Think Canada's the Place to Be? Think Again (A Canadian expat explains)

The Seattle Times ^ | December 12, 2003 | Jennifer Meeks

[quidnunc]

It has been said that Seattle mirrors Canada in its tolerant attitudes, but there is a dark side to this utopia across the border.

My husband and I left Canada six years ago to start a new life in the United States. Tens of thousands of university-educated, middle-class Canadians leave Canada for the U.S. every year. The Canadian government even has a name for us — "The Brain Drain."

Why do we leave?

Taxes – Ever wonder why you see so many rusty cars up north? It's not just because they salt the roads in the wintertime. People can't afford new ones.

Fifty percent of the Canadian paycheck goes to taxes. And, in Ontario, for example, there's a 15-percent tax at the cash register. Think about paying that every time you buy a car, a fridge or clothes. The Canadian middle class has almost been taxed out of existence.

Official bilingualism – This is what most of the taxes pay for.

Learning and speaking another language may seem like fun to most Americans. Forget about that textbook Parisian you learned in high school. My husband speaks French fluently but not by Canadian government standards. He'd be passed over in employment by someone who speaks a government-approved level of French.

Canada is officially bilingual and that means everything must be in French and English. Everything. It's the law.

If you or your company do not comply with regulations then the official language "police" will be at your door. If you want to pursue a career in retail, the police, the post office, government, business and even the military, you must be bilingual.

The U.S. has its issues with African Americans and Canada has its issues with French Canadians. Affirmative action in the name of official bilingualism has resulted in a great deal of conflict.

Employment – If you are English-speaking in Canada, it's difficult to find a job.

Salaries are much lower than in the U.S. When we moved to the U.S., my husband almost tripled his salary.

Our standard of living is beyond what we could have ever achieved in a lifetime living in Canada. Our relatives can't believe how well average, middle-class Americans live. Our son, who has a learning disability, is getting the best education ever in an American public school.

-snip-

[kb2614]

Sounds like a Socialist 'paradise' to me.

[PaulJ]

I hear Americans complain about the cost of medical bills but I would rather my child be alive and have a bill to pay than to be dead at no charge.

Just about sums it up, ey?

[Pikamax]

bttt

[Psycho_Bunny]

It has been said that Seattle mirrors Canada

Ah.  So that's why Seattle's such a little suck pot.

I've been here since 91 and now it all makes sense.

[Alberta's Child]

If you or your company do not comply with regulations then the official language "police" will be at your door. If you want to pursue a career in retail, the police, the post office, government, business and even the military, you must be bilingual.

I think this statement is inaccurate. I lived in western Canada for three years, and the only French I ever saw (I never heard anyone actually speak it) was on road signs in national parks. Even the legal documents I signed were in English.

[ppaul]

Official bilingualism – This is what most of the taxes pay for.

And if Tom Ridge has his way, we can enjoy this benefit too.

[Publius]

Ah. So that's why Seattle's such a little suck pot.

You need to develop a sense of intellectual challenge.

I lived here from 1971-74, 1989-93, and 1997-present. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

The people who make this a miniature Canada are my friends and neighbors, and I don't have a problem with them. I enjoy their liberal foibles, and I especially enjoy pricking their little balloons. All it takes is a smidgeon of intellectual rigor and an understanding of the Constitution -- and pop! goes their balloon. It's so easy and so much fun.

Despite the problems pointed out most eloquently by the author of this article, if a plebiscite were held in Western Washington about seceding from the US to become a Canadian province, it would narrowly win.

[ppaul]

I think this statement is inaccurate.

Too much socialism has obviously addled your brain.

[Prof Engineer]

I spent a week in Ottowa in Aug 2001. Neat visiting, but I wouldn't want to live there. ugh

[Grig]

The part about bilingualism is really overstated. It is a big factor if you want to work for the government or if you live in Quebec, but outside of that it is just another waste of your tax dollars.

The rest of it is spot on, and could go further into the lack of property rights, restrictions on freedom, the lack of any kind of check or balance against the power of the PM, the corruption in the government, the lapdog media...

[rllngrk33]

The only thing wrong with Canada is the French-Canadians. This article makes Canada sound like a lot like France.

[Alberta's Child]

Too much socialism has obviously addled your brain.

See #11. Too much time in the U.S. has made you thoroughly ignorant of how things really work in Canada.

[Leeann]

I agree - though I live in the US, we are on the Manitoba border, have many Canadian friends and go there often. No one I know even speaks French.I think this health care thing is overblown too - just because we wish to be better, doesn't necessarily make it so. My husband waited 7 months here to see a neurologist while fighting the insurance co here - my canadian friend waited 2 days. My Canadian friends are anything but poor - huge new homes. I don't wish to be Canadian, and I also don't wish to see things made to look worse than they are, just to make a point.

[ctdonath2]

Anyone know what percentage of Canadian university tuition is gov't subsidized?

[Alberta's Child]

Right on.

What makes the bilingual requirements for government jobs even more irrelevant is that there are parts of Canada where many government functions are done by non-government people.

When I lived in Calgary, the "post office" location closest to my office was actually a Canada Post counter in a local Seven-Eleven, staffed by Seven-Eleven employees. I'd be surprised if anyone there knew more than eight words of French.

[Astronaut]

I emigrated from Canada and became a US citizen 10 years ago. I love to visit Vancouver, but I would never go back to live. The differences are subtle, but real. Canadians are less free than we are, and accept a level of government intrusion into their lives that Americans would find intolerable. Unfortunately, nearly 2 generations of socialism had bred an apathy and acceptance of their situation. It frightens me to think that Dean, Hitlery, and the other commie left here in the US want to make us more like our socialist northern neighbors. We must be ever vigilant to make sure our freedom stays intact, despite our politicians.

I am thankful every day that I live here. God Bless America.

[caisson71]

"Understanding of the Constitution" has new meaning to me these days. If you understand and argue the Constitution, which version are you using? You certainly couldn't carry on an "intellectual" ballon popping argument on our Constitution vs. socialism based on the SCOTUS latest version. You are right about Western Wash and Canada however.

[ppaul]

My Canadian friends are anything but poor - huge new homes.

The elitist bourgeoisie almost always laud socialism.
It's so much better for the unwashed masses, eh?