Close Reading

I’m a Canadian nurse and I lived in the US for 10 years during my career. I did it when I was young to gain work experience and travel with friends. It gave me a lot of insight in how it feels to live in both countries. I’ve been a nurse and patient in both counties so I also know how it feels to work, live and be a resident in both. \n\nI cannot articulate enough how it has confirmed to me how fortunate I am to be Canadian. The perks to living in the US were very superficial and frivolous things that matter very little in the broad scheme of things,….which I see as more restaurant chains, cheaper restaurant food, more shopping options, etc. As a young person when I lived there,…those things seemed amazing but matter far less as I get older. \n\nWhen I lived there, I paid a fraction of the income taxes that I paid in Canada but it’s only short term gain for long term pain. The cost of health care, the amounts of gov funded benefits (disability, EI, pension, etc) in the US makes it well worth paying taxes to offset these things as in Canada. I have had cancer 3 times in 5 years and I’ve not paid a cent for treatment, scans, surgery, etc in Canada. My employer held my job for 2 years and I received long term disability of 70% of my yearly wages and my employer paid my full pension and benefits as I was off of work. After 2 years, my cancer returned and was deemed incurable so I will continue to receive this pay and benefits until I’m 65 and can retire as I can no longer work. I have no financial worries as I battle cancer. \n\nTo contrast,…my US employer was a world reknowned hospital that had excellent pay and benefits. Had I been working there when I was diagnosed with cancer, I would only have gotten full pay for 6 weeks until my sick time and vacation time was used up. Then I was eligible for a fraction of my income for 3 months, which would not be enough to live on. I would not have had my pension paid. After that, I’d receive no more pay and my employer would hold my job without pay for 6 months and then I’d be let go. My cancer required nearly 2 years off of work so after 5 months of this minimal pay, I’d have no income, no job and no benefits with a new pre existing condition to ensure that I’d have a snowballs chance in hell of getting future coverage. Meanwhile during that 5 months of some pay, I’d still need to pay huge costs of treatment despite having insurance but that would disappear after I was let go from my job. I’d have to return to work during my treatment just to afford to continue it. I have many US friends that had a similar cancer that worked throughout to cover basic cancer care while I was able to recuperate without working or fearing being unable to pay. There is nothing comparable to this when you are sick. It is everything!\n\nSadly, many of my American friends are very ill informed on how health care works in other countries and don’t see the shortcomings in their own. Ironically though, they are willing to argue it without proper information so I often find that bizarre. While lived there I felt as though I was in a bubble where the only news that I saw was US news. I saw no info or minimal about Canada in my whole time there,…aside from falsehoods about health care to scare people away from seeking change. “Canadians are all dying while waiting”, “they are all coming to the US for care”, “they pay 80% income tax” etc. All propaganda,…some from politicians or those that should know better. It was truthfully mind boggling to me how educated people could know so little about the world. It almost felt as though they heard so much propaganda about how terrible other places were while only having knowledge of the US, that it ensured that things would stay the same without anyone wanting beneficial changes to dysfunctional policies (like health care, cost of meds, lack of gun regulations, etc). It’s very bizarre.

For me it was not the cost of living, because I could easily afford it. The city has changed too much, there are too many immigrants now, there is too much crime, too much homelessness. When you start to feel like a foreigner in your own country and the place becomes unrecognizable, then perhaps it's time to consider other options. So like you I looked at my foreign options and it was the best move I'd ever made. For talented, well educated people, who have the courage to move to another country, this could be the best move you ever make, with all kinds of unexpected benefits which await you.

It has very little to do with the cost of living. They just do not want to live in a DICTATORSHIP which is what Canada is.

This is plain and simple. There are not enough places for rent. For both Canadians and a never ending population growth from outside canada that outpaces building. \nIn three months they cannot and will never be enough places built for rent to justify bringing over 430 000 people.\nSo based on that alone those newcomers will be taking a place for rent away from a Canadian citizen. It's not racism, it's not discrimination. It's fact.\nCanadian citizens or any citizen of any country should not have to struggle to find a place to live and be able to afford a place to live because the governemt increases the population from outside faster than they can build. It's irresponsible, selfish, and outright wrong.\nIts not the politicians who are suffering or the businesses who will never make enough profit(look at the grocery sector.) it is the people within Canada.\nI am not against immigration. I am against the amount until infrastructure can keep up with the influx of new people. And even then it cannot be a one for one. It should be at least 2 to 1 and new growth. Anything more than that and the cost of housing will outpace inflation.\nPlus senior citizens(who helped build this country) , veterans, people on disability, and mental health/addicts recovering, deserve the increased financial help instead of the money that is sent to other countries..

Our housing crisis is caused by the governments of Canada\n 1st they started obstructing the building of new houses with these massive years long processes to get the permits\n Some cases 5 to7 years\n The development permit to build a development cost more than it does to build the buildings.\n At the same time they have been bringing in a million people a year.\nWhile this government and all of the other governments for the last 40 years have obstructed industry from getting permits to build anything.\n The middle class is all but gone in Canada and no sign of it to return because you can't do anything you're not allowed to do anything.\nCanada historically had no real homeless population and had the strongest middle class today we have near 500,000 homeless.\nOr you could say about 3% of the population.

Insanity that this man is allowed to stay in Canada after the havoc he reaked. It is not a matter of 'forgiveness' - it is to be held accountable for 'actions' taken -- he needs to go and should have been back in India shortly following the accident. I'm sorry, compassionate and humanitarian grounds belong to the huge number of people who lost their loved ones forever. May he find what he needs in India at the cost of their government and not from my tax dollars.

It has raised inflation off the charts , by bringing in too many people .An affordable place to live is impossible to find , the cost of homes is off the map , not too mention the crime .

Brazilian here, living in Canada for 13 yrs and a Canadian citizen for 5 years. \nI’ll just say this: You have no idea how good you got. Is it perfect? Far from it. Is it the worst place on earth to live? Definitely not. If you’re basing all your opinion on cost of living only that makes zero sense.

Wow any idea why people are crazy to enter canada bcoz standard of livibg is good in your country and any idea how much cost it occurs to stay and study in canada i am not good in conversions but lemme tell u its very very high people literally sell everything they have in india to go and study there now just assume why do people sell like crazy people just to study i mean think about it bcoz of PR they sell like crazy if they can invest that amount in india they can get a degree from good universities in india and good jobs but if the same amount is invested in canada the standard of living will improve by obtaining canadian citizenship now if u r sane person think about it its all about standard of living and its not crime to look for better life and at the start of applying in universities of canada a job and PR were available as options so indians applief there with that intention now if u change those rules overnight the money we invested is just thrown into dustbin and i dont know why people think its wrong things to even protest on that if u hate immigration that badly dont show ur anger on indians or other immigrants show that anger on ut government for showing us indians a better future and allowing us indians to enter ur country legally with PR in future prospect Nd why do u think even after such outrage on immigration canada yet allows immigrants bcoz its simple people spend like crazy for such oppurtunities and canada has taken advantage of that and now canadians like we got ur money so get out from our country wow i ddidnt know people can be this greedy and selfish.

The balls on these people. They need to leave the country when they are supposed to legally do so. Canada and actual Canadians should take a stand on this and don’t back down. I do not drink coffee or eat fast food. So I have no need for these people. Get your education and get out. I am an immigrant that came to Canada legally. No one bent the rules for me nor for people whom I have met here that are also immigrants all legally from several different nations in Europe as well as Caribbean and South American. All actually hold decent paying jobs nurses, engineers business owners ect. They work hard to make a life for themselves and their families to become successful Canadians. Send all these students back when their time is up. If not it’s only going to cost Canadians and immigrants that contribute and wish to be Law abiding Canadians that do more than serve food and coffee.

Some of the stats cited here are straight up wrong or... creatively employed, and there's a lot of contradictory information and the typical conservative 'the sky is falling' sensationalism and misattribution. That said, the bas supposition isn't wrong. The bubble we've been sitting on for 20 or so years has completely burst. As someone born and raised in the Toronto area, it's impossible for me to afford to own a house or apartment here on a teacher's salary. Even rent pushes me to the limit unless I want to live in a... less than nice area. I'm living hand to mouth and enjoying the benefits of living in a 'developed' country less. Here's why:\n\n1. Wages aren't really even close to keeping up with the cost of living. The first tick upwards a bit. The second just keeps rising on the back of housing, food, amenities, and inflation: the four horsemen.\n\n2. Our grocery cabal ruthlessly raise prices whenever we look away, and their lobbyists are all ensconced within the leadership of our three major parties, particularly the Conservatives (so if anyone thinks that electing them will help, they're in for a nasty surprise).\n\n3. We're experiencing 'labour shrinkflation': increasing duties are downloaded onto workers and more is expected: more productivity, more availability (almost 24/7 in some jobs), and higher qualifications. Meanwhile, real wages are decreasing relative to living cost, more positions are 'contract', which is basically a way for employers to not have to give you benefits, and job security is tenuous for a lot of people.\n\n4. Houses are being bought by investors and not owners. Foreign entities are money laundering. The wealthy upper crust of high population countries are moving here and buying property because Canada is (still) more safe and stable and less repressive than their home countries in most cases. \n\n5. There's a cycle beginning: as people are squeezed and forced to spend more on 'needs', they spend less on eating out, entertainment, and other 'wants'. These are significant drivers of the service economy and they're being hit hard. So, what can they do? They can let go of workers or lower product costs to remain profitable, but they their quality declines and, in a market where people are pinching every penny and looking for quality for their dollar, they're less likely to go back. They can raise their prices, of course, but then they price people out completely and their profits still tank. I went to a decent steakhouse for my dad's 60th last week. I can't remember the last time that I went to one before that. \n\n6. Our politicians and news cycles focus on the most niche and irrelevant stuff because it'll stoke anger and get tongues wagging. This carbon thing is almost a non-issue, but our conservative leader is harping on about it like it's singlehandedly the death of the Canadian economy when it's a drop in the bucket. Trudeau focuses on 'equity' measures, hoping for a bit of cheap good press, while his efforts are, for the most part, just window dressing and the issues, while meaningful, are often not of paramount importance or even applicable to the vast majority of the people who elected him. Meanwhile, the middle class is pretty much evaporating as he speaks. The NDP keep talking about this in a pretty real way, for what it's worth, but Jagmeet Singh is giving off an increasing vibe of just being another fat cat politician beneath his rhetoric these days. Also, third-party trolls and screeching conservatives try to bury him on social media whenever he speaks... a lot more than other leaders as well, oddly. I wonder why? Oh yeah, the Greens exist and there's Quebec and the conspiracy theory party.\n\n\nUltimately, what we're experiencing is the revenge of the feudal system. Instead of paying rents to your lord and doing labour on the land for him whenever commanded to, you pay rent to your landlord now and go to work even when you're sick or when work hours are over because you have no union protection or are working 'on contract'. Unless we want to live in the armpit of nowhere, 95% of us are going to be wage slaves living hand-to-mouth, not owning our own property, and working to please our corporate overlords if current trends continue unchecked. While some of Canada's problems are unique, I fear that most aren't. As for me, I'm headed to the 'armpit of nowhere' where I can at least have a ghost of a chance of affording life.

Coast to coast it's the same story: Liberal govt let useless 'paper mill' schools (mostly run by Indian scammers) fill the country with these kids with BS sales promotion of a path to PR status (most don't need or care about becoming citizens lol). The Liberals are toying with granting them PR status, but they know this will likely cost them the election. These kids are creating housing capacity problems, creating overcrowding on transit and in healthcare. Local charities are slammed with extra mouths to feed, and grocery stores are experiencing a spike in shoplifting because these kids did not come with enough money to house and feed themselves. The student visa program has been abused by criminals of course, so there's a spike in gangster activity and even a political assassination in Surrey BC. It's a crap show and the solution is for 500,000 of them to head home ASAP. (Yes, this may create a temporary shortage of fast food workers and delivery people, but I'll take my chances.)

This is a Trudeau government mess that the Liberal/NDP coalition created and they are now furiously backpedaling.\n\nShame on them and the harm they are creating for raising unrealistic expectations of international students.\n\nMany of these students families have invested large amounts of money and incurred financial hardships in order to send a family member abroad to study.\n\nOne must count the cost on all fronts as a government before implementing an open door policy of this kind.\n\nIndia Canada diplomatic relations are already on a wobbly footing. This lack of foresight and long-term planning will not aid the relationship going forward.

They need to go home…..I was born in PEI and lived here all my life….it is so sad what has happened on our little island…media has people believing that no one here wants to work so we need these immigrants…..that is not true….i know many young people from here that can’t get a job…there are no doctors, apartments are all full, and our cost of living is through the roof…..our premier is so busy filling his pockets and doesn’t give a hoot about us……thank you True North for reporting this

I live in Krasnoyarsk (Siberia, Russia), gonna do some calculations for you guys:\nMy wife earns about 1100$/m\nI earn about 600$/m\nWe rent 1 room flat for about 230$/m in the center of the city\nWe bought Lancer X 2009 for 6200$ in credit, 160$/m for 5 years of payment\nShe bought Honda NC 75S bike for 5400$ in credit, 150$/m for 5 years of payment\n(the % you can figure)\nAvarage cost of bread in stores is 50 cents\nAvarage cost of milk is 1$\nAvarage cost of pork 1kg is 3.9$\nAvarage cost of beef 1kg is 7.8$\nAvarage cost of chicken 1kg is 4.5$\nAvarage cost of pallet of eggs (10) is 1.6$\nAvarage cost of 92 gasoline (petrol) is 0.53$ per liter\nAvarage cost of 95 gasoline (petrol) is 0.57$ per liter\nAvarage cost of 98-100 gasoline (petrol) is 0.66$ per liter\nAvarage cost of bus ticket is 0,4$ per trip (usually 1 trip to any part city required)\nAvarage cost of cheese 1kg is 9$\nAvarage cost of electricity... well we pay 2.8$/m considering tv/pc are on most of the time\nOur avarage payment for water... lets just say it's free, that does't even bother us. And we spend a lot of time in shower.\nFinding a regular job with salary around 700$ is not a problem\nFood stores nearly in every building\nGas stations are 1km max away from each other.\nMany companies across all industries and fair competition.\nLots of nature beyond the city.\nWish our subway wasn't in consruction for eternity, I'll die never seeing it.\nWish you well guys.

I think Everyone is right and wrong at the same time in all of this. Students are wrong to expect 'rights' in a country of which they are not a citizen of but they are also right in the point that government changed the rules overnight without any prior guidance. This the the same as increasing corporate tax rate in this budget. It came out of nowhere. The employers are also right because more labour = lower wages. These students are willing to work to far less than an average Canadian. If these students don't work for low wages then inflation goes ballistic. If you have to pay higher wage to manufacture a product then that extra cost gets passed on to the consumer. raising price of goods = inflation. Also This would increase taxes. If you pay more for a product, you pay % tax on total price of that item which now has baked in higher wages. If you do bring in more of these cheap labour than social services cant keep up like health care. I cannot believe how thoroughly this government has fked our country.

There's hundreds of YouTube posts online precisely like this post. \nI'm not going to get into how long my family's been in Canada . Because it comes off as like a bragging or a snobbery and I don't go for that. I just want to put it out there Canada is not a destination for purely economic exploitation. \nIt's a place you know for people who I saw people from the former Yugoslavia comment online. Their parents were extremely happy to get out of there in the 90s.. you know they left in the 90s and it's what 2024 . First sight of hard economic Times they decide to pick up and go. \nYou know not a lot of loyalty. But I think you're going to be happier going back home for skin is a free country or free to do that and I wish you all the luck \nLet's see 2 weeks ago I had an accident at work I got four stitches in my scalp I was in and out of emergency in 5 hours which I thought was reasonable.. last week of came down with stomach flu and went to the walk-in clinic it opened at 9:00 I was at 9:15 I waited 10 minutes saw the doctor . I live in Calgary Alberta Canada which is the third or fourth biggest city of Canada experiencing record migration into the town so yeah there's big pressure on new housing. \nI just like to put it out there that I love California and raised lots of generations here not a fanatical American now you know Canada first kind of you know raw raw patriotic Canadian. You know I love my country I'm proud of it proud of my answers and all the couple hundred years of hard work they put in it you have to make this country livable for extremely cold Northern geographic location.\nNow I have a large extended family Oliver Canada the United States Mexico Australia New Zealand parts of Africa England Ireland Scotland Denmark France. \nI've been very fortunate to be able to keep up with this huge family especially because of the internet now. \nSo I keep we talk regularly online and we do business with each other a little bit and some of the countries and Canada's doing reasonably well regarding the job market cost of living and you know those sorts of things. \nYou know we've gone through covid pandemic whatever you want to call that shut the economy down for a couple years worldwide. The worst mistake during the pandemic lockdown in Canada was the government shoveling out free money and people reinvesting it back into their real estate. So you have billions of Canadians locked out of their jobs big shovel taxpayer money and they all just started renovating their homes. To the point where sheets of plywood were you couldn't find them and they went up 100 times and price. Solo's hundreds of billions of dollars that the government's going to take back and taxes from us all draw the cost of housing through the roof. Instead of at the time redirecting half of those two it was 500 billion take a half of that investment in putting it into infrastructure technology innovation for industries. Our education systems from kindergarten through to postsecondary education and spending it on the Canadians that were here. We've turned our post-secondary institutions in Canada into diploma Mills where you know your VA and your you know postgraduate degrees or you know they're worthless. However the government and the education system grew into a very profitable industry grinding out worthless degree after worthless degree for foreign students who thought when they got these degrees with 50% of Canadians have. People have to realize that post-secondary education is a big business so they're going to sell you a dream that's going to cost you a lot of money what I suggest is when YouTubers want to do something on Canada do some proper research let people know that we really do have quality post-secondary education system but you have to look at when you graduate those jobs going to be there to pay that large salary does White collar jobs are disappearing almost gone I purchase an app for my company with small company about 10 employees this inexpensive app alone has taken my office staff from 7: to 2: I have a 10 Red seal tradesman tradeswomen these 10 highly skilled trades people earn between 125 and 145,000 a year in gross salary and I need five more of these highly skilled people and I can't find them cuz everybody's running in to get a useless postgraduate degree. I do find it slightly offensive that a lot of new immigrants new Canadians immigrate to Canada to purely exploit it for its wealth Canada should be looked at as a place to come put your hard work in the struggles the ups and downs? and look at it as your home instead of you know a piggy bank but people are going to leave and there's a long line up to get in I've seen in my 40 year career you know three major reps and three major downs. What's happening in Canada's economy and the economies around the world it's all the same the US economy's doing quite well and talked to last couple of weeks friends that have invested their and families have been there long-term at present the United States is building a war economy so there's money pouring into that effort it does have a booming you know Hi-Tech boom as well however the tech boom is offshore with American companies and it's taking place in a part of the world that no one would think it would take place so if your graduate in the tech industry go online do a little research you'll find out where it is the USA is building a huge chip factories I think they just poured in 70 or 80 billion dollars we're in a transitioning economy don't get discouraged put your head into it do your homework find out where these new jobs are coming from which jobs are not going to be here. Traditional White collar you know middle management upper management jobs they've been gone for years everyone's think of themselves as an independent contractor. Also if you're a millennial or was a gen z person there's going to be a massive transfer of wealth over the next 20 to 30 years as baby boomers simply die off and then you guys are going to inherit their money I live in any one of the g7 economies I just got to find your niece with your qualifications and get in there and innovate because there's not one g7 country that significantly doing better than anyone else another interesting part of the world is East Africa I'm retiring there in 5 years I've already done my homework I've already got partners I've already started to train up people there in East Africa Canada and those parts of the world they have East Africa's great basic infrastructure so now that they've got their first level base of infrastructure a second economy is built off at the service that basic infrastructure that basic infrastructure allows for that second layer a bigger layer of investment you know and that's where the real money is for mid-level investors and you know highly educated Young westerners have got 10 years into their respective careers and these are also very beautiful countries you know so you can if you got family in Canada family in Europe India Asia you know you can start building networks collaborate on projects you know in these you know emerging economies you know mid-level economies but that's you know a good 20-year grind to get good at your career and build your confidence to go into these places and get these things done also you know it's a great life adventure but never expect just because you have an advanced degree that the door even come knocking down your door to employ you if you're going to wait for the opportunity to come to you you're going to be waiting forever you got to take your advanced degrees get out there and hustle and work hard man Canada's doing fine about four or five years it's you know it's going to take off next level and it's going to boom for 40 years and it's never going to get any cheaper in g7 countries Amy's emerging economies his pockets around the world they're starting to come up to in the window to get into these emerging economies with your advanced degrees it's closing if you don't make it if you don't start looking at it in the next 5 years your degrees are going to be gone useless and if you do decide to put your career in these emerging economies like Asia South America Central America Africa do it for the right reasons not just for money we don't want to make the same mistakes as like the industrial Revolution where a few people get rich and the people in that country you know don't get anything have respect for these countries employ their people and you have to get into these places before all the big corporations get set up there cuz they're they're going there Canada's a great place as a great time free medical system and I urge anybody that's feeling down or depressed in Canada you know to go get some therapy join some clubs talk to people don't get down and mostly don't you know don't give up on yourself you guys made it through you know Elite post-secondary education system and if you can if you can do that I mean you can you can do anything a lot of hard work ahead truly best of luck to all you guys

It's not the brain drain. We never had the brains to drain. Post-secondary education in California cost 1/3 what it does in British Columbia. The State of California has the same population as Canada, yet its GDP is 3x greater than the Dominion of Canada. My Grandson in Florida won a full College scholarship at 11 years of age, and they are rapidly catching up to California. Go figure!

Correction: Vancouver, while facing extreme difficulties due to a lack of affordable high-density housing, is doing a LOT to try and fix this in comparison to other cities in the infrastructure sector. Just over the last couple years, we've had some pretty extreme zoning policy changes, we have a yearly rent increase cap (which backfires once tenants move out, but that's another story) and we're building new transit infrastructure which now, legally, requires only high-density housing build in the surrounding areas. \n\nThe population growth here has wildly exceeded the amount of housing growth in the last few decades. Not to mention the insufficient wages, high cost of living and a broken healthcare system. Our people are struggling but if you have to live in a city right now, I'd choose the greater Vancouver area. Down the road, I see us improving the most infrastructure-wise out of any Canadian city, which will hopefully benefit social sectors as well.

When any system is overwhelmed by volume..due to poor planning, poor resource management, lack of or poor controls, you will have issues. Immigration is a system of processes. This system, along with cost, resources, and time, constitute a value stream. So, what Canada has is an ill defined value stream. It was designed for 100 people, yet it is now dealing with 10,000 people at eny given time. \n\nIt is time to go back and define the requirements. This means reining in the volume, cost, and related. This will mean difficult choices on ehere to put the money. It will mean trade-offs. We have already shown that universities and provinces can not manage this....only looking for money. \n\nIt is time to start looking at having a more robust input or immigration system. Yes, it will appear heavy, and it means saying 'NO' in certain situations. One can not be everything to everyone. \n\nDefine the guard rails of the processes. Make them clear and concrete. Make thrm known. The rigorously enforce them. It is a black and white input. \n\nAdditionally, regarding university and Canada, perhaps it is tome to take the right of allowing an international student to specify a specific university. Maybe they should be assigned based upon their chosen major and the load factor...the idea is all else being the same... even costs, their intake is assigned a priority, and the slot they get assigned to is based upon level loading and capacity of the system. They have no say as far as which university...just that they will have a coat effective, high quality, result.

I think he's not the best person to interview about the problem. They should have interviewed people who recently immigrated with semi skilled or vocational jobs. Like plumbers, electricians, or truck drivers. These professions are in demand in Canada due to shortage but the remuneration is low compared to the very high cost of living in Canada. I'd say it's better to live in a poorer or middle income countries like Thailand or the Philippines but with better affordability.

Maybe some more knowlegable people can respond, but Canada has a birthrate problem. Our population would technically be shrinking if we did not have imigrants to be the new working force. As for who is imigrating, that may also be related to where people would like to imigrate to and opportunity. ie some would rather to to USA. Maybe if cost of living and raising a child was not so expensive. Canda has made some steps to improving child care costs recently, but it has been bad for a long time. It also does not help that we are now in a society where on average both parents need to work, and people are having children later.

I feel sorry for new comers. Canada is not the same anymore. I warn you don't waste your money coming here. Invest were you are please. The cost of leaving is insane. Thanks brother for sharing.

Trudeau is destroying our country… It’s so sad as for political reasons Trudeau decided his only way of increasing GDP growth was by allowing even more new immigrants into Canada. You can see the GDP increase while the GDP per capital decreased…\n\nNo wonder our housing costs are so high, you can’t magically increase housing supply at the rate in which immigration has gone into hyperinflation along with the hyperinflation in housing, food cost, energy costs… Trudeau has been destroying Canada, you can’t keep bringing in skilled new immigrants and not expect the cost of labour to decrease… \n\nCanada has only been holding on because America enjoys outsourcing some highly skilled jobs to Canada, as the cost of our labour is so incredibly cheap, because of our artificially depressed labour costs do to our specific immigration policy… Our immigration policy incentivized those with more education and work experience to be accepted into Canada… Seriousky what your seeing more and more of is rich new immigrants to Canada using us as simply a place to store wealth, launder money, increase Canadian asset prices, then use Canadian citizenship, or Permanent Residency as a springboard into getting into the USA… It’s so sad to watch my country destroy itself through horrible policy, and the complete ambivalence of our elite to the problem…People often forget just how monopolistic major Canadian companies are, and just how corrupt and nepotistic our politics are… Incoukd vent for days about how Trudeau has been destroying Canada… It sucks because for the most part the well educated, polite , and overall just good people who arrive as new immigrants to Canada have been amazing people to meet and make friends with, but I see the stress that everyone is feeling, and the resentments that can fester if not discussed out in the open… I hate to see conflicts between those born in Canada, those who have become new Canadians, and those who just landed here! We need to have some open and honest discussions about the future of Canada, because what Trudeau is doing is making every major issue within Canada worse! I don’t think you could intentionally do more damage than Trudeau already has!

9:37 it's good to hear that you grew up in Germany. Maybe it was better before, but nowadays the DeutcheBahn is so unpredictable, with all the strikes etc. It became a meme. Previously the low cost airlines kinda was a choice, but these days the tax on flight deliberately increased by German government, and there are not much cheap flights left, better to cross the border and fly from there. Also I find it not fair to compare Germany and Canada as their areas are different. Definitely not to compare with Singapore.\nI heard that flight in Canada are very expensive, but if I would live in Vancouver I would prefer to go to Seattle over the border for a weekend rather than going to Toronto on the other side of the continent. Car option in Canada I assume is more affordable that Germany. The German gas price(for cars), or energy in general considered to be one of the most expensive in the World. Also the expenses to get a car license, people are just saying that it's easier and cheaper to fly over to USA get car driving license there and come back. In general with all the pros and cons, Canada seems better when compared to Germany, I saw several people left from Germany to Canada, and only 1 from Canada to Germany(his main reason was high property prices, and German were surprised because of such reason, the prices risen in Germany as well, except maybe for rural areas).\n\nAlso to make it fare when comparing Toronto better to compare it to Berlin, not just to any city in Germany. I think there will the same homelessness and drug issues in Berlin.

I want to live in Canada the land of my birth but it is just not feasible anymore. For the cost to live 1 month in Canada I am living in Mexico for 1 year. Plus I am traveling and vlogging for you on YouTube instead of shoveling snow.

28-year-old Female Sydneysider from Australia here. Apologise in advance for the long post and rambling.\n\n\nNot sure if it is just me, so please correct me if I am wrong. Just probably now too overly 'realistically too cynical'. So please take my input with a grain of salt. 

For context’ sake, for most of my adulthood I have always been poor & I am born with special health needs (E.g. disabilities).
\n\n\nSometimes on forums we are often contrasted to Canada, for some reason. Both Canada and Australia have remarkably similar problems with a different coat of paint. Sydney, for instance, has always been high up in the list of the cities with the highest cost of living in the world. Usually within the top 10-20. 

COVID-19 obviously made this issue clearer in some circumstances because we couldn't 'work' at all. Unless you were an essential service worker, to mentally block out personal and local difficulties.\n\n\nWe still have not recovered from that 2–3 years global shutdown. The only reason I was allowed to work for a period was because I work for the animal industry and aid in animal welfare. 

I still lost my job due to COVID-19 regardless and knew I would never get a decent job again. Merely just the last poor sod on the boat to be thrown off. 

Could not become a vet nurse despite working very hard. Just because no one wants to give me '2-years permanent paid experience’ to be taken seriously. 

At the same time, way too many employers will happily take 2+ years of veterinary students volunteering at their vet clinic. With the vague promise of a permanent job.

Which, of course, never happens, then say we are being too demanding or spoilt for politely asking for said job.\n\n\nHow are we supposed to pay off our student debt if any financial service expects us to have a per meant job to pay anything off??

 No, they do not want to train nor help you. They just want free labour, then kick you out once your time is up. All my jobs have been casual, and my animal industry has already become heavily casual based ages ago. Permanent job is like looking for a magical unicorn.\n\n\nSo, even if you and your relatives lived in the way outer suburbs of Sydney for decades, being typically considered roughly lower-middle socio-economic families. 

The younger adults and kids all know and have been aware for years, they have no future at all due to having an inflated cost of living. Sugar-coating it, saying it might go in a positive direction, sounds like a blatant lie. We all know it is a lie.\n\n\nNowadays, in contrast to the late nineties and early 2000s when I was just a tiny naive kid that didn't know any better. There seems to be a more jarring split between the income brackets of what the country assumes who is poor, middle class or rich today. 

\n\nBy today's standards, my family is no longer even considered close to the very lower end of the middle class if you were reaching hard. We are considered 'poor' just because my parents do not earn roughly $50,000 — $150,000 AUD a year on their own in 2023. When I worked, I usually earned $30,000-$35,000 AUD or less per year before COVID-19 happened.\n\n\n(Source — https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/middle-class-aussies-were-living-better-in-the-early-2000s-than-they-are-today/news-story/fe173db5bbe2b705a8d05df8c5cb14ee)\n\n\nLife is only comfortable living there if you're a selfish landlord, a nepo baby, new money or old money.\n\n\nI feel like most governments and other systems are only strictly being run by sociopathic narcissists that only want us to stay poor to remain in poor conditions to benefit off of. Wouldn’t want any kid to be born in a world where there are no safe guarantees for their future if their guardian unexpectedly passes away or can longer care for them. 

When something does not change within roughly 5–10 years, it is more than simply just valid for us to feel like we cannot fix what has been broken.

I can survive in rising cost of living no problem, biggest problem of Canada is how disjointed it is and how each person is out for themselves to the point of backstabbing and noone shows the real face and that I am not willing to tolerate so I left, after the 20 yr sentence my parents decided to subject me to as a Ukrainian immigrant pre war. I gtfo and no amount of money will bring me back there even in third world countries people are kinder to each other than in Canada

He is right about one thing. The foreign investment and money laundering is the by far the main reason why housing in unaffordable. The oligarchs around the world are able to make an immense amount of money by keeping housing unaffordable. It is the same in Australia, the US, United Kingdom and so on. Regardless of the party in the Canadian government, many of the officials are invested in the housing market themselves, so barring some kind of economic emergency or catastrophe, housing costs are not going to go down any time soon. I was living in Montreal and 4 kg of beef ribs cost $116. The food costs combined with the housing, guarantee that Canadians will be screwed for years to come.

You guys need to realize the problem is the same all over the world. It was the dirty 30s 90 years ago, now it us the dirty 20s. Then there were no jobs, now it is the pay has not kept up with the cost of living. It does not matter who the government is. Companies aee being greedy. My son gets paid 20 an hour as a warehouse manager. His boss says he does need more. Greed is the problem, self centered ness these days.

I am not joking when I say Canada is more expensive than Switzerland.\n\nI was in Canada for a 1 Year Exchange. The cost of stuff is RIDICULOUS! The thing is: Switzerland is expensive yes- but Swiss salaries are also higher on average. In Canada tho stuff is just expensive. I was flabbergasted by the food prices and especially the price of mobile plans!!\nIt was cheaper for me to buy a “North America” mobile plan in Switzerland (Basically a mobile plan for USA and Canada) than buying one in Canada for only Canada ?

Well in Cascadia country Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, BC we all have great transport not only in the cities but also city to city. Yes, the cost of living is still expensive.

I am 22, I have a good degree from a good university and cant get a job for more than minimum wage that people without degrees are already doing. I was born here, my mother was a Polish immigrant, and I am doing everything I can to leave. I am taking a certification to teach English and I hope to move to central Europe. The healthcare systems are different province to province, the economic opportunities are poor, the cost of living is insane and unless I marry rich I will never own a home here. Its not worth it, get out while you can.

Since 2016, many International Students started coming to Canada and they moved to Brampton in particular so they wouldn't have to assimilate into Canadian way of life. I'm a Punjabi kid born and raised in Canada, who grew up in Brampton. Brampton has gone to the shits post 2017/2018 when all these International Students invaded Brampton. The older Punjabi families are moving out of Brampton and are moving to other towns, while some of them rent out their old homes in Brampton to International Students. Old Punjabis are suffering from this the most, maybe you should've interviewed Canadian born Punjabis or Punjabis who have been in Canada for dozens of years instead of interviewing some new comers and a couple crackheads. Not only are these new International Students fucking up the neighbourhoods we've been living in, they've ruined our reputation that our parent's/grandparent's generation worked their ass off to establish in Canada. Maybe Trudeau or whoever the fuck is in charge, should raise their standards of what kind of International Students can enter Canada and have a more difficult English proficiency test. Canada wants Internation Student money, but at what cost? They let in a bunch of buffoons who have no respect to the Canadian way of life.\n\nThat being said, you kind of showed a biased perspective, you interviewed a bunch of crackheads in downtown Brampton. The Sikh Gurdwara you showed actually feeds 100s of homeless people everyday. Gurdwaras all over Canada are contributing more to society than any other religious establishment including Churches. Sikh Gurdwaras give free food to anyone who visits the temple, even during corona virus they would give out packages of free food. I've seen many homeless people getting their food packed from Gurdwaras.

The problem isn't always from a federal perspective. British Columbia fools elected a socialist government who have also created hardships with high cost of living, terrible health care, and housing bureaucracy. In fact, being a landlord is so burdensome, many are selling their rental homes because it's the only way to escape the cumbersome challenges of owning them. This is adding to the crisis because renters are being evicted in BC because people like us are getting out of the rental game. It's not worth it anymore.

If i compare Today's Canada with my home country Greece during crisis period(2010-2017), the wages in my country was, and still is crap but the good thing was the extremely cheap housing due to a housing crash. That helped me buy two properties. Now it's almost impossible to be a first time buyer. Now also, especially after covid, the energy cost, food cost, made even people like me who are owners struggling to cover daily costs(living in my own property and renting out the other + working overtime). I decided to move to Copenhagen, but i quickly realised that it's not much better, and i couldn't use my qualifications. Now i'm working double the average person here to be able to afford to buy a sh*tbox in a smaller city, and i cannot sell any property back home bc i will pay a huge capital gain tax as a Danish tax resident. My rental income from Greece can't help to get bigger mortgage in Denmark, but i think my income is enough for anywhere outside Cph. ...i don't want to imagine how Canadian cities, London, Australian cities are for the average renter/1st time buyer!

I am not planning to move to Canada. Nevertheless: I simply like your video. It just. names facts! And it reminds me of my and other countries in Europe. The most common problem is the cost of housing! Nevertheless: Should you intend to move: The grass seems to be always greener on the other side ?. As you mentioned Germany and public transport: It depends where you live, but according to my experience they did a gr8 job in Munich, but the demand exceeds supply nowadays. I wish you good luck in Canada! It is still not the worst place to be ;-)

When I moved to Toronto 20 years ago, it was more pleasant and people in general was polie and good manners.\nFor the last 10 years and especially the last 5 years, it’s worst and worst.\nDon’t expect someone say Hi to you in your building. Exception, if you have a pet.\nNo one will look behind in case there’s someone for the door.\nEveryone stuck with his community, don’t expect to have discussions with people if you’re not form the same community .\nTake the subway, you see people put their own bag in an empty seat. \nAnd people with feet on the seat.\nIt become a very selfish city, only for me, me, me.\nI travel in differents parts of the world and, Toronto is the most unfriendly city.\nExpensive for apartment, insurance, groceries, cost of living.\nHope it will change again but I have no hope and I prefer to be away as much as I can or move away\n\n.

No worries Canadians, they are fleeing Canada with Canadian money and, have their own businesses or landowners in INDIA. A cab driver informed me they will be leaving and he owns land and businesses in India off of CANADIAN MONEY while driving a CAB in Canada. He said he and others are leaving because Canada is too expensive to live and because of the high cost they are unable to send money to INDIA, so they are leaving us. They used us, took our Cab driver jobs, etc, and now are fleeing, really nice people...NOT!. FYI they are not the only country who stole Canadian jobs and sent money to their 3rd world countries and will return back home to live in MANSIONS. I worked with a Philippine and he sent money home every paycheck and was looking forward to leaving Canada in 10 years with Canadian money and he will enjoy the rest of their life in a huge mansion.\nIt must be nice to come here, work, and then flee. Many have fled already and are enjoying their fruits while betraying Canada. Nice People.

There are foreigners in india that live there (thats okay) - Theres 550 “Canadian” companies operating in India ?? (thats okay), many many Canadians amongst other foreigners go to India to seek medical therapiea for 1/10th of the cost (thats okay), the British invaded india, looted her for 300+ years, killed their men, raped their women, sold them as slaves (thats okay), your channel is spreading hatred and giving rise to bigotry and hatred mister. I travelled to 35 countries- Canadians are everywhere too, lying naked on the beached of mexico ?? Philippines ?? and India ?? and thats okay, indian students bringing in 8 billion dollars a year (thats okay). Basically everything is okay - except not wanting to live with brown skinned people. You are giving rise to nationalist sentiment and spreading hatred. Reporting truth entails reporting the very truth, not one sided theories that are baseless in nature. I have a double Masters, majored in Finance and Economics, “Canada and Canadians” are also third world and backward compared to Scandinavian countries- How does that feel to read ? Truth it is.\n\nOur home ownership is worse amongst OECD countries, We take help from India ?? to take our satellite to spac, we import pharmaceuticals and blood ? from india, many of you probably have indian blood in you if you ever needed blood, truth is I pity reading this. Canadians too are everywhere and are very socially awkward people - How does that sound ?\n\nCanadians are not as literate as the mainland Europeans, that makes us Third world? \n\nIts okay for CPP to invest in india ?? and pay some of you pensioners but not okay for them to live here ? \n\nThird World- I lived in the Yukon, I have seen reserves and the deteriorating standards across many first nations communities- I sometimes wonder how Canada even makes it to the 1st world list of developed countries because even Portugal ?? has better infrastructure than Canada ?? to be honest. Lets us not forget, this land belongs to Immigrants- Includes your great great grandparents who came here, killed the innocent natives, snatched away their lands, separated mothers from babies, some empathy is all it takes. For a minute close your eyes and imagine being deprived, imagine being starved, imagine being looted, imagine your world burned down - Thats what people around the world went through in the hands of the western hypocrisy- Canada is no saint nation, rather the very opposite. \n\nAnd if you really have sentiment against indians, stop benefitting from India and try to function on your own. Can we ? Lol ? ya right. \n\n\nHave some shame mate !

I come at this with two logics and facts\nOne: Who were the first people of Canada ..First Nations ...so White Canada is getting a taste of what their ancestors brought in the past\nTwo: The demographics concern...A Caucasian family barely make the baby ration which is 0.8...and you need 2.2 and above for a population to grow\nIndians have a 2.5 on average.\nSo Caucasian Canada...you might hate it but blame yourself...Oh women power, giving birth at 40 and Freedom....that all good for you but it came with a cost\nand if not rectified.....you will pay the price in the future...and i am talking who is going to pay your social security and pensions \nIn the 70s we had 7 Canadians affording every pensioneer...in 2024 we are up to 4 . \nIf you don't love to like Charlie Chapati......Apu ...then you will have no one to pay for your pension in the future

It is horrible that we are seeing an increase in homelessness, drugs, and declone of heslthcare system. The rich don’t pay their fair share in taxes just loop hole tax invasion with charities. People go in debt for an education. People on single parent Disabikity or Welfsre incomes besides minimum wage are closer to the poverty line since the Inflationery hike’s incline to decline. Doctors and teachers don’t make enough to keep up with inflstion. There are family doctor shortsges. We have a heslthcare crisis but not like the Ststes, we have long wsiting hours for nurses and doctors, rent is too high and enpensive, petro might go back to $2 per litre like 2022 following the initiation of the Russo-Ukrainian war, housing is $20000 more expensive in Canada than the USA, immigrsnts and permanent residences are leaving, we almost had a housing bubble like 2007(USA), we spend too much in taxes, our social net isn’t working, we have low production compared to to the USA, we have a population pocket, we have increase rent cities, we have an incompetent PM, we have carbon taxes that cost more on utilities and petro with rebates thst only gives us Pennies or jnickled to the kids these days, and we have over spending in foreign conflicts like Ukraine when fuck Ukraine and Israel/Palestone they can fight their own shitty battles than having Fold War II.

The prime Minister did a lot of mistake about the immigration system first He must to have a quotas numbers of immigrants in each province , students , temporary workers and refugees with a small pourcentage .But He tooks everyone he didn t think about the housing problem and the job market after the pandemic .Now they are huge consequence the cities are crowded , rent are expensive , crime and proverty is rising , people are struggling with cost living .People quite Canada because is not the eldorado they think .The problematic with certain refugees like soudanese and somalians create some problemin a country with crime .I don t said is all of them but they are unfortunately .

Canada is piece of garbage. Not worth the cost wasted 30 years of life that I can't get back. Wish I was never born here Japan is the best nation on the planet asia is the future Canada is finished.

Singapore Airlines is an absolute treat to fly on. I gather in a microcosm, it is interesting to compare Air Canada and Singapore airline or all Nippon airways, with Air Canada. Air Canada is very expensive for a one or two hour flight, not so in Southeast Asia. Air Canada service is horrible, intimidating, and nasty. Singapore airlines and all Nippon airways, is exactly the opposite. Air Canada makes it very difficult for you too make claims on cancelled flights, broken luggage, and breaches of contract. Singapore airlines and other airlines in Southeast Asia go out of their way to advert a claim. The taxes on a ticket with Canada is horrendous, both indirect and direct taxes, in Singapore and all Nippon airways, much more reasonable. I think when you compare to airlines or multiple airlines against Air Canada, Air Canada is a microcosm of economics, workplace normality, and courteousness. Canadians will always say “I am sorry. “but let me assure you for somebody that is both, culturally Asian and Canadian, they don’t mean it a bit. The culture is more passive aggressive than anything else. Canadians are distant, and have a very, very remote education on their own country. I also have to give credit to the Singaporean pilots. There is usually the captain, first officer, and a second officer or two upfront. Excellent training for the up-and-coming first officers and captains. In Canada, of course we don’t do this. I feel at the safety upfront, especially in an IFR environment, is being sacrificed in Canada and North America. cost is everything, will safety seems like it has taken a backseat. Second officers should be mandatory on all Air Canada flights. This is not the case anymore. Also, on a visual approach to hit the button, I would definitely give the Singapore captain the edge. The hands and feet of an air. Canada pilot has deteriorated beyond belief where, if they don’t have their flight management system and auto pilot going in full tilt, they start sweating and second-guessing themselves. I’ve witnessed this many times.

Im generally pro-immigration, but highlighting students who choose to go to a foreign country while paying exorbitant tuitions and then complain about the cost is...not a situation that garners sympathy

Alina - it's not just Toronto that has these problems and issues. Welcome to the US where rent is high everywhere. The homeless population in California cities is horrendous. Cost of living unattainable for most.

We must have immigration. We Canadians are too highly educated to want to do manual labour. We also do need immigration to prop up our pension plans, which will run out of funds in a few years. We are discriminatory with respect to professional immigrants. Shame.\n\nCovid caused a 2-year slowdown in construction, and in strong inflation. Trudeau is the mouthpiece for the technocrats who advise him on immigration, and the ability to match demand with supply. Immigration, healthcare, whatever-policy is not a one-man (king) decision. The liberals set the policy, not the quotas. As for housing, quotas were set and the liberals advised and provided confirmation.\n\nWith respect to housing, many contractors could not afford to build, given the almost doubling in the cost of raw materials. As well, infrastructure provided by cities, in some occasions, could not match the installation of sewers, water supplies, garbage disposal, etc.\n\nTrudeau is a convenient victim. And if you mean by Trudeau, that it is the Liberals in power, you must also include the NDP, who provided the support to keep the Liberals in power. The NDP have a large impact on the immigration decisions. Blame them as well.\n\nAnd if you think that Pierre P with the Conservative party can do better. Lets see how he does in his second term, if there is a second term.

I moved to Canada as a child with my parents 41 years ago. It isn't just inflation and cost of living that is the problem. It's the dramatically increasing racism and discrimination, even against people who have been living in this country longer than the racists discriminating against them. Seriously? This is not the Canada that I came to as a child, grew up in, or have lived and worked in for many decades. I made the mistake of working around the world for a short time and picking up an accent that wasn't even mine originally. I had a Canadian accent before finishing elementary school. To come back to be asked to go home or 'we don't want your sort here' is not just simple racism, but hatred that makes me regret ever having agreed to taking on Canadian citizenship. My kids and grandchildren have Canadian accents and were Canadians from birth. But should they leave and return to the same crap??? What disgusts me more is that the PM dares to include immigrants with refugees, under the banner that 30% of the population are immigrants. Under the law, refugees are temporary migrants and usually nothing more. To bundle immigrants who came to Canada through legal means of applications, brought hundreds of millions dollars into Canada with them of their own hard-earned money from their own countries, to have it taxed out of them, and their families deliberately put into poverty so Canada can fulfil its 19th century-PM Macdonald immigration policy of, and I quote from a Canadian federal government website, quoting PM Macdonald directly, about breeding out the Indigeneous people, is beyond sick! The refugees get a free ride at the expense of hard-working Canadians, 90% of whom came from immigrant stock! What happens when Trudeau says these deceitful lies about legal immigrants is that the racism and discrimination increases dramatically. I have been left in agony in hospital due to evil racist Canadians who thought that my accent meant that I had just flown in yesterday and what right did I have to be there? Police refused to charge a neighbor whose son was threatening the life of my grandchild because the neighbor works for the CRA! Other people have the same complaints. Democracy? What democracy, oh, and please spare us Mr. Trudeau the claim to be a constitutional monarchy, when most don't want the monarchy as a head of state for Canada! I have been honored to have known, still know, and will know in the future, many good, hard-working, caring and decent Canadians, but Mr. Trudeau, can you explain to me, how many of those were actually of immigrant stock and how many have forgotten where their families came from? Canada used to be a good country, but when a person has to keep explaining where they got their job experience from and if they have any Canadian experience for every time that they look for a job in their lifetime in Canada, something is very wrong with Canada. Most jobs in Canada are blue collar and very few are white collar, yet Canada still continues to deceive the world into believing otherwise. Canada is a great vast and beautiful land, but only a small percentage of it has any infrastructure, roads, or homes sufficient to house what is a decreasing fraction of society. Refugees take preference over immigrants and citizens alike. The lie about the homeless is getting bigger. Most homeless Canadians today are veterans, elderly, disabled, mentally ill, poor, and professionals and trades people, yet Canada brings in countless professionals, claiming that their education and experience will get them into the professions that they are coming from. It's all a scam! Canadian education is not the best and yet people with better educations and job experience are being forced to spend all their money to go back to university or college to get jobs that they rarely will be hired for. Canada is not short of doctors, just short of professionals who hire professionals without using discrimination, hatred and racism for their HR kit! Many taxi drivers are doctors, engineers, and so on. So, please stop lying to the world and tell the truth. And no doubt this entry will be taken down because it offends a Canadian who doesn't want the world to know the truth.

I was misdiagnosed for year and could have died when I went to the emergency room. I needed surgery and was told my wait would be two years. Then, when I went to Serbia to have life-saving surgery, the government would not refund the cost, because they decided it was not an emergency—I “could have survived with a catheter”. The doctors in Canada are kind and lovely people, but they are just overworked. The system is completely broken. I’ve been telling all my European friends who are thinking of immigrating to Canada to stay far away. Is there a single government service in Canada that is functioning well?