Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi Canadians. I need to know a few things
about the differences between Canada and
the United States. Would greatly appreciate
if these questions can be answered.
1. Why is Canada seen as a less desirable
place to live than the United States. Everything
I read about Canada sounds better. It's safer, not
as much racial tension particularly among blacks
and Hispanics, ect.
2. Is your Health care really free or is it paid
via taxes which I consider not free.
3. Why is it so hard now for Americans to
stay in Canada. It did not use to be that way.
4. Do most Canadians really like the United
States better than their own country.
5. How does Canadian goverment see its people.
In U.S. if your not rich then your just a wage slave
meant to be used and overworked. Your basically
just a number waiting for their time to end.
5. How does Canadian goverment see its people.
In U.S. if your not rich then your just a wage slave
meant to be used and overworked. Your basically
just a number waiting for their time to end.
Can't wait to hear responses.
Omg i know it sucks, just worked a total of 3 hours today
Hi Canadians. I need to know a few things
about the differences between Canada and
the United States. Would greatly appreciate
if these questions can be answered.
1. Why is Canada seen as a less desirable
place to live than the United States. Everything
I read about Canada sounds better. It's safer, not
as much racial tension particularly among blacks
and Hispanics, ect.
2. Is your Health care really free or is it paid
via taxes which I consider not free.
3. Why is it so hard now for Americans to
stay in Canada. It did not use to be that way.
4. Do most Canadians really like the United
States better than their own country.
5. How does Canadian goverment see its people.
In U.S. if your not rich then your just a wage slave
meant to be used and overworked. Your basically
just a number waiting for their time to end.
Can't wait to hear responses.
1. Bottom line, there is no compelling reason for someone to leave a first world country for another firist world country unless it's for personal opportunity or deep personal interests. Canada is safer, more tolerant, quieter, and values stability. US moves quicker and has more disparity but also has more opportunity, innovation and amenities. The answer depends on the person and on the sheer luck of the draw on which side of the border they happened to be born on. There are more rich people and more poor people in the US but the truth is that life is not that different for the average middle class person. Both are great countries to live for many and day to day life is very similar.
2. Nothing is free. Taxes are higher so this goes towards a publicly administered healthcare system. It doesn't cover everything (glasses, contacts, dental, full cost of prescriptions) so people still need to supplement it with private insurance but it's an affordable cost usually shared with are employer. It's not a perfect system but overall, people are happy with it and do not want the US system (at least pre-Obamacare).
3. I don't know.
4. No, I would say the vast majority are happy to live in Canada and have no desire to move because they think life would be better south of the border. Certain people in specific fields like startups, finance and entertainment do move to the US for bigger opportunities and some people (like elsewhere in the world) are attracted to certain niches of American culture like the weather/lifestyle of California for example. Honestly, there is some lighthearted animosity about being the younger sibling that doesn't get attention that does exist in the psyche, but it's not serious. For example, Canadians would be ecstatic to beat the US in hockey, it's kind of like David vs. Goliath but it's all in good fun.
5. Pretty much the same except there are higher taxes here and more social services for the poor so they get a little bigger piece of the pie. This doesn't change the fact that there are poor people mind you but they are not as hung out to dry. We also don't have the history of slavery which has created a cycle of poverty in the US that takes time to break out of for many.
Last edited by johnathanc; 02-19-2014 at 05:07 PM..
1. Why is Canada seen as a less desirable place to live than the United States.
It may be seen that way by non-Canadians who don't know better. Reasons may be because of colder climate, longer winters, no freebies, everything is more expensive than USA. But then, everything in USA is cheaper than pretty much everywhere else in the world and Americans don't recognize how spoiled they are compared to the rest of the world.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie101
2. Is your Health care really free or is it paid via taxes which I consider not free.
Not free. It's a single payer health insurance system. People pay for their health insurance through taxes plus monthly or quarterly insurance premiums based on income and the size of the family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie101
3. Why is it so hard now for Americans to stay in Canada. It did not use to be that way.
It's no harder for Americans to stay in Canada than it is for visitors or immigrants from any other countries. Nobody gets any special priviledges to stay in Canada based on whatever country they are from and everyone has to abide by the same requirements and standards. Exceptions for being allowed a speedier entrance into the country would be innocent refugees seeking asylum from violent persecution and death in their country of origin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie101
4. Do most Canadians really like the United States better than their own country.
No. Most Canadians like Canada better than the United States.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie101
5. How does Canadian goverment see its people. In U.S. if your not rich then your just a wage slave meant to be used and overworked. Your basically just a number waiting for their time to end.
I don't know if that is true or not about USA but it sounds kind of like a paranoid tin-foil hat conspiracy theory to me. I hear you have a lot of paranoid conspiracy theorists in USA who are terrified of their government.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure that the Canadian government doesn't view Canadian citizens that way and that the majority of Canadians don't worry about the government viewing them that way.
Not free. It's a single payer health insurance system. People pay for their health insurance through taxes plus monthly or quarterly insurance premiums based on income and the size of the family.
That's exclusive to the province of British Columbia, in all of the other provinces it's paid for through regular taxes, there's no special healthcare premium that needs to be paid. I personally find the BC system highly suspect.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie101
1. Why is Canada seen as a less desirable
place to live than the United States. Everything
I read about Canada sounds better. It's safer, not
as much racial tension particularly among blacks
and Hispanics, ect.
2. Is your Health care really free or is it paid
via taxes which I consider not free.
3. Why is it so hard now for Americans to
stay in Canada. It did not use to be that way.
4. Do most Canadians really like the United
States better than their own country.
5. How does Canadian goverment see its people.
In U.S. if your not rich then your just a wage slave
meant to be used and overworked. Your basically
just a number waiting for their time to end.
Can't wait to hear responses.
1. I didn't realize this was the widespread opinion, and I'm not sure it is, although it might have something to do with the enormous American cultural industry which advertises the country well. As mentioned by other posters, however, there are some clear US strengths, like the cheap goods that come of the bigger market and thus economies of scales, the diversity of economic niches that also come of it, the fine weather in the US, and the low taxes for the wealthier people (who are the ones who generally have the skills to contemplate immigration).
2. Of course it's paid for by taxes, how could one have a health care system where no one pays for anything at all? I'm surprised you'd ask such a question, health care workers would starve if no one paid them a salary. That said, the single payer system is far more efficient then the US system and represents signifcant savings, sinc eth eUS spends about 20% of its GDP on healthcare and we pay only about 12% That's still the second highest int he world, however, and we have alot of work to do to meet the efficiency of healthcare systems in Europe and Oceania.
3. Pretty sure it's been hard for a long while. We want immigrants who will provide a net benefit for our country and pull their weight, not the world's poor. We can't afford to be so generous to other country's citizens, it's not for us to take on the burdens of the whole world because frankly we are a small country that could not sustainably do so in a way that would be fair to the people already here. Refugees are a different story, however. We can, and should, do what is possible to help them.
4. Certainly not! In fact, Canadian identity has often been defined in opposition to the US, since the federation was formed out of fear of US military aggression and that nation has always been Canada's major existential threat (along with internal schism). Most Canadians prefer our home to the US, but I'm sure there is a minority that would move South for various reasons if they could.
5. I'm not sure I agree that this is how the US views its citizens. Our country does have more social services though, and a generally higher minimum wage. Most of this stuff is provincial though. The US has a food stamps program and it seems that welfare is easier to be on longterm there, it's hard to stay on welfare long term in Canada and we have no food stamps program. The food also costs more. It's less of a problem though because although we certainly have some egregious poverty in this country, especially on the reserves, there is much less of the serious endemic poverty that is so visible in the US. I'd say for the most part Canadians have a better relationship with our government and do not view government with as much distrust as Americans do.
That's exclusive to the province of British Columbia, in all of the other provinces it's paid for through regular taxes, there's no special healthcare premium that needs to be paid. I personally find the BC system highly suspect.
No it's not exclusive only to BC. If you look them all up you'll see that each province and territory has a different and uniquely set up system from each other but Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec do charge additional user premiums depending on annual incomes and sizes of families. Currently in Ontario people with an annual taxable income above $20,000 must pay an annual health care premium ranging from $60 – $900. Funding for medicare in Ontario also comes in part from a dedicated Employer Health Tax (EHT) that ranges from 0.98%-1.95% of employer payroll. British Columbia and Quebec charge similar premiums and Alberta health care has premiums for families up to $118 per month.
That's exclusive to the province of British Columbia, in all of the other provinces it's paid for through regular taxes, there's no special healthcare premium that needs to be paid. I personally find the BC system highly suspect.
1. I didn't realize this was the widespread opinion, and I'm not sure it is, although it might have something to do with the enormous American cultural industry which advertises the country well. As mentioned by other posters, however, there are some clear US strengths, like the cheap goods that come of the bigger market and thus economies of scales, the diversity of economic niches that also come of it, the fine weather in the US, and the low taxes for the wealthier people (who are the ones who generally have the skills to contemplate immigration).
2. Of course it's paid for by taxes, how could one have a health care system where no one pays for anything at all? I'm surprised you'd ask such a question, health care workers would starve if no one paid them a salary. That said, the single payer system is far more efficient then the US system and represents signifcant savings, sinc eth eUS spends about 20% of its GDP on healthcare and we pay only about 12% That's still the second highest int he world, however, and we have alot of work to do to meet the efficiency of healthcare systems in Europe and Oceania.
3. Pretty sure it's been hard for a long while. We want immigrants who will provide a net benefit for our country and pull their weight, not the world's poor. We can't afford to be so generous to other country's citizens, it's not for us to take on the burdens of the whole world because frankly we are a small country that could not sustainably do so in a way that would be fair to the people already here. Refugees are a different story, however. We can, and should, do what is possible to help them.
4. Certainly not! In fact, Canadian identity has often been defined in opposition to the US, since the federation was formed out of fear of US military aggression and that nation has always been Canada's major existential threat (along with internal schism). Most Canadians prefer our home to the US, but I'm sure there is a minority that would move South for various reasons if they could.
5. I'm not sure I agree that this is how the US views its citizens. Our country does have more social services though, and a generally higher minimum wage. Most of this stuff is provincial though. The US has a food stamps program and it seems that welfare is easier to be on longterm there, it's hard to stay on welfare long term in Canada and we have no food stamps program. The food also costs more. It's less of a problem though because although we certainly have some egregious poverty in this country, especially on the reserves, there is much less of the serious endemic poverty that is so visible in the US. I'd say for the most part Canadians have a better relationship with our government and do not view government with as much distrust as Americans do.
I actually understand Canada and the U.S. more from
this post. How cool.
No it's not exclusive only to BC. If you look them all up you'll see that each province and territory has a different and uniquely set up system from each other but Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec do charge additional user premiums depending on annual incomes and sizes of families. Currently in Ontario people with an annual taxable income above $20,000 must pay an annual health care premium ranging from $60 – $900. Funding for medicare in Ontario also comes in part from a dedicated Employer Health Tax (EHT) that ranges from 0.98%-1.95% of employer payroll. British Columbia and Quebec charge similar premiums and Alberta health care has premiums for families up to $118 per month.
.
Well I live in AB - no "additional" health care premiums here. Think you are looking at old information.... premiums were eliminated 5 years ago.
It's not all the same for each user in each province. The Alberta premium rates information I was looking at was from albertahealthcare.ca 2013. It's not something I'm prepared to get into an arguement about to prove any points, I'm just saying that health insurance premium charges are not unique to only British Columbia.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
