The general reaction — which basically amounted to, “fine, we’re less competitive, but at least we’re more equal, more humane and more decent” — embodies Canada’s unique strain of economic hubris, which will cement our decline, if we don’t snap out of it. Indeed, Canadians didn’t just wake up one morning to find that “out of nowhere,” we had become poorer that the southern U.S. state. The reality is that we’ve been actively kneecapping ourselves for some time, all while maintaining a smug sense of superiority.