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| 2026-02-10 | 0 |
Sad to think that western world is falling
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| 2024-09-02 | 0 |
TFW here, east Asian, a couple of things:\nI am paid the provincial minimum wage, and work in the dairy industry, medium sized farm.\nI started working straight out of high school\n\nFrom what I can see and hear from across the province and largely in the western Canadian provinces, older generation farmers are at the retirement age, but the younger generation is generally very reluctant to take over. \nNot all industries, but definitely in livestock, people sometimes don't realize that, there is literally no breaks, ever! You work every day, holidays, Christmas, and if you do chose to take a few days off, your co-workers, i.e. other family members or workers, have to take up the extra workload. You barely have time for your family, you are often tired around your kids. Farmers have some of the highest suicide rates among all occupations, as well as a difficulty to find partners due to the nature of their jobs.\nThe work is hard, days long, especially during harvests, and if the ever more expensive tractors, equipment fail...\nThere used to be a lot of family owned farms, over the last few decades most have sold their generational farm and left the industry, most because of the cost to operate and because the next generation's unwillingness to take over.\nYong people my age have not been seen applying for my position in a few years now, despite ongoing hiring effort at significantly higher than minimum wage, and I have repeatedly stated that I, although love my job, am ready to step aside at any point so a Canadian PR or citizen can take my position, as required by worker rules. There were a few inquiries from neighboring areas, mostly made by parents, but their children in the end all refused to work, even part time, or seasonal.\n\nOn the other hand, there is the issue of prices: equipment costs have largely more than doubled since the pandemic, grain prices rose... and all that on top of the constant uncertainty of the weather every planting and harvesting season. Most farms don't ever make a profit after the yearly operating cost is deducted from earnings, and the little profit that on occasion appear, goes right back into paying debt or reinvesting in renewing long overdue old equipment.\n\nMy position, and all those similar to mine in agriculture, are in all fairness, very low skilled, with minimum training, and therefore is only worth minimum wage, in my opinion. I was actually offered a higher amount but in the end turned it down because on the job, I discovered the only thing I bring to the table is manual labor (I know that's not really the right way to go about wages, but I do believe that wages should be based on the irreplaceableness of one's skills, and as it stands, although no replacements were ever found, I am very much easily replaceable, skill wise). That, compared to a slightly better paid Starbucks position, with benefits (most farm workers and owners don't have benefits or pension, yes owners too), air conditioning, regular work hours. I mean, if it wasn't for my particular interest for agriculture I'd pick Starbucks any day too!\n\nI think a couple issues are at hand, \n1. Most of agriculture's profit ends up in the corporate processing and supermarkets, that needs to change, workers could benefit, as well as consumers, from distributing that profit between farmers and shoppers.\n2. Agriculture in today's context no longer fit the modern life, although I strongly think that A LOT of people can benefit from getting their hands dirty once in a while and sweating a bit, improve physical and mental health, have better discipline all that jazz. So foreign workers are the temporary solution, if well regulated so that Canadian PR and citizens are ALWAYS prioritized for hire and at a fair wage. This cannot happen unless farmers can turn a profit, stated in point 1.\n3. A new generation of farmers are needed to take over, and they need to be somehow convinced that it is worth the toil, because as it stands, it is not, financially, life style wise. Automation is one solution, although therein lies the huge, foreseeable risk of corporate takeover.\n4. On a specific note, TFW does mandate that workers are provided up to standard housing (not always followed), which puts local workers at a huge disadvantage if they are commuting to work and paying rent, although that rarely happens, and the majority of farms do offer housing to all.\n\n\nI am aware that me being treated up to regulation is not the norm among my TFW peers, which is quite sad and unacceptable. But in my opinion, even if given a leveled playing field, wages , conditions, housing, etc. Canadian citizens and PRs largely will be unable to meet the demand for these jobs, from unwillingness to work really hard physically, unwillingness to live the lifestyle, wanting a career with better prospects... these are harsh words, but I believe to be true, and they also come from a lot of older generation farmers talking about their children and grandchildren. \n\nThis is just in the agri industry, and from what I hear from farmers from all over western Canada : )
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| 2024-08-15 | 0 |
We had not communicated in a long time BUT... I think you were surprized how much you enjoyed to exploration of Russia a few years ago but quality of life was very good then but even better now, but retaining the unmatched access to culture, very low cost of living much lower crime rate than Canada/US/Europe, and cost of living about 1/10th of Canada, great health and easy to get a residency and citizenship due to being from Ukraine originally. For your travels, it is a little more complicated due to US sanctions but from here in St Petersburg it is really easy to travel by bus to Estonia and fly anywhere in the world. Estonia is the cheapest cost of living in the Baltic. I have flown to California several times using that route and to London the flight is $50 euros. \nAlthough you explored a lot here there is so much more to see and experience.\nThere is no doubt the western countries that relied on cheap labor and resources from colonies are all in a downward spiral and the east is rising. All the BRICS countries have positive growth in quality life and economic growth and a total of 108 countries have either applied or expressed serious interest in joining the largest trade block in history while the US empire fades at an accellerating rate. I would not go back the the crime, homelessness, anger, poverty of the US but have family business to take care of every 4-5 years. The decline is not a temporary downturn, the banking collaps that is accelerating now and impossible to pay back debt, it is really sad to see how the US is turning out. When growing up in California we had everything , really the golden state but is a wreck now. The politics is corrupt and owned by the employers of lobbyists.\nIf you come here to St Petersburg I have extra room in the city center with a Metro across the street and walking distance to more culture beautiful parks and zero hassles or conflict on the streets The crime rate is so low I can't even remember anything significant in the last 10 years, walking anywhere in the city of 7 mil would be safe at 3am. And as your remember everyone get a long, I have not seen a fight in 24 years and two teens in a young persons under 21 dance club\nThink about it, you know you really enjoyed it when you were here.\nGood luck is whatever you choice
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| 2024-07-02 | 0 |
Western Canadian here. Moved away from the coast last year because of the ideological capture and literally watching the community dissolve and collapse in front of my eyes. Overwhelming drug abuse and a lack of policing or care for the general population. \n\nThe state of this country is sad. Yesterday was Canada Day, our July 4th. Virtually no flags or positive sentiment. What do we have to be proud of?\n\nI want to be clear here, I don’t blame the the immigrant populations for coming here, I blame the people that allowed them to come with ZERO plan for how to ensure they’re taken care of while not negatively impacting native Canadians.\n\nThe government created this problem, they can fix it but choose not to and instead turn us all against each other when we should be pointing the finger at the powers that be.\n\nBut I’m sure for this opinion they’ll show up at my place later for wrong think so it’s been swell everyone.\n\nGood luck out there in this absolute clown show. Until we get lobbying and money out of politics internationally we’re fucking doomed.
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| 2024-05-24 | 0 |
South Asian Indians are fourth generation Canadians and are educated, successful and have assimilated with the European culture. The french lady should see Montreal, it is cool to see Indians, Chinese speaking French. Do you ask why there are too many Chinese in Chinatown? Sadly the new immigration are bad Trudeau policies that India wanted deported back. Others are temporary honest Indian students that are being ripped off by Canadian wrong policies of shameless cash grab. Assimilation for new immigrants could be something in common e.g. free classical piano lessons for everyone in school. Music and language is a great first step in communication. The drug problem has nothing to do with immigration, it is the result of their own culture of drug abuse and bad Canadian policies. I think it is sad that the woman seems to be so negative without realizing the she has to care and use her power for good by demanding that no Canadian should be on the streets, this is why ALL Canadians (especially include South Asian Indians) pay taxes. where is our money going? is not the Canadian Government responsible for the welfare of ALL Canadians? we were the peacekeepers. Canada is a puppet to western primitive thinking foreign policy in a proxy war to destroy beautiful Christian Russia?? Trump has outsmarted Trudeau on every agreement. Canadians are paying double to a country that wants our water!!! I wish Senior Trudeau was here to protect Canadians.
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| 2024-04-12 | 0 |
I grew up in Malton (borders Brampton) in the 1980's and it was all Western European and Canadian folks and it was great. Such a sense of community and everyone knew everyone. Us kids would stay out until the street lights came on and played in Parks. It was really safe. We moved away in 2006 because the area had gone such down hill by 1999 and the crime was horrible. Stolen cars, alcohol and drug abusing Punjabi folks and the domestic partner violence of the Indian men beating the crap out of their wives was insane. (I had a friend that was a Peel Region Police officer who ended up leaving because she couldn't take seeing it any longer). I have nothing against Immigration, because my dad was an immigrant, but I do have a problem with the amount of any one country we let in, and the types of people that we let in that contribute to crime and area degradation. It's so sad the slums that have become in Brampton and Malton since we left. I'm glad we got the heck out of there when we did. I feel sorry for all those that are stuck there still. Furthermore with such an influx of immigrants into one area it has driven the house prices and rent through the roof because the pace of immigration was nowhere near the housing starts, and cities think that everyone needs to be packed in like sardines and when you have that many people living in close proximity and you have such expensive living costs it's a disaster waiting to happen and it brings along with it tons of crime and drugs. The Trudeau government really messed up this country and the GTA Cities like Brampton are a shining example of that. It's sick that we pay as much as we do for government at all levels that are this idiotic. It's time we protested in the street and made the government at all levels fear the public again or it's never going to change.
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| 2024-01-17 | 0 |
It was a good answer to a degree but I do think that the Arab world could do far more for Palestine. The sad fact is that there is too much economic cooperation between some Arab countries and western imperialism.
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| 2023-12-20 | 0 |
It's crazy how these Western reporters think that these Arabs are not intellectually attuned to what's going on around the world hilarious and sad actually
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| 2023-04-02 | 0 |
Imagine what these people expect of the U.S. if they gain entry? If you are willing to be that entitled that you think you are OWED entry then what will you be like if that is confirmed?\n\nYes it is sad that the world is not fair but the reason everyone wants to come to U.S. and western countries is because of the quality of life and opportunity. Those things are there because people fought hard to make laws so that the country would become a great one (same for other western democracies). But here these people are the total opposite of what makes these countries great.\n\nYou want to come into my house knock at the front door. The moment I see trying to sneak in by a window or the back my suspicion and rejection are justified.\n\nUSE THE FRONT DOOR !
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| 2019-01-24 | 0 |
If the Islamic followers want to be more accepted it would benefit for them to denounce the radical Islamic parts more openly and more often, also even the Christians have tone down or even speak against how some things in the Bible are written and or interpreted and have even fought against groups or individuals who would radicalize things from the Bible.\n\nBut it appears that even the moderate follower of Islamic faith may say something to a non believer just to appear helpful, but while later it seems those moderates talk different when around others of their faith, no longer ready to speak against their teachings or leadership. The groups or individuals I hear talk from the Islamic side of things, like Council on American-Islamic Relations is only the victimhood against Muslims, it seems that the Council avoids asking it's others how to fit into Western or American type culture/ life. Why does it seem that it's the community's etc that needs to change? If I went to Saudi Arabia could I expect the country to change to my standards? If even I went to the Vatican City and Said hey Pope I'm here now so you all need to change to my way of thinking? I truly think that there are some of the Muslim faith who exploit the western society kindness, generosity and laws to further their own goals, and it's a sad situation to be so deceitful.
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