Our GDP per capital is now at a record 30 per cent below U.S. GDP per capital levels. I wish someone as smart as you would explain this to me.  I always viewed Canadians as just as smart and industrious as Americans. How can our system be that bad compared to the US system? 

 Lots of reasons. 
But a primary one is that Canadian free markets have been almost completely co-opted by the central authorities. 
Centrally-controlled markets are dysfunctional, by definition.