The vibe I get too often in Canada is services (public and private) exist to employ workers, not to provide services, and it's pervasive. As as service consumer you are expected to enthusiastically go along with this cost on your existence, and the scary thing is most people do. This leads to the problem that no matter how much money you would throw at getting something done you will only be able to get what someone else wants to do, regardless of what you are paying for.