Being a proud Canadian comes from my recognition of our past accomplishments as a nation to where we stand today.

It is when I look to our nation's future that my faith weakens. Our country is in dire need of bold new policies and direction if we want to be relevant participants in the global affairs of the 21st century.

The cause of our malaise cannot solely be blamed on our current federal minority government. Outside of debt reduction, previous Liberal majorities did little to effect major change and offered little real leadership. With new challenges lying ahead, we must demand more from ourselves and our leaders. Short-term gimmick policy must be rejected in favour of strategies of vision and commitment to purpose.

For direction we can look to our two guiding posts -- the United States and Europe. They both offer contrasting views, but both lead to economic prosperity and global relevance.

In the U.S., prosperity is left mainly to the individual, while many Europe countries rely heavily on a system of social welfare. Both have followed different courses in relation to the environment as well. Unfortunately, here in Canada we have employed the weak parts of each of their social policies while rejecting the elements that would lead to increased productivity, global competitiveness and relevance.

In the U.S., the social welfare system in many ways is left to the manipulation of market forces. If you want health care, better get and hold a job that provides health insurance. Want your kids to get a good education? Better get a job that provides an income that allows for you to live in a good area with good schools.

Post-secondary education again is left to market forces, with top-notch schools affordable only to the middle to upper class.

Compared with Canada, the U.S. is more of a class-oriented society, and the American Dream is tied toward working hard in order to obtain a better life. Businesses can hold their employees' feet to the fire because a job in the U.S. holds the key to an individual's economic prosperity.

It is no surprise that this strategy has led the U.S., despite all its current problems, to again be ranked no. 1 by World Economic Forum's Competitiveness Index for 2007-08.

The other road travelled by many other European countries offers a greater emphasis on social welfare.

From health care to all levels of education, the state redistributes income in order to meet the goals that their society has deemed important.

The "job" doesn't hold all the keys to a better life here, but these countries still do well from a productivity standpoint because of their commitment to strong social programs. Their key social program, I believe, is education, because they take things much further than here in Canada. From universal day-care to post-secondary education, options are made available to everyone regardless of income. This investment ensures a highly educated and skilled workforce that is ready to meet the needs of work in the 21st century.

So we as Canadians must decide which road to take. Either way has proven to bear economic fruit.

But our current set of social priorities is mixed up and I believe they are holding us back from reaching our potential. A long-term investment in education is trumped by short- term unabated health-care spending.

Future leaders are opting out of continuing their education because of its economic burden, while others in the system are left unprepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow due to a lack of resources.

Moving ahead will hopefully bring some change, and there are options on the table.

Establishing a two-tier health-care system, universal free day-care, free post-secondary education and training and a coherent, meaningful national environmental policy are some available options. But perhaps with this being the state of Canada lately, we will maintain the status quo through continued provincial bickering and short-term thinking.

Stagnating comes at a price, though.

It looks like Canada will not be returning to sit on the influential United Nations Security Council for 2011-12. Our nation has been a leader on the world stage before and has garnered a strong international reputation for past initiatives.

But we are in a new century now and with that comes new challenges for our country and world to meet. Resting on our previous laurels -- which are getting further in the rear-view mirror and making empty global pronouncements -- is not going to move this country forward.

While we wait, Europe and America are moving ahead. The electoral process in the U.S. is demonstrating that country has an appetite for real change. Europe continues to lead on the environmental file and benefit from its investment in education.

It is time for Canadians to wake from our slumber and be relevant global leaders again.

Doing so will be to our own long-term economic and competitive self interest.

But more importantly, a world with Canada as an influential global player is a better world.

Gregory Cawsey is a member of the Mercury's Community Editorial Board.