Top 10 List | Top Ten Lists

Why is Canada considered the best governed country in the world by David Frume? It’s simple, here are 10 reasons to help you become satisfied.

Reason #1:

Canada has been moving at a perfect pace. Even with the 2012 budget, Canada seems to continue its success in beating the recession. It balances the budget within the next 3 years and includes no tax increases. Federal government is also restraining its spending; however, outlays will still rise from $272.9 billion this year to $296.6 billion in 2015-2016.

Reason #2:

Its economic policies are less dramatic, especially in comparison to the Eurozone and the United States. This can help support growth and boost revenues.

Reason #3:

Harper has also achieved something not many politicians could or would be able to do. He responded to the economic crisis by supplying just enough fiscal stimuli. One miscalculating could cause a debt crisis.

Reason #4:

The residual power does not lie with the provincial government, like Americans have with states. The federal government has the residue of authority not prescribed in the Dominion. This is one great lesson that Canadians learned and perfected, given the Civil War between 1861-1865 in the United States.

Reason #5:

There is no fixed period for general elections in Canada. Elections can be held at any time the government wishes. However, there is a limit of five years that the Canadian federal Parliament and the provincial legislatures can run for. If the government has lost the confidence of its country, it also needs to run an election.

This means that if Canadians do not like the leader, they can change him/her. In the US, you have to wait up to 4 years to get rid of the leader.

Reason #6:

There are less crimes in Canada. In fact, compared to the United States, it is a saint. CNN reported that 25% of the world’s prison population resides in the US.

Statistics Canada reported in 2009 that there were less crimes committed today than they were committed in the 1970s. For example, when you compare the crimes between 2007 and 2008, you would get a total of 77,000 fewer crimes. This however creates more fear and skepticism amongst the populace.

Reason #7:

Multiparty system. There are more than two choices on the ballet. The populace has more of a smorgasbord of options compared to other countries like US. US has never seen any other politician get elected from other parties other than Republican and Democratic.

Reason #8:

The Canadian health care may not be perfect, but at least Canadians can say that their health care system is universal. It is also accessible to all. That means that no one can be rejected by the system if they reside in Canada.

Reason #9:

New April 2012 polls show Canadian corporations withstanding the trying times in the global economy. CIBC stated that firms are now in a stronger position, more so now than they were before. Low debt and cash on hand are just some characteristics to describe corporations in Canada.

Reason #10:

NO DEBT Ceiling. I cannot say the same for USA. I had to put it in.

Canada has abolished the death penalty. The history of capital punishment dates back to 1749. In the next 227 years, 1481 people were sentenced to death and 710 were executed. The only method was through hanging. The last execution was on December 11, 1962 at the Toronto Don Jail. Controversy has arisen as to whether death penalty should be brought back. Let’s look at cases that one should consider for death penalty.

1. Paul Bernardo:

Paul Bernardo was in 1995 for kidnapping, raping and murdering 2 teenagers, Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy. He committed these crimes with his then wife, Karla Homolka. Homolka, although not innocent, portrayed herself as a victim at the hands of a murderous monster. He was also charged for the death of Homolka’s sister, Tammy, who they drugged and raped. Homolka did most of the work, serving Tammy to Bernardo as a sex gift. His crimes were not secluded to these incidents. Bernardo had a colorful past as a Scarborough rapist. Many women have come forward accusing Bernardo of assault and rape as well.

Bernardo was sadistic, narcissistic and a failed rapper. He refers himself as “the King” and is now spending the rest of his life in Kingston Penitentiary. His obsession with taking the virginity of girls was cruel and beyond atrocious. He should thus be served with a death penalty.

2. Kelly Virk:

Many killers show little or no remorse after the crime they commit. They only realize the extent of their actions once the trial begins. Kelly Virk, who was convicted of second degree murder of Reena Virk, showed no remorse in her trial. She held the head of Virk submerged in the water until the victim was lifeless and not moving.

3. Robert Pickton:

Justice has failed to prevail when it comes to bringing this sadistic pig farmer to trial. In March of 1997, a woman escaped an attack by Pickton, by stabbing him in self-dense. Both ended up in the hospital and Pickton was charged with attempted murder, but was released due to incredible witness. This was despite the fact that the evidence was plentiful, including handcuffs on the woman and a key that fit in Pickton’s hand.

By 1997, a number of women, specifically prostitutes and drug users, had gone missing. Justice was not served until February of 2002 when Pickton was arrested and charged on 2 counts of first degree murder. Soon 4 other charges were laid in the deaths of 4 other prostitutes. But the list kept getting bigger. By September of 2002, Pickton was charged with the deaths of 15 women, which now may total at over 30.

Most of the evidence was excavated. However, it is hard to identify the bodies due to severe discomposure amongst other factors. Pickton reportedly also fed the decomposed bodies to the pigs as a way to get rid of the evidence.

He is now serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

4. Russell Williams:

This former commander of Canadian Forces Base Trenton pleaded guilty in 2010 to 88 charges against him, including 2 counts of first degree murder. Pictures recently surfaced of Col. Williams wearing women’s lingerie. His sexual obsession led him to commit crimes of sexual assault and murder. In one assault case, the victim woke up feeling someone holding her head. Williams continued to strike her over the head and bind her with a blanket. After undressing her, he took photographs of her naked.

5. Michael Rafferty:

Michael Rafferty is as much to blame for the death of Tori Stafford’s death as Terri Lynn McClintock. Although he did not put the final blow, he is not an innocent party in the whole mess that ensued in April of 2009. If it is proven that he did in fact rape the girl, and helped kidnap and hold her against her wishes, Rafferty should get the death penalty. Just because he did not commit the fatal crime, he is as guilty for being an accomplice and for not taking appropriate action.

Sheila Copps is 1 of 4 candidates, running for the role of President of the Liberal Party. Many Liberals believe she is the hope of the party, who can spark interest, rebuild internal operations and entice new members. I think she would have the opposite effect for the following 10 reasons. This is despite the fact that she has the energy and the experience.

1. Back to the future:

Many critics of Copps believe she represents the back-to-the-future for the party and that she is just a pawn who is working for Bob Rae and his candidacy for leader of the Liberal Party.

2. Past:

Copps is someone who has a long history with the liberal party. As Jim Karygiannis stated, she is not a new face. She furthermore was involved in scandals which led her to lose her job. In order for the party to move forward and rebuild, they need to distance themselves from the past. This means distancing from Sheila Copps.

3. Unliked:

She is not liked by her peers and co-workers. During her political career she was heckled by the PC Party of Canada in parliament. MP John Crosby was one quoted as saying, “Just quiet down, baby” in response to a question in 1985. Her feud with Crosby was ongoing, leading many to view her as a woman of scandal.

4. Canadian nationalism:

This too created a bad image for Copps which may not work to her favour in reviving the Liberal Party. She had largely unsuccessful campaigns in 1990 which sought to keep American magazines from running “split-run” Canadian editions. She gave 10,000s of Canadian Flags to show her support for Canadian Nationalism, which cost tax payers, $45/flag. Necessary?

5. Fired:

She lost her job as Deputy Minister in the 1997 election. She never gained strength after that. This was a damaging move to her career.

Canada has the oldest companies that are still running almost 400 years later. Many of their priorities have changed, but are still operated under the same name.

1. Hudson Bay Company:

Date: 1670

Description: This is the oldest commercial business in North America, still running. We see many department stores around Canada, which are run in the same name: The Bay. The corporation was initially set up to trade fur in a cost effective way by setting up a trading post on the Hudson Bay.

2. Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph:

Date: 1764

Description: This is the oldest newspaper in North America. It is a bilingual paper written in French and English. As of 2008, the newspaper can be viewed on Google Archives.

3. Montreal Gazette:

Date: 1778

Description: It began in 1778 as a French Newspaper in Montreal. It eventually evolved into a dual language (French and English newspaper) and is presently written in English only. It is more popularly known as The Gazette.

4. Molson:

Date: 1786

Description: Those who love beer know what Molson is famous for. Molson is the division of the 5th largest brewing company in the world: the Molson Coors Brewing Company. It still makes beer in the original location in Montreal.

5. Bank of Montreal:

Date: 1817

Description: This is one of the largest and is the oldest bank in Canada. The bank now has more than 900 locations and is ranked 4th in terms of its deposits.

A great Prime Minister is a leader and not a follower. He/She makes decisions which the citizens and demo follow. They are also open to the public and make every effort to improve Quality of Life. The following 10 Prime Ministers of Canada have done the exact opposite.

1. Stephen Harper:

When his government was in crisis, he ran away. Stephen Harper does not make decisions quite well and runs away when problems are knocking on his door. He asked the Governor General to suspend parliament because he was almost ousted by a coalition government. If Harper was an excellent leader, he would have fought with all his might to stand up to the bullies.

2. William Lyon Mackenzie King:

This name is synonymous with “None is too Many” which was said by Frederick Charles Blair. When European Jews arrived at Canada’s doorstep, he refused them. He went to visit Hitler and specified that the latter could do no harm. This country has the worst record for accepting Jews when in need. It accepted only 4000 Jews between 1939 and 1945.

3. Jean Chrétien

This name is synonymous with balancing the books. He eliminated social programs and sought to cut welfare and unemployment payments to families. If you quit or get fired for just purposes, you can no longer receive unemployment insurance. You receive employment insurance instead. When Canadians hired him to get rid of GST, he did the exact opposite: he kept it. The gap between the rich and the poor has gotten bigger.

4. Paul Martin:

Although he was quite decisive during his years as Minister of Finance, he was the exact opposite while Prime Minister. His 2.5 years in power were mired in scandals over the Sponsorship Scandal. It is still not certain how much money was used by Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien for advertisement and sponsorship campaigns. Who wants a Prime Minister who keeps secret? No one!

5. Brian Mulroney:

We cannot forget this individual. He could not do his job properly. He tried to introduce an agenda (FTA agreement) not voted for by the people. He had no control over the policies and reduced his party to 2 seats in parliament. There are allegations that he and a man named Schreiber exchanged money for favors. Crook is one word to describe Mr. Taxman (oops I meant Mr. Mulroney).

Estate Litigation is the process of getting rid of all assets and property. The following top 10 estate and civil litigation lawyers will help set up a will and a trust for your estates. They will also walk you through the process of appointing an executor of the will and the estate and a power of attorney. If you have not done any of the following, your assets may end up in the wrong hands when you pass away.

1. Socken Law:

Allan H. Socken is the most trusted lawyer in Toronto when it comes to estate, trust, capacity and real estate issues. He has written extensively on topics relating to estate mediation and the process of resolving estate mediation issues. In addition to being a valuable lawyer, Allan Socken is an adjunct professor with the Osgoode Hall Law School.

2. Campbell Lea Barristers & Solicitors:

As an independent law firm in Charlottetown, PEI, Campbell Lea Barristers & Solicitors has been practicing law for more than a century. They employ a number of lawyers who specialize in estate planning and the administration of estates. They will help assign power of attorney, and will create wills and trusts in a cost effective manner.

3. Hull & Hull LLP:

Hull & Hull LLP provides expertise in matters relating to estate litigation and trusts. Located in Toronto, they have been a practicing law firm since 1957. They presently have four certified specialists in Estates and Trusts Law and two certified specialists in Civil Litigation working for them.

4. Kalman Samuels, Q.C. & Associates:

Kalman Samuels, Q.C. & Associates is a law firm based in Montreal, Quebec. There are currently 5 lawyers working in the firm, including Kalman Samuels, who has been practicing since 1957. They provide expertise knowledge in Estate accession, Montreal Family Law, International Family Law and Personal Rights/Elder Law.

5. Steele Urquhart:

Steele Urquhart specializes in estate litigation in the Vancouver, B.C. area. The lawyers also have extensive knowledge about arbitration, mediation and alternative dispute resolution.

Many Canadians have expatriated to the United States and Europe. Many people are not aware of their inspirations and early life stories. Here are top 10 Canadian Born Celebrities, Canadians are proud to claim as theirs.

1. Celine Dion (Singer):

Born in Quebec, Celine Dion tops the list of Canadians. She is famous for her Titanic soundtrack song “My Heart Will Go On.” She has a stunning voice and a stunning look which people adore.

2. Keanu Reeves (Actor):

Although Reeves was born on September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, he moved around a lot. He lived in New York, Australia and in Toronto for quite some time. He mostly grew up in Toronto where he attended 4 high schools, including the Etobicoke School of Arts.

3. Pamela Anderson (Actress/Model):

Many titles suit Anderson. She is most famous for her role as CJ on the TV show Baywatch. Additionally, she is known for her scandalous and trivial relationships with Tommy Lee and Kid Rock. Many, however, forget that she is Canadian and was born in British Columbia. She struck fame during a BC Lions game.

4. Bryan Adams (Singer):

Inspired by the Beatles, Bryan Adams is one of the best singers Canadians should be proud of. He has had numerous successes and won multiple Grammy Awards. He successfully did duets with Celine Dion (another Canadian), Barbara Streisand and Tina Turner.

5. Jim Carrey (Actor):

Born in Newmarket, Ontario, Jim Carrey is one of thing Canadians are proud to have born and bred. When young, Carrey moved to Scarborough, Ontario where he attended Agincourt Collegiate Institute and Northview Heights Secondary School. He proudly talks about his Canadian background, especially in his early stand-up comedy appearances. You can view the clips on Youtube.

Many Canadians are exemplary 21st century political scientists. The scholars on this top 10 list have revolutionized literature and have paved the way for greater debates. Many of them are visiting scholars in universities around the world and are recognized as the best in the fields.  As such here are the top 10 21^st Century political science scholars in Canada.

1. Michael Ignatieff:

Many remember might remember Ignatieff as the former leader of the Liberal Party, the former opposition party of Canada. His poor judgment and leadership skills led to the ultimate downfall of the party in the May 2011 election.

Before he was a politician, he was a scholar, writer and professor who worked in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. He immensely wrote in the field of International Relations on the topic of nation building, peacekeeping and the international responsibilities of Western nations. After leaving politics in 2011, Ignatieff took on a teaching position at University of Toronto where he will continue to build on his scholarly writings.

2. Robert W. Cox:

A former political science professor and United Nations officer, Robert W. Cox is another 20^th and 21^st century political science scholar in Canada. He has changed and paved way for an innovative critical Political Economy thought. Many scholars like Stephen Gill were influenced by Cox and are continuing Cox`s work and tradition. He is most famous for what is now labeled as Neo-Gramscian Thought. Here he focuses on a critical analysis of IR as opposed to a problem solving one.

3. Leo Panitch:

Dr. Leo Panitch has been teaching at York University for the past 27 years. He is a Marxist scholar who typically uses imperialist thought to describe United States actions in 21^st Century. He is currently an editor at Socialist Register, which provides free articles for everyone to read. Although Marxist, he does challenge Karl Marx`s interpretation of trade unions helping people to become class conscious in the capitalist world. He believes trade unions are compatible with capitalism.

4. Shannon Bell:

If you thought political theory is boring and too classic, you need to immerse yourself in Shannon Bell`s literature. She has been a political science professor at York University since 1995. Since becoming a professor and obtaining her PhD she has revolutionized post-modern political theory in Canada. Her publications include: Writing and Rewriting the Prostitute Body, Whore Carnival and Bad Attitude/s on Trial. Furthermore, her courses on cyberspace politics and Post Identity politics are popular amongst students and are easily filled.

In her recently published book, Fast Feminism, she adds a personal touch to the major feminist political theory assumptions. She focuses on the hyper masculinity of feminist by combining traditional feminist theories with that of speed politics and the work of Paul Varilio.

Graduate students at York University are lucky to have such a scholar as their mentor.

5. Gad Horowitz:

This political scholar in Canada has led us to understand why Canada is more conservative than United States and why the country is more tolerant of Socialism. Unlike the United States, Canada is a compact of British and French influences. Many conservative loyalists moved from the United States to Canada during the American Revolution. They helped shape collectivist policies which Dr. Horowitz defines as being part of Canada since its inception. Socialism, for him, came out of Conservatism and is also collective. This is all explained in his theory of Red Tory.

Dr. Horowitz is a professor at University of Toronto where he teaches Canadian Politics and Political Theory.

Canada tends to get overshadowed by its mighty next door neighbour, but it has a unique charm of it’s own and there are many places worth a visit in this very large and gorgeous country. It has some of the world’s most beautiful scenic vistas and many splendid beaches. The cities all have a charm of their own and you can spend many days travelling in this vast country.

1. Prince Edward’s Island:

A relaxed day doing nothing or a day at the beach or day walking around admiring the unusual red coloured cliffs, Prince Edward Island has all this and much more. The Prince Edward Island National Park stretches over 40 miles and has many scenic areas to wander through and enjoy

2. Vancouver:

Vancouver is the city which has something for everyone. You can enjoy the graceful beauty of this city, you can go whale-watching along the coast or you can go skiing up at Whistlers. If you are more of a city person then enjoy the excellent night-life and some of the superb eating places in Canada’s most vibrant city.

3. Niagara Falls:

No matter which side you look at them from, Niagara Falls is a sight to behold. From the Canadian side you get an excellent view from the Queen Victoria Park, and from the observation deck of the Skylon Towers. It is easily one of the most spectacular sights in the world. If you are visiting make sure you book your hotels accommodations online so you can take advantage of Niagara Falls best hotels.

4. Quebec City:

With a theatre and a museum in every corner, visiting Quebec City is like visiting France in North America. A very unique city, it is one of the last walled cities in the world. Old Quebec City has some beautiful Renaissance architecture and the mingling of various cultures is very evident in the food and language and ambience of this lovely city.

5. Banff:

A small little town, Banff is one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations. It is so popular that often it seems very crowded. You are assured of wildlife sightings in the mountains nearby and of excellent scenic sightings also. Spend some time enjoying the natural beauty this small town has been endowed with.