<p>the better the country is, the freer people are to criticize it</p>
<p>I lived in Canada for many yearsand enjoyed it immensely. It is beautiful, makes for great vacations, and the crime rate is very low by comparison. The rat race, as it is in America, is far less prevalent there. BUT, taxes are incredibly high. One year we paid 42% after deductions. Their education standards are lower, education opportunities and options are fewer, and their educational and lifestyle expectations tend to be lower. They seem to have even less control over their government than we do. They expect to be taken care of medically and in retirement. Their medical care, when you can get it and if you can wait long enough to have your heart bypassed or your brain scanned, is decent. They have nine months of weather hell every winter. If this is what you want, head on up there. But don't forget your wallet, because unless you are quite wealthy, they won't let you in, except to visit. Thier immigration standards are quite picky.</p>
<p>I'm actually in Canada too and absolutely hate it! I'm going to the US to study and will hopefully stay there. It's funny... the liberals are moving north, while the conservatives are moving to the US.</p>
<p>thank god more people finally realize why its worth it to leave Canada</p>
<p>People do see that Canada is hopeless. I read an interesting fact... Every year, the equivalent of 1/4 of Canada's medical school graduates leave to go work in the States. Canada has 16 medical schools, so the graduates of four of them leave every year! And Canada seems to be facing a doctor shortage. Hmmm, could politics have something to do with the brain drain? I wonder....</p>
<p>My doctor in Canada, who delivered my last child (I used a GP, since it was almost impossible to see an OB/GYN), was paid a grand total of $900 by the government for nine months of prenatal care and delivery. THAT'S why doctor's leave Canada in droves.</p>
<p>And who decides how much doctors are paid? The government! If the US, a doctor in a similar situation would get paid at least 10 times more. And he or she would pay less taxes too!</p>
<p>in the Rural US it can be difficult if not impossible to find an Obgyn.
Medical premiums are just too high, it isn't cost effective to practice.
They can make a lot more money in urban areas ( which they will have to do to pay costs)
Insurance companies are also getting out of the business of insuring those that deliver babies forcing doctors to abandon the practice or pay increased premiums.</p>
<p>:E I dont think they should leave just because of this. and hey if you leave you kind of give up. I know people who say they'll leave but they won't. I dunno anyone who'll leave. I sure wont. I love my country and I dont think you should runaway or something. :p</p>
<p>Wow, I had no idea so many Americans didn't appreciate what they have! I don't know many Canadians who wouldn't prefer to be in the States, especially educated ones. Ir's not just doctors. Taxes are sky high, the Government runs everything including liquor stores (prices are 4X what they are here), health care will kill you, the economy has been bad for decades and the qulaiyt of life is just plain lower. Canadians like myself come to the States to study and are forced to study something esoteric so a company can make a case for us to stay. Or we marry an American. Few of us want to go home! I will note, however, that all of Canada is not under snow!</p>
<p>Weird.. why would they want to leave America to go to a country that is beautiful, freindly, and loved and respected by the rest ot the world for their peaceful relations.</p>
<p>ummm, I really dislike Canada, but you can't say the economy sucks up here. We have been doing very well for the past several years. We have been able to increase our current account to a very high ranking, our country is actually heading out of its defecit, and our dollar has sky-rocketed this past year. Also our quality of life is WELL ahead of the US on average, becaue of the excessively large taxes and we have usually ranked either 1 or 2, and always in the top 5 on the UN ranking by quality of life competing with Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. Also, just to be precise, alcohol is sold by most provincial goverments, although some (Quebec) do no have this and it is sold like in the states.</p>
<p>As someone who has spent about half my life in Canada and half in the U.S., I'd have to say that, if I had the choice, I'd choose Canada. And not just because Bush won the election, although it's tempting to leave now that that's happened.</p>
<p>Canada is a beautiful, multi-cultural country where the belief is that there should be a social safety net for its residents. Hence, the universal healthcare, free prescriptions for seniors, equity in education, government subsidy of post-secondary education, etc. It's true that taxes are higher than in the U.S., but overall quality of life for the general public is also higher. The healthcare system does have issues but, generally, it is a superior system which insures everyone, not only those who can afford it. </p>
<p>I have many family members and friends who still live there and I know no one who has had to wait any longer than anyone I know in the U.S. when a devastating illness has occurred. I do, however, know many in the U.S. who hesitate to visit a doctor because they can't afford to, or who go without necessary medications because they are just too expensive. Neither system is ideal, and there could certainly be improvements to the Canadian system, but I think that I'd rather have everyone covered and able to access healthcare, rather than the system where 40 million people (more than the entire population of Canada, by the way) have no healthcare at all.</p>
<p>The weather issue isn't a concern for anyone who lives in the northern half of the U.S. We lived in Toronto and the climate is very similar to most of the northeast. In fact, we had less snow there than in the Boston area and the temperature comparisons are very similar. There are not nine months a year of cold weather, that's a ridiculous statement, unless you're living in the Northwest territories and I'm not even sure it would apply there. We had a pool at our house there and it was open from end of April til end of September every year. </p>
<p>My brother in law is an Ob-Gyn in Toronto. He contemplated moving to the U.S. but decided that he'd prefer to stay there and deal with the government regulated earnings rather than having to deal with the exorbitant malpractice premiums he'd need to pay in the U.S., thanks to the ridiculous number of lawsuits. A very small percentage of doctors leave the country each year, it's nowhere near 25%. Most who leave do so because of research opportunities at U.S. hospitals.</p>
<p>Remember, the grass is always greener, people. Canada is a more tolerant and accepting society, the economy is good, the educational opportunities are excellent, culturally it's a wonderful place to live, and maybe most importantly, it is a far more safe place to live than in the U.S.</p>
<p>It basically depends on whether you favor a government-controlled society or a more free enterprise society. There are advantages to both systems, so it is up to the person to decide which one he/she wants to live under.</p>
<p>I for one choose free enterprise, so I'll stay put in the United States.</p>
<p>uc_benz, I'm not sure what you mean by a government controlled society. In all the years I lived in Canada, I never felt controlled by government. Free enterprise thrives there. It might be helpful in the discussion if you describe what you're referring to when you say that. :)</p>
<p>Well the healthcare is controlled by the government, the education system is controlled by the government, salaries are somewhat controlled by the government; pretty much every aspect of life is controlled whether it be directly or indirectly. </p>
<p>Now I'm not saying these things are necessarily bad, in fact I support a few of them, but I would much rather have the "free-for-all" system that is currently in place in the United States. For instance, universal health care in the United States just doesn't seem plausible to me; it is rather idealist. I would support it if the situation permitted implementation, but there would be way too many obstacles at this point in time. Hence, I support the least government regulations possible.</p>
<p>I guess it depends on your definition of control. Yes, there is universal healthcare but the control of it by government is really just the billing system. The general public isn't affected by the control, the doctors are when they submit their billings. The control that is exercised over education is not all that different than that in the U.S., other than the funding. In Canada, there is not the situation, as in the U.S., that there is such disparity between schools from district to district. The overall uniformity in quality is much more evident. It's not perfect, and some schools in affluent areas are able to do more fundraising, etc., but the actual funding of the schools which comes from tax revenues, is equitable. They even fund Catholic schools there! :) The actual running of the schools on a day to day basis is done by school boards just like it is in the U.S. </p>
<p>In universities and colleges, the differences between the U.S. and Canada are similar to that of elementary and high schools. They are largely subsidized by tax revenues so that the costs to the students are kept very low. This varies by province, and program. But overall, the cost for post-secondary education in Canada is much lower than in the U.S.</p>
<p>I can assure you that not "every aspect of life is controlled". I lived there for over 25 years!</p>
<p>How is the general public not affected by the control when you have to wait for ridiculously long periods to receive medical tests?</p>
<p>umm as far as i know the general public is not waiting for medical tests</p>
<p>I guess it just depends on what type of gov't you prefer (left wing or right wing). I for example completely disagree with Ontario's recent decision to not allow a private company to charge people for medical tests. I think people should be free to purchase/pay for anything they want. Just like the broadcasting industry, which is strictly regulated by the CRTC. This regulation-driven government is what Canada is about. That's why I prefer to live in the US.</p>
<p>And with health care, I think that the US has a much better system. Sure we get universal health care, but its really poor quality and we more than pay for it with our high taxes. I'd prefer to live in the US, pay much lower taxes, and be able to afford my my health insurance. And the argument that some people earn so little that they can't afford their own health care in the US: in Canada, they'd be paying a lot higher taxes which they wouldn't be able to afford.</p>