hi Paul,

yes, I think that Canada is a great country.
unfortunately, the way things are going, 2008 won't be the year of my visit   :-(((

but then again, nobody knows... miracles often happen when we stop expecting them and surrender...

your explanations of RRSP are easy to understand, thank you,
but who is managing/holding the RRSP funds? is it the government?

in Switzerland we have a system of 3 pillars:
- old age retirement fund which is funded by employer and employees (a certain percentage of the salary, tax deductible), managed by the government.
- pension fund of the employer (a certain percentage of the salary, tax deductible), managed by insurance company picked by employer. 
- private pension fund, managed by insurance companies or banks of your choice, tax deductible upto a certain amount depending on whether you are employed of selfemployed, but no carryforwards to next year.
in addition to the above most people have a personal life insurance (tax deductible upto a certain amount).

of course the above is extremely synthesized and actually much more complicated...

so what do Canada and Switzerland have in common?
- strong and solid democracy, multicultural, hardworking people with sense of responsibility and quality, proud of their country, good eduction and healthcare, a great landscape and freedom.

have a wonderful day.

gerdon