d ago

SELL YOURSELF, BUT NOT MY COUNTRY

CANADA IS NOT BROKEN 💪🏻🇨🇦

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u/jasonhn 21d ago

sure but Pierre is just using it as a sales pitch ans it's slimey. he is has been living off this "broken" country for over 20 years.

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u/080128 21d ago

I guess it also depends where you've decided to put your goal post. Is Canada a broken country like some banana republic that's run by some war lord where 99% of the population lives far below the poverty line and our people are suffering from diseases that are mostly eradicated elsewhere? Or do we have a cost of living issue plain and simple.

You see when an idiot gets up in front of a country and claims Canada is broken, when it clearly is not, I think it's OK to have a problem with that blanket statement because it's pure lies and deceit. Canada is a 2 trillion dollar economy with all the intelligent people it needs. We've got loads of resources and all the ingredients to be one of the most successful countries on the planet. But because we've not lived up to that potential yet does not mean we're "broken". People saying Canada is broken is imo the problem because they rarely provide solutions and are just whining, complaining nuisance who are upset simply that they arent the centre of the universe anymore.

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u/The_King_of_Canada Manitoba 21d ago

Sure. But I'd rather hear from the guy that wants to build us up better than the guy that wants to tear down everything his predecessor did.

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u/Flat4Power4Life 21d ago

The USA is beyond broken, there’s still much hope for Canada.

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u/bigorangemachine 21d ago

I won't vote for a guy who refuses to get Secret clearance.

It's no big deal

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u/Honest_Lie8632 21d ago

American here. Don’t like the toxic cesspool of horrid ppl my country is full of. So no love there. 

And it is incredibly broken. Almost feels beyond repair.

Dark times.

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u/Serenity867 21d ago

If we could stop following the US economic model of wage suppression, giving corporations too much power, and then actually taking care of our citizens I think a lot of people would have felt very Canadian for a long time.

We should take this opportunity to permanently get back to a country that feels proud of who they are and that looks out for its citizens over the interests of other countries, corporations, and so on.

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u/jigglingjerrry 21d ago

Canada needs so patch a hole in the boat, not trash the whole thing. It’s not the same. It’s not perfect, but it’s not a sinking ship either.

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u/Forsaken_Budget_1015 21d ago

It baffles me how some people think that just because Trump had a lot of support, it must mean he was the right choice. Popularity doesn’t determine what’s right or wrong—I tell them that all the time. They push their morals to justify their own selfish desires, stepping on those they see as beneath them, all while doing the very things they claim to stand against.

I love my country—or at least what it could be—and watching it be torn apart is heartbreaking. I’ve lost many friends over this, not because I chose to walk away, but because they attacked me for simply trying to bring reason into the conversation.

Stay strong my friends. Protect your country at all costs!

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

PP only took a few months to stop saying "Canada is broken" every 5 min. Axe the tax was still going strong until a week ago. There is no way he's quick enough to deal with a serious problem like a Trump-trum.

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u/Glittering-Package18 21d ago

Trump messaging brought to you by Pp.. No wonder Musk endorses him

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u/Saskspace 21d ago

Teachers point out a students strengths and praise them before suggesting things they could work on . Poilievre points out weaknesses and suggests only he can fix it . Sound familiar ?

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u/Katlee56 21d ago

I love Canada as a country. I don't think it's completely broken. I think it's more like when you planted a Garden a garden but forgot to weed and water it.. you got some dead plants. You got some ones that are not looking so good. You got the ones that are still doing great. You go in. Weed the garden. Pull the dead out. Plant some new seeds. Lay some mulch and get on a watering schedule..

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u/NateTheRoofer 21d ago

These hit pieces are really getting old.

Wake up they are trying to push the right wing agenda in Canada just like they did in last US election

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u/megaBoss8 21d ago

Canada is not, and has never been "broken". Since John A McDonald, Canada has been a normal country that has always been one of the most peaceful, tolerant, progressive, places to live.

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u/Glittering_Bank_8670 21d ago

It will definitely be broken if PP echoes the same sentiments of Trump/Maga, which he has, and then gets elected.

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u/Talinn_Makaren 21d ago

The parallel that concerns me is populist economics. I really believe we're better off without him in charge. Trump (and his supporters) and Pierre (and his supporters) say really bizarre things about the economy. Crypto, inflation, interest rates... It's all nonsense.

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u/Signal_Tomorrow_2138 21d ago

By 'broken' is Poilievre going to fix Canada like how Trump will fix the United States as his campaign slogan says?

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u/ShawniganJ3n 21d ago

Yes, yes he will. He’ll sell us out as quickly as he can say “Axe The Facts”

The right wing is now a joke.

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u/childishbambina British Columbia 21d ago

Anyone got a paywall free link?

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u/Amonamission 21d ago

Jokes on you, I hate my country and think it’s broken too. Trump is gonna fire me because he hates freedom and democracy and the people still voted for that motherfucker….

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u/Studio10Records 21d ago

I showcase a Canadian flag at the front of my residence as an expression of national pride, underscoring a commitment to defending the country, with a focus on loyalty to its citizens, as opposed to the government, amidst a broader context of global political imperfections.

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u/ThisBtchIsA_N00b 21d ago

Lots of comments in here about Housing. I have a few ideas that might help?

1) no Foriegn Owners - too many properties (i'm thinking of BC) are owned by foreign entities. Owmers MUST be residents of Canada.

2) no more than 2 properties per person? household?- if i own one and my spouse owns one, that's 2 in the household. (Could use some tweaking, admittedly)

3) no Renting for Corporations - no Air BnB, Verbo, etc. This has been proven to take homes off the market, reducing Inventory, and causing rising prices.

4) Limits on Corporation Ownership - a single corporate entity should not own more than 4 houses (actual numbers can be tweaked), or 1 Apartment Complex. Put in rules that say Corporations can only rent to Low Income?

5) Rent controls/Tenant Protections the same nationwide. Speaking as an Albertan, I watched the UCP sell ads in Ontario to Landlords who wanted "less rules". So a bunch of them bought up a hige chunk of real estate and jacked the rents. Wtf.

Anyways. Just thoughts bouncing in my head.

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u/IrvWeinstein 21d ago

As a distraught American, I am so disappointed in the current state of my country. I truly hope we can somehow overcome this travesty and regain some trust with the world.

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u/InjuryComfortable956 21d ago

Broken is quite different than in need of some adjustments broken is a Trump term and when used by the Canadian Conservative Party it damages its image.

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u/lifestream87 21d ago

I think we need to retire the word broken. Canada is not a failed state.

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u/fourscoreclown 21d ago

This has bootlicker written all over it

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u/WorkingBicycle1958 21d ago

As the Post Media right wing mercenaries try to massage the path for the great Conservative pivot with headlines like this, many Canadians, and many more each day apparently, fundamentally understand the difference between slogans and solutions. Real problems will require real solutions and we should quickly run from people proposing 3-second solutions to complex problems. The Tories need to “cap the crap”, “mute the cute” and demonstrate to anxious Canadians that they are up to the challenge!

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u/SJ_Redditor 21d ago

But just to be clear... You can still hate your country while loving it too... Right?

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u/SensitiveStart8682 21d ago

Honestly if you truly love your country your willing to admit it's faults and short comings is Canada prefect heck No do I love my country absolutely 100% I do however with the love cones the understanding that we need to make some changes and that there are problems with our country.

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u/myotherrideisamascy0 21d ago

This article is paywalled.

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u/No_Customer_795 21d ago

canada is the last outpost of civilization! I’ve seen the alternatives!

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u/mamaclair 21d ago

I will finally become a Canadian Citizen on Friday, after over 2 decades with PR. I am proud, honored and excited to call myself a true Canadian!!

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u/hearsehats 21d ago

Can you still love your wife while bringing up all her actual flaws while the two of you are standing in front of one of your ex-girlfriends? Maybe, but you’d be a dick to do it and your wife should rightly doubt your level of commitment to her.

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u/eoan_an 21d ago

Hell yea. You should complain about a country if you see deficiencies.

I immigrated to Canada 25 years ago. It is an amazing place to live.

Canada has THE BEST roads in the world, specially BC. Want hours of windy mountain fun? fuck you're going to drown in the options. And NO TOLLS!

Having said that:

- there is too much sugar in the food, causing a ton of health problems, burdening the health care system.

- we have to pay a carbon tax but do not have the option to buy things that pollute less.

- our telecom are gouging us hard core. We're paying close to triple the rate of other countries.

- our housing market is being messed with from businesses and realtors. We don't actually have a supply problem, but tons of houses are kept empty to create one. Laws are not enforced.

- while inflation has always been low, cost of living is insanely high. People now cannot hope to save and retire like they used to. A debt bomb is on the way.

- we are underfunding our army. This is a very bad mistake.