The Erosion of Public Goods

William Bogart, the author of Good Government? Good Citizens? Courts, Politics and Markets in a Changing Canada, writes of his concern about the future of Canadians:

Good health care, education, a clean environment, and a decent social welfare net do not just happen; they are mostly brought about through deliberate and wise use of public resources. Having those public goods—including at an improved level—is still possible. At the same time, their fate has probably never been more in question.

While things are still good in Canada, the blessings that we take for granted, says Bogart, are showing signs of atrophy because of new elements in our society. To document his case, he provides a brief outline of what he sees as the main forces that created the Canada that we enjoy today, from the American and British and French influences that went into the making of our nation to the collectivist and strong...