Question about Canada

[Riot]

I do not want this to turn into a debate or anything of that. I'm confused about a few things relating to Canada and I want to hear other people's thoughts on it. Especially those who live in Canada.

Is Canada communist? I mean, they banned private health care (which I believe is the only country in the world to do so). I also hear they dictate where wheat and other products go. So farmers and buisness men don't even get to pick who they sell their product to.

Some people say that isn't communist, but they also have two communist parties.

So...is Canada indeed part-communism?

[Jona]

I'm not familiar with Canada's government system, but I doubt it is a communist-ruled republic.
I know the head of state is Elizabeth II.

Cy's got an answer for your query, I believe.

[Riot]

Well, I've always wondered if it was a true democracy, a socialist or a communist. I guess saying it has two communist parties was misleading...I'm just looking for an answer.

From those two things (Banning private health care and distributing farmer's products without farmer's imput) it seems like Canada is more communist than democractic.

[Old School Fool]

I always wondered if Canada had a President..

[Riot]

They have a Prime Minister.

[cyanide]

a communist country?



We're a democractic country with an mixed economy economic system (whereas the US is run on a capitalist economic system). That means we rely on both market and the state, and the US relies on the market. So therefore, we run on BOTH capitalism and socialism, BUT socialism is NOT communism! You're confusing democracy with economic systems, and I suggest you research the differences between communism and socialism

It's true that Alberta (a province in Canada) is run on public health care, but that's because our government is based on a mixed economy. The government takes care of certain aspects like health, as mentioned, as well as education, mail service (yes, they are run on sled dogs), road/railroads and maintenance, social welfare, and national defense.

Not sure about wheats; I'm not a farmer.

We don't have any communist parties. We have left wing parties, but not communist. Some left wing parties: Liberals, New Democractic Party, and Green Party.

As Jona mentioned, Queen Elizabeth II is a figurehead and you can see her face in every coin made, but she has absolutely no power in Canada, at all.

[Riot]

Thanks for the imput

[cyanide]

No prob... any other questions or clarifications?

[Riot]

Do you think the Canada health care program is good and successful? It's great that's free but I understand it's very inefficent. People are on waiting lists for years to get a hip replacement and people have to wait 7-33 weeks just to get a simple MRI. Why does everyone say Canada's health care plan is so great when some people die on a waiting list? I don't understand what's so great about it besides it's free cost. But then again, don't you have to pay a 15% sales tax just to fund it?

[cyanide]

Do you think the Canada health care program is good and successful? It's great that's free but I understand it's very inefficent. People are on waiting lists for years to get a hip replacement and people have to wait 7-33 weeks just to get a simple MRI. Why does everyone say Canada's health care plan is so great when some people die on a waiting list? I don't understand what's so great about it besides it's free cost. But then again, don't you have to pay a 15% sales tax just to fund it?

Actually, I hear more jokes about smuggling medication from Canada to the States than about the health system. I think there are issues with the health system, just like any other country in the world, but there are debates on whether to privitize health care or keep it under government control, and I think there are some shortages of doctors which might delay appointments, but definitely not 7-33 weeks to get a simple MRI Well, here in Alberta, we pay only 7% sales tax (compared to other provinces - 14%), and that applies to prescriptions and such... but, there are also private health plans that and benefits from employment that covers a lot of the payments. I'm not sure how health care works here, but it's not a major issue to my knowlege. Personally, I'm happy with it. I have this prescription to pay for every month, $55 or something, but after coverage from a health care plan, I pay only $5.

[Riot]

That's cool. I read on the internet that some people have to wait 7-33 weeks for an MRI. Maybe it was wrong.

Thanks for the imput!

PS My family buys drugs from Canada.

[Jackal_]

That's cool. I read on the internet that some people have to wait 7-33 weeks for an MRI. Maybe it was wrong.

Thanks for the imput!

PS My family buys drugs from Canada.

Your mom likes my crack

[Riot]

lol not that kind of drugs...I think

[#12]

In Canada, you can buy marijuana for medical reasons

[Kemp]

In Canada, you can buy marijuana for medical reasons

Hey, isn't that illegal?

[alexboom]

You also can in the United States I assume... Kareem Abdul-Jabbar benefited of this prescription

[Jackal]

You can buy marijuana here, legally. Anytime, for any purpose.

How bout everyone from the NLSC hop over to the Netherlands. :eyebrows:

(God no, I wouldn't even wish that upon my worst enemies.)

[Indy]

(whereas the US is run on a capitalist economic system).

Actually, that's not true. Pure capitalism is social darwinism, which would mean that we would have no safety nets or anything to help lower class people. The United States has a mixed economy as well.

Riot, the United States has communist aspects of the government as well, Welfare, Social Security, insurance (believe it or not, insurance is a communist idea), and many others.

[cyanide]

(whereas the US is run on a capitalist economic system).

Actually, that's not true. Pure capitalism is social darwinism, which would mean that we would have no safety nets or anything to help lower class people. The United States has a mixed economy as well.

That's right, but I wanted to emphasize that the States are primarily run on a capitalist system for simplicity's sake, rather than bring confusion by saying the States are also run on a mixed economy (which is true, but not to the extent of Canada). There would never be a pure capitalist state, as there would never be a pure communist state. Ideologically, it sounds great, but it'll never work.

[Indy]

What sounds great? I don't think pure communism or pure capitalism sound great.

[cyanide]

What sounds great? I don't think pure communism or pure capitalism sound great.

Don't the Marxists believe that it'd be a perfect world (utopia) if such a thing ever existed?

[Indy]

What sounds great? I don't think pure communism or pure capitalism sound great.

Don't the Marxists believe that it'd be a perfect world (utopia) if such a thing ever existed?

Well, they don't use the term utopia, because a utopia is widely accepted as something that can never be achieved. Utopia is impossible.

My dad is a marxist, and he believes that all people deserve an equal chance in society. They know that there are some flaws in the idea, but most true marxists don't really believe that an actual, marxist government has ever existed. The think the Soviet government, Chinese, etc. were all misrepresentations of marxism and communism.

[Cloudy]

I head in Canada you get very very suck handphones...
But friends there rock

[cyanide]

Don't the Marxists believe that it'd be a perfect world (utopia) if such a thing ever existed?

Well, they don't use the term utopia, because a utopia is widely accepted as something that can never be achieved. Utopia is impossible.

My dad is a marxist, and he believes that all people deserve an equal chance in society. They know that there are some flaws in the idea, but most true marxists don't really believe that an actual, marxist government has ever existed. The think the Soviet government, Chinese, etc. were all misrepresentations of marxism and communism.

Er, sorry for the miscommunication, but I didn't mean to say past tense "existed," I meant if such a term could actually exist - which is impossible, of course - but my point was, if there was pure communism, then it would fit Marx's vision of his utopia, which would sound great, except it would be impossible to achieve. None of the existing/past communist states have ever followed Marx's manifesto... but correct me if I'm wrong, they couldn't follow Marx's system because they all established some form of heirarchy - a central government with power, whereas Marx's vision was a ruling class of workers with no central government?

[Indy]

Correct.

I'm going to leave this thread now, because I could talk for days about communism and capitalism, the pros and cons of both, and how I believe neither is really benificial to the masses.