Close Reading

Canada needs to run all them folks out of thier country instead of being online saying "From Canada here" and running your mouths about the USA!

Not sure why this isn’t country wide. I came to Canada as a legal immigrant 40 years ago worked and paid taxes my whole life. Pains me when I see fake refugee claimants getting free dental while I pay through the nose. And many such injustices. Many fake refugees claimants say they are gay when they are not claim life threatened at home country but as soon as get documents run home for a visit…lThis government needs to stop making us hardworking folks pay for these abusers cause they want to be so called politically correct. I remember when Trudeau told all the migrants Trump wouldn’t tolerate to come to Canada. What a plonker.

Canada needs this shit business to run its paralel economy. The govt knew from the begining itself that all their documents are fraud. if they had the money to study in canada., they would have gone to USA. not come to canada.

Indian American here, who spent nearly every summer in Canada growing up (and writing from Canada right now). Not all Indians are created equal, just like any other country. Plus, many are poor and just like any other country, social class matters. Canada needs to be way more selective for some time. I love both cultures so it's important that Indian culture doesn't over-run Canadian culture.

Trumps own words, “Vote for me, you will never have to vote again!” \nThis one is showing up on several pages. Make up your own mind. \nThere is something rancid in America, a slow, creeping rot that smells like cold McDonald’s fries, aerosol hairspray, and the unmistakable musk of a country too sedated to recognize its own hostage situation. For years, the idea that Donald Trump was compromised by Russia was dismissed as paranoid fantasy—just another wild-eyed conspiracy theory, another overblown headline in the endless saga of American political dysfunction. \nBut now, two former Soviet intelligence officers—Alnur Mussayev and Yuri Shvets—are saying it outright: Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987, groomed as an asset, and remains under Russian control to this day. \nAnd the worst part? He’s already back in the White House. \nThat’s right, America. You did it. You walked face-first into the banana peel of history, slipped, and fell straight into the arms of Vladimir Putin. Trump was kicked out in 2020, spent four years plotting his comeback, and now he’s returned, like a bloated, orange cockroach that just won’t die. The Kremlin’s favorite stooge is running the country again, and this time, he knows exactly how to stay in power. \nIf you think this is just another round of the Trump Show, you’re not paying attention. This isn’t politics anymore. This is treason. This is foreign subversion. This is a God forsaken coup in slow motion. \nLet’s break it down, nice and simple. \nAlnur Mussayev isn’t some Twitter conspiracy theorist with a tinfoil hat and a podcast. He’s the former head of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee, which means he knows exactly how Russian intelligence works—because he was part of the system. And what he’s saying should make every American’s blood run cold. \nAccording to Mussayev, Trump was identified, recruited, and compromised by the KGB in 1987 during his first trip to Moscow. They saw him for what he was: a narcissistic, greedy, attention-starved buffoon who could be easily manipulated. The KGB flattered him, promised him business deals, and planted the seeds of political ambition in his empty little head. And from that moment on, he was their man. \nBut Mussayev isn’t alone. Former KGB major Yuri Shvets said the exact same thing in 2021: Trump was cultivated by Soviet intelligence because he was an easy mark—too stupid to realize he was being played, too egotistical to care. They saw him as a useful idiot—a man who could one day be nudged into power, a walking, talking Trojan Horse for Russian interests. \nAnd now? The plan has worked. Trump spent four years in office weakening America from within, got booted out, and now he’s back for round two. \nIf you had told the American public in 1962 that a Soviet-backed asset would one day sit in the White House, they would have burned Washington to the ground before letting it happen. But today? Nobody seems to care. \nThe media treats this like just another wacky subplot in the never-ending Trump reality show. Congress is too busy fighting over meaningless culture war nonsense to do anything about it. And the American public? Exhausted. Numb. Checked out. Years of scandals—Russia collusion, Ukraine blackmail, classified documents, tax fraud, sexual assault, an attempted coup—have fried the country’s brain like an overcooked steak at Mar-a-Lago. \nTrump has done the impossible. He has committed so many crimes, so openly, so brazenly, that none of them matter anymore. \nAnd now, with Mussayev’s revelation that Trump is an active foreign asset, we have finally reached the point where the biggest political scandal in American history is met with a collective shrug. \nThis is how democracy dies—not with a bang, but with a goddamn eye-roll. \nThis is the part where the skeptics start clutching their pearls. “Oh, come on,” they say. “If Trump were really a Russian asset, wouldn’t there be more proof?” \nTo which I say: Are you blind, or just willfully stupid? \nLet’s go through the evidence, shall we? \nTrump spent his entire first term doing exactly what Russia wanted. He attacked NATO, calling it “obsolete” and threatening to pull the U.S. out. He tried to blackmail Ukraine into manufacturing dirt on Joe Biden, because weakening Ukraine helps one man and one man only: Vladimir Putin. He pulled U.S. troops out of Syria, handing power over to Russian forces. He picked fights with Canada and Europe while cozying up to dictators. \nEven now, in his second term, he is more openly pro-Putin than ever. He has made it clear that he will not protect NATO allies from Russian aggression. He is actively dismantling America’s alliances, just as Russia planned. And while Americans scream at each other over whether Target should sell rainbow t-shirts, Trump is quietly selling the country to the Kremlin. \nAt some point, you have to stop calling it a coincidence and start calling it what it is: treason. \nThe United States is running out of time. If Trump serves out this term without being removed, America as a functioning democracy is finished. \nThe media needs to wake up. Enough with the “Trump fatigue” excuse. This is not just another scandal—this is the single greatest infiltration of American power in history. Journalists need to dig into Mussayev’s claims, demand declassification of intelligence files, and treat this like the national emergency that it is. \nCongress needs to subpoena Mussayev immediately. His testimony must be public, and every document he has should be reviewed. If there is proof that Trump has been compromised since the 1980s, the American people need to know. \nThe Justice Department needs to stop pretending that Trump is just another politician. If there is evidence that the sitting president of the United States is working in Russia’s interests, he must be removed from office and prosecuted for espionage. \nAnd the American public? You have one last chance. This is not about Republican vs. Democrat. This is not about taxes, gas prices, or whatever nonsense outrage is dominating the news today. This is about whether the United States remains a sovereign nation, or if we spend the rest of the century as a Russian client state with a golf course. \nThe sheer volume of Trump's corruption, the blatant nature of his crimes, the mountain of evidence that should have ended his political career a hundred times over—none of it mattered. He survived it all, not because he was innocent, but because he drowned the country in so much scandal that nothing stuck. \nBut this time, it’s different. If Mussayev and Shvets are right, this isn’t just another chapter in the endless Trump circus. This is the culmination of a decades-long Russian intelligence operation to install an asset in the White House. \nThere is no coming back from this. If America lets Trump serve out this term without removing him, then the United States as a democratic republic is finished. The country won’t collapse overnight. There won’t be tanks in the streets. Instead, the destruction of democracy will happen in slow motion—buried under lawsuits, propaganda, and corruption so blatant that people stop caring. \nIf America lets this happen—if Trump is allowed to complete his mission—then Putin wins. The West crumbles. And the people who could have stopped it will look back, years from now, and wonder how they let it happen. \nGood night, and good luck. Because if people don’t wake up, America is going to sleepwalk straight into its own funeral.

Comparing the US to Canada, I notice we have more freedoms here in Canada in spite of the high cost of living, and because of the freedoms we have more solidarity to call Canada our home. We don’t pack a piece when we leave home to run errands, we don’t whirl the maple leaf, we don’t adorn our buildings with the maple leaf, and we don’t wear maple leaf clothing. We don’t do any of these things because we don’t need to, because we are not paranoid, and that is why we don’t have the level of violence that is in the US. This land is our home, and it has always been peaceful for the most part, until now that Trump is touting threats of taking Canada as the 51st state. He wants Canada because we have the natural resources that the US needs. He will build a direct line to Alaska. He will drill all over Canada wherever he wants. He will kick Canadians off their land to drill. Trump will do whatever he wants because he’s a business man. He does not take others into consideration, just his own plans to meet his own selfish gains. What Trump is doing are illegal manoeuvres and he must be stopped. There has got to be a limit within legal guidelines to stop this insanity.

Americans scared that their southern border is unsecure while their northern border is thousands of miles longer, unprotected and unmanned. Speaking as a Canadian you all should be scared in the USA. Now that Canada is on the downward trend due to no housing, no jobs, inflation and unsanctioned immigration, I can GUARANTEE that you will get a huge influx of illegal immigrants who hop the border. They get into Canada legally (since we accept anybody without backgroud checks) and once they discover how tough life is here they make a run for the USA. Canada was never their final destination just a pit stop before they head to America. Canada needs some serious help and legislation when it comes to this. Our infrastructure and culture are at a serious risk of being permanently damaged due to this. Our federal election is in October 2025 and even if we get a politcal party change I fear that nothing will ultimately change for the good.

They come here and want to run our country. But we say anything then we are in the wrong. As Canadians were getting pushed out and forgotten. As we pay taxes and fill the pockets of the politicians and those come into this country, we get left with nothing but crumbs sometimes even nothing at all. Canada needs to take back Canada.

This whole situation is the Federal Government’s responsibility \n\nBusinesses want cheap workers \nSo they say they can’t get Canadian workers,, which is a lie…they can \nSo these businesses can get the federal government to give a grant you pay half the wages of foreign temporary workers \nYet they all become permanent residents, with no intention to ever leave. Further the government and businesses won’t pay Canadians a living wage, instead let them be homeless and get foreign workers to all live in one house or room and pay them cheap. \n\nThe true Canadian citizens in Canada are treated as second class citizens in their own country \nBecause the government is treating the people of Canada as commodities, easily disposable. \nLook at maid policies for goodness sake. \nLook at Veterans \nIf you can’t work because your disabled or senior \nThe government is literally writing you off as disposable \n\nGovernment is running the Canadian people and the country into the ground \n\nWhen are people of this country going to have a say in their own affairs \n\nGovernment spending for one should be held accountable to the people of this country!\n\nThe government is completely corrupt as we are seeing with our own eyes.\n\nThe amount of tents for the homeless is out of control \nYet, the government is putting refugees in hotels and feathering their nest for one whole year! \nSo the refugees can work save all their money and their housing and meals are paid for. In the meantime the refugees are taking out credit cards right left and center and driving our country more into debt than ever before.\nCanadians got a reputation as being “nice”\nAt the expense of being nice, inclusive and welcoming \nCanada is destroying itself\n\nI can tell you that a Canadian would never be able to go to their countries and get away with what they’ve received here in Canada..,and there is no one else to blame except the Federal Government and Large Corporations who are feeding each other hand over fist. It’s complete hypocrisy and corruption. \n\nAn independent review of the government needs to take place and those responsible held accountable.\n\nNever have I ever seen Government being held accountable for any wrongdoings. \n\nThings need to start changing \nPeople need to start opening their eyes to what is really happening in this country. \n\nAs a Canadian I am disgraced with how this country is being run into the ground. \nAnd how the Federal government is turning its back on its own citizens that worked hard for this country.

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.

This type of behaviour is unacceptable. This guy only knows how to run his mouth. Not all brown people take his running mouth. Someone needs to put him in his spot. Wht he thinks he owns Canada.

Canada has become an exclusive club for people who want to own a home or own real estate. Supply side issues but open immigration has made it a real estate haven for investors from all over the world. Black money or not, you can easily bring drug or money laundering, or other dishonest (a.k.a haram) money into Canada, and law enforcement is asleep at the wheel. Canada needs to be more like the US in order to make this country work in the long run. The prince of Nigeria and his relatives would like to buy real estate in Canada? Of course, its a no brainer!

For all the amazing things the US has to offer, right now we don't even want to visit there, let alone move there. We've talked about it a lot, but nope. In Canada, generally speaking (although there are exceptions to every rule) we have no idea what political leaning our neighbors favor. Political campaigns last no more than 51 days; they do not start the day after the last election and go on for years. This way, elected officials actually do some work instead of campaigning. Right now, the politics in the US, as well as the judiciary, are literally insane. Gun violence in the US is insane, as is the attitude towards guns. It shouldn't take a shooting that affects you personally to make you care about it, and it's not just at schools. The US has had 28 mass killings, with 140 victims, in 6 months... but the problem is that no one down there cares about that enough to stop it, or even discuss ways to stop it. The politics is so sold out to corporations that what is good for the people just doesn't matter. It is capitalism run amok. Environmental protections? They are an inconvenience, and most of them were rolled back a few years ago under the presidency of He Who Must Not Be Named. So politics, elections, shootings... but wait. There's more. I have a wonderful friend in the US who has amazing health care, and yet when he got cancer, he was screwed. We do pay a health care premium up here, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to what people in the US pay for private insurance. Yes, you have the best hospitals in the world, but it doesn't matter if you can't afford to walk in the door. Now dump the intolerance -- racism, homophobia, religious zealots, misogyny (yes, I am talking women's rights, equal pay, access to health care, etc) -- throw in the crazies with guns, and now ask the question again. I absolutely know that Canada is not perfect, and that the tolerances and attitudes towards all these subjects differs from region to region, but overall we are a country that tries to respect the rights and needs of others, that has empathy for others, that wants to help others, and that is a pretty firm foundation to make us want to stay here. (please don't interpret this as all Americans and all areas of the US have no respect etc... but the predominant issues of health care, politics, religion, corporate greed, and violence, now all supported by a bat-crap crazy SCOTUS, sadly spills and taints it all. I know there are amazing, generous, kind people all over the US, but I don't know where the crazies are or where they might pop up).

Alberta #2.... LOL! Kidding right? \nThat would equate to Wyoming being the 2nd best place to live in the U.S. while having seasonal climate like Alaska without the mountains.\nAlberta's all good if you love 2 months of 'summer' known as 'Rodeo Season' followed by 10 months of sub arctic WINTER known as 'Hockey Season', wear only plaid shirts and jean jackets, accessorize your all denim wardrobe with a leather belt sporting a chrome buckle the size of a hubcap, your choice of footwear consists of hard and uncomfortable high heel boots with ridiculous pointed toes, wouldn't dare leave your home unless fully costumed like a casting extra in a B movie Spaghetti Western complete with a hat the size of bucket, while having dietary needs that are easily satisfied from both of the 2 known food groups of Beef or Wheat, and your 2 favourite 'cultural interests' are 'Country' & 'Western'. (Good luck trying to find a radio station that plays anything but)\n\nThe views are spectacular if you're keen on flat vast expanses of endless nothingness uninterupted by anything of interest other than petroleum industry related facilities, if that's your thing.\n\nBonus..... with the second largest indoor mall in North America... complete with waves and a beach so you never have to leave the province to go on vacation. Your kids can feign battle on a full size mock pirate ship or midget submarine, while Mom sip's pina colodas under a plastic palm tree beachside and watching shirtless cowboys wade ankle deep in the 'surf' while still wearing their 'Wrangler' branded jeans. Family content, Dad can strut down the mall concourse to find 'Whiskey Row' and select his favourite 'Saloon' to wile away the hours guzzlin' suds and swillin' whiskey to his hearts content, or until Mom's run off to get cowpoked and the kids are floatin' face down in an olympic sized wave pool with an artificial tropical south seas backdrop.\n\nNo worries about the future when Alberta's only industry of petroleum implodes. Alberta's plan B is to regain it's lost position of wheat exports now that the world has lost it's appetite for Russian toast. Your kids can look forward to lifetime employment of waiting for harvest while hanging out on a split rail fence sucking a wheat straw perpetualy held between their teeth until it's time to fire up the old John Deere tractor and drive straight lines for 40 days and 40 nights.\nSounds like Alberta's just short of heaven in the #2 ranked postion of best Provinces to live in Canada.