Taking action in support of our vital natural resource sector

Canada once again ranks as one of the most peaceful nations in the world! Placing 11th out of 163 countries on the Institute for Economics and Peace's (IEP) 17th annual Global Peace Index (GPI) 2023, Canada shows why it should be a go-to destination for natural resource investment and development.

Overall, the GPI 2023 found the world became less peaceful for the 13th time in the last 15 years, with the average country score dropping by nearly half a per cent over the past year alone. Meanwhile, Canada recorded a 2.9 per cent increase in peacefulness year-over-year.

Here are the top 25 countries on the GPI 2023. Also see:

• Canada Ranks 10th on Social Progress Index 2022
• Canada Ranks 15th on World Press Freedom Index 2023
• Canada Ranks 16th on Index of Economic Freedom 2023

Top 25 Most Peaceful Countries 2023

#1 – Iceland
#2 – Denmark
#3 – Ireland
#4 – New Zealand
#5 – Austria
#6 – Singapore
#7 – Portugal
#8 – Slovenia
#9 – Japan
#10 – Switzerland
#11 – Canada
#12 – Czechia
#13 – Finland
#14 – Croatia
#15 – Germany
#16 – Netherlands
#17 – Bhutan
#18 – Hungary
#19 – Malaysia
#20 – Belgium
#21 – Qatar
#22 – Australia
#23 – Mauritius
#24 – Norway
#25 – Estonia

Global Peace Index: Methodology

GPI 2023 Rankings - 1-83

The GPI covers 99.7 per cent of the world's population using 23 indicators drawn from highly respected sources, which are categorized into three main areas:

1. Level of Societal Safety and Security

Utilizes six statistical indicators to analyze the extent to which countries are involved in internal and external conflicts, as well as their role and duration of involvement in said conflicts.

2. Extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict

Utilizes eleven indicators to evaluate a nation's harmony or discord level. The assertion is that low crime rates, minimal violent demonstrations and terrorist activity, harmonious relations with nearby countries, a stable political scene and a small proportion of the population being internally displaced or made refugees are equated with peacefulness.

3. Degree of Militarization

Six more indicators determine a country's militarization – reflecting a link to military build-up and access to weapons and its level of peacefulness on a domestic and international stage.

Scores for each indicator are normalized on a scale of 1 to 5. Internal peace indicators are weighted at a total of 60 per cent, while external peace indicators are weighted at a respective 40 per cent. A total score is then formulated for all 163 nations on the GPI from these two sub weights.

Learn more about the Global Peace Index 2023's complex methodology here.

Peace & Sustainable Development

Canada's high ranking on the GPI shows it is a leader on the world stage. It provides insight into its world-class record on environmental and human rights protections, as peace and sustainable development are inextricably linked ^[2].

According to the IEP, peace is a crucial component of sustainable development. A healthy business environment must have favourable social, political and economic conditions to foster sustainable development over time.

Global investors are always carefully observing conditions described in the IEP's Eight Pillars of Positive Peace, which include ^[3]:

• Well-functioning government
• Sound business environment
• Equitable distribution of resources
• Acceptance of the rights of others
• Good relations with neighbours
• Free flow of information
• High levels of human capital
• Low levels of corruption

These pillars correlate to attaining desirable capital-related outcomes in prosperous business environments. Today, more and more investors are looking towards criteria like the Eight Pillars to act as a 'guiding light' on where to put their money.

Peaceful, Reliable Supply Sources

GPI 2023 Rankings - 84-163

Questions remain: Where should investors put their money for the best results? Or, in other words, what are the best sources of supply for the natural resources the world needs?

a. Countries with a low ranking on the GPI that display low levels of social safety and security, high levels of militarization, and high risk of violent internal and external conflicts?

b. Countries that rank high on the GPI with high levels of social safety and security, low levels of militarization, and little risk of violent internal and external conflicts?

Europe's ensuing energy crisis is a prime example of why it matters where you get your natural resources from. The continent's over-reliance on unstable and unreliable autocratic regimes for its oil and natural gas has created significant energy shortages with severe and unintended consequences, which today are still sending shockwaves across global energy markets.

Peaceful, reliable supply sources – countries like Canada – are the better investment choice for the natural resources the world needs today and in the future.

Canada is a "Peaceful" Natural Resource Powerhouse

With growing global demand for everything from food to energy to minerals to wood, it only makes sense that these materials come from the most peaceful, sustainable, reliable and democratic sources -- from places like Canada with world-class protections for human rights and the environment, and a continued commitment to reducing environmental impacts associated with natural resource extraction and production.

Canada, a bastion of global peace and democracy, is the ideal reliable supply source. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Join Us Today

Join us and our hundreds of thousands of followers on social media today for balanced, fact-based, non-partisan and honest discussions on Canada's world-class natural resource sectors!

The world needs more #CanadianMining pic.twitter.com/9ZXnd5eaTX

— Canada Action (@CanadaAction) August 15, 2023

SOURCES:

_{1. Institute for Economics and Peace. (2023). Global Peace Index 2023. Retrieved from https://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GPI-2023-Web.pdf (Date Accessed: August 2023)}

_{2. Advisory Desk for Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Governance (ADECESG). (n.d.). The Link Between Peace and Sustainable Development. Retrieved from https://www.adecesg.com/resources/blog/the-link-between-peace-and-sustainable-development/ (Date Accessed: August 2023)}

_{3. Institute for Economics and Peace. (2017). The Eight Pillars of Positive Peace. Retrieved from https://www.visionofhumanity.org/the-eight-pillars-of-positive-peace/ (Date Accessed: August 2023)}