WhatFinger


2011 Index of Economic Freedom

A Free and Fair Canada



I’m proud of the fact that Canada is a country known for freedom and fairness. In fact, the Heritage Foundation’s recently released 2011 Index of Economic Freedom ranks Canada sixth in the world in economic freedom, behind only Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

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That being the case, I want to increase that freedom (why not shoot for number 1, right?) by repeating the call made last July by the editorial board at the National Post for an end to Affirmative Action in Canada. I agree with Cabinet Minster Jason Kinney, who said, “I strongly agree with the objective of creating a public service that reflects the diversity of Canada, and with fair measures designed to reach that goal. But we must ensure that all Canadians have an equal opportunity to work for their government based on merit, regardless of race or ethnicity.” The proponents of Affirmative Action argue that it is required to “level the playing field” for those who have suffered past discrimination in this country. But the reality is, in today’s Canada and elsewhere, Affirmative Action creates discrimination. An article I read in the New York Times recently regarding a father and his two sons in the U.S. illustrates this point. The article was titled, “Seeking Ancestry, and Privilege, In DNA Ties Uncovered by Tests.” The article, written by Amy Harmon, opens by telling the story of a father of adopted twin sons. The father and the boys are Caucasian; however, as Harmon tells it, “when it came time for them to apply to college last year, [the father] thought it might be worth investigating the origins of their slightly tan-tinted skin, with a new DNA kit that he had heard could determine an individual’s genetic ancestry.” You may be asking yourself, “What does applying to college have to do with DNA and genetic ancestry?” According to the father, “Naturally when you’re applying to college you’re looking at how your genetic status might help you. . . You can bet that any advantage we can take we will.” So this father wasn’t trying to help his sons get into the best college by studying harder, thereby doing better in their school work or on their college entrance exams. He decided the best way to help would be to take advantage of their “genetic status.” The idea is that if these boys had enough “minority” DNA, they could use current Affirmative Action programs to help them either get into better colleges or get more funding for the colleges of their choice. In other words, this father was hoping that he could find his sons some advantage based on their race. Isn’t that exactly the problem that Affirmative Action was supposed to fight? And that’s the biggest problem with Affirmative Action. It says to society that what matters most is a person’s gender, ethnic status, disability status, or status as an Aboriginal person, when what should matter most is the person’s experience, training, overall abilities, and work ethic. Instead of making society color- and gender-blind, Affirmative Action programs force us to focus specifically at those things. The National Post said it best last July: “The bottom line is, social engineering of the workforce is not only wrong in principle, but makes no sense in practice. Individuals should succeed on merit, regardless of sex, race or other characteristics.” Canada should rank first in the world in economic freedom, and should be the world-wide leader in encouraging color- and gender-blindness and the encouragement of success through hard work and ability. We should avoid outdated, politically-correct, unworkable schemes like current Affirmative Action programs. As the National Post said last July, “Kudos to the government for…reviewing these discriminatory regulations. Let’s hope they take the necessary next step, and put an end to them.”


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Mike Jensen -- Bio and Archives

Mike Jensen is a freelance writer living in Colorado.  He received his M.A. in Professional Writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he wrote his first book, Alaska’s Wilderness Highway.  He has since published Skier’s Guide to Utah along with humor, travel, and political articles for various magazines and newspapers.  He is married with five sons, and spends his free time at a remote cabin in the Colorado Rockies.


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