I'm ashamed

Canada is advertised as one of the best countries to live in. Health care, stable government, stable and diverse economy, open to immigration, and safe. Those are some undeniable truths about my homeland.

Unfortunately, Canada remains much too passive in regards to mental health, substance abuse, and poverty.

Canadians accept having people with mental illness and substance abuse problems roam the streets while getting themselves and others in all sorts of trouble even though these same people are so disabled they do not have the capacity to get necessary treatment on their own.

Recently, a friend of mine passed away. Alone, drinking being the last and only thing which kept her going is ironically what killed her.

In Canada, a life such as that is seen as fine. Not healthy, and not what most what want for themselves, but since she was quiet, paid her rent, and wasn't a nuisance to others, that was plenty.

In Vancouver alone, thousands live on the street. What do they get? Ignored, either by soulless individuals who consider the homeless lazy, or by the truly ignorant who (choose to not know) by convincing themselves and others that they "don't know what to do".

Thousands more live empty lives, lonely, doing what is expected regardless of how they feel about it. When they express their disenchantment, they get rewarded with criticism of how they are "ungrateful".

Canada is a country of abundance. A country rich in fresh water, beautiful forests, mountains, bordering three oceans. Yet when it comes to people, Canadians settle for their fellow neighbours to basically survive. If they are happy or not, healthy or not is irrelevant. As long as one pays the bills and isn't a nuisance they're a good citizen.

This attitude of simply settling and having no genuine interest in the improvement in the lives of society's people is shameful.