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2023-10-17 0
I lived in the US for 30 years. I hated every year, except for having my sons there. My American husband is a staunch NRA supporter. At the 30 year mark, when I gave him an ultimatum. I gave him 30 years down there, and the time had come where he needed to do 30 years in Canada. We've been in Canada for 6 years, and he doesn't ever want to go back.\nI feel for the new mothers, who only get 6 weeks maternity leave (8 weeks for C-Section).\nCanadian Mums get a full year. Nurturing your new baby is necessary for a well-balanced child. You can't bond in 6 weeks. \nYour health insurance is nuts. We paid $1500/mo. just for our family. Then you have a $5k deductible first! Just walking into the ER is $500 and THEN add on labs, x-rays, meds, etc. My son was in mental health treatment and our insurance capped mental health at $25k for life. \nThe biggest slap up my head, was when I found out I CAN'T collect my SSI. I paid a lot of taxes, since we made 6 figures/year. So, now I'm screwed, since they won't pay a former Permanent Resident. Had I been a citizen, I could get it. My husband is a PR in Canada, waiting to take his citizenship test. If he applies for SSI, he needs to go down to the States for 30 days and nights, annually. \nI'm from Toronto, born and raised and I am so happy to have my feet back in my own country. My boys are still there, as well as my grandchildren. Thankfully, they fly up twice a year. You couldn't pay me to move back.
2023-10-13 0
I'm Canadian. I was born here, raised here, and have lived here all my life. However, my parents are American (they came during the Vietnam war), and I have full dual citizenship. I could cross the border into the U.S., get a job, start working and live there for the rest of my life if I ever chose to do so.\n\nHowever, I will never live in the U.S. Why? The cost of healthcare insurance and healthcare in general is definitely a part of that, but another huge factor is the socio-political atmosphere down there that is very unappealing to me. Everything from politics, the gun issue, much higher violence than we have in Canada, more racism issues, the media, and from what I have observed from decades of visits to the U.S.: there just seems to be a lot more people that are on edge and hostile than I am used to compared to Canada as well. For me, the general culture and mindset is just not something I want to live amongst.\n\nThere are some things I enjoy in the U.S., and there ARE wonderful people there too. I have several friends in the U.S. (born and raised), not to mention my entire extended family is American. But for me, the U.S. is a nice enough place to visit, but it's not somewhere I'd ever want to live.\n\nNo matter what kind of trip I take to the U.S., whenever I get back home to Canada it's always like a deep sigh of relief. I feel safer. I feel more relaxed. I feel at home. No matter how good my trip was, when I set foot back on Canadian soil again I always get a feeling of humble gratitude that I live here. For me, other than the warmer weather and some of the sights the U.S. has to offer, I'm much, much happier in Canada. I feel very fortunate to live here.\n\nAs a side note, I have never found our public healthcare system here in Canada to be lacking whatsoever. Any healthcare I, or anyone else I know that has received any, has always been prompt, of excellent quality, and reassuringly delivered in a professional manner.\n\nAs an example, in 1994, my father had a seizure and it was discovered that he had a benign brain tumour that had to be removed. Not even a week later, he was booked for his surgery and he had his procedure. He was operated on by one of the top two neurosurgeons in North America at the time, he spent three weeks in recovery at the hospital, and he had months of rehab afterward. About 2 weeks later, he had another seizure (the last one he ever had), he stayed in another hospital for an additional two weeks.\n\nHowever, all of what I just mentioned, and I mean ALL of it, was paid for by our public healthcare system. All he had to do was show his healthcare card and sign a release form for his surgery, and that was it. Nothing more. There were literally ZERO bills, no insurance companies, no paperwork, no phone calls, and ZERO hassle. Nothing.\n\nAnd no, our family was NOT rich or privileged either. Just an average middle class family. However, my dad's neurosurgeon told us his surgery and all the months of care he received afterward would have cost $180,000 (in 1994!), and our family would have been out on the street if it wasn't for our healthcare system. My dad also had a very minor heart attack in 2007 which didn't require surgery, and he didn't have to pay a dime or do anything else other than show his healthcare card for that either. Since those two events, my father has lived a healthy, normal life thanks to our public healthcare.\n\nIn Canada, EVERYONE receives that kind of care, regardless of if they are a billionaire or they are homeless. Because that's the moral and ethical thing to do, and is just one of the many reasons why I plan on staying here.
2023-08-03 0
Hmm I wonder why difficult technical jobs are relatively low paying in Canada. Oh right because you're in competition with the entire world, not just other Canadian citizens born and raised in Canada. Canada is effective subsidized the whole world and artificially lowering their own employment standards. As sad as it sounds, there will always be someone talented from a developing nation willing to do your very difficult job which you studied years to be able to do, for barely above the cost of living, because this is still better than their career and life trajectory in their own nation. How many big tech firms in the US have fired thousands of US employees in austerity moves, only then to apply for H1B visa a week later. Why educate, train, employ, and pay fairly American workers, when you can find an immigrant willing to do it for half the price. I'm pro immigration and even pro high special immigration, but the cutoff for H1B visa salaries should be 50% higher than prevailing wages in similar roles. If this position is so specialized and in demand that there simply aren't enough native populations available to do it and schools simply aren't training it, then supply and demand homie, go pay for it. Oil, gas, and petroleum engineering is a great example of this - the US barely teaches this anymore despite there being demand, so we have to hire foreign nationals. Engineering and medicine are examples of oligarchs finding ways to extract the most capital by exploiting people as much as possible. Why pay a reasonable wage for really difficult jobs, when you can find a foreigner willing to do it for barely enough to cover groceries and rent.
2023-08-02 0
As an American, I'm sorry our private healthcare system has taken your doctors. What's even more scary about that statistic is many Americans can't even afford the doctors we have, so at least Canadians have equal healthcare opportunities even though they have to wait. Many Americans don't even get the luxury to wait. If only America caught up to public healthcare policies the global system would be more fair and we'd have people becoming doctors because they love it, not because it makes them rich.
2023-07-25 0
As an American living in Canada for almost 50 years, there is absolutely no way that I would consider moving back to the US at this time. The political environment has become so polarized and, quite frankly, I'm really worried that democracy is in jeopardy in the United States. I echo the sentiment of all those who have said that the gun culture, racism, misogyny, and lack of equal access to healthcare are all excellent reasons to avoid moving to the US.
2023-07-24 0
I'm American. The half a point for sleeping with shoes on I don't think is accurate. The only exception to that I can think of is if someone passed out drunk. I did agree with some of their points especially around education. Having a lawyer being an Uber driver should be looked at as a problem though unless it's purely their choice. I work about 70 to 80 hours a week and took three days vacation last year which is no life at all. Not feeling like I can afford to educate myself here gives no end in sight and if i save a dollar today it's worth 50 cents in ten years so retirement is also very hard here in the states.
2023-07-18 0
Tab berrr knack!\nShort for Tabernacle, it's a common term used in frustration in Quebec.\nIt insults the Catholic church, yet I found most of the French speaking people that I spoke to and asked about this were actually Catholic. It puzzled me. Like being frustrated and insulting their own beliefs. \nNo, sorry, I am happy to live in Canada and visit my friends and family there. \nYou have so many fabulous things to be proud of as an American. I have seen most of the states and would love to do it over again. I have met many, many wonderful and warm decent people there.\nBUT irresponsible gun ownership, mass shooting increasing to the point that other countries are recommending that people not visit the US!!A country divided politically and violently by ignorance of the minority, and allowing people to lose their houses when they lose their health? And women dying from poor pregnancy outcomes although predicted by their doctors....And the gay right thing, and school curriculum foolishness going on in Florida? I'm glad I visited Florida so many times before that craziness. Yey more people keep moving there. 31 million now!Why? I hate the heat an hour and a half above the border! And hurricanes! And massive tornadoes. And Malaria now!\nCome up to Canada. Bring your family too. It's safer. Less people equals less danger.\n\nKeep on keeping on! ❤
2023-07-16 5
I have two brothers living in the states. The one in Wisconsin is my big brother and he means the world to me. He does have his foibles about race and he tolerates me bringing him to task for some of the things he's said. He was brought up in Kentucky. He seems to be seeing the light now. I have spent time with him and my sister-in-law, and my nieces and nephews in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana. We are close now despite being brought up worlds apart. My next oldest brother lives in West Virginia. I haven't seen him on over 30 years. He had a habit of moving without telling the rest of the family. I didn't know he had divorced and remarried. I worked for the Canadian Military as well as some of the American contingent where I worked. I had to renew information for my Security Clearance just after 9/11. He refused to give me any info because Rush Limbaugh was telling Americans the terrorists came to the U.S. from Canada (they actually were taking flight training in Florida). I suppose I could easily take up American citizenship since our mother had dual citizenship but I think I'll decline. I'm too much of a Canuck to change now. I don't think I could get used to politicians winning an election and immediately starting a new campaign. The process seems exhausting to always be bombarded with things politic. Here our electioneering is held to 6-8 weeks before the election and strict limits are placed on funding and contributions. Besides, I live in a small city of 58-60 thousand (North Bay, Ontario). In the close to 70 years that I've lived here, I can recall only 3 murders, so you'll under if I find mass shootings shocking and abhorrent and truthfully scary. I'm a little long winded today....Sorry.
2023-05-27 0
Not that many people in the developed world are shopping for an alternative country. So I imagine most Americans and most Canadians will be content with their nation of birth. But as a Canadian, I have to admit I'm a bit scared of the US. The level of violent crime down there is such that _many_ (not all) people feel they need guns for personal security. American prison rates testify to a level of desperation and alienation that is _not_ appealing to me. I don't want to live somewhere where owning a deadly weapon seems like a sensible idea! Also, as a struggling creative/entertainment person, I can't guarantee I'll be consistently earning good money – there are plenty of lean times in my biz. I don't want to be repeatedly worrying about my health coverage disappearing, whenever work dries up. I've never had that type of anxiety in Canada, and I sure appreciate that. Btw, although the Canadian health system is a long way from perfect, I've always managed to get appropriate care, according to my needs, quickly enough, at no cost to myself. And currently, I really like my GP _and_ my specialists!
2023-04-21 0
I pay 11.5% of my income directly to pensioners as a contract worker making less than 50K in 2023. At total tax rate of 26% all inclusive. I have to live at home, and I can't find a single job that isn't contract work, and I'm a designer who's worked with F500 companies. The best Canadian rate hourly is 30$, my American contracts have paid 135$ an hour. It's such a bad deal to be a Canadian millennial. Canada has two classes. The ruling pensioner elder class which makes up 60% of the country and everyone else that they've impoverished. Canada has poor pay, worsening living standards, extremely high white collar competition, few job prospects and a disintegrating social fabric. But somehow I think this is the story of the entire commonwealth right now. So that makes us no different, and I don't really believe the grass is greener among the G7 either.
2023-03-31 0
Yes and if these people truly believed in God and Jesus they wouldn't run from their countries but actually stay on the ground and stand strong in their faith that God and Jesus are going to help them persevere through all this. As a fully disabled American citizen with a child that doesn't even get $1,000 a month and there's no available housing at all where I live no waiting list to go on people on SSI disability don't get any extra housing help we're not offered separate housing are put on separate lists and low-income Able Body people or the migrants jumping the Border but I was born and raised here paid taxes and worked until my body literally couldn't anymore but I don't hear anybody bitching and screaming and crying about the fact that my son and I would be on the streets if it hadn't been for one of my family members stepping up and giving his housing after a lifetime restraining order issued during my pregnancy on my son's biological do do with domestic abuse situation. I'm also US citizen that spent time in the Wards in Houston and projects and other cities and if you don't think that we don't have the same gun violence drug trafficking human trafficking gangs take it over cartels taking over neighborhoods and communities than you're freaking lying to yourself and everybody else. The same s*** that's taken over these countries is taking over the inner cities have been for decades and these are the same communities that most of these people will end up in. No it's not about not being good Christians part of being a good Christian is reminding people to stand their ground and have faith in Jesus and God and their own home territory and not to give it up to the crime people in the bad politicians. You can't say you believe in God and Jesus Christ and then he's got your back while you're running and that's the truth in the reality that nobody wants to hear the more people run from these countries the more the bad people are able to take over and then we get complaints here in the states about the cost attacks is rightfully so. For those people screaming and shouting that everybody should go out pick up in my grant and bring them home to their house and feed them and take them and I challenge you to do the same thing for homeless before you even do the migrant do homeless American citizens go out and really educate yourself because I'm totally tired of hearing from Americans that the only people that live on the streets are people with mental health problems that need mental health treatment or people that are stoned out and that's where they want to be you guys are so f****** wrong and this is coming from someone that met homeless people spent time around homeless people and understand we have a society that wants to paints a very different picture than what's truly going on because then it allows for hey it's not our problem they want to be there. I will say there's two I'm sure a lot of people are attracted to come into the United States I mean it's kind of turned into the Devil's Playground don't you think I mean look at how ostentatiously people live the projects on the backs of taxpayers selling dope holding down dead-end jobs to make it look like they're working all while going out and getting their hair did and their nails done and their eyelashes done and pimping out their cars and all that b******* and buying all this you know high-end tennis shoes and f****** clothing and Handbags and s*** and then we have the part of the United States that justified of themselves all the time or it's okay to have this huge palatial house or have multiple houses I'll we have United States veterans living on the streets or people that truly have disabilities that have been a waiting list for 2 and 3 years for housing. I remind people all the time and they hate hearing this s*** Jesus never had a house as a matter of fact Jesus basically live like a homeless person after he was an adult particularly and God made sure he was provided for. I mean did you all forget the night they came to take them away they were asleep in an Open Garden it wasn't like they popped up tents or glamper camper sites had some little Adobe type cabins they were sleeping in. As a matter of fact if you pay attention to most of the stories about Jesus and talking about him sleeping he does a lot of sleeping Outdoors. Remember God is a father that's how he's been represented and talked about in the Bible and Jesus was a man without a doubt no biological transgender question ability there. People need to remember that part of being a fair and loving. Is also teaching and discipline and these children following rules. I don't believe hearing God and Jesus telling all these people run from your countries and not have faith that I'm actually going to fix things for you and go run to somebody else actually go run to the United States where all those stuff is traveling through. I never understood the logic of that it's like rats run from the country where they're making the drugs to the country that supplying the globe with it and we're all of these bad people have thousands of people in planted everywhere with guns and hookups. I don't know why people don't understand that we have dirty lawn forcement in dirty politicians that are in bed with the dirty drug cartels that's as much as they are in the country. You don't think that there's not decisions made in the United States based on drugs and I'm not talking about how to put it into them but how to keep them flowing. I have Fred still in Florida and we were all making jokes about how quickly Sanibel Island all the way up to st. Pete got Mainland access so quickly after the last major hurricane that took everything down and we all know what it's from is because that portion of Florida is used to bring a lot of drugs in from South America, Central America. So for all of you that want to post your personal assumptions about homeless people because that's all it is unless you've actually been homeless or spent time around homeless you really have no clue what's going on in the homeless population except what you've been told by the same political talking head media bulshit that's been lying to everybody about a bunch of other stuff too. Don't you get it the politicians don't want people knowing that a lot of the people that are homeless on the street are people that are disabled and aren't disabled because they have mental health problems I know that's the narrative they've been trying to stuff down people's throats.
2023-01-21 0
As an African it's sooo FUNNY to hear American say, oh you're from Africa. It's so dangerous, wow! I'm just like ???? Ya need to travel the world. For real.... The level of danger here is ridiculous.. compared to majority of the nations in Africa.
2023-01-17 0
To confirm as an American. Yes, it seems like everyone wants to put hot sauce and cheese on everything and it's annoying. The tap water here is bad unless you get it from the fridge or have a filter. Here in Arkansas, I think our spring water is great.\n\nRegarding the city and getting around to restaurants and other areas, pretty much. A good portion of our factories are on acres of land. However, some are still close enough that you can walk to. I'm certain this is hardly different from Canada but we are 97% rural. People think of America as big cities but usually its the local town and a pumpkin patch. When Aba said America is like 40 different countries, he ain't wrong. \n\nFirearms is ingrained in our culture. That's a given. I see a lot of people mention safety and this is what I can say; I felt my safety was compromised by a tornado warning. Trouble can happen but if you don't deal drugs or do some under the table stuff, usually you won't be a victim of a crime. \nI'm planning on owning some land myself so I can shoot on it, farm, and raise a family. Just be independent.
2022-12-28 0
I would still take our medical system over the American system without a second thought. Though I would be in favour of a parallel paid tier that's integrated with the public tier so that the public tier benefits from the profits and investments.\nRegarding financial technology, the perspective here is slightly short sighted, although to some degree, I agree. Compared to the US we have had debit (Interac) at retail point of sale since the late '80s/early '90s, and email money transfers (Interac eTransfer) since the late '90s/early '00s, long before the US had anything comparable such as PayPal, and apps like CashApp or Venmo effectively have no marketshare in Canada because of the long history of having email money transfers.\nLastly, for the cell phone plans, you are 100% correct, though we still don't have true unlimited, and only on plans including 5G service. However, there are some mitigating factors such as the high ratings of the network quality and stability for all major cell carriers despite wide swaths of our geography having little to no population and rugged topography. It's not an easy country to cover properly or reliably without it being expensive. Though Canadian telecom and cableco profits are through the roof, as are those of the big 5 banks. We definitely need more competition, though I'm not sure foreign companies coming in are the way to go with this.\nAlso, technologically speaking many important technological and scientific R&D is being conducted here and innovations are made here all the time, but in many ways, these companies get traction outside of Canada long before they get traction here.
2022-12-11 0
You're not correct about the Quebec government banning the hijab - actually they ban all forms of religious expression in clothes worn at work by public servants - so don't criticize us unless you get the facts straight. All countries are facing public health crisis especially in the aftermath of a global pandemic, you mention how long it could take to get an MRI - weeks/months, but it's no worse than in the UK, or other western countries. I do agree with you about limited competition in banking and tech - but we're still a young and growing country, however, look at the global recession that took place in 2007 - Canada was least affected by mortgage default, the US was hit the worst and hundreds of thousands had their homes foreclosed by the Banks, yet in Canada because of our strict banking policies we were saved and the Banks worked with defaulters to try to keep their homes. Taxes, well most countries require you to file your own taxes at the end of the year - what's so strange about that? Yes sales tax is added onto the sales price depending on what province and what you are purchasing, same as US, just because it's not the same in Europe doesn't mean it's worse! Listen, when you're a newcomer to any country you need to fit in when looking for a job, put in the effort, take the time, do the work, any country is going to expect you to be able to speak the language and know the lingo, so I don't agree with your analysis that Canadians are risk adverse! You are 100% correct about the housing crisis, listen it's been going on everywhere for decades, and international investors in the past 10 years or so woke up and noticed that Canada was a great bet for investment, so the problem got really bad. The government just passed a 2 year moratorium on non Canadians buying real estate - as have many other countries, so fingers crossed no more new foreign landlords just regular Canadians buying their first homes, let's hope so!! I've lived many years in Europe - and I loved it! But the quality of life in Canada is better. If you don't live in the crowded city you can have a nice property with lots of space, good roads, not bad school system, very friendly and helpful people. Quebec has some of the best food on the North American continent, we have clean air and lots of water in Canada - I'm very happy here, so don't be so negative please!
2022-08-31 0
I'm a born Canadian. I enjoyed growing up there on the lake. It was peaceful and beautiful. \nI joined a church and traveled alot in the country. I do love Canada as my place of birth and memories. \nThrough the church I married an American have been here 26 yr. Now. It has become so expensive there and too controlling. All my family is there so I think of them but I can't afford to buy anything there. I'm now married to Ghanaian considering moving there. I love the food and culture.
2022-04-22 0
Not sure how I came upon this video but I'm American that's lived here all my life. It's so incredibly lonely, even as an American. I wish I could find people that want to have friendships and community. People like me are out there looking for friends and would gladly welcome immigrants!
2021-07-10 1
Hello Mam , I hope you are doing great. I need some advice from you. I'm currently working in fidelity information system (FIS) MNC which is an American Financial institution headquarter based in Florida. but my office located in India as a sub branch and I'm working as charge back analyst . I have more than 3 yrs experience with same company So which city location is good for me to find jobs in Canada as charge back analyst.
2020-02-27 0
I'm a Dominican and I do not believe in racism but people actions are to blame. I was a security guard and I overwhelmingly caught 49 African American and 2 latinos so as a latino I don't discriminate I just observe the way people act in public..misjudge an individual for the mistakes of others is wrong
2018-03-10 0
growing up in canada, i felt left out in the blk community b/c i am a 5th generation blk cdn on mom's side and 3rd on my dad's - when other black ppl not canadian born met me - i tell them i'm cdn, but i always used to get the question - where are you really from - they were looking for me to say the islands - when i told them my paternal grandma was born in 1901 in canada - that's when the questions stopped. i've been told that b/c i wasn't from the islands, i had no culture in college, but a mbr of the black student society put him in his place i heard he got into a lot of trouble. i was asked what do we eat as in food as canadians what kind of music do we listen to - at our blk canadian weddings, the only carribean song played was hot hot hot by arrow - we played straight up r and b and motown. i hv been rejected by other blk men b/c i'm not west indian enough...it was hurtful. even with 'friends' they made of my cdn heritage but i used to think, why are you making fun of me knowing that my family and ancestors were in canada first - they were 1st generation - i live in the usa now and i'm with an african american man - he has never treated me as if i were different and he loves going w/me to canada. my parents told me it was jealousy on those ppl's parts - one guy i used to be friends with in college, when i went to his house, his mom was from the islands, when she met me - she said, 'you cdn ppl are loud' and that did it for me - i didn't date her son but when he met my parents, they never said any of that crap to him. in the usa, the african americans don't treat differently at all - my ex mom in law thought we were american but decided to live in canada - b/c she was surprised that blacks do live in canada. her other daughter in law's family were from the islands - but she gravitated more to my family and felt comfortable around them more than her family and this ex sis in law would brag about the islands this and that and she would make comments about my looks being skinny and such but it was jealousy - i didn't care much for her b/c she was very insecure. i felt once again, i was a young girl in college again - being around island ppl....i would love to meet drake and ask him did he feel left out and isolated because he wasn't from the islands - he makes me very proud being a blk canadian - his dad is african american and his mom is jewish. i still hv dealt w/racism not much with wht ppl, but with my own ppl - which is quite sad and on top of it-colorism, that also played a part from my family - being called pygmy, chocolate dip, nappy hair - it hurt but these so called relatives, they aren't all that anymore, they had hard lives as children...when ppl see something in you that is special and they don't have, that's when their ugliness shows -
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