Posted by Geoffrey Clarfield
This is who we now are as a nation. This is Gerry Bowler writing in the Epoch Times.
Accepting Mediocrity Has Become a Canadian Habit
If Canada wants to remain competitive on the global stage, it must establish a commitment to excellence
On June 12, 2026, the eyes of the nation were fixed on a stadium in Toronto where Canada met Bosnia in a soccer game; the result was a 1-1 tie. Great was the rejoicing in the tents of Canadian fans of the sport. Never before had Canada gained a point in a World Cup tournament!
In two previous tournaments, we lost all six games we played and only managed to put the ball in the opposing net twice. Clearly a tie with Bosnia was a massive improvement. The CBC reported that it “should be a point of pride for Canada … a huge confidence booster for the co-hosts.”
Colour me unimpressed. Celebrating a tie against a nation of three million ranked 65th in the FIFA rankings seems to be setting the bar at a very low height.
The problem is not soccer. The problem is that lowering the bar has become a habit across Canadian institutions.
Consider the case of recruiting to the Canadian Armed Forces. The military has struggled for years to fill thousands of vacant positions. Our government discovered that, despite the generous provision of tampons in male bathrooms, a life of low pay, substandard housing, and obsolete equipment was not appealing enough. To woo troops, it was deemed necessary to lower standards. Security screening was relaxed, fitness standards lowered, and aptitude tests ditched.
How did that work out?
Well, how did you think that accepting more of the less-qualified would work out? More training resources were wasted on those who were going to fail. Allowing in those with mental health issues required more support downstream. Many recruits lacked the language skills needed to follow orders in either French or English. Some had problems adjusting to Canadian cultural expectations and resisted heeding female officers.
Canadian indifference to excellence is also built into the criteria for Canada Research Chairs and university professorships. Many of these positions now specifically bar healthy, white, heterosexual males from even applying, reserving them for “women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, and persons with disabilities.”
This is regrettable for two reasons. Firstly, it assumes with soft bigotry that professionals from these groups could not compete in an open market and leaves them open forever after to the condescending stigma of the “diversity hire.” Secondly, by cutting the recruiting pool in half, we have dramatically reduced the chances of finding the best-qualified candidate.
Historically, Canadians have been an easy-going people, never demanding much of ourselves. Our Olympic motto has always been “Go for the bronze!” or “It’s an honour just to compete!” Only in hockey do we care about being the best.
In the 21st century, if we don’t want other countries—more ambitious, harder-working, and better educated—to eat our lunch, that has got to change.
Read it all here.
One Response
From the service levels at Government departments right on down to the people who do the City’s road repairs the attitude is one of “couldn’t care less” .
Bring an issue in front of a councillor or MP?
Couldn’t care less unless it’s LGBTQ or minority related.
Here in Vancouver, our Community Centers see maintenance neglected to the point where they haven’t cleaned away last year’s leaves from the gutters, however if somebody graffitis a hate related slogan there’s 10 cop cars there two minutes later.
The standard they have for fixing broken sidewalks is nothing short of pathetic. It reflects the general apathy of the system.
The eco zealots who are entrenched in our Civic bureaucracy have no pride whatsoever in our infrastructure.
For instance, they have turned off the water fountains in our parks in the name of water conservation, when it rained just about every day from October right through ’til May.
Very few of these people care ( although to be fair I’ve had dealings with one or two) and almost nobody has the initiative to get things back to excellence.
The higher up you go, the less response you get and yet these people are on very good salaries.
How come everything is gleaming and spotless in Far Eastern Cities like Kuala Lumpur , Tokyo and Singapore?
It’s because people have pride in their countries and cities and take individual responsibilities for how their country is perceived. This should be part of the educational curriculum.
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country.