A friend posted this following quote to try and make a point.
I don’t understand why pressing 1 for English is an issue but we shall move on.
What he appears to be trying to say is that there are indeed poor people in Canada. (Which unfortunately is very true). He blames this on the donations that Canada makes to other countries, as if to say that if Canada stopped helping other countries and just took care of its own, things would be better. I agree with him to a point on that. Canada should do a better job looking after the poor in its own country (That’s where acts of kindness from average citizens along with the help of the government comes in). Nevertheless, since Canada is one of the richest nations in the world, should not back down on its commitment to helping out the impoverished countries of the world.
The following very long chart displays the GDP per person on average in a given country in a given year. (in order from the most wealthy to the least.) Afterward, you will be able to read to my closing point.
| Rank | Country | GDP – per capita (PPP) (US$) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar | 179,000 |  |
| 2 | Liechtenstein | 141,100 | |
| 3 | Luxembourg | 82,600 | |
| 4 | Bermuda | 69,900 | |
| 5 | Singapore | 62,100 | |
| 6 | Jersey | 57,000 | |
| 7 | Norway | 54,600 | |
| 8 | Brunei | 51,600 | |
| 9 | United Arab Emirates | 49,600 | |
| 10 | Kuwait | 48,900 | |
| 11 | United States | 47,200 | |
| 12 | Andorra | 46,700 | |
| 13 | Hong Kong | 45,900 | |
| 14 | Guernsey | 44,600 | |
| 15 | Cayman Islands | 43,800 | |
| 16 | Gibraltar | 43,000 | |
| 17 | Switzerland | 42,600 | |
| 18 | Australia | 41,000 | |
| 19 | Austria | 40,400 | |
| 20 | Bahrain | 40,300 | |
| 21 | Netherlands | 40,300 | |
| 22 | Canada | 39,400 | |
| 23 | Sweden | 39,100 | |
| 24 | British Virgin Islands | 38,500 | |
| 25 | Iceland | 38,300 | |
| 26 | Belgium | 37,800 | |
| 27 | Ireland | 37,300 | |
| 28 | Equatorial Guinea | 36,600 | |
| 29 | Denmark | 36,600 | |
| 30 | Greenland | 36,500 | |
| 31 | San Marino | 36,200 | |
| 32 | Taiwan | 35,700 | |
| 33 | Germany | 35,700 | |
| 34 | Finland | 35,400 | |
| 35 | Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | 35,400 | |
| 36 | Isle of Man | 35,000 | |
| 37 | United Kingdom | 34,800 | |
| 38 | Japan | 34,000 | |
| 39 | France | 33,100 | |
| 40 | Macau | 33,000 | |
| 41 | Faroe Islands | 32,900 | |
| 42 | Italy | 30,500 | |
| 43 | Monaco | 30,000 | |
| 44 | Korea, South | 30,000 | |
| 45 | Israel | 29,800 | |
| 46 | Greece | 29,600 | |
| 47 | Spain | 29,400 | |
| 48 | Bahamas, The | 28,700 | |
| 49 | Slovenia | 28,200 | |
| 50 | New Zealand | 27,700 | |
| 51 | Czech Republic | 25,600 | |
| 52 | Malta | 25,600 | |
| 53 | Oman | 25,600 | |
| 54 | Saudi Arabia | 24,200 | |
| 55 | Seychelles | 23,200 | |
| 56 | Portugal | 23,000 | |
| 57 | Slovakia | 22,000 | |
| 58 | Barbados | 21,800 | |
| 59 | Aruba | 21,800 | |
| 60 | Trinidad and Tobago | 21,200 | |
| 61 | Estonia | 19,100 | |
| 62 | Hungary | 18,800 | |
| 63 | Poland | 18,800 | |
| 64 | French Polynesia | 18,000 | |
| 65 | Croatia | 17,400 | |
| 66 | Antigua and Barbuda | 16,400 | |
| 67 | Puerto Rico | 16,300 | |
| 68 | Lithuania | 16,000 | |
| 69 | Russia | 15,900 | |
| 70 | Sint Maarten | 15,400 | |
| 71 | Chile | 15,400 | |
| 72 | Curacao | 15,000 | |
| 73 | New Caledonia | 15,000 | |
| 74 | Guam | 15,000 | |
| 75 | Malaysia | 14,700 | |
| 76 | Latvia | 14,700 | |
| 77 | Argentina | 14,700 | |
| 78 | Gabon | 14,500 | |
| 79 | Virgin Islands | 14,500 | |
| 80 | Lebanon | 14,400 | |
| 81 | Libya | 14,000 | |
| 82 | Mauritius | 14,000 | |
| 83 | Botswana | 14,000 | |
| 84 | Mexico | 13,900 | |
| 85 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 13,700 | |
| 86 | Uruguay | 13,700 | |
| 87 | Belarus | 13,600 | |
| 88 | Bulgaria | 13,500 | |
| 89 | Panama | 13,000 | |
| 90 | Venezuela | 12,700 | |
| 91 | Kazakhstan | 12,700 | |
| 92 | Northern Mariana Islands | 12,500 | |
| 93 | Turkey | 12,300 | |
| 94 | Anguilla | 12,200 | |
| 95 | Romania | 11,600 | |
| 96 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 11,500 | |
| 97 | Costa Rica | 11,300 | |
| 98 | Saint Lucia | 11,200 | |
| 99 | Serbia | 10,900 | |
| 100 | Azerbaijan | 10,900 | |
| 101 | Brazil | 10,800 | |
| 102 | South Africa | 10,700 | |
| 103 | Iran | 10,600 | |
| 104 | Dominica | 10,400 | |
| 105 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 10,300 | |
| 106 | Grenada | 10,200 | |
| 107 | Montenegro | 10,100 | |
| 108 | Cuba | 9,900 | |
| 109 | Colombia | 9,800 | |
| 110 | Macedonia | 9,700 | |
| 111 | Suriname | 9,700 | |
| 112 | Tunisia | 9,400 | |
| 113 | Peru | 9,200 | |
| 114 | Cook Islands | 9,100 | |
| 115 | Dominican Republic | 8,900 | |
| 116 | Thailand | 8,700 | |
| 117 | Belize | 8,400 | |
| 118 | Jamaica | 8,300 | |
| 119 | Angola | 8,200 | |
| 120 | Palau | 8,100 | |
| 121 | American Samoa | 8,000 | |
| 122 | Albania | 8,000 | |
| 123 | Ecuador | 7,800 | |
| 124 | China | 7,600 | |
| 125 | Turkmenistan | 7,500 | |
| 126 | Algeria | 7,300 | |
| 127 | El Salvador | 7,200 | |
| 128 | Guyana | 7,200 | |
| 129 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 7,000 | |
| 130 | Namibia | 6,900 | |
| 131 | Maldives | 6,900 | |
| 132 | Ukraine | 6,700 | |
| 133 | Kosovo | 6,600 | |
| 134 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 6,600 | |
| 135 | Egypt | 6,200 | |
| 136 | Kiribati | 6,200 | |
| 137 | Tonga | 6,100 | |
| 138 | Niue | 5,800 | |
| 139 | Armenia | 5,700 | |
| 140 | Bhutan | 5,500 | |
| 141 | Samoa | 5,500 | |
| 142 | Jordan | 5,400 | |
| 143 | Guatemala | 5,200 | |
| 144 | Paraguay | 5,200 | |
| 145 | Vanuatu | 5,100 | |
| 146 | Nauru | 5,000 | |
| 147 | Sri Lanka | 5,000 | |
| 148 | Georgia | 4,900 | |
| 149 | Morocco | 4,800 | |
| 150 | Bolivia | 4,800 | |
| 151 | Syria | 4,800 | |
| 152 | Swaziland | 4,500 | |
| 153 | Fiji | 4,400 | |
| 154 | Honduras | 4,200 | |
| 155 | Indonesia | 4,200 | |
| 156 | Congo, Republic of the | 4,100 | |
| 157 | Cape Verde | 3,800 | |
| 158 | Iraq | 3,800 | |
| 159 | Wallis and Futuna | 3,800 | |
| 160 | Mongolia | 3,600 | |
| 161 | India | 3,500 | |
| 162 | Philippines | 3,500 | |
| 163 | Tuvalu | 3,400 | |
| 164 | Montserrat | 3,400 | |
| 165 | Uzbekistan | 3,100 | |
| 166 | Vietnam | 3,100 | |
| 167 | Nicaragua | 3,000 | |
| 168 | West Bank | 2,900 | |
| 169 | Solomon Islands | 2,900 | |
| 170 | Djibouti | 2,800 | |
| 171 | Yemen | 2,700 | |
| 172 | East Timor | 2,600 | |
| 173 | Saint Helena | 2,500 | |
| 174 | Nigeria | 2,500 | |
| 175 | Pakistan | 2,500 | |
| 176 | Papua New Guinea | 2,500 | |
| 177 | Marshall Islands | 2,500 | |
| 178 | Western Sahara | 2,500 | |
| 179 | Moldova | 2,500 | |
| 180 | Laos | 2,500 | |
| 181 | Ghana | 2,500 | |
| 182 | Cameroon | 2,300 | |
| 183 | Sudan | 2,300 | |
| 184 | Micronesia, Federated States of | 2,200 | |
| 185 | Kyrgyzstan | 2,200 | |
| 186 | Mauritania | 2,100 | |
| 187 | Cambodia | 2,100 | |
| 188 | Tajikistan | 2,000 | |
| 189 | Senegal | 1,900 | |
| 190 | Gambia, The | 1,900 | |
| 191 | Korea, North | 1,800 | |
| 192 | Cote d’Ivoire | 1,800 | |
| 193 | Sao Tome and Principe | 1,800 | |
| 194 | Lesotho | 1,700 | |
| 195 | Bangladesh | 1,700 | |
| 196 | Chad | 1,600 | |
| 197 | Kenya | 1,600 | |
| 198 | Benin | 1,500 | |
| 199 | Zambia | 1,500 | |
| 200 | Tanzania | 1,400 | |
| 201 | Burma | 1,400 | |
| 202 | Uganda | 1,300 | |
| 203 | Burkina Faso | 1,200 | |
| 204 | Nepal | 1,200 | |
| 205 | Haiti | 1,200 | |
| 206 | Mali | 1,200 | |
| 207 | Guinea-Bissau | 1,100 | |
| 208 | Rwanda | 1,100 | |
| 209 | Tokelau | 1,000 | |
| 210 | Mozambique | 1,000 | |
| 211 | Guinea | 1,000 | |
| 212 | Ethiopia | 1,000 | |
| 213 | Comoros | 1,000 | |
| 214 | Afghanistan | 900 | |
| 215 | Madagascar | 900 | |
| 216 | Togo | 900 | |
| 217 | Sierra Leone | 900 | |
| 218 | Malawi | 800 | |
| 219 | Niger | 700 | |
| 220 | Central African Republic | 700 | |
| 221 | Eritrea | 600 | |
| 222 | Somalia | 600 | |
| 223 | Zimbabwe | 500 | |
| 224 | Liberia | 500 | |
| 225 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 300 | |
| 226 | Burundi | 300 | |
Source: http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?t=0&v=67&l=en
Canada is ranked 22nd out of 226 countries. That leaves 204 countries that are worse off. This is why Canada and other wealthy countries try to contribute or donate to the benefit of other less advantaged countries other than themselves. However more could and should be done if citizens of the world want reach the collective goal of eliminating poverty from the face of the earth…It’s not completely up to governments either. This involves changing the worldview of an entire “Western Culture.”
There needs to be a better “balance of power” between the rich and the poor whether it’s home or abroad (mostly abroad…but also in Canada too). There is enough wealth in the world to keep everyone going no matter what country you’re from…However, at the current time it is distributed rather poorly. (Hence the donations from richer countries to the less well off ones). If the rich countries made a conscious effort to redistribute wealth evenly amongst the less advantaged ones then poverty could be eliminated all over the world…BUT…it takes a step of faith in order to think that way, and to do what is necessary for that to happen.
Related Article: “The 20 : 80 Rule?”
