By any global measure, we should be proud to be Canadian. According to the 2023 U.S. News Best Countries rankings, which measure global performance based on 10 metrics, Canada is the second-best country in the world, behind Switzerland. So we should feel good about ourselves, right?

The truth is that we are reaping the benefits of previous generations’ investments in resources and infrastructure. And everyone who owns a house knows that one must constantly invest in maintenance and renovations in order for it to keep its value. Unfortunately, in recent decades, we haven’t properly maintained our house, and we are starting to see cracks in some of the walls, if not the foundation.