Hello, all! Longtime lurker on Reddit and now on Lemmy. I’ve tried looking into getting out of the US as things aren’t looking too great as I’m sure many of you know, but wanted some tips from those of us who have gotten out. Where did you decide to move to, and what were the things you looked at when deciding to move there? How did you go about the process? What are some stories you can tell about the immigration process? Where can I start? How can I realistically make it happen? I hope this isn’t silly to you all, as it matters quite a lot to me and I’m genuinely interested in getting away from here for good. Thank you all for your time!
Thank you for your input. Canada was number one on the list since it’s close and “within grasp” so to speak. I know each area will have their own challenges and hurdles, but the hurdles I am wanting to avoid is the stripping of rights from other humans like myself and unadulterated corruption from county to federal. Is that something you have had to worry about since moving?
If you’re worried about the stripping of rights from other humans and unadulterated corruption, then I would caution you about Canada.
Quick history lesson: Canada only created their constitution in the 80’s after centuries of British rule, both direct and indirect. When creating their constitution they ran into some major issues with provinces needing to get on board, just like the drama that the US faced with their Articles of Confederation and getting the states to get on board. As a result, some exemptions to the constitution were put in place to strengthen provincial power and weaken federal power. Specifically relevant right now is something called the “Notwithstanding Clause”. This clause allows provincial premiers (akin to governors in the US) to freeze certain rights in the “Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” (akin to the US Bill of Rights) at will until the next election. The current premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, has openly thrown this ability around to attempt to suppress strikes. That’s right, to end strikes that he didn’t like, he attempted to remove the literal right of the workers to strike. And this was a constitutionally enshrined power. So be wary, democratic backsliding is a problem everywhere and Canada is no safe haven from it.
Right now, Trudeau is exceedingly unpopular in Canada because housing prices and the cost of living is absolutely spiraling out of control. The conservative party is offering a horrible and corrupt man, Pollievre, as an alternative. He will only be worse for Canada. The third party, the NDP, has not been being taken seriously here (though they have my support). The NDP has been part of the currently formed government, which has caused them to take a hit to their approval. As it stands now, polls are favoring conservatives.
In terms of provincial politics, most of it is a shitshow here with the possible exception of British Columbia. Ontario has been especially terrible with our premier, Doug Ford, getting caught up in scandal after scandal. His administration was recently caught up in a corruption scandal of trying to use underhanded deals to sell off parts of the Greenbelt, a giant preserved belt of natural lands snaking throughout the province.
The only thing Canada has been noticeably better on for me has been the lack of guns (I don’t fear for my life walking around my city at night) and the greatly reduced police state. Even the healthcare system that’s so renowned in the US has been going through its own shitshow lately, with it being majorly defunded by conservative parties. It’s been put through a major stress test and it’s ready to snap. My wife called 32 family doctor’s offices the other day and we couldn’t get in to see even one of them. There are nightmare stories of 45 minute waits for ambulancea or several nights spent in the ER waiting to be seen. The walk in clinics are the best thing I’ve found, but those doctors always seem stressed out and very quick to get you in and out the door.
Corruption here (Canada) still happens federally and especially at the provincial level (like Doug Ford, which has many blatant examples and faces no consequences). Municipally (county level) I have not noticed as much, and my municipality seems to have a great local government that functions well… I’ve even spoken up and had a small issue resolved with little effort.
However I think you’ll find if that kinda stuff grinds your gears you’ll still have a better time in Canada than the US, despite the problems (and we do have problems).
Source: Canadian (Ontario) but lived in the USA for four years (Oregon)
I’m an Oregonian currently working on migrating to Alberta, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what pro’s and con’s I’d be running into. Seeing housing prices in Edmonton while my in-laws’ mobile home is selling for over half a million really has me thinking…
Edmonton is probably one of the cheaper places in Canada too.
That’s honestly why I was looking at it, the prices kinda blew my mind over there, that I could afford nearly 3 apartments in Edmonton for the price of one in Oregon, and the apartments were generally much newer and fancier for that price range.
Honestly, I can’t give you the info you need as I haven’t lived in Alberta… But it does have a reputation for being the most right wing Christian part of Canada, so compared to Oregon I’d say it might be a downgrade
Oh wow, I had no idea, I was assuming it was mostly in Quebec for some reason and saw the low housing prices in Edmonton. Thanks a ton for the heads up!
Did you have a particular province or area of Canada in mind? Pacific or Atlantic side? It’s a broad country with varying cultures. Our province’s are run by parties that share names with the federal ones but can be separate in they’re stances