When it comes to international respect, Canada tops the list. An international survey ranks environmental, political and economic factors and puts Canada at No. 1 for a fourth year.
The Reputation Institute surveys 48,000 people in G-8 countries, asking them to rank countries in different categories. Canada topped the list from 2011 to 2013 but fell to second place last year. This year we are back on top thanks to our “effective government” and “welcoming people.”
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Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia rounded out the top five. The U.S. was ranked 22nd out of 55 nations. Fernando Prado from the Reputation Institute says that Canada does lag behind in contribution to global culture and a perceived lack of brand names and companies.
I would gladly trade consumer culture for the amazing things our country has to offer — stable government, strong banks, beautiful landscapes, a social safety net, tolerance and diversity, health care and people polite enough to not brag constantly about how great we have it here.
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The Reputation Institute creates a separate list that ranks how citizens perceive their own country. Australia came out on top of that list, with Canada in second place. Russian citizens put their country third on the reputation list, but they actually ranked 52 out of 55 countries, giving them the largest gap in perception. The U.S., China and India also had large gaps between how they see themselves and how others see them.
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Well done, Canada! We are confident, helpful and not too boastful. Let’s celebrate with a two-four, eh?
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