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I'm from Australia. Traveled and trekked the great country of Canada. Stand proud and to hell with trump. Don't let him intimidate you.

I lived in Canada from 1983 to 2016 after I left the US Air Force in '83. I was born in the SF Bay area, and grew up there in the Hippie peace love/Viet Nam era in the 60's and 70's. I now live in Seattle. As we have travelled to San Fran, New Orleans, Nashville, Miami, Vancouver (Canada) and New York in the last 6 months, I kinda have a pretty good idea how it was on both sides of the border way back then, as well as right now. We have 2 rental homes, and I STILL have to work until I'm 70 to retire without worrying about losing it all because of the the high cost of health care. Your observation of race/political/religion relations are naive at best, you need to travel the country first hand to see it. Canada has it's far share of right wing crazies as well. They're mostly not armed, and most fights are 5 minute shouting matches. I know this because I work on construction sites. Canada doesn't have commercials for pharma or ambulance chasers. Because big pharma is kept in check, and with a population slightly smaller than California, frivolous lawsuits would clog the courts. If the PM killed some one on the corner of Yonge and Bloor in Toronto, he'd go to jail. You can get an abortion in Canada. There's a fraction of the Fentanyl crisis happening in Canada, and they have waaayy less homeless in the street. Canada has 2 weeks paid vacation AND paid holidays. The tax rate is higher in Canada, but many of the benefits make up the difference. It's cheaper to buy a house in Seattle than Vancouver. You can get a 30 year mortgage in Washington as well, instead of 5 or 10 years. Good and services tend to be cheaper and more plentiful Stateside. Mail service runs on weekends, it hasn't done that in Canada since the 80's. As it stands, I'm in Seattle right now because it isn't the typical US city by far. But I'm thinking when it comes to retiring, I'm putting Canada on the list. Being a dual citizen also makes me eligible for the other Commonwealth (universal health care) countries like Australia.

Full time and part time employees are entitled to 4 weeks vacation here in Australia, I don’t know anyone who only gets 4 tho, most get 5 to 6. Also, theres Medicare for all permanent residents and citizens; 18 weeks maternity leave— 3 months paid. There are 12 public holidays and just Far Less Crime. When people ask me if I miss “home”… I share that I miss good and easy access to stuff… but friends can visit me here, and I’ll pay extra for the things I enjoy to be mailed. The only major thing is as a black girl getting my hair done… lordddd ?. \n\nI’ve lived in Cambodia, Thailand, Spain and Gibraltar traveling solo. The more I traveled safer I felt despite never feeling too unsafe in the states when I lived there, I did when I traveled across country at times. It took me some time to feel into this new level of “ahhhhh this is what safety feels like!! Mom, come feel this! U can go for a walk at 2am!”\n\nWould never move back, but I’m grateful my roots are from there.

You do realize the cost of living is lower in Canada than it is in Australia and the United States?! But I'm fine if people don't want to immigrate here, I've travelled extensively and coming home always makes me grateful to live here!

Well said Mate. I'm Nigerian studying in Melbourne and you are very on point with your submissions. Australia is notoriously gaining a reputation of being a country of temporary immigrants. I dont see why I should give my best years to a country treating you as an option when canada is making you a priority. \n\nWould you have stayed on if you got a Job in your field that also chose to sponsor your PR? Would the cold in cananda make you reconsider your decisions? That's a racket I dont seem to understand. So much emphasis on skills and job shortages, yet many skilled graduates from their universities are being denied jobs based on their Residency status. \n\nI.met a Ghanain PHD student in my Uni who came from Canada, he said wages are higher here hence his reason for coming. \n\nLike you said , its a personal journey for everyone.\n\nSomehow, I don't blame them. They never promised PR but they should not also give impression that we are coveted.\n\nI still dont regret coming here though, it adds to my rich life experience. I recently just got my canada visit visa and will be travelling to see my option in canada first. \n\nYou just earned yourself another follower. Cheers mate.

Canada, country of homeless and trash. I'm so sorry for Canada. Most things about a good Canada are not true, Including clean cities - beaches, and forests. It's a big lie. The first time I arrived in Vancouver in 2018, I was shocked. As soon as I left the airport door, I saw tissue, disposable glasses, and other garbage left in the city. The further I went, the more I saw them. Before I moved to Canada, I lived in Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, The United States, and for a short time in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Netherland, Germany, and England, but I have never seen the amount of garbage that people leave in different Canadian cities. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec are no less than Vancouver. Canadian and Canada Governments don't care about this tragedy. I think everything that says about Canada as a clean and powerful culture is not true. You don't need to travel to Canada to see this. Just watch some videos about walking in downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec. You will find the truth. Impossible for you to walk in a Canadian city and you don't see the dark side of that. Everywhere you will see garbage. You will never see this in Europe, Australia, the United States, Japan, and Korea. This amount of waste is not even seen in Malaysian, Indonesian, or Thailand cities. It is impossible for you to use public transport and not see a lot of garbage at stations or on the route. You will be surprised to find a lot of garbage even in the woods - by the rivers and on the beaches in Canada. I wish the Canadians woke up and had no enmity with their country.