Another real difference

Next time anybody makes the claim that Canada is basically the same as the U.S., or worse that the only differences are in areas which reflect poorly on Canada, point that person toward this article (via My Blahg News):

New economic research is putting the boots to the long-cherished American notion that any child, regardless of parenthood and class, can rise to the top in the United States by dint of hard work and ambition...

Among rich countries studied, Corak said, Canada ranked with Denmark, Norway and Finland at the top of the pack in terms of intergenerational mobility. The U.S., the United Kingdom and France are the least mobile...

The good news story about Canada's standing has been buried by the more surprising findings vis-a-vis the U.S., Americans are more likely than they were three decades ago to end up in the class into which they were born.

There are warning signs here as well, particularly the lower standard of living enjoyed by recent immigrant families...but the starting point is something that we can already be proud of, and there's ample room to build even from our current leading position.