Emad Barsoum writes: Status Decline

In a recent thorough study led by the US News and World Report about the ranking of the best countries in the world based on variable metrics, we find that in the year 2022, Canada’s ranking dropped from the number one country in the world to the third position. However, some may think that falling from number one to third is not a significant issue, as long as we are still in the top ten.

This might be considered a shallow view of the situation, and it is tough to reach the number one position, however, it is even much harder to retain it. Besides, once the slide starts, it will require extra effort to move upwards again or even prevent another decline.

The primary concern is to find out why such a decline happened. However, in the quest to discover the reasons, several factors have to be secured to guarantee the credibility of the analysis. Such an essential factor requires an abundance of conditions that we need help with nowadays. 

Beginning with the absence of freedom of speech and hiding behind the myth of political correctness, our society will always struggle with finding the truth. I will repeat George Orwell’s eternal quotation, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more they will hate those that speak it." The first requirement to find a cure is to admit the problem. Yet, we are still suffering from many problems that we do not admit, and, eventually, would lead to the decline of the quality of life in any nation or within any society.

Economic conditions, without a doubt, lead to the deterioration of the quality of life, especially when most people within the middle class suffer from the continuous increase in food prices, the basic need to survive in a modern civilized, progressive country. Here again, we must be honest about the reasons behind such a surge in prices, which lie within the regular economic and financial mal performance of the Federal and Provincial governments. That performance led us to high inflation and a clear and present recession, a double dipping. 

Political and governance issues put us in a situation where only those who are trusted by a party or a leader are appointed to the highest executive posts in the government, regardless of their competence or at least the required experience to perform within their office.

In addition, we have witnessed a recent massive increase in crime, road rage, and traffic violations, which raises a loud alarm about the deterioration of social peace, security, and safety. 

The absence of social and national unity is obvious in many workplaces and educational institutes, the lack of belonging, the fear from the other, the conspiracy theory which is the negative by-product of lack of inclusion and the miss use of the multiculturalism. 

Although multiculturalism is a great principle and theory and is considered the highest degree of civilization, it is a dividing tool if misinterpreted or misused by some.

Being the number one country is not a Utopia since we were there before. Nevertheless, it takes a united nation to regain its first status.