One of the widely recognized distinctions about being Canadian is modesty. It could, of course, be because we have a great deal to be modest about. Or maybe its because we have a great many bushels to hide our light under.
But now, suddenly, amid economic chaos, misery and despair we can shout huzzah, wave flags, beat drums and strut in an entirely un-Canadian way.
It's our banks.
We are No. 1 bankwise in a world that is fed up with their banks which are swallowing public money and declining to lend any of it out. In fact unless they get another billion or two they may go bankrupt.
Not our modest, gray institutions, happily celebrating regulations, flush with money and probably pink with embarrassment at being labelled the best by world economists. Mind you, it doesn't seem to be doing much for employment but hang on, it may help, and in one section of the economy we need be humble no more.
In a much narrower focus there's Ottawa. Here again the balloons are going up. An urban specialist at the University of Toronto, Richard Florida, has studied and studied and decided we are not that sleepy old town full of civil servants talking civil service talk over one glass of port.
Florida says Ottawa has the highest percentage of creative class workers in all of Canada and one of the highest percentages in the world. Forty-three percent of Ottawa's work force is in creative occupations, more than in New York , London or San Francisco.
So there. Smart talk is in, modesty is out.
Ends
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