Close Reading

This is pretty funny. I'm Canadian and my best friend is an economist working for the government on demographic issues full time. Just has an FYI canada has seen its highest immigration rate in the past 50 years last year. I can also see and feel all the immigrants moving in the job market. I'm not so sure why those videos keep being produced. This country is not perfect but it's better than many other places in the world. For example, canada is barely affected by climate change because we already have resilient infrastructure. When it comes to housing it's not so much that the governement does not allow for more building than the fact that it's hard to build affordable homes because the homes in canada require a lot of work due to the nature of the climate. (Has a trained carpenter and GC I know.) It's also very far from all of the world's chaos. All those emerging wars will affect Europe directly but all we get are some small economic backlashes. Anyhow, I've been living here for my whole 31 years of life and I've enjoyed the place and its peace. What I dislike is the cold and the lack of sun. I hope this message helps people having a fairer POV.

You've got the most Muslim friendly , anti-Canadian prime Minister ever . Can you take all your people back to a better place , in the mid east please .

I think it will be much, much more better for you and your family to live in a Muslim majority country being a Muslim. Islam is just not really compatible with Canadian culture or Western culture as a whole. I wish you luck on your journey.

I'm not muslim, but I've lived and worked in Saudi where Islam permeates every facet of life. I also lived in worked in Malaysia where Muslims make up the majority. Both countries have their advantages and disadvantages. As you have a Canadian passport you're more likely to get a better job in Saudi. No guarantee of that in Malaysia. \nI found the food better in Malaysia, but the food in Saudi is pretty darn good too. \nWinter in Saudi is very nice, at least where I lived in Khobar. However, it is brutally hot for 7-8 months a year. Malaysia is tropical, meaning its very warm to hot with high humidity and rain. \nI can't talk about other countries as I haven't that much experience. Wherever you go, best of luck.

Before leaving Canada, you should surrender Canadian citizenship and returned passpot as well. If you realy want to know how other muslim countries treat you, travel on the passport you arrived here in canada. Acrually, you know you would be trwated better while having Canadian passport. Have some moral courage...\nAbout islamic environment. Were you not aware before coming here OR all of sudden after becoming citizen you got aware ,oh this is not an islamic society. You want us to believe this non sense.

The friend issue is a West Coast thing for sure! I am a Canadian who had been to Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and I am based in Vancouver. Those other cities are way better in terms of making meaningful connections than Vancouver! We call it the West Coast Cold Shoulder Mentality.

I also feel that your decision is the right one. When people move to another country they are expected to adapt to the general culture of that place. And Islam is not really compatible with Canadian values. For the sake of your children it will be better to raise them in an Islamic country. As an aside: the Canadian government does not support the war itself in Gaza, they just are against the gruesome massacre of October 7 (a true genocide by classic definition), and consider the fact that the war was forcibly brought upon Gaza by that event.

As a Canadian-Iraqi, please leave. I will help you pack your bags and drive you to the airport. We left that part of the world in the 80s and we hope that part of the world stays where it is. Yeah, it can be better here if we had a government truly for the people, but it's way better than most of what's out there.

Almost 4 Million Canadians have left for a better life but what they have in common is our Government.....

Did you not check out Canada before you came here? Plus I choose to come to Canada I abide by the Canadian culture yes I hate the winter but it’s better than living in fear. Go back home I wish you well take the hat with you.

One of the ways to stop a flood of Third World immigration\nWas if Canadian women had children and families with Canadian men and stopped looking for a better deal elsewhere

I appreciate the way you present the reality. One way to cope with salaries and taxes is to open you own enterprise. This is the canadian way of growing fron a wealth point of view. As a person leaving from a salary, it is still possible to grow depending on your skills. But beggining your own business to exploit your skills will make you 'fly' to the next level, which is the actual way of growing. It took me a lot of years to realice this. Just think about it, provinces allow medecins to incorporate what means that they will pay less taxes and become richer sooner. This is just my thought, other people may think in a different way, I just try to give positive ideas.\n\nSecondly, Canada is still a country to live in a bit better than other countries considering many things happening around the world. Crime and economics is worst everywhere also. But, it all depends on what criteria counts for you. About society, it's not easy to make real friends except other inmigrants that need it too. Climate is not attractive specially for older people. Etc.\n\nHope you find my comments interesting and that you find your place soon.

As a Canadian, born and raised, I am much more proud to be a Canadian than if I were to be a U.S. or U.K. citizen, given the way they are regarded in most of the word. I have travelled Europe extensively, Central America, as well as parts of SE Asia. \n\nCanada is indeed expensive and has become moreso because we too easily accept the rising prices, just so we can feel good being a Canadian. Tipping culture is ridiculous, even for bad service, many feel the need to tip 15% because of fear of being regarded as a cheapskate or avoiding offending the service provider. Companies should be paying their staff a better wage where 20%+ tips are not expected for every restaurant, cafe or delivery service. We're helping corporations make more profit by subsidizing their staffing expense. This isn't the case in most of the world. \n\nMy eyes were opened when I saw how you can live an equally good life at a third or less of the cost and I have grown open to the idea of living elsewhere once I have enough money to retire early (I'm talking around 55) and enjoy life without feeling cash-strapped. World class private medical care can be found for prices that are unbelievable and without the multiple appointments and wait times.\n\nI will always be a Canadian first, but there is room for a second citizenship or a backup plan should living in Canada become an impossible place to live or retire, unless you begin with a financial advantage. By no means am I poor, either. I got lucky with both real estate and stocks. Yet, I feel like I am working to just get by, while being taxed well beyond what I am getting in return.

All good reasons to leave. You should definetely move to a Muslim country where life is so much better than any western country. All Muslims in Canada should follow your lead. All my best. Like this Canadians will be able to, as you say, maintain our heritage and culture.

I hope it worked out for you man… as a Canadian, I can say that as much as Canadians love to pretend like we’re super open and welcoming, that’s largely not the case. I’ve witnessed some really disgusting treatment of immigrants first hand, and I have a lot of friends/ coworkers who are immigrants from Latin America and the Middle East, and I’ve heard a lot from them about the micro aggressions that they get from Canadians everyday, the dirty looks they get when speaking their native languages in public, and the immense pressure to assimilate. What you were saying about feeling like you’re always reminded that you’re an outsider in Australia, I also hear that a lot from immigrants here in Canada… I hope that Canada can be a better place for you, and you can feel more at home here, but the u fortunate truth is that the idea that Canadians just welcome immigrants with open arms and that everyone is welcome here is largely a myth… a lot of Canadians unfortunately are just xenophobic, racist, nationalistic dickheads and they’re not shy about it

Who cares why you left... Canada is a great country and not so far gone to have it back on the right track. Sure everyone likes to bitch about something, it's human to complain when your having a bad day,week, or month. Even in the darkest times humans find the ray of sunshine and start to chase it knowing that it will be better in the future. To make a video that you had to leave ...who cares, your mom or family or friends. Did you think about the thousands of Canadians who went to war to fight for what you have today? Respect is lacking for many young people in many countries. Canada needs to stop thinking it has to fix all the problems immediately like some fix it pill. Band aids are for first aide not solving complex issues. Issues should be sounded out by Canadians for Canadians and only then we can start to logically and with forethought address issues using our great minds to solve issues with the future in mind. Leaving Canada is not using your talents to help your country who gave you everything up till now, it's opting out of assisting your forefathers in completing the growth and direction of your children's future and the future of Canadian society. Have a nice vacation because the world outside of Canada is not your home...it's just a hotel.

I happy im not Canadian any more . America is better . Im American now

I'm not Canadian, so I'm very neutral on this topic, but I could not help to be perplexed as I listened to your long video, as I try to understand why are you still living in in Canada if it is such terrible place?! I guess it must be better than the country you were born in , when despite all of the bad things you talk about, you stay there.....

This is a very thoughtful and balanced review. As a retired Canadian who had a good job for most of my life, I'm saddened by the decline in almost all areas of life, lifestyle and and people's aspirations in this country. This decline actually seems quite rapid, I would say from 2015 onwards. Housing in major centres was expensive, but it has skyrocketed in the past decade. There has been a decline in many institutions: 1. health-care, especially noticeable since the pandemic that coincided with many boomer medical staff retiring, but also by our sclerotic institutions refusing to enable foreign-trained doctors to work here. Many foreign-trained doctors in the Vancouver area are doing jobs way below their qualifications while many people cannot even get a family doctor. Crazy. Econonically, there seems to have been no plan at all from the government as we exited the pandemic. At least the US had a plan, to 'build back better'. Our government just floats along as if everything is fine, when the decline is very visible especially to older Canadians. We have admitted 1/2 a million people a year from overseas, so our economy should reflect this and show an upswing. But no, we're in a 'technical recession' as of December and probably a real recession as of last week. I have never voted Conservative in my life, but Trudeau is a flaky dimwit with a famous name who has no clue what he is doing. A fool, in fact. He's mismanaged our foreign relations beyond belief, and nothing has improved domestically. When Pierre Poilievre says 'Canada is broken', I believe it. We deserve much better leadership; in Canada's case, the rot does come from the top. Justin the entitled idiot is much more like his mother than his father.\n\nLong rant. Anyway, I just wanted to praise your balance, and your decision to stay for now. Moving from one country to another is a huge life-change and you have worked hard to be here. I only hope conditions improve for you and your husband in the near future. Will look out for your future videos.

I see comments about the u.s. ... oh', so much better, lower taxes etc. Fact: in 2024, a nuclear family (2 parents, 2 kids) in the u.s. often pays over $2,000/mo, every month, just for medical insurance premiums. That is just another form of tax ... the cost of living.Tuition, far higher in the u.s. Property taxes, far higher. I lived in the u.s. for 20 yrs, and returned to Canada. And, Canadian society is less violent, less racist, more polite, more civilized, there is less social anxiety. If you don't like it here, go try America. Canada is among the best of countries with a higher standard of living for average working families, than in the u.s.

if you go to the gulf and I recommend Qatar and because you are fluent in English and if you have Canadian degree you would be paid way better than Arabs or Asians.\nif you don t care about money I recommend my country Tunisia or Morocco.

Smart immigrants ...once getting Canadian citizenship very easy to get US citizenship where a better quality of life...

I’m Canadian born and raised and will be selling my house and leaving. I will not ever live under a WEF socialist control country as this idiot in Ottawa is turning Canada into. Add high taxes and woke culture has convinced me it’s time to leave. I don’t know why you left Singapore believing you were coming to a better country and chose, should have done your homework because you were tricked.

Move to the USA...... A hundred thousand Canadians moving and moving south...easy and better high quality of life....Origin Arab citizens enjoy a better quality of life and professional success...

I am saddend by the number of people who have chosen to leave Canada, although I realize that this is a good decision for you and many others. This country has changed, and not for the better. Greed has taken over with grocery conglomerates eliminating competition and raising prices for record profits. Buying a house now requires a lottery win, not just a mortgage. It seems that we are working to pay taxes and the banks and the insurance companies. And I have yet to hear anything meaninfull about this situation from the government on these issues. I was once a very proud Canadian but I too am considering leaving. My question is where will it be better? Good Luck to you and your family. May Allah guide and keep you safe.

I am Turkish-Canadian. I don’t practice Islam but I am Muslim. I believe in one god Allah. We left Canada and live in California now. After all these unfairness to Palestine done by USA, I don’t want to live here. My husband is Pakistani-Canadian but he is also not practicing Muslim. We still though feel unfairness to Muslim people here. I believe Canada was a little bit better than USA. I don’t see myself living all of my life in USA. I would love to return to Turkey or live in Dubai. My only concern is my children’s education.

Great comparison by these ladies. Wanted to share my thoughts about\n1. lack of color in cold countries- mostly Colors are representative of nature's palette. So brown, greys, blues, black in canada due to the weather & animals like wolves, bears,. India's bright sun & animals give us vivid clothing Colors.\n2. Food tastes better in india because of the climate again. Canadian veggies & Fruits are shipped from west índies & other warm countries so by the time they get here, distributed to grocery stores they are no longer truly fresh

Koodoos I really am proud of you two..You both sound like you are ready to have that change. Good luck you and your family. I'm Canadian and I do not blame you. Much better days ahead. ????

Im a Canadian, currently living in Vancouver but I've lived in many countries and will expat again. What it boils down to is if you have a good professional job that pays well, quality of life here is fantastic (among the best). Great schools, clean, great for young kids, and unparalleled acces to the best nature in the world mintues from a world class city. But life gets difficult quick when you cant afford anything. All these other complaints are blown out of porpotion (politics, drugs, etc...) by many and mostly don't really impact most people. In my experience, most people really leave because of better pay in the US, or because Europe has more culture, or asia has many more contries to explore close, or has LATAM has better weather etc...

You can get much better education in India without any tution fee and storm the world with skills and intellegence- we have high quality institutions like IITS(technologu), IIMS(management), IISC, IISERs(Scientific Research), AIIMS(medical sciences) you name. But you gotta deserve it. Btw, chaiwala (teaseller) in India would make more money than those fake useless canadian degrees holders. India will have a booming middle class and even simple small scale buisness ideas will make you richer than a fake degree from Canada.

What you explain it applies for Montreal also, the cost rises, the rents and housing are dabbled after pandemic but not only wages and salaries didn’t rise but there is layoffs and offers for cheap labour salaries!\nMe with Canadian master degree in engineering and 15 years professional experience, l will leave if I find somewhere better!

I'm a native Canadian and I dislike our winters here in Southern Ontario. I thought that hibernation was normal, I thought that was the way of life all over the world. Only recently have I begun to realize that 'wow, the cost of living in Canada is getting so crazy high', that maybe there is somewhere else I could live to, a place where life would be better.

For Canadians over the age of 65, the lack of health care in Canada is turning deadly. More and more of them are dying while waiting for treatments. Many of them are now deciding that it is better to emmigrate to some other country that has a functioning health care system before they get seriously sick and die in Canada waiting for treatment.

You moved here and we all want to move there. the weather is better less crime less homeless you do not have to worry about your kids on drugs. Way to go on your choice. we have tent cities growing across the country and less people can afford to even rent a basement suite every year. Our currency is in a full collapse most Canadians I know are buying gold and silver as fast as possible, you can barely get any groceries for $100 any more used to be 5-6 bags for $100 and now it is 1-2.

why would you ever leave Singapore...one of the most modern, clean, and safe cosmopolitan cities in the world for Canada??? I'm Canadian and have lived in Beijing for 18 years. Much better!!

Your a joke. Your people come to this country for freedom and better life and yet you think the Canadian government that isn't a military power going to stick their noses in the middle east. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.\n\nPeace

I am Canadian bro, can't agree on your points. Canada is best place to live, I am also Muslim AH, never face any sort of discrimination. i moved from Dubai, and the place where i live i can see more hijabi womens than Dubai. Even my kids pray in public schools no one stop them. This is one of the best diverse country, where everybody respect their religion. Can't agree on inflation part either, just came from US from vacation, i must say we have better Halal options and prices, all things are way too much compare with Canada. Regarding your weather point, that's the story in most of the countries, Middle east is so hot(UAE, KSA, Kwait etc), you can't do any outdoor activities over there, except shopping in indoor malls, same like winter here. Even in US also there are only few states where you can find some ideal weather, apart from that all states are extremely cold or hot....

Canada is becoming worse every day anyway!!! Salary are low (while cost of living is skyrocketing), which is why we have so many Canadians and immigrants who are becoming so anxious, depressed and facing all sorts of mental problems), people are moody, quality of life is decreasing and transport is trash compared to France and the lack for doctors is making this country look like a third world\nEconomy!!! Even Canadians are happy to leave this place and honestly, we think of leaving it too for another country.. that you can trust me! (My 2 younger sisters are actually leaving and makes plans to leave Canada behind for good to immigrate elsewhere and my older brother plans to relocate to a warmer country.\n.. and NO!! I am not going to buy a 1 million dollar house in Vancouver at the expense of my well being!!! It ain’t worth it no more!!! Better buy in Europe.. like France or Portugal!!!!

Hello Saleh family, I have been following you for over two years now; I am not american or canadian but a physician and mother of two from a third world country in the Caribbean. I started following you because I was curious about the muslim faith and your way of life. I started following different muslim people (and jewish, vegan, homeless and more... basically anybody different than me) and after some time I saw that we were all humans in search of the same things in life. I completely agree with your decision of moving but was very disappointed in your comments towards the drag community. A person in drag reading a children's book is not indoctrination. A person in drag reading to kids is only teaching them acceptance and tolerance (exactly what you want the world to give to your girls who most likely wear a Hijab). A person in drag is an artist who finds joy and self worth in certain clothes, hairstyles and makeup... it is a person a human person with the same value as everyone else. It has nothing to do with sexuallity or sexual orientation... if we truly want freedom for Palestine, if we truly want to change the narrative and to prevent 75+ years of brutal occupation and racism ever happening again; we have to change the way we see our differences... is not enough to ignore and respect people who are different: we have to accept them and recognize their humanity and their worth; to value and foster acceptance and integration in the younger generations... that is the only way forward, that is the only way we will all secure a better future for our kids. Good luck in your search, I hope you find what you are looking for ❤

It's so sad, because it is such a huge, beautiful country. And you know, in the USA, we grew up watching things, and reading things, etc that weren't even Amercian, but Canadian, and mostly not knowing it. So many beloved things from Canada. We did also feel like they were happier, and more pleasant than we were. But I have many friends up there, from all Provinces, and they all have the same complaints. Thing is, they are the same complaints about the USA also, but just things like crime in the USA is notably worse....I used to live in the UK also, and that was better, but still not brilliant. The west as a whole is falling apart, and there are reasons for that, reasons that are being mostly ignored, so it will only get worse I'm afraid, unless we start demanding that they know longer be countries that cater to only the rich. Where only the rich can thrive.

Immigration in Canada has changed drastically over the decades. Up to around 50 yrs ago, Canada was affordable and there were plenty of opportunities for poorer immigrants to exploit and create a better life for themselves. They became farmers or small business owners, and therefore had a real stake in Canada. Today those same opportunities are long gone. Canada's new immigrants are more likely to work in the service industry, as Walmart Greeters or Uber drivers. Immigration now is exploitive as immigrants have no choice but to work for the substandard wages Canadian corporations offer. Immigration policy is driven by the business lobby which creates an open labour pool and perpetual surplus of workers which employers can now exploit. In the end, this harms ALL Canadian's and the real reason your children will not be able to afford a home as easily as your grandparents could, and took for granted.

Canadian here. Canada is a pointless sh!thole. You might as well move anywhere else, like 31% of new immigrants do. Rampant street crime, businesses are little more than fronts for organized crime, homelessness is on the rise, food, clothing, shelter and fuel are unaffordable, your average citizen pretends it’s not happening, unions are corrupt as hell, as are universities and the government. All the hallmarks of a decaying, braindead, decadent civilization are there. Women are mostly little more than worthless whores, men are mostly debauched fools if not homeless, we’re plagued by censorship, surveillance, CIA-type dirty tricks, transgender mania, an inability to think clearly, and magical thinking. Plus the healthcare system no longer functions or even gives a damn. \n\nIt’s little more than a slave state swirling the drain. Our government makes decisions such as sending millions and millions to Ukraine in order to promote a pointless war, get the better part of a million people killed whilst making sure people at home are deprived of the basics.\n\nOur government officials have maggots infesting their skulls. It’s the only explanation.\n\nWe’re fuc!ed.

Then, if you go with a very good salaried job like $15000 Canadian Dollars a month... even then lot of comfort would be there. No good salary then a foreign country... better not to venture. ???

I earn only $75,000 USD per year and my wife earns around $50,000 USD per year and in Kingston JA we live really good house already fully paid off. Thought about moving to Canada and after lots of research and doing the math I realize that we were living better than 80% of Canadians. Many people from the Caribbean are running to Canada and I am clueless as to why.

Canada is not perfect. Our health care is over burdened for one thing, and real estate is overpriced. But I don't know any of my fellow Canadians leaving en masse. Like, where would we go? The Scandinavian countries aren't exactly welcoming any of us with open arms... All countries have their problems. Canada is the partner you settle for because there aren't a lot of better options

Canadian here. Things are just fine here. Yeah, far from perfect, but people are generally pretty happy here. People are safe, happy, healthy, employed and optimistic. It's always good to target your weeknesses to improve, but looking at elsewhere around the world, I couldn't think of a better place to live.

I believe it’s time to take the foot off the immigration pedal. The numbers are wayyyy too high and we are starting to have serious difficulties in integrating the numbers that are coming to our shores as witnessed by ghettoization and rising crime numbers in communities. The immigration numbers are having a disastrous effect on the housing market for both established Canadians and immigrants. The high numbers are also putting unprecedented pressure on our healthcare regime which was not designed to serve the increasing numbers. What I find extremely difficult to understand is our inability to take care of our First Nations population by providing them with more opportunities, better housing and clean drinking water, yet invite people to our land who have tenuous and transient loyalties to the nation. Ultimately we arent doing immigrants any favours by inviting them to a nation that’s finding it increasingly difficult to get its act together.

As a Canadian who has lived in the U.S. and has numerous friends from foreign countries (mostly Algeria), there’s a large group of people wanting to move here still.\n\nBut for us Canadians, yeah Trudeau has screwed us over. Get him out of here.\n\nTo be clear: I’m also from Quebec, and so our economic place, is a bit better than everyone else. (Also from Rural quebec originally).

It's astonishing to see so many Canadians voicing serious complaints about their country. More to hear complaints coming from immigrants who then left Canada in disgust and found better lives elsewhere is even more astonishing.\n Yet I warn everyone else. It's okay for Canadians to complain about their own country. They have every right. As for immigrants or immigrants who left Canada, well, they were there and experienced the downside, so they have legitimacy.\n But for any other non-Canadian, including me, keep our mouths shut and say nothing. Let only the Canadians speak here. If you non-Canadians are foolish enough to open your mouth, a hundred angry Canadians will come here to loudly denounce you and maybe swear profanities for demeaning their perfect nation, Canada, and that all these complaints really don't exist and are made up.

Im white canadian and there has been no jobs for me and yes no doctor no jobs no rent way to expensive my canada died when all greedy people came and rent went up when 500,000 immigrant come a year of course the system cant handle it but the worst is all refugees who are complaining because they used to have better…. And its not up to their standard so with love i say yes please everybody go home so we are ALL happy back home