Leftists in the U.S. loved to point to Canada as a socialist paradise.
The Canadian government was always there to provide healthcare, housing, and food for everyone in Canada, while Republicans in the U.S. were portrayed as evil.
But just as conservatives predicted, Canadians are finding out socialism doesn’t work, and the whole so-called safety net is falling apart.
Canada is dealing with a housing, food, and healthcare crisis
Many of Canada’s social safety nets are meant to help people get access to housing, healthcare, education, and food.
The country spends hundreds of billions of dollars every year on these social programs, which may explain why millions of people move there.
However, many key elements of these social programs are starting to collapse under their own weight.
Canada ranked 13th out of 170 countries for meeting the basic needs of citizens in 2013, according to data from the Social Progress Imperative.
However, the country fell to 39th by 2023, mainly due to a lack of affordable housing.
A 2023 report from Food Banks Canada said, “Looking back 50 years ago, Canada had a relatively robust social safety net.”
Spending cuts in the 1980s and 1990s and a shift to putting more responsibility for social and economic well-being on individuals caused many low-income Canadians to fall behind financially.
The Food Banks Canada report also noted that today, the country is “left with a social safety net that is filled with holes and that allows millions of people in Canada to fall through it.”
To make matters worse, growing numbers of people are flocking to Canada, and the population is now growing faster than China and the rest of the G-7 nations.
Part of the reason the population has grown is due to immigration policies that welcome newcomers to supposedly help with Canada’s falling birth rates.
But issues like high inflation and an ever-growing opioid crisis are starting to take their toll.
Yet, Canada continues to present itself as a proud nation with a strong social support system that celebrates diversity, which has been part of its branding for decades.
Canadian cities reach crisis levels of insecurity
Several issues are affecting the four largest cities in Canada, including unaffordable housing, food insecurity, a drug addiction epidemic, and healthcare problems that include years-long waits to see a doctor.
Toronto has seen some of the biggest effects of the housing crisis thanks to low supply and a major population boom.
This has created a massive increase in rent and home prices, although Toronto is Canada’s financial center.
The number of people sleeping in emergency shelters in Toronto has more than doubled to over 9,000 people a night in 2023, not counting anyone sleeping in parks or on the street.
As for food issues, the Calgary Food Bank served over 33,000 people in December — a 40% increase from the year prior.
While the nation of Canada continues to offer financial incentives to illegal aliens, its residents are suffering as the once-praised social programs are starting to collapse.
Informed American will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
