Perhaps I should start this discussion with the question: is Canada “Cool”? And I would answer with “we’re starting to be.” There are a lot of people who would have a knee jerk reaction of “of course we are.” But in reality, we are not.
Yes Canadians have enjoyed an enviable position when travelling internationally, a level of acceptance that few others receive. But that was really living off the laurels of ancestors who fought in the 1st and 2nd world wars. Canada wasn’t cool – it was friendly, polite and dare I say – boring. Tourism numbers reflected it. Canada may have been a “safe” destination, but was certainly not on the top of anyone’s bucket list. Even immigrants came to Canada as a second or third choice behind countries like the USA or Australia. And remember, immigration is the backbone of all our hopes for the future.
International organizations have waffled on stats of Canadian coolness. A decade ago, The Economist, the weekly international affairs and news publication declared Canada "cool." However they reversed that laudatory declaration about 5 months ago.
A poll from social-networking site Badoo in 2011 had some bad news for Canadians: the results say the world ranks us among the least-cool nationalities. The poll asked 30,000 people in 15 countries to name the coolest nationality. Sadly Canada ranked among the least-cool nationalities, ranking fourth on that list behind the Belgians, Poles and Turks.
Not all news is bad, Canada is gaining on the Cool stage
Other statistics, however, are painting a different, more cohesive picture. In fact, it’s a pretty amazing time to be a Canadian. We are the envy of dozens of nations around the world. We've dodged the economic crisis that's rattled most of the world. We’re nice. We’re producing some amazing internationally recognized talent (of course they had to leave Canada to gain that fame). But most importantly, we have a country that is a great place to live.
Better Cities
Canadian cities continually rank as some of the top most livable cities in the world. In the most recent Mercer quality of living survey Canadian cities dominate North America’s top-five list. Ranking fifth globally, Vancouver tops the regional list, followed by Ottawa (14), Toronto (15) and Montreal (23).
Best Place To Do Business?
According to Forbes, Canada is the best country in the world to do business. We have a lower corporate tax rate, excellent infrastructure and a well-educated populace. Truthfully, if we tackled the issue of mass transit, we would do even better.
Social Mobility
According to the Huffington Post, Canada has greater social mobility. If you are born into the poorest 10 per cent, your odds of making it to the richest 10 per cent are considerably better in Canada than in the U.S. In other words, it's easier to realize the American Dream in Canada than it is in the U.S.
And this is having an impact what it means to be Canadian. We have stolen the limelight, projecting confidence that's making headlines globally. Which brings us back to our original question, does winning at the Olympics impact brand Canada and the answer has to be a resounding YES!
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