Saturday Morning Confusion: CANADA!

Allan:

Twenty-five years ago I moved to Canada on a fiancé Visa. I have been very happy here. Canada is DIFFERENT in history, landscape, laws and constitution, politics, and their sense of place in the international scene. I spent the first 3 years listening and learning, being very sweet and respectful and above all generous and friendly. I let them see that I was actually OK and this made many good friends for me. I read as many books as I could about this wonderful nation and I paid attention to the local and national news. I was an IMMIGRANT and not so much an American anymore.

First, you must determine if you will be allowed to live in Canada. The country has strict immigration laws which cannot be skirted. Not everyone is allowed to cross the border and set up a long-term living situation.

Culture: For the most part Canadians are quieter, less bossy, and far less outspoken that Americans. Americans seem more childlike in that they are louder, friendlier and more demanding. Sorry, but this is true. So tone it down. Be polite. Say please and thank you and show great respect for everyone. There are many cultures here and they love to celebrate themselves and their old-country traditions too. Join the fun!

It is silly and rude to compare the two countries. There are some things in which the U.S. surpasses all others in accomplishment. But that does not make it a “better” country. It is also rude to criticize Canada’s political system, health care system, highways, restaurants, holidays (Victoria Day?) traditional food (depending on which region you will be living in), availability of luxury items, or anything that is Canadian. Canadians can complain, but new immigrants should hold their tongues.

The healthcare system is not perfect, but it IS wonderful, in that NO one must ever worry about their ability to pay for medical care, from the most minor to the most major events. I had open-heart surgery and the cost to me, ambulance, medi-flight, 2 weeks in the cardiac unit to stabilize, then the surgery and the week of recovery cost us ….ZERO. 

The only expense my husband and I had was to fly home from the major city in another province to our sweet home in the wilderness of northern British Columbia. IF you are seriously ill you will be given the best care immediately. IF you can wait (as for a knee replacement) then you will be put on a list and when the orthopedic surgeons are finished treating emergency cases and all the folks ahead of you on “the list,” it will be YOUR turn to receive world-class care. Canada is rightfully proud of its history of health care reform, and yet they really love to gripe about it.

Comparing the two countries is just wrong. It’s “apples and oranges.” Their trade agreements, climate, resource development and production are quite different from the systems in the U.S. For example, food is more expensive here. But you learn to make holistic adjustments to accommodate this. Drugs are cheaper because the government has control over the prices that can be charged.

Society: Canada isn’t so much a “melting pot” as it is a stew, with “foreign” cultures generally receiving the respect they deserve. Do to a constitutional agreement with Quebec, Catholic schools are also public schools and supported by the state. Get used to it. There is racism in Canada, and it seems to all on the aboriginal (native) people here who are referred to as First Nations People. They are the Inuit, Indians, Metis (mixed Indian and white). They don’t have the violent history that native people in the U.S. have had, but they suffer as second-class citizens and have low expectations. Canada recognizes this problem and doesn’t have any good answers to eradicate racism because, as it is for every other nation, this is an endemic problem, deep and dug in.

There’s a fair amount of male chauvinism too. Women face the same barriers as they do in the U.S. And Canada has its share of right-wing extremists, white nationalists, kooks and cult leaders. And I was really surprised to discover that not just a few Canadians thought that Donald Trump was a saviour, and they wanted him to come lead Canada in the “right direction.”

But since I have lived here, I’ve come to see that Canadian Conservatives are more liberal than our liberals are. They are proud of their county. They want to be GOOD people, socially responsible and kind. They seem more religiously tolerant as well, in that I have yet to meet a Canadian who thought they could tell ME how to worship.

Canadians are VERY proud of their land. It is majestic, wide, wild, beautiful and magnificent.

If you learn to sing their anthem, they will really like you for it.

MaryAnn Hardy  Studied Geography (college major) at California State University,