How can I emigrate to Canada?

[Doctor_J]

Step one will be talking Mrs. Doctor_J into moving. Once that's done, what do I have to do? I am a tenured professor with a fair amount of money in the bank. Mrs. is in a hugely marketable field. Will they take me? Will it matter if I want to move to Barrie ON instead of Prince Albert SK?

[Rainforestgoddess]

1. funny you should ask

We've just hired two veterinarians from Washington State. NAFTA provides very easy work visas for professionals (and Professors do count, I've read that section of NAFTA). What you will need is a job offer first. It won't matter which part of Canada you go to, though it may be easier to find a job in less desirable (climatically) location. You can get a one year work visa, but will have to find some kind of medical coverage (I found what I thought was a really good deal at etfsinc.com It doesn't cover annual visits, or previous conditions, so that could be a problem if you have anything chronic. Once here, you can look into permanent immigration. I would think it could take longer to get the immigration in place before you come up, but I'm not sure.

Your spouse can get a work visa automatically, even if you are commonlaw.

Our two new vets are hoping to immigrate at some point, which is fine by us - they're fantastic!

[Doctor_J]

2. I would wanting to be staying

There aren't enough people in the US willing to fight to get the country back from Fox News, and I don't really want to live out the last 20 years of my life in a fascist stronghold. I thought everyone got medical care. I do take a couple of meds for chronic conditions, but could store up enough to tide me over. At what point would I be eligible for the NHS?

[murphyj87]

4. Britain has the NHS

Canada has a single payer system, not like the NHS in Britain.

The NHS in Britain is like US military and DVA health care systems, where the government owns and operates the hospitals and physicians and staff are civil servants. The system in Canada is not like this but is single payer system (the government does NOT own the hospitals and physicians are in private practice i.e. the government pays them but CANNOT tell them where and when to work or who their patients are).

You become eligible for Canadian health care after either 60 or 90 days (depending on which province) after having residence in Canada.

If you have children under the age of 18, you would also be eligible for the Universal Child Benefit, which is not taxable and is $112 per month per child under 18.

------------------------------------------
What permanent residents can do

As a permanent resident, you and your dependents have the right:

To receive most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including health care coverage.
To live, work or study anywhere in Canada.
To apply for Canadian citizenship.
To protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Canadian Constitution).

You must pay taxes, and respect all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

What permanent residents cannot do

As a permanent resident (non citizen), you and your dependents cannot:

Vote or run for political office.
Hold certain jobs that have a high-level security clearance requirement.
Remain in Canada if you are convicted of a serious criminal offence and have been told to leave the country.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/app/ctcvac/english/index

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/assess/index.asp

[Doctor_J]

5. No problems

I have no police record and won't be running for office. My kids are grown. My only plan is to live with my wife and dogs and teach in a civilized country for the next couple decades, then die. The country of my birth becomes less civilized by the week, so the next best place is CAN. I have lived nearly my entire life in the great lakes so the climate will be to my liking.

[murphyj87]

7. Well, just a glimpse of the situation, in case you didn't know

The health care answer is either 60 or 90 days (except Ontario which changed a year or so ago to 153 days, I've found out since the original post). One caveat ..... Canadians may be too progressive for you.... even Canadian Conservatives are more like Blue Dog Democrats than they are like Republicans ... and Canadian Conservatives have platform of strongly supporting universal single payer health care (maybe only because they'd be slaughtered at the polls if they didn't).

This reflects a lot of the values and beliefs of many Canadians because a poll people asking their philosophical view demonstrates:

_______________Canada____________US
Very Liberal_____12%_____________7%
Liberal__________39%____________30%
Conservative_____38%____________47%
Very Conservative_3%____________10%
No Answer_________8%_____________6%

The Official Opposition (second place of five major federal parties) is the New Democratic Party (which is sort of like having 103 Bernie Sanders clones) out of 308 seats.

This gives you a glimpse of Canadian attitudes and Canadian ways of doing things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wka6CHhKJj4&list=PLA4D7D60E3C06DB44&feature=plpp

[Bragi]

12. More glimpses into the real situation

I think it's time to be honest with American lefties and others about what's actually happening in and to Canada, however embarrassed we Canadians might feel about it.

The conservatives now in control of Canada are not the cuddly Red Tories of yesteryear, they are hard-core neoconservatives dedicated to refashioning Canada, as Stephen Harper put it,until you won't recognize it.

They have accomplished much already in this regard, and they're just starting.

Due to vote splits between NDP and Liberal supporters (almost 6 in 10 Canadians) the Harper government has a majority at least until 2014. After that, if the left and centre left continue to be divided, the neocons will likely win another majority and govern until 2018 or 2019.

So what's this mean? Here are a few recent examples:

Canada to expand military reach with new facilities across globe
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/06/02/canada-to-expand-military-reach-with-new-facilities-across-globe/

Military base in Kuwait launched last week
http://www.embassymag.ca/dailyupdate/view/military_base_in_kuwait_launched_last_week_09-26-2011

Mind the income inequality gap, says study
The old adage that the "rich get richer" seems to ring true in Canada, according to a new study that found the income gap in this country is growing faster than it is in the United States.
http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110913/income-gap-conference-board-110913/20110913/?hub=WinnipegHome

Environmental critics decried as 'extremists' by government
Scores arrested in peaceful Hill protest
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Environmental+critics+decried+extremists+government/5462277/story.html#ixzz1ZHMj9Fh5

etc., etc.

[Doctor_J]

13. And those in the US who answer "Conservative" are actually off the map

to the right in nearly all of the developed countries. Except for Israel, Saudi Arabia, China, and some other theocratic dictatorships, it is almost impossible to find more fascists running things.

[Bragi]

14. We're catching up as fast as we can

And we have a federal government to prove it.

Seriously, I think the biggest difference is that we don't suffer the levels of religiosity you do.

Beyond that, we still have residual public programs and services built up in earlier days, but these are being cut and slashed not because we have to, but because our politicians and the oligarchs who run them want to, same as in the U.S.

I do wish you peace and tranquility, and would welcome you as a neighbour. I just think you have to be realistic. Canada isn't the progressive place it used to be.

Having said that, I think we are unlikely to experience the kind of politically-driven social violence and mayhem that appears to be brewing in the U.S as America declines economically and disintegrates socially. I'd want to get out too.

[Doctor_J]

15. I believe you, but also think I'll be long dead before someone like

Michelle Bachmann or Rick Perry becomes a serious candidate for PM. So it will be easier for me to survive there than here in my dotage.

[Bragi]

16. Fair enough.

Do I recall that you said you used to live somewhere in the greater Great Lakes Area?

Not sure if that's correct, but if so, and you've been away for a while, the area may be warmer than you remember it.

With the changes, it is actually be more pleasant for those wanting to enjoy their dotage, depending as usual on exactly where in the great lakes area.

My best wishes to you.

[Doctor_J]

19. Yes, I currently reside in Michigan and before that was in Chicago

I don't know if Sudbury or Saskatoon or Yellow Knife would be to my liking, but anything within 120 mi or so of the border, or with a lower latitude than Calgary, say, would be fine. Also since I am choosing my life, I would prefer being within driving distance of an NHL city and like watching the CFL as well. I'm thinking Barrie ON. I'll look you up when I escape the US and the next meeting of the Canada DU convenes. I would probably try to move my family too. I am really dreading my grandson growing up in GlenBeckistan. I see almost no hope for his generation of Americans.

[Bragi]

20. Sounds like a plan

I'd just mention that eastern Ontario, around Ottawa, which is where I live, would qualify for you in all respects, except that our CFL team doesn't get re-started for a few more years.

It's also a bit cheaper to live up this way, especially up in the Ottawa valley area, where a lot of former Vietnam draft dodgers ended up and still live.

Check out Arnprior and Renfrew and the towns around them. Good places for real people to live.

Best of luck to you.

- B

[Doctor_J]

21. Thanks. I didn't know the renegades were scheduled for a comeback

I would love to get on at Carleton or a small college in the area teach & do research and forget about how the world's greatest democracy is now run by Rusty & Glenn & Ailes. The only downside would be that the Blackhawks only visit once/year or so.

Thanks for the invitation. I'll let you know when I get there.

[CHIMO]

3. Well

I am sure that you will eventually receive information that is openly available.

But who are you asking?

Emigrate/immigrate!

So what exactly is your question?

[Bragi]

6. Problem: the right-wing is winning in Canada

Before you jump, you should be aware that Canada has moved enormously to the right in recent years, and despite the fact that he gets only 4 in 10 votes, Stephen Harper is hard right and now fashioning Canada to his liking.

He is promoting and enacting all the things you hate in the U.S -- militarism abroad, social inequalities, erosion of civil liberties, class and ethic divisions, anti-environmentalism, etc.

As well, the Canadian media is now almost entirely dominated by right-wing owners and thinkers, and the CBC is on the ropes, and as docile about its dismantling by the government as NPR and PBS have been during the GOP assault on non-corporate voices.

I think you need to know this and learn more about Canada before jumping across a border that is increasingly irrelevant. I also think Canadian progressives need to be more honest about the sad reality in this country.

That said, on a personal level, you'd be most welcome if you came here.

[murphyj87]

8. Except that...

Canadian Conservatives are no more right wing than Barack Obama is, and Canadian Conservatives are to the left of Barack Obama on a handful of things. Canadian Conservatives are only right wing in Canadian terms, and only once the US elects 103 Bernie Sanders clones (my NDP), the US would become as progressive as Canada and Canadians are. Canadian Conservatives are downright liberal when compared to American Republicans and Conservatives.

There is an intrinsic philosophical difference between Canadians and Americans, as polls show:

_______________Canada____________US
Very Liberal_____12%_____________7%
Liberal__________39%____________30%
Conservative_____38%____________47%
Very Conservative_3%____________10%
No Answer_________8%_____________6%

"Militarism abroad" is the withdrawal of all Canadian fighting troops from Afghanistan last July, after 5 years (not 10 years like the US) in Afghanistan, and Canada was not involved in Iraq since Desert Storm in 1990-1991.

[Bragi]

9. My point is about power and trends and being honest

I';ve spent my whole life believing the argument you make, but I can see that power in Canada is increasingly in the hands of the Stephen Harpers, Rob Fords, etc. and their corporate supporters.

The "intrinsic philosophical differences" between Canadians and Americans you speak of are shrinking.

As for militarism abroad, did you know we are setting up bases globally, and just opened a new one last week in Bahrain? Probably not. That we are buying fighter jets to support imperial missions abroad? Not much Canadian coverage explains this.

Torture abroad? Canadians are complicit in it, we have and are still committing war crimes, and most Canadians don't give a shit.

Justice and prisons? Social justice for the poor? It is to weep.

As a lifelong Canadian leftie, I am appalled by my government, and appalled at the media-lead somnolent indifference of Canadians about what's going on.

Maybe we need to admit we have a problem before we can solve it.

[murphyj87]

10. Well, I've been an NDP supporter and voter for 41 years..

What you are talking about is a trend which is not as extreme as you are making out. In a Parliamentary system, with a large number of Conservative MP's east of Alberta being formerly in name and currently in fact Progressive Conservatives, who will put a check on Harper's rightward slide as much as the NDP will.

The F-35s (which will be shown to be a massive misstep and a failed project since even the US is reconsidering F-35s, since they have failed repeatedly in testing) are to replace 35 year old CF-18s, most of which are now out of commission half of the time (landing gear is the Achilles heel of the CF-18 and engines are failing repeatedly now). The defense of Canada (as much against the United States as anyone) is a priority.

While it may be delayed because of the death of Jack Layton, I am convinced that there will be an NDP federal government (as we put in place an NDP provincial government in Nova Scotia two years ago) either next election or the one after that, and if the NDP does not form the government next election, that it would be a Conservative minority again. The only reason there was a Conservative majority this time was vote splitting between the NDP ans Liberals, giving razor thin wins to Conservatives, particularly in Ontario, Manitoba, and B.C., and Canadians will be more aware of that possibility next time.

My opinion is that your views are very uncommon among the majority of progressive Canadians, and even Canadian Conservatives are far more progressive and liberal than American Republicans and especially American Conservatives and are only right wing in Canadian terms.

The reason that the media does not cover most of the items you mention is because they are not true and there is no proof whatsoever of any of them. Believe me, if most of those things were true, I would know.

[Bragi]

11. You wrote:

The reason that the media does not cover most of the items you mention is because they are not true and there is no proof whatsoever of any of them. Believe me, if most of those things were true, I would know.

Bye.

- B

[murphyj87]

17. What you claim....

I could only find in one place which was the World Socialist Website, which appears to be as much of a repository of left wing lies as the Canada Free Press is a repository of right wing lies.

Real progressives in Canada believe in fighting for social democratic principles, but in a matrix based in truth, as Jack Layton believed.

[Bragi]

18. Really? Sad.

Have you used google?

I ask because the link below goes to some starter stories (posted above yesterday) from mainstream media that may help you find out what's actually happening now in Canada, as opposed to say, 41 years ago.

Bottom line: Harper and the CPC aren't the warm and cuddly "progressive" Red Tories that used to typify Canadian conservatism.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=190&topic_id=33468&mesg_id=33495

You're welcome! - P

[murphyj87]

22. Yes I used Google

The base you discuss is a base that was moved out of the United Arab Emirates (for political reasons on their part),to Kuwait, and its purpose was as a staging area for the Canadian withdrawal from Afghanistan, in other words, it was a base to decrease the Canadian "militarism" you talk about.

You seem to take great pleasure in distorting things about Canada to discourage Americans. The fact is that Canadian Conservatives (as they exist right now), for the most part, are more politically aligned with Barack Obama as anyone in American politics. Compared to American Republicans and American Conservatives, Canadian Conservatives, as they are today, are still downright liberal. To say anything else is a real distortion of the facts and the truth.