It’s a rant, I wrote it because it bugged me.

The New York Times has an interesting article entitled “Canada’s Prophets of Pessimism (Is It the Weather?)“. In which the author is asking: Where is Canada? Where will it go?

In a newly published updated edition of his classic “Right Honorable Men,” about Canada’s leaders through history, Mr. Bliss wonders about the recent “decline in quality” of the nation’s leadership. “A logjam developed in the river of Canadian political history,” he wrote. “Where are the visionaries?”

Canada may still have a glowing reputation as a sensible country that promotes peace and social justice abroad, and it is a pioneer in decriminalizing drugs and allowing same-sex marriage. But, they groan, the bold foreign aid programs of the past have been much reduced.

It once built great railroads, conquered the Arctic and had the world’s fourth largest armed forces at the end of World War II, pioneering peacekeeping in distant trouble spots. But today, they argue, Canada outfits its peacekeepers with 40-year-old helicopters and decrepit jeeps akin to dune buggies.

Very interesting read, especially if you look for an alternative to the US.