Discover British Columbia : Society (social life)

Education

With the exception of private schools, which are attended by a minority of Canadians, education is generally free until the age of 17. Thereafter, students or their parents must pay for the costs, which vary according to the program of study and the type of school. It is the college that bridges the gap between high school and university. This period normally lasts 2 or 3 years, but because students are free to choose their schedule, it can extend over several years. The phenomenon of dropping out or dropping out of school is not inherent to the fact that many students have to pay for their higher education themselves. For those who must work while continuing their education, money earned at work may seem more rewarding than a university degree. The cost of university education varies by province and has increased in recent years. In British Columbia, the average student pays $6,907 CAD per year and $7,086 CAD in Alberta. According to studies on student lifestyles at university, the cost of education added to the cost of living, the total cost of an academic year for a student is over €16,000. This is not much compared to the United States but much more than our systems in France or Europe. Fortunately, students can benefit from scholarships, as more than 20% of the population in Western Canada has a bachelor's or graduate degree.

Work

Workplace wellness is a key concern for workers and employers in Western Canada. With less formal relationships than in France, work-life balance is respected and citizens are productive at work. More than 60% of the population is employed in Western Canada, and the unemployment rate remains low, with the Canadian unemployment rate at 5.7% in August 2019, continuing the downward trend that began in 2009, when the rate had reached 8.3%. Alberta has an unemployment rate of 9% in 2019, up from 2014. At the same time, British Columbia continues to be among the strongest performers among all Canadian provinces, with a rate of 6.7%. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate among Aboriginal people has doubled, an issue that does not leave the government indifferent, and it is in the process of finding solutions for their more active integration into the workforce. Average incomes are decent, in the order of C$57,459 in British Columbia and C$73,410 in the province of Alberta. The typical day for a Canadian worker is fairly representative of the typical day for a French worker. The middle class works Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., most use public transportation to get to work, and meal breaks are fairly short, between 30 minutes and an hour. Volunteer work is also very popular in the country, and we like to participate, in one way or another, in very simple human causes that are often at our doorstep.

Health and social protection

In Canada, in social matters, the federal government has legislative and financial influence and directly manages certain programs. Other programs are delivered at the provincial (such as health insurance) or municipal level. The majority of these programs are financially supported by the federal government. Canadians also have access to health cards, the equivalent of mutual insurance, which can be applied for at the provincial level. Every citizen has a right to the health care system and the government provides quality infrastructures to ensure that patients are taken care of at any time of the day and at any time of the day. The country has 19 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants, a rather low ratio for a westernised country. As a result, 15% of the Canadian population say they are unable to find a family doctor, a proportion that is even more worrying in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon (64% and 85% of people without a family doctor). Canada's health care system is well established, highly valued by Canadians, and meets a wide range of needs, although understaffing is a problem, as it is in France at present. As you will no doubt notice, there are very few homeless people in Western Canada, who are helped by many programs and cared for so they don't wander outside.

Family and homosexuality

The Canadian government redefined the concept of family during the last mandate of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. In the year 2000, invoking the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Parliament extended the obligations of couples and the benefits available to them to all couples, including same sex couples. This openness was confirmed in June 2005, when the federal government legalized marriage for same-sex couples. In total, 1% of couples are homosexual, with 72,880 individuals forming a same-sex couple in Canada in 2016. Most of these couples live in large cities, which benefit from a large LGBTQ2 community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirited people). Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada for same-sex couples (10% of the country's gay population according to the 2016 census).

Except among gays, who even come from the United States to marry, the institution of marriage is in decline in the country. The birth rate is not very high, and households generally consist of one or two children. Life expectancy is 81.9 years.

Retirement

Canadian citizens or legal residents receive Canada Pension Plan benefits when they reach age 65. The average amount of this old age and retirement pension is $1,154.58 Canadian per month in 2019. There are two main sources of retirement income, including the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS). A modest base to which they add, when they can, a private pension fund in order to increase their retirement income.

Rights and freedoms

Proud of their citizenship, Canadians enjoy their rights and freedoms. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, part of the 1982 Canadian Constitution, protects society and guarantees freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, freedom of Aboriginal peoples, the right to vote, the right to equality. The place of women in Canadian society is comparable to that of most developed countries. While many laws protect them and guarantee gender equality, in reality there is still a long way to go, particularly with regard to women's representation in political bodies, which is still far from parity. Justin Trudeau, in his government, chose as many women ministers as men, including Jody Wilson-Raybould in Justice and Carla Qualtrough in Sports.

Cannabis legalization

On October 17, 2018, Justin Trudeau's government opted for the recreational legalization of cannabis in Canada despite opposition from some provinces and became the second country in the world to legalize the practice after Uruguay. Previously allowed only for health reasons, the sale of cannabis is now accessible to people over the age of majority who can only obtain it in specialized shops, called dispensaries in English. Some areas are, however, prohibited for consumption, including national parks and most public places. Some basic rules of course remain unchanged, including the prohibition on driving under the influence of cannabis.