Close Reading

Life in Nigeria is only decent for those living affluently in Lekki, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, certain areas of Ikeja and Abuja. Outside of that, life for everyday Nigerians is crap. Water & electricity (NEPA) are highly unreliable & intermittent, so fuel-powered generators are a necessity for living everyday life per household or per apartment in apartment complexes. The banking & government systems are notoriously sluggish, taking weeks and months to process simple paperwork such as drivers licenses, passports, certificates, banking transaction reversals, you name it. Bribery is a daily occurrence EVERYWHERE. Police (if you can call them that, mostly untrained thugs) detain & extort motorists and/or people innocently going about their daily lives, just for the money. Many many many people disappear mysteriously without ever being seen again by family or friends. Lots of inter-racial discrimination and animosity between the three major tribes that make up Nigeria… Yoruba, Igbo & Hausa-Fulani. The federal & state governments are horribly corrupt, bordering on dictatorship. Elections are undemocratic, to say the least, with thugs threatening voters at voting booths. I could go on?\n\nThis is why many Nigerians with any amount of wealth live in diaspora, whether that be the UK, Canada, the USA, Europe, or wherever. And, yeah, be prepared for everything being structured & organized in these countries, especially in North America. The cost of living is definitely higher to pay for a higher quality of living. That’s the difference between a developed country vs a country, such as Nigeria, that’s developing or considered ‘third-world’. Unfortunately, here in Canada we cannot account for the last 8 years under our current administration, which has gone rogue & is out of control, causing high inflation, interest rates and housing and cost of living to soar. This is not normal conditions even to those of us natural-born here. So, we feel for immigrants who have arrived in good faith in the last few years. I’m sure their country of origin is looking better than what is being experienced here in Canada currently.

Many immigrants find the first few years difficult because of the job ethics. The job ethics here in Canada is quite different from Nigerian with a laidback background. In Canada you work for every cent and it has really worked for them and some of us. I have employed so many Africans especially Nigerians who thought I am mean because they have to work for every penny. You are not paid to come and have a chitchat at work or spend 5 hours on something that could take you 3 hours to do. I will say if you can't change your work ethics and try to integrate into the Canadian system please stay back in your country. I have also seen people who have been clouded with that high life they lived back home and find it difficult to Start at the bottom. Even if you are living a good life in Nigeria, Canada is a better place to live if you can unlearn some things and relearn other things.\nAnd is there systemic racism? The answer is YES. If our leaders treat us right, 80 percent of our people won't leave their country. Let's hold our government responsible not the north American government or their people.

Comments from a Canadian. Homeless people are generally concentrated in the larger cities but in the past few years it has become a real problem. It is a real problem for the people when the temperature drops to -30C. Mental wellness is a huge issue. The racism issue is mainly against the indigenous. The doctor migration to the US is a money thing, not better conditions. Getting a family doctor is easy in some places and difficult in others, generally in rural communities. Getting a reference to a specialist is not an issue and I believe this may be a doctor specific issue. If your GP does not refer you, ER will take care of you. The issue with referrals is the triage system that may result in a longer wait to see the specialist. This is in contrast to the US where one can see a specialist very quickly, if one has insurance. In Canada, every citizen and legal resident has the ability to receive medical care as covered by the provincial medical systems which differs from province to province. Many doctors are now offering online communication with your GP and specialist. Your finance comments are inaccurate. There are 5 nation wide banks but there are also nation wide credit unions and provincial banks which in my opinion these tend to offer better service than the big 5 (exclude National Bank, which is big bank but more investment focused). Cell carrier monopolies is a real issue. Cell carriers are recently offering unlimited data, no long distance to the US, etc. Other countries have a definite advantage here. The government has enabled conditions for a new carrier a few times but eventually, these smaller carriers get swallowed up by the big national carriers. More recently Rogers bought out Shaw which limits our choices further. Sales tax is not always 10-15%. In Alberta the sales tax is 5%. Passing courses and evaluations ensures there are standards which is a good thing. Would you want a Civil Engineer designing a road or bridge that is not suitable for the climate? How about a doctor with questionable credentials? Agree with your recommendations for hiring. It is expensive to hire and train a new employee but can be much more expensive to fire an employee. Agree with the housing crisis comments and the reasons. Getting an absent owner to fix a property? This is crazy inaccurate. Multi-dwelling properties have property managers paid to look after the properties regardless of who owns it. While on the average, foreign investment may not seem to contribute to property prices, this is not the case when looking a the local sectors of the big two - Toronto and Vancouver. There was a case in Vancouver where a property with a shack sold for over $1MM. This is not because the house price was unrealistic, but because of the property location and perceived property value. This is a direct result of foreign investment in houses in the Vancouver area resulting in a lack of properties. Many of these foreign owned single family investment properties remain empty most of the year. Another big issue in many Canadian municipalities is the lack of building code enforcement. The laws are in place but not always enforced.

They want to enjoy the infrastructure, education, security in Canada without putting in the requisite hard work that make those things possible! \nThey want to behave like they do in Nigeria where a Doctor employed in a Teaching hospital will not report for work or report late and still take his full salary home at the end of the month. They divert patients to their private clinics and rip them off. And they won't even pay tax! \nCanada is so hard yet he wants to get a Canadian citizenship for himself and children, what an irony!\nWhy did he leave all the good life in Nigeria to relocate in the first place?why?

It's not broken. It's good that they don't take in such a huge amount of immigrants to burden their country. We've fallen into the trap of the Canadian government and decided to come to realize that there's not many good job opportunities for us either. Some of my​ Canadian friends wanna go to the US. Why would you wanna come to Canada?

India is good if you have a business. But if you are salaried and live in Bangalore, Pune, Delhi it takes 1 hr to travel 10km, govt. collects income tax and take GST on even health insurance.\n\nOf course Canada has become crowded and shouldn't be the first choice.\n\nPopulation is 150 cr. It is very difficult to have less traffic and of course competition is high in everything.

Congrats Raman for being successful in whatever endeavours of life you have touched upon and its invaluable experiences sharing so candidly with newcomers to Canada. Your message of being optimistic and positive in anything one does leads to “success” defined by the an individual. I have seen real-estate ups and downs of GTA much more than you have thus far, however; it makes me enormously happy for your accomplishments in such a short time. I am hanging my boots after 35+years in real-estate for good as in couple of days my RECO licence will expire. \n\nIncidentally, you shouldn’t have worried about your security, Toronto Police can take good care of security issues very well and your letter from the criminal litigation lawyer would have been sufficient to subdue the potential offenders. Enjoy next 20-25 years to fullest thereafter mobility might get restricted. Thank you and best of luck.

Not entirely accurate. It's pro-wealthy immigration here in Canada absolutely. It's citizenship for sale. Not necessarily wealthy in terms of really wealthy (like Switzerland) but it's definitely citizenship for sale, so if you don't have money, don't bother. Newcomers with medical and engineering expertise can't get jobs here in Canada, in spite of our healthcare system being on the point of collapse and our supposed hi-tech push. Regulatory boards here have made it impossible. Estimates are around 175000 qualified, internationally trained doctors and nurses who gave up trying to practice here and moved into other careers. Ukrainian doctors, for eg, with extensive trauma experience and willing to staff our emergency departments have been told they have to requalify by going to Canadian medical school to retrain for at least 4 years. Same story in engineering. By IT, our government seems to mean low-paid call center IT work, moving the IT sweatshop racket from India onto Canadian soil. If you can afford to buy a business - I believe the total business investment was 500 000 pre-pandemic - that's another way in. Not sure if thats gone up now. So many of our franchise businesses are essentially being used as citizenship tickets. The big ticket item: If you can afford 4 years of postgraduate or undergrad university program, or 3 to 4 year college program - and if you don't have the cash, loan sharks in India will distribute debt across the whole family for decades so one student can go . There us a very good documentary by an Indian filmmaker on the Canadian college/University recruitment drive in India and its consequences. Several of our colleges have student enrollments at over 70% of the entire student body, direct entry from India. Additional problems like grade inflation, different education standards, and outright fraud on ESL testing also mean that Indian students are not well prepared for school here. Many do not have enough English to succeed in their studies. They either need to spend for additional tutoring, take a qualifying year or two ESL (on top of the 3 or 4 program), or fail courses. Universities and colleges keep the tuition though. Honestly our colleges and universities are staying afloat because of Indian students. They're being treated like cash cows - and Indian recruiters are scamming the system, taking fees on their end with unsuspecting students getting falsified documents, or being told they passed their ESL when they didn't. It's a national disgrace. I'm a prof here, I've seen all of this firsthand. Your data may be correct, but the narrative you've constructed for it is not the real picture.

Still 70% engineers in Bay area are foreigner. Good enough.\nAnd Canada is not good place for immigrants. You cannot buy house after tax and rent takes your money. For immigrants, Canada is considered as gateway to U.S. For U.S., Canada is immigration loophole.

Much love from NYC to Canada. I went to Toronto in April earlier this year and I'm planning on going back later on this year. Yea, I went to Toronto and the last time i went to Toronto was probably in 2007 and trust me, a lot has changed. Same thing in NYC. I feel like too much immigration can cause chaos. It's crazy at the moment here in NYC. This is why legal immigration exists. It's supposed to keep things in control. It may take time but all good things take time and trust me, if you come here legally, you got my respect and good for you.

The summary touched on but didn't expand on one aspect: many use Canada as a back door entry into the US.\n\nSpeaking as a professional level Canadian living in the US, the Canadian brain drain is very much real. The cost of living discrepancy and wage limitations make the US a constant appeal for Canadian professionals.\n\nBecomes more realistic to immigrate to Canada, get a good education, residency/citizenship, work for a couple of years to gain experience... and then start job hunting in the US.\nMight take a few years but likely shorter and better odds than a lottery.

I have mixed feelings about this video. This video does a good job outlining the immigration process but it does not highlight any of the negative consequences of immigration that Canada is experiencing. One of the main reasons why cost of living is so high in Toronto and Vancouver is precisely because we have so many immigrants coming in without enough housing supply. This is by design because politicians and the upper class have a vested interest in keeping real estate prices high because so much of their net worth is tied up in the housing market.\n\nAnother negative is that employers hire immigrants working low skilled jobs and pay them less than Canadians because the immigrants are willing to be taken advantage of since they're just happy to have a job in Canada which pays better than their country. \n\nAnother myth that gets repeated is that Canadian takes immigrants out of compassion and unfortunately a lot of Canadians believe this. It was never about compassion, it's about bringing more people to 1) pay taxes to support our social welfare as Canadian birth rates decline and boomers retire, 2) keep housing costs high and 3) pay immigrants lower wages for the same work because immigrants are fine being exploited since they have a job in a first world country.\n\nAnother problem is the cultural shift. In the most immigrant-dense regions you'll find that many immigrants themselves surprisingly don't want more immigrants coming to Canada because they see these negative consequences. The people who are most pro-immigration have no problem cramming 8+ people in a basement and exploiting their labour because they make enough money to live in communities that immigrants can't afford, and so they don't have to deal with the cultural shift that's taking place. This is NOT the fault of immigrants, but rather the politicians who put economic growth over quality of life. Over HALF the people in the GTA weren't born in Canada, so they didn't go through our school system and have no connection to our culture. Canada is unfortunately going to become very racist over the next 10-20 years as Canadians start feeling like outsiders in their own country. It's somehow considered racists to criticize the effect of multiculturalism on social unity, yet the cultures we accept in Canada only became distinct cultures because of monoculturalism.

Lived in Canada while working in the US for almost 20 years. Sadly although I had many friends I was often shocked by the attitudes of my colleagues. They almost all looked at other countries as inferior. Racism is absolutely a thing .There was no curiosity about other cultures. I knew people that died because of their hesitation to seek health care. The school shootings, although maybe they don’t happen ‘all’ the time there seems to be no desire to fix that. The US is going the wrong way regarding voting rights. My town actually sends out extra busses if you need a ride to vote. The support of the LGBTQ community and women’s rights are also problematic. US is good if you want to get yours but I personally don’t want to take two, when others aren’t even getting one. I am happily no longer working in the states.

So you came to Canada to reach your dreams… and now you want to go home. So Canada was able to support you in attaining your dreams. So does that mean the country you left didn’t give you the same opportunities? And people leave because the passport is so solid… so basically you are using the country to elevate yourself and to prosper yet you can not find the grace to understand and accept that all countries have issues and yet some are still better than most… Canada would be one of those countries. Your ingratitude is not healthy and perhaps you might stick around long enough to make the changes that you feel would make Canada a better country for all. If you are indeed a Canadian then this is your country too… so take some responsibility and help to make it better. Complaining is not the answer. \nOh btw … your work/life balance is your responsibility. Perhaps a change in consuming habits and setting priorities will help? Interesting end… you don’t want to leave. That’s good! Now lets all work to make Canada better for all at the same time lets give credit to the many great things that canada offers you.

Oh, hell no! And further to that, if I was visiting the US and got sick enough that I might need a hospital, I would do my damnedest to get back to Canada. I have heard Americans say that the healthcare is very good, as long as you have money. But I don’t trust it because Americans have been brainwashed to believe that the US is exceptional in every way (sorry guys, but it’s extremely obvious to the rest of the world), yet I have heard too many stories about things like people picking up C. Diff or other drug-resistant infections in hospitals there.\n\nI spent about two weeks in the hospital in February. You know what it cost me? Absolutely nothing. Well, I did have to pay for taking an ambulance later. But the hospital stay itself cost me nothing. Neither did the food they fed me in there, or the medication they gave me.\n\nMayyyybe if you guys got universal health care (it shouldn’t be tied to your job), and stopped shooting each other so much. You definitely have some better weather. Oh, and if you all toned down the religion a bit. Annnd stopped trying to play world police while simultaneously bombing other countries into oblivion to steal their resources. That’s been going on for far too long, and I don’t think the average American citizen even realizes it.

The problem with Canada's economy is simple. The problem even has a name, which is Justin Trudeau. Every moron that voted for him should take a good long look in the mirror and know that THEY are the reason Canada is imploding right now. Seriously... wtf did they think was going to happen when they voted for a person who's cumulative life experience was working as a drama teacher for 2 years before being forced to resign for having sex with a student. We have a complete idiot running the country who has completely sold us out. His net worth has gone from $5 million to $385 million since he became PM.

When I was young, late 50's early 60's, I was jealous of people living in the US. We'd go to my Dad's professional conferences in various areas and everyone seemed to drive such expensive cars and live in such big houses. Now I know that's just window dressing. You have to look at what's underneath. I didnt see the poverty and the racism. Canada unfortunately has people who would like to take Canada down the same road as the US. We have good medical care, a social net, respect human and reproductive rights, attempt to keep religion out of politics, gun control (a pro hunter here!) , fair school funding (the whole province, not just district), and the list could go on. Is it perfect? No but its a whole lot better than the US. We Canucks just need to keep fighting for improvements and it isnt an American model for most of them. \nWe had always planned to take holidays and see various parts of the US. No more. The lack of gun laws is really scary, especially when combined with hate. We're not timid travellers. \n\nMove there... maybe California .

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).

Tyler, I can see you are sadden by these reactions and I feel for you. Honestly, I love the USA and I would actually live there in a heartbeat for all the positive reasons I know and love about the US. However, as Mom and a soon to be school age child, I would hesitate because of that. Canada has its own issues and don’t let everyone fool you. It’s not some social utopia. We have problems too just different. It’s like you said you need to pick a good, safe safe to live in. The same advise applies to Canada. Also, Reddit is full of your not so typical Canadians so take with a grain of salt ?

With your gun culture, politics and health care system in no way would I ever move to the US. There are way to many mass shootings happening all over the US and I can't see your gun culture ever changing to lower and make it safer to live in most parts of the US. Our Canadian political system may not be perfect but it's WAY Better then the US, how in HELL can Donald ever be allowed to run again for President after what he has done and have people still support him ??? \nJust a little over 20 years ago I met and became good friends with a young woman while we were playing an MMORPG. We spent most of our free time playing different RPGs over the years together. Around 9 years ago she came down with some kind of a illness and thank goodness she had healthcare through her job. The thing is though the system couldn't/wouldn't identify what was causing her decline in health. She went through all kinds of tests but became sicker and sicker in years to come. She died in October of 2021 but before she died we both wondered if the health care system was just milking her insurance and not really taking proper care of her. BTW she lived in SLC Utah. Going back to your gun culture though she felt safe living in SLC the mall she went too had a mass shooting and she also carried a pistol in her purse. ( she had a permit ) I have never known any woman in Canada who felt that she needed to carry a gun in her purse for safety.

HI Good day to you and yr family. i like yr video about parents and would like to ask you few things if its ok with u?\nFirst i know from your previous videos that you had problem with your leg once ? i think you had some sort of blood clot in yr leg and doctors put u on blood thinners if i m not making mistake? just wants to ask you how is your leg now and did doctors stopped your blood thinners now? what are your problem s you faced being in canada vs if you were in india for the treatment of your legs? if you could let me know as i have a blood clot in my hand and i m also on blood thinner and we are parents are trying to join my daughter who lives in toronto, so for health reasons i would like to know is doctors that side in canada and/or they just taking long time as explained by these ladies in yr video today? kindly let u s know please

Another great video. Don't take any of this to heart... remember that in Canada our Nightly News includes the US and the rest of the world ... good and bad .As a kid we travelled the States for 30 days every summer. We never encountered any problems except for racism. I remember we went to Wendy's for lunch we never had one in Canada back then. The manager walked up to the young kid cleaning the window and said nigger do better. We were all horrified and my dad looked at us three girls and said keep your mouth shut don't say anything. Despite that experience the States has so much to offer even today. Now as an adult my concern would be Healthcare and violence. I cannot comprehend people bearing arms at a McDonald's or Walmart or Target. I would still move to the US but be very picky about where. Tyler why don't you do an episode on great, safe places to live in the US.

I would never live there. A teacher friend of mine moved from Nova Scotia with her professor husband. She taught French at Virginia Tech. She and some of her college students were murdered by a gunman who burst into her morning class. Way too much gun violence there for me. Way too much political division. Way too much Christian conservative right evangelical ideology. Way too much disparity between the rich and the poor. Way too many people in general. Way too much emphasis on an individual version of freedom that does not take into consideration the greater good of others in society. I have two cousins who live out there, however. They have lived there for many years. One is a wealthy plastic surgeon in Florida and the other is retired in New England but also well off. She just proudly got her American citizenship, in fact. They love their lives there and would never move back to Canada. It really depends on the values of the person.

My opinion as a Canadian with no first hand life experience in the states but personally know plenty of people who do and follow many Americans on social media.\n\nI like to look at both sides of the story when I don’t personally know any better. First thing is when it comes to health care, Canadians use only the cost as an argument but never the quality. The only time I will ever use the government funded healthcare is for a broken bone. Any other issues my knowledge and experience makes me stay far and clear away from the hospitals. However I was talking with a retired business man who spends winter in Florida and he said he had a health issue while there, was referred to a certain doctor by a friend, made an appointment within a few days, not a yearlong waitlist, and with one visit had his issues fixed. Paid the bill and was done with it. Not a story of take this for a while then come back, come back to get referred to a specialist, wait a few months for the specialist, get an appointment 6 months later, and after surgery you feel only slightly better because in your mind you should be better. I do believe Canadian healthcare is low quality and sadly designed for the government to make money. American healthcare is private and needs to offer good quality services in order to succeed.\n\n\nNext subject is violence. Everyone I know and follow in the states have never had any major acts of violence towards them. I believe just like Canada, some areas are more prone to violence but since the states have 10x more people, they have 10x more violent spots which makes it seem worse. Rural Canada and rural United States seems to me very similar in the way people treat each other. \n\n\nI wouldn’t be scared to move there if that’s what would be best. Doubt it’ll happen because I enjoy having the amount of unpopulated area to go riding atvs, snowmobiles, and whatever else. Seems like the states have less area that everyone can freely enjoy but I could be wrong

I am from Brazil, moved to Canada 9 years ago, now I am Canadian citizen. I was once asked by a American colleague why did I not immigrated to the USA, the answer is: it was not even in the list of possible countries. In fact it is on my top list of places not to move to. \n\nYou have a good insurance through your job? That only means you have one more reason to fear losing it or stay on a particularly bad one if you don’t have anything lined up, if you have a chronic health condition, then you are straight out hostage to your employer. Even if you do have good insurance your bills may one day go beyond the maximum and you still risk bankruptcy. \n\nIf you do go bankrupt, in any civilized country you can’t go to jail for debt, in the USA you can, the country with the highest incarcerated population in the world in absolute numbers and relative too. To add salt to the injury it is a country that did not completely make slave work illegal, it is still legal if you are not a free citizen and your prison system exploit that.\n\nSo it is a country that you can become slave because you got sick.\n\nThen there are the guns… the fact you think you are exempt of school shootings says it all, if you live in a small city it would not affect you? Are you really saying mass shootings never occur in small cities?! This is an excerpt:\n\n“The massacre that killed 10 people at a high school in Texas last week was just the latest to happen in a small or suburban city. Of the 10 deadliest school shootings in the U.S., all but one took place in a town with fewer than 75,000 residents and the vast majority of them were in cities with fewer than 50,000 people.”\n\nIt is all part of the gun culture, the absurd of making guns easily available and viewing guns as toys, a culture were people think taking your life is a proportional response to trespassing. \n\nIt is all closely tied with all the warmongering you are ok with all the taxes you pay going to your military to kill people outside your country yet you take exception in using a fraction of that to save your own citizens lives.\n\nIt is a place which put low value in the human life and well being, favour punishment instead of prevention and rehabilitation, keeps most of its population in a constant sense of despair and helplessness…\n\nIt is no wonder the USA has the highest number of psychopaths(over than 3000 versus the second next at 166), have kids going nuts and shooting others at school.\n\nIt is not a sane culture, it is not a good place to live and if you are well informed you won’t.

Tyler, thanks for your entertaining and fun videos. My grandfather is a dual citizen but has never renewed his passport or anything and when asked to do so, he outright refuses. He says he hated living there. We live in the Vancouver area of Canada right now. My wife is finishing her registered nursing degree and we are considering moving to washington state, within an hour or so of the Canadian border on temporary work visas (TN1) for a few years. The main reason is the cost of living differences, mostly in housing but a lot of things are cheaper down there too. For example though, the costs of rent or to buy a house in the Vancouver area is insane - 1.5 million is generally a starting point. The cost of a detached house south of the border between Bellingham and Blaine starts around $400,000 ($500,000 CDN). If renting, it's crazy cheaper than here. \n\nThe area we are considering going to is very close to the canadian border, I've never heard of major violence problems in the area. Like one of the other comments you read, we're basically considering moving there to take advantage of a lower cost of living and higher salaries for a bit to try to get ahead. Living in the Vancouver area is such an absolute DRAIN on our finances that it is intolerable. If we didn't move to the US, we'd have to find another place in Canada to go to, but we do like the climate on the coast here. I'd actually just keep commuting to Canada daily to work in Canada since it's so close to the border, and writing the bar exam to be able to practice law in any US state except California, Massachusets, or New York is a pain in the backside to even be able to write it, let alone prepare for it. Just easier for me to keep working here unless we decided to try to make a permanent move somewhere further from the border.\n\nIf we decided to change our minds and apply to stay in the US in the future, there are a lot of the other considerations that other people have raised on top of my own ability to continue as a lawyer. Gun violence in the US is crazy, extreme polarized political views and increasing intolerance against diversity of race, culture, religion, (and while it doesnt affect us directly, it bothers us how LGBTQ people are increasingly targeted with backwards policies and by certain segments of the public), the health care system in canada has it's problems but it's also got it's strong points. We'll never go bankrupt because of a health care issue since we can move back to Canada IF it's ever a problem. Thankfully we are all pretty healthy so it shouldn't be much of a problem for a while at least. And we wouldn't even move there at all if her employment as a nurse doesn't offer health care and better pay than she can obtain here. \n\nOur kids will probably attend post-secondary (college/university) in Canada as dual citizens unless they get a scholarship to a top US school. The costs of post-secondary in Canada appears to be much cheaper than in the US and we have some good colleges/universities that consistently rank high globally.

Originally from a border town, NOPE! Your allowed open carry guns while drinking....never a good idea. The gun violence is a big one. We do have a huge hunting and fishing culture and even though some form of violence maybe on the rise in Canada...I still don't lock my door often unless going for an extended diner / movie type night and we have the kids with us ( both teens ), encountering guns on the street is rare here still, your more likely to encounter knives. My wife carries a pocket knife in her purse it's just handy for all types of things when your out. She' grew up hunting and fishing for her it's a tool not a weapon. And yes the extremes ARE BATSHIT CRAZY!!! Terrifying, not saying we're perfect but seriously, my wife had fond memories of camping stateside with her grandparents , she won't visit or crossborder shop too violent and too extreme to take the chance.

Wtf does Canada have to offer more then the states ? \nNothing. \nNot a thing.. \nLiars will will tell you otherwise.. \nI promise Canada is falling. \nWho cares about the look we have .. actually living here is not as good. \nI make good money and can afford to live in Victoria bc. The most expensive area in Canada.. I currently live here for the last few years. Nobody can say it's better. \nI'm not bias because I'm broke.. or lack of the normal things people are concerned with.. \nOur government is horrible.. the American government is bad.. absolutely.. but Canada is a dictatorship in the making.. I want the fuk out with all my money and stuff I've made before they remove everything we own\nDon't believe what you hear. \nSchool shooting stuff is an excuse to say but we have just as much stupidity here..just hidden crimes. Don't believe what bias people say.. take a trip to see for yourself. \n..

My mom and brother are in Canada. I'm trying to move her to Texas with me. I make great money in Real Estate and IT. She doesn't want to leave Toronto, even though she can't afford it. I travel back and forth to drop money for her. All though she doesn't ask me, I know it helps. We're all from Jamaica and unfortunately I was separated from her for 30 years. I'm glad, I'm in a position to take care of her. If I can only convince her to leave Canada for good. My little brother wants to come to America with me.

I agree with each and everything that both the ladies have said. I am 52 and have spent beautiful 25 yrs in Qatar. Since my children wanted to settle in USA I am in US now. However I have a question for Smita ji since both her children are in Canada now who will take care of her and her husband once they are too old to travel. Also after 15 years the children will be busy with higher education of grandchildren. The friends and maids that are a source of happiness in good health won't be of use because they will also be old and suffering.

Aren’t we fortunate in the US to have **none** of these problems!\n\nWe have no homeless here!\n\nTake a look at SF, LA (where all “solutions” are rooted in Bolshevism; “Hi, we’re from the government and will be taking over half of your front yard for homeless yurts (Ok, tents)--true story. Take a gander at any large, medium, and even a few small cities.\n\nHave you ever heard of Detroit (once proud home of my beloved Motown music), Baltimore (complete devastation), or Chicago (my home town—don’t make me cry)?\n\nThe entire homeless situation started when mental hospitals were snake pits and certain factions demanded that people be released.\n\nSure, it sounds humanitarian but they didn't bother to consider what would happen to mentally ill patients suddenly left to their own devices on the streets.\n\nThe do gooders actually were foolish enough to believe that the seriously ill patients (schizophrenic, bipolar, borderline, and plenty of others) would take their meds on their own. It doesn't work that way for patients who are not in contact with reality.\n\nNow we add extreme drugs (crack, meth, heroine, ketamine, whatever they hand out at parties, etc) and severe cases of PTSD/PTSS. It's obscene that we have veterans on the streets.\n\nHeath care--?. Pre Obamacare it wasn’t terrible but medicine had become a CYA project. We are so litigious (side eye to John Edwards ) that doctors practice defensive medicine and carry high limit malpractice insurance (guess who pays for that?). Every decision is driven by avoiding lawsuits, not proper patient care.\n\nPost Obamacare, US health care is an unmitigated disaster at every level. We’re short on doctors, too. Many quit and students are losing interest—medicine won’t pay enough anymore to justify $500K in loans.\n\nWe could repeal every bit of Obamacare tomorrow and still not be able to fix it. The leviathan grew tentacles that released toxins into every nook and cranny of the system. Now that they have buried themselves in critical layers, it would be impossible to yank them out.\n\nI have a good PCP who is booked 6-8 weeks out. Specialists? Hah. GI, neuro, and derm? Four to six month wait post referral.\n\nI never thought I would say such a thing but I would probably swap the Serial Sexual Predator occupying the WH for your Little Lord Fauntleroy.\n\nCan Canada compete with us in corruption? Government employees seriously tried to topple a sitting president and not only were there no consequences, they were able to retire on fat pensions that we citizens work hard to provide for them.\n\nOur government is run entirely by K Street lobbyists; our “representatives” don’t even draft legislation, that’s done for them by K ST.\n\nHow about crime? Do we even need to talk about it?\n\nHousing crisis? Prices were already too high when the regime (predictably) created runaway inflation and we saw the end of affordable interest rates. Even 0.25% increase will knock out many buyers; they won’t be able to qualify.\n\nWe are seeing huge jumps; young people have resigned themselves to never being homeowners.\n\nRacism? Again, look to the US. It’s nothing even close to what the make believe media caterwauls about. If white supremacists are behind every tree, where is the evidence? Surely, in 2023 has caught a cell phone video, right? Where are the videos? Show me the proof. There is plenty of footage of BLM destroying property and injuring, even murdering innocents. If we gripe about this behavior, we are raaayyyycccciiiiissssts.\n\nNo rational adult would claim that the US is not a violent country and becoming more so. Nor can we claim to have eliminated racism. That takes time; it cannot be done by force.\n\nOur economy went from smokin hot to dumpster fire in a short span of time. Pre election, head hunters were shaking the trees to find job candidates.\n\nOur unemployment is up as are our taxes with the stomping out of the tax cuts. \n\nDespite the endless sloganeering about how the Trump tax cuts only benefited “rich” people, it’s quite the opposite.\n\nHigh earners lost their pet deductions and lower income taxpayers were quite pleasantly surprised when they did their returns. The cuts were targeted to preserve wealth for the middle and lower classes.\n\nI could go on for another 100 pages but you get the idea and I get crabby writing for free.\n\nI will leave you with the caution that it’s best if you doubt and question any data and any stats coming from our government. Those are seldom legit. If the data comes from a study, always look to see who paid for it. And how large the sample size was; how were the participants selected? We are all on our own when it comes to ferreting out info.\n\nOh Canada!\n\nYou’re welcome.

Finally the truth about this ruthless business of making money off poor kids who are sold a dream of good life and send to live a life which is actually a nightmares. I was a student in Canada and seen this first hand. Students packed in rooms and colleges cancelling semesters for new students. This is all true. Even the best colleges do that. Every Indian who wants to go to Canada take this as a warning plz. And for me i came back to India and setup my business here and never wish to go back to Canada except one day with my family only to visit. Hope this msgs helps ppl who are confused. Take care

Oh my goodness...Canada seems to have run out of red carpets...Canada has problems. It has racism. It has sexism, yet with only high school four of my sisters became bank management and executives...and we have a blue-collar mixed-race heritage. But despite that Canada has a tiny tiny economy compared to its immediate neighbour and still delivers an impressively comparable lifestyle...plus a health care system that struggles to find a way to be universal in our post-pandemic world...that actually saved my American-immigrant husband's life. If you can understand the sheer competitiveness of trying to get a job in this marketplace then you might understand that despite Canada's best efforts it's not the land of Oz. If other countries are better sorted and have your dream jobs waiting by all means have that good life where you can. If you want to work towards building a future in a relatively safe and free nation...and that will mean taking part in ironing out age old problems...maybe Canada is for you.

I think this video is good overall, but downplays the potential severity of our housing crisis. It's not just a problem for renters. Rapid expansion in finance and real estate are only a good thing if they are backed up by real growth, otherwise it's just a bubble that puts the entire national economy at risk. In Canada, it's got many characteristics of a bubble that will crash during an interest rate rise or economic crisis.\n\nAlso income inequality is not the whole story. Wealth inequality has been rising rapidly in Canada and is made worse by rapidly rising rents and inflation. Owning a home outright or with a smaller mortgage means spending less of your income on housing in Canada's current system, so even at the same income level homeowners are dramatically better off than renters and renters have noticed. It's one thing to point at some graphs of the Gini index and say inequality isn't that bad, but that's not good enough when regular people see homeowners buying fancy cars and taking lavish vacations while renters scrape by.\n\nFurthermore, you pretty much ignored the demographic concerns in Canada. We have an aging population, which means we either need high immigration that worsens the housing crisis or higher taxes to pay for growing healthcare and pension costs. Neither option is good and both paths lead to increases political and economic instability. Demographics is one of the main reasons the OECD has a poor outlook on growth in the long term.

As a Canadian that works closely with the government, the other issues that the tax rate in Canada is very high. Even you get a good paying job or a profitable business, a significant portion of your paycheck/profits goes to the government. There is also a lot of bureaucratic and legislative hurdles to overcome and too little incentives when trying to start or develop a business. For example, to build a high density residential building, it takes around 1 - 2 years of planning and studies, then another year to get all the permits and government paperwork, then 2 years of construction. It takes around 5 years to build a new residential building. Canada's housing affordability problem is not just simply cause by people willing to buy property, it is also cause by a significant shortage of housing supply due to all these regulations and hurdles. If you can't find affordable housing and your income is also heavily tax, a lot Canadians will go south to the US where things are a lot more affordable.

big problem with the housing is also trudeau taking in so many immigrants and refugees before having enough available housing for everybody. I think they were taking in 200k people a year. while we need atleast 1million new houses within the next 10 years in order to supply enough to the population. There was also an issue with forieign purchases where people from other countries were buying houses in canada and nobody living in them. Trudeaus votes comes from majority indian people and arabic since thats a lot of the population in canada, and to win those votes and get more hes friendly with them accepting a lot of immigrants from those countries, its not a bad thing since a lot are very well educated and their peaceful people for the most part, but the problem is there isn't enough housing. Even renting has become competitive , owning is near impossible without help. Trudeau really messed up the country, houses are riduclously expensive and they often go into bidding wars if in a good area, banks interest rates keep going up now, loans are harder to take out, sadly we need to limit the amount of immigrants that come into the country until the right number of houses are built in the country, if anything new and major cities need ot be build in other locations with jobs in order to get more people spread out around the provinces. Once there is enough houses and jobs i believe the doors should be open to whomever wishes to come (obviously with a background check) but until then there should be a limit so the houses stop going up.

while I agree with a lot of this video theres one crucial aspect this video neglects and same with the commenters here.. POPULATION. \n\nCompared to countries like denmark, sweden, japan, france, uk, etc. we have a much bigger country to maintain landmass wise. Infrastructure. USA is similar but they have 10x the population as us. Our population in canada is pathetic. Problem is everyone stays in ontario or BC which is stupid, im in sask I want population. Another thing about infrastructure is our climate. We have such drastic events in our climate across our huge country that takes a toll. Climate problems with our low population is not a good thing. I mean most people outside canada and even within Canada dont believe me but Saskatchewan goes from like -45 to +45C with windchill/humidex. Our forests are on fire often, that is not normal. That costs so much money to fix as well. In summer sometimes, Nunavut or NWT will be warmer then here, we talk about it here when it happens. Think about that. Weather is HUGE in saskatchewan. We talk about weather daily. I never realized until internationals pointed that out that we are obsessed with weather in sask lol. \n\n Our housing market is a joke and I agree we need to invest more in buisnesses but at the same time we need affordable housing, we are in a weird spot. As far as working etc goes people commenting here lol the golden years of the 80s are gone old timers, my parents realize this that you guys were spoiled in one of the greatest time periods in human history - post WWII boom and the effects. I could go on and on how the 70s-90s were one of the best time periods in modern history for various reasons but I wont. There are problems internationally, we live in a globalist world. We still have it good. Go travel and make international friends. This is nothing that we are dealing with at the moment. All I will say though is leave the huge metropolitans like Toronto and Vancouver. Everyone wants to go there because they think 'theres more opportunity' ugh. Theres opportunity across canada but if everyone things like that there will be problems. The idea of Ontario or BC is just a big nope for me (although I go to BC every couple years, love it there I would not want to live there).

The problem with Canada's economy is that the Trudeau tornado swept all the good things that could have happened to us with all kinds of weird decisions that threw our economy under the carpet and placed us in a miserable condition where it will take years for us to get back to normal!

After watching this video if you think that what is going on in Canada is not crazy, then take note of the fact that Trudeau government is also making it even harder for gas and oil companies, mineral extraction and even farmers to basically do their job. While Norway, Arab countries and even US are ramping oil and gas production, in Canada Trudeau is concerned more about increasing carbon tax and the rainbow flags. Honestly I'm very disappointed in this country, it's becoming worse and worse here. Prices are through the roof, housing is insanely expensive, even car prices are higher than in USA. Many people have to maintain 2 or even 3 jobs just to survive. And if you are a recent graduate or an immigrant professional, good luck finding a good job. You probably will end up in a minimum wage job that barely allows you to rent a room in someone's basement, pay for your most expensive in the world cell phone plan, expensive cars.... and wait 6 months to go see a medical specialist. If you're thinking of immigrating to Canada, better consider Europe, USA or developed countries in Asia. I was lucky because I bought property back in 2016. Now it appreciated so much that I'll probably sell and move to a different country. Hard times are ahead for Canadians, Canada is gonna become Cuba #2 very soon

While I sympathize towards those who really need help, there will come a point where Canada can't just take in all these people. The system will be overwhelmed and there might be negative changes in the country with too much people... if we do take in all these people, there has to be really good support for them so they can assimilate into the Canadian culture and work better lives so they won't be a burden...

People should be aware comming to Canada is a trap!! The highest tax rates in the world, welcome to Canada where the governent will take half your salary and good luck finding an overpriced house to live in!!

Canada is no good anymore, specially nowdays people just going somewhere else or choosing between to pay rent or buy grocries plus to park a car on the streets in front where we live you have to pay nowdays, this is so ridiculous and insane, this country is too much, its not for humans being anymore, goverment dont care at all. Still work so hard or overtime they take all your money, they just want to keep us like a modern slavery 2023

Good … let Canada take them.

Good, go to canada... stay there. Theyre nice people, theyll take care of you and your 15 kids.

Refugees are good and take all those good but not the bad ones. Canada needs a population of hardworking 100 million in total.

good, let canada take them

Canada actually needs more people for the prairie provinces. And housing is affordable there. I think it would be good for them to be placed there. Many are willing to take on jobs that welfare Canadians don’t want to do.

Canada is pretty good with French immigration, the Middle East immigration and with people that are going to give something in exchange in their view, then all those people take the best and more they could and go back to their Countries. That kind of Immigration are using Canada to get the best and saying goodbye. But it is Canada's fault, too. Personally, I fed up of the system I am not white and no native French even I talk the both languages never turned to take me serious. So for me was better just went back to my country and never look back.

Good. Hopefully Canada takes all the illegals.

Quebec (montreal): Medical care, any public services rude, irresponsive and bureaucracy sucks n complicated (example: people wait for uncertainty just to renew their driving license), THE CRUELEST THING IN QUEBEC INCLUDING MONTREAL IS MEDICAL SERVICES (my god reminds me of third world countries i have ever been in), they will just ignore you heartlessly even if you have RAMQ (quebec heath care coverage), u have to have family doctor n u have to sign up to get one IN UNCERTAIN TIME, some they get family doctor within 3 years, others 5,7 years so on so forth so uncertain, so if u dont have family doctor u wont get treated, and if u have family doctor u will hve to stick to where your family doctor works at only, and to get appointment at some clinic they will put you on wait for some days or even weeks if u get the availability slots for u, if u got emergency u will wait 8,10,12 or 14 hours in pain. I feel bad for montreal citizen i swear, they r so patient with all of this while the tax is one of highest in canada. \n\nNow for rental (apartment in general), the check is crazy long it takes around 2 weeks just to rent, if u r lucky u will get taken if u r not then the landlord will take others, the 1 year lease means 1 year, so far to my experience in alberta like for example, 1 year lease but minimum period u have to stay usually around 3-6 months n after that u can leave with notice to the landlord to vacate the unit. \n\nBut in montreal, u have to find other person to transfer the lease, n if u found the person like i told u earlier, the landlord will check the person n the approval/ disapproval is by the landlord. I had to stay for one year living like hell cause the neighbors freaking so loud n partying every week end night till dawn. Couldn’t even have good sleep for work, so I called 911 two times, the police couldn’t do anything, yet the landlord n the building management kept on saying that they gave warning etc to that tenant, but they didn’t take any further action toward that, n i know they dont care, they care only for money. When i started to file complaint to the TAL(quebec rental board, they r irresponsive, complicated procedures, n in the end they dont solve any problem, on their site said that renter or landlord has to retain lawyer, the hell they r there for then? \n\nThe apartment building is tiny, tight old, the wall is thin, u can hear everything from your neighbour upstair, downstair n on your side too.. \n\nMONTREAL IS ALSO SO DENSED AND TIGHT, the main road so tight with cars parked on both sides of the road to ways only one lane on each way, cos mostly apartment building they dont provide parking spot, so they have to park on the road side, i feel bad for the bus driver i swear, with snow mounting on both side of the road makes driving bus is just so stressful, almost every neighbourhood looks dirty, trashes, people littering every where. Im Not complaining but that’s what it is, im living in montreal currently for more than one year but im just gonna move out of here lol