Comments by "" (@shauncameron8390) on "Canada vs. U.S. pricing: Why we often pay more (CBC Marketplace)" video.

  1. That's if they're even still Canadian-owned. At least in Quebec, some of the chains are locally-owned. Jean Coutu, Metro, Super C, Dollarama, etc.
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  2. I didn't know that 8.5% made up the majority. By the way, percentage-wise, there are almost twice as many Canadians without a family doctor.
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  3. But the healthcare isn't much to write home about. And who told you that healthcare was free? It's paid for with high taxes.
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  4. Higher minimum wage, yet is negated by higher living costs. And to top it off, most of Canada is no man's land between Toronto and Vancouver as its cities are too far away from each other.
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  5. LOL. The average Canadian has less disposable income than the average American.
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  6.  @tusk3260  <Meanwhile in Canada the government is giving 2,500 dollars every month (worth about 2k in USD) to everyone who lost their jobs here in Canada no exception... The average american barely makes 1k per month> Which has to be paid back on your next income tax return.
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  7. But America's jobs pay better and have lower living costs.
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  8. But purchasing power is higher in the US.
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  9.  @kelpforest0068  But the US's health care system is better funded, staffed and supplied.
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  10. The US.
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  11. And you certainly cannot expect lower prices when you don't have the population and density to warrant it.
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  12. Nah. Much of it goes toward a bloated bureaucracy that even the most bluest of Blue States wouldn't tolerate.
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  13.  @666dynomax  The prices didn't suck. The selection did. Even Zellers had better selection.
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  14. There's barely any free trade in within Canada as it's much easier to do business with a foreign country than a neighboring province.
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  15.  @uchennanwogu2142  And consistently vote Liberal.
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  16.  @jofloresz  Or Washington.
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  17. That's not saying much. Hardly anyone make minimum wage.
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  18.  @pugfugly1989  Delusional much?
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  19. But Canadians have less disposable income.
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  20. That's due to logistics costs and a damn-near non-existent customer base up North.
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  21.  @frac8220  That and also Australia is an island in a God-forsaken part of the planet. As a result, import and shipping costs.
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  22. Not really. It's because the CAD is weak and Canada just doesn't have a big enough customer base.
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  23. Consumer protection only exist in Quebec, that French-speaking province in Canada.
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  24. We don't have VAT. We have GST (federal) + PST (provincial) and for certain provinces, HST (federal + provincial merged).
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  25. But also have higher living costs than the US. Plus, Canadians have far less purchasing power within Canada.
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  26. But the US has the people and population density to warrant lower prices.
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  27. But Canada's COL is higher, so that $20 000 CAD is not going to do much. Plus, we don't have a national minimum wage.
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  28. Well, they have to pay high taxes to maintain the big government nanny state they so enjoy.
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  29. How many people work minimum wage in Canada?
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  30. How about a smaller customer base and a weak currency?
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  31.  @coopsnz1  But even higher living costs.
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  32. Canadians are passive.
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  33. That's because you have to import everything. Just like Hawaii and Alaska.
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  34. Only in land-size. But population-wise, Canada is about as big as Morocco. The US has the 3rd biggest population in the world.
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  35. How about get a bigger population to tip the economy of scale in its favor?
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  36. But Canadian industry have been gouged by Canadian governments be it federal, provincial or local.
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  37. Universal healthcare is inefficient.
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  38. Or Montreal and Plattsburgh.
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  39.  @LakeNipissing  Depending on province.
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  40. But like Texas, Washington has no State income tax.
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  41. College tuition is subsidized in Canada.
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  42.  @coopsnz1  America taxes the rich. Canada taxes any attempt at getting rich protecting the rich.
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  43. Not exactly.
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  44. No. Our government has done enough damage.
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  45. Plus, Canada is oversized and underpopulated which means higher shipping costs, especially within Canada.
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  46.  @coopsnz1  And social democracy encourages (government-protected) monopolies.
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  47. We don't do HST in Quebec. It's 5% GST and 9.975% QST.
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  48. A social safety net costs a lot of money to maintain.
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  49. No. They offered too little.
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  50. Or Montreal and Plattsburgh.
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  51. Aside from getting annexed, nothing really.
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  52.  @coopsnz1  Nah. Australia's real problem is geography.
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  53.  @coopsnz1  And the elderly.
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  54. That's nothing compared to people in Quebec, the French part of Canada, pay. That plus 5% GST and 9.975% PST.
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  55. Not really. There are far more Americans to sell a product to than Canadians. Plus, the USD goes a lot farther in the US than the CAD does in Canada.
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  56. But few Canadians make minimum wage and the COL is higher nearly across the board.
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  57. Actually a bloated bureaucratic nightmare, but yeah! Still a nightmare.
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  58. That's because Australia is an island in the middle of nowhere.
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  59. Convert it into USD and Canada's wages are just average.
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  60. But the US has more disposable income.
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  61. Except for college only because it is tax-payer sibsidized.
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  62. $85 000 CAD = $60 350 USD. Are you sure about that?
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  63. Because few people work for such and Canadians have less disposable income.
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  64.  @coopsnz1  How are they price-gouging when are paying a fortune just to get the merchandise into the country?
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  65. No. It's because Canada is oversized and underpopulated.
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  66. But the US has a higher average income than Canada.
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  67. Higher prices and less variety. And also many of the Canadian stores are owned by Americans.
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  68. Nah. Try low population + density coupled with a vast land mass, bureaucracy, etc.
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  69.  @jon6309  And yet food is still more expensive in Canada.
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  70.  @Ilovepineapple  But you also have factor in COL and purchasing power.
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  71. I presume you're one of those disgruntled Democrat-voters, right?
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  72.  @coopsnz1  Who knew that social democracy would be expensive to maintain?
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  73. Nope.
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  74. Canada has far fewer people, though.
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  75. But the average American has more disposable income than the average Canadian.
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  76. Free but mediocre with understaffed, underfunded and undersupplied clinics and hospitals to boot.
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  77.  @Shawn_Boyce  Exactly.
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  78. No. It's the geographic and market reality of Canada. Canada is just not big enough to support what the US have. Aside from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, Canada is one big frozen no man's land.
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  79. You mean $1 CAD = .75 USD.
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  80. But few people make minimum wage in Ontario. And $15 CAD = $10.65 USD.
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  81. General consumer goods.
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  82. We don't have national healthcare. Healthcare is controlled by the provinces.
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  83. And market protectionism which namely benefits governments and local business elites.
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  84.  @nickk1406  Mississippi has no jobs.
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  85. The GBP is one only 3 currencies in the world more valuable than the USD.
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  86. But not many people make minimum wage in Canada.
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  87. But Canada makes up for it with minimal access to family doctors or timely procedures and unremarkable job market.
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  88. We don't have free college. Just subsidized tuition.
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  89. Here's another reason: Canada has no free-trade within Canada.
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  90. $15 CAD = $11.40 USD. Canada's minimum wage is really not as high as you think.
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