If You Are a Woman - Canada Is the Best Place to Live

Photo Credit: Jeltovski, Canada

Today I'm especially proud to be Canadian. A survey conducted by TrustLaw, a legal news service of Thomson Reuters Foundation, was just released. It reports that the best place within the G20 countries for a woman to live is Canada.

Not surprisingly, the worst was Indian, which ranked even lower than Saudi Arabia, until 2011 it did not grant women the right to vote, and still fails to grant women a driver's license.  India ranks so low because female babies continue to be killed, child brides are forced into matrimony, and women are sold into slavery. India is a parliamentary democracy? Yes Siree!

The United States with its poor record on health care and its division over reproductive rights places it at number six. Interestingly, Save the Children recently stated that the United States is the worst place to be a mother. Siting maternity mortality and lack of tolerance regarding breast-feeding.

The six categories the TrustLaw considered were:

• ·      quality of health
• ·      freedom from violence
• ·      participation in politics
• ·      workpalce opportunities
• ·      access to resources
• ·      freedom from trafficking and slavery

      To reach its conclusion, TrustLaw polled 370 gender experts.

I remember a time when there was a great deal of discrimination in Canada. In the 1970s many jobs were closed to women that all began to change in the 1980s. Canadian women worked hard for daycare, reproductive choice and equal opportunities. I know this because I was one of the women who did her part, albeit and ever so small part.

In many ways Canada and the United States are one. We share the same language, watch the same movies and television programs, and listen to the same music. But, I'd like to think that Canada is the kinder, gentler nation. Of course, I'm prejudice.

Source:  The Global Edition of the New York Times, June 13, 2012

Canada: The Country that Works

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you know that I’ve been travelling a lot, and generally I’ve been travelling on my own.

Because I’m alone, I get into conversations I would otherwise have not been involved in. I learn a lot talking to strangers. And as the saying goes: “They tell you, don’t talk to strangers, but once you’ve talked to someone they are no longer a stranger.”

In September, when I was in Rome, Italy I very much liked Piazza Navarone. In fact, it was one of the few relaxing places I found in the beyond words chaos of the central part of the city.

If it was at all possible, I ate my midday meal in the piazza. One day I got into a discussion with my waiter. He was a very interesting man, who, like me, considers himself a citizen of the world first and an Italian second. Well, not exactly like me. I’m a citizen of the world first, and secondly a Canadian.

“I’ve been to eighteen countries,” he told me. “And of all the countries I’ve been to the only one that works is Canada”

For eight years he owned a business in Cancun, Mexico, I don’t know what type of business, but I’m guessing a restaurant.

One day some thugs came into his business and told him he needed to pay protection money. “You’re strong arming me? I’m Italian, we originated this caper,” he said. Then promptly sold his business and headed for Canada.

When he arrived in my homeland he showed the Canadian Border Services Agency his Italian passport and his Mexican residency papers.

The whole thing looked pretty suspicious to the Canadians, and they held him for twelve hours before they were satisfied it was okay to allow him into the country, for six months, to visit. Then he had to leave.

He was impressed with the diligence of the people who guard Canada’s borders, he was impressed with how law abiding Canadians were, how clean the country was, how everything . . .well. . . .how everything worked.

At the end of six months he did what he had to do, he left.

Peggy's Cove and Charlottetown

No trip to the Maritimes would be complete without a visit to Canada's birthplace. Here's the building where it all began.

Peggy's Cove is one of the most photographed places in Canada, and shows what can happen when glaciers meet the sea.

Getting the House Ready For Sale

Yesterday I worked until I was too tired to move. I hauled dirt, pushed the lawn mower, which is a push mower, dug out dandelions, edged the hedges on both sides of the front yard, and painted the outside front door frame. I'll double check today, but I think the front of the house is ready for sale. It has as much curb appeal as I can manage.