Canada enjoys a stellar reputation as one of the world’s best places to live. The country consistently ranks near the top for quality of life, safety, and overall happiness, making it an attractive destination for millions worldwide.
However, beneath this positive image lies a more complex reality. While Canada excels in many areas, there are several critical categories where it lags significantly behind other wealthy nations. These shortcomings affect everyday Canadians and highlight important challenges the country must address.
Housing Affordability
Canada ranks among the world’s least affordable housing markets. The country was deemed the eighth least affordable globally, with housing costs that far exceed what most families can afford. Vancouver ranked third worst worldwide, with homes costing more than 12 times the median household income. Housing affordability hit its worst level in more than four decades, according to the Bank of Canada.
Major cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary all struggle with housing costs. The federal government has reduced its role in funding affordable housing since the 1980s. Many young adults may never own homes due to these high costs. Families must dedicate massive portions of their income to basic shelter.
Healthcare Wait Times
Canada has some of the longest medical wait times among developed nations with universal healthcare. Among 31 high-income countries with similar systems, Canada has the lowest availability of doctors, hospital beds, and medical technologies. The median wait between family doctor referral and treatment was 56.7 weeks. Canada also had the highest percentage of people who cannot get same-day answers from their regular doctor.
Canada ranks last with only 38 percent of patients waiting four weeks or less to see a specialist. Just 62 percent waited four months or less for elective surgery. Canada’s median healthcare wait time recently hit 30 weeks, the longest ever recorded. Emergency departments are particularly strained, with patients often waiting hours for basic care.
Labor Productivity
Declining productivity performance puts Canada at a serious competitive disadvantage. Canada ranks 18th globally, with GDP per hour worked at just 42.5 percent of that of top-ranked Ireland. Productivity grew 1.2% annually before the pandemic but has stopped growing entirely since 2019. This makes Canada one of the worst-performing advanced economies.
The OECD projects Canada will be the worst-performing economy among 38 advanced countries over the next forty years. Canada is now second only to Italy among G7 countries for productivity decline. Construction has been particularly affected, with productivity at near 30-year lows. Canadian workers must work significantly more hours than their international counterparts to produce the same output.
Climate Action Performance
International climate rankings consistently place Canada among the worst developed countries. Canada ranks 62nd globally and is considered a very low climate performer. It was the worst-performing G20 country in 2019, according to Corporate Knights’ analysis. Seven G20 countries are among the very low performers, including Canada, China, and Russia.
Canada struggles across multiple climate indicators. Provincial governments have different approaches to fossil fuel development, creating inconsistent national policies. Only Saudi Arabia has a higher per-person carbon footprint than Canada among major oil-producing countries. Canada’s exported oil and gas emissions are larger than its domestic emissions when eventual combustion is considered.
Internet and Technology Costs
High internet prices place Canada near the bottom of global affordability rankings. Canada ranked 144th worldwide for internet affordability, with average monthly costs of US$65. High costs are driven by a lack of competition and large distances between population centers. The telecommunications regulator has set wholesale rates too low for smaller companies to compete effectively.
Mobile data is particularly expensive, with Canada ranking 62nd globally for affordability. The United States outperforms Canada in overall internet value despite both countries having high costs. Major providers face little competition, allowing them to charge premium prices. These high costs affect both consumers and businesses across the country.
Times Canada Beat America at Its Own Game
