" (Dabrowski, 1).
The federal government is not alone in the abuse of the power of the state. Provincial government employees have wages that are 9.1% higher than those for equivalent positions in the private sector (Dabrowski, 2). Additionally, when benefits are examined, an average of 14.5% difference between public and private sectors in the provincial government for equivalent positions is realized. Because of the obvious benefits of working for the government over a privately owned corporation, it is inevitable that more employees will flock to federal positions. As a result, in the near future Canadians may suffer a shortage of skilled employees in the private sector, meaning less money for taxpayers, and less tax money to shell out to the federal employees.
Secondly, one of the hallmarks of Canada is its established free health care system. Unlike in other industrialized nations, where health services must be paid for by the patient, in Canada all medical costs are subsidized through the health care system. As a result, Canadians are among the healthiest on the earth (Blackwell, 1). Due to recent government cutbacks, which resulted in many hospitals shutting down, there is a doctor shortage which threatens the stability of the system. The budget cuts were enacted to reduce the massive debt which the state accrued over the last few decades (once the Canadian dollar fell below the US dollar). Canada spent 9.7% of its Gross Domestic Product in 2001 on health care, placing it forth on the list of 29 OECD countries (Blackwell, 2). Yet, despite Canada's high ranking, Canada had just 2.1 doctors per 1000 people in the year 2000; placing Canada at number 23 on the OECD list. Additionally, Canada had 3.2 acute-care hospital beds per 1000 people in 2000; a value below the average of four for the OECD (Blackwell, 2). These shortcomings can be readily overcome, however, with renewed government funding into areas like recruiting/training doctors and purchasing new equipment for hospitals.
