Society

For six years in a row - 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 - Canada has ranked first in the world on the United Nations HumanDevelopment Index. Canadians scored high on the key factors of life expectancy, which is significantly affected by environmental quality,and average income, which for one-third of our population comes from environment-related activities.

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Canada ranked third in the world in the 2001 EnvironmentalSustainability Index (ESI) study, a measure of overall progress towards environmental sustainability, developed for 122 countries. In arecent KPMG business study, Competitive Alternatives: Comparing Business Costs in North America, Europe and Japan, Canada was rankedfirst as the leading cost-competitive industrial country. Canada ranks sixth in the world in standard of living when measured accordingto gross domestic product per capita, behind only the United States, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany and Japan. Canada's rank amongnations tends to rise even higher in assessments that consider gross domestic product per capita along with other factors (e.g., lifeexpectancy, education) that contribute to the overall quality of life.

Basic health care, with the exception of dental services, is free at the point of delivery. Also, in most cases, prescription drugsare dispensed without charge to people over 65 and social aid recipients. Canada also has an extensive social security network, includingan old age pension, a family allowance, unemployment insurance and welfare.

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