On this day in 1997, Canada was on top of the world. Or at least, on top of the United Nations' annual ranking of the best places to live in the world.
CTV News archival footage captured a proud moment for Canada on June 12, 1997, as then-National News anchor Lloyd Robertson hailed the UN ranking as a “report card to be proud of.”
“It’s not quite straight As but Canada is still at the head of the class,” Robertson said. “In fact, it’s No. 1 in the world.”
Canada beat out France, Norway, the United States and Iceland for top spot on the UN human development list, which ranks countries based on a variety of factors linked to quality of life.
It was the fourth straight year Canada topped the list.
Canada earned top marks in the life expectancy, health, education and income categories, which helped propel the country’s overall Human Development Index score to No. 1 in the world.
“However, Canada didn’t do so well in an area called ‘female empowerment,’” Robertson said. “It placed sixth in a measure of women’s participation in social and political decision-making.”
Canada also lost marks for income inequality and poverty rates, as well as high unemployment and child mortality rates among Inuit and First Nations peoples.
Canada remained at the top of the UN rankings until 2001, when Norway and Australia bumped it down to third spot.
The country has tumbled down the rankings in the decade-and-a-half since, and sat in the eighth spot overall on the 2014 list. Norway is the current No. 1, with Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United States, Germany and New Zealand all ahead of Canada in the rankings.
Canada saw a major decline in its gender equality rankings from 1997 to 2014, as the country fell from sixth in the female empowerment category all the way to 23rd on the most recent list. The gap between male and female quality of life also widened considerably over that time. Canada was tops in the world in that category in 1997, but ranked 24th in the most recent list.
