Canadian Citizenship, good idea?
 

I'm currently in America (Oregon) And I've been thinking about becoming a citizen of Canada ever since I vacationed up to British Columbia when I was 13. Perhaps I shouldn't worry about it because I'm only 15 (and 3/4th), but I thought I'd post about it ahead of time. Right now, America is not looking good at the moment in the eyes of the world (I think we can ALL agree on that). I think we're seen as power hungry children (or something along those lines).
If I moved to Canada, I'd have cold weather (which I love), and free healthcare. I'd also be a little more respected around the world because I wouldn't become burdened with the aformentioned stereotype. I'm also going to learn french, so that would be good for practise. But when I
talked about it with my mother, I found out some not so great things:

1. Because it's a socialist country, I wouldn't be able to create a successful private business. Although I'm not planning on that in the future, who knows?
2. Apparently they don't treat their enviroment as well as America (and we're not all that great on it either). The example that was brought up was acid rain. I had thought that this was an almost completely solved problem, and hearing about tree top's being damadged by the rain (I love the look, smell, sounds of nature. One other reason to go up there) dissappointed me.

And something I know, but wasn't told by my mother:

3. Becomming a citizen of another country isn't exactly easy. I'm not too sure on the specifics, but I'd have to live there for awhile and such.

Basically, I'm asking Canadian NPF'ers if my assumptions are right, and other reasons I should go, or not go if that's the case. Is Canada all that great? Or should I not bother?

Yes and no.

I live in BC, and we're the best province in the best country in the second-best hemisphere in the world. We're sort of a cross between Belgium, Texas, and Starbucks. We've got trees, we've got snow, we've got deserts, we've got scorching heat, and we've got coffee and partly-concealed weed everywhere.

And we've got me.

I think the one thing I'd really dislike about living in Canada is that I imagine it's hard (or at least harder) to find good-looking women up there.

I mean, I'm sure they're out there. It's just that here in America, espesically here in the District of Columbia, I don't have to do very much or go very far to find them.

(Of course, finding them is one thing, seducing them quite another -- I'm great with the former, and not so great with the latter. I swear if one more girl tells me I'm "strictly good-friends material" I'm going to scream.)

Anyway, back to Canada.

I think the other thing I'd dislike about Canada is the total and complete lack of good sports. I mean, my two favorite sports are baseball and (American) football. Followed closely by the international version of football, but Canada isn't exactly well known for that either.

I've just never been remotely interested in hockey.

Uhm.... we get NFL and MLB games up here, you know. We have 'television', brought to our houses by 'cable' and 'satellite', which are invisible beams from spaaaaaaaace.

And you're right, we got nothing but ugly chicks. Dork. :)

Canada-only perspective here.

1. I don't think this is true...at all...You couldn't open businesses in some fields, but that's not saying the MAJORITY of ALL possible services are controlled by the government. At all.

2. I'd contest that until I see evidence to the contrary. Like all North American nations, we are wasteful in terms of the ecological footprint (some of which is due to our colder climate). I've heard a lot of our air pollution (which is acid rain among other things) is blown in from the south, aka, the US.

4 (skipping 3, creating my own!). Canada has "free" healthcare is about as true as me saying I bone Jessica Alba every night (come on free healthcare!). Only two things in life are certain, death and taxes. Canadians pay for their healthcare, one way or another, through their taxes. And only general things are covered by it. Three-quarters of the drugs my retired grandparents need to stay healthy aren't covered. Expensive surguries aren't covered. Related recovery stuff like physiotherapy isn't covered. Okay, it isn't in Ottawa. :gonk:

French: Good in Eastern Canada, not very useful in Central or Western. Better off learning Japanese, or sticking with English.

Girls: Two words: University Campus.

Sports: Enh, it's a cultural difference. Suck it up. It's only LIVE sports in this case, you can get access to all the baseball, football, and soccer channels you want on your TV.

Beer: I hear it's better.

Guns: Not so crazy about it here. Requires one safety course for hunting rifles, two safety courses for pistols, two licenses for both (one to have the gun, one to let you carry it from A to B). No bearing arms in public anywhere. Western Canada is sufficiently more gun-crazy. Lots of shooting ranges there. Any major city in Eastern Canada will have them too. I do have problem finding good gun stores in Ottawa though.

Definitely some beautiful scenery in Canada. Ontario has some great spots, the Maritimes are wonderful for fishing, food, and fog (the three Fs), everything I've seen in Western Canada is just awesome. They have every micro-climate in the world there, somehow, and every natural resource too. Alberta's economy is booming. If you're in the trades and good at what you do, go there and get rich quick. Just spend your riches in Canada afterwards.

That's all I can think of right now.

I suddenly have a new appreciation for Canada...and I remember those episodes of Firefly she was in :D

Well I've been to Canada (Montreal) once...when I was about 5 or 6...I got stuck in an elevator by myself since my dad had gotten off and I was behind him and the door closed...Montreal was really clean...street sweepers went by about once every 3 hours....and I went to this indoor zoo in a building where they used to ride bicycles...I think it was called the Cyclorama or Cyclodome or something like that...any of you Canadians know what I'm talking about? Anyways I guess it was alright up there but I love America...it just needs a little work right now...a lot of work...first of all we need to throw out our president...

How's your Prime Minister?

Love,
Death By Stabbing

This thread is now a proud citizen of the General forum.

That's more or less where we do this sort of thing, I think.

Hmm, I overshot some questions, it seems.

1.) Private businesses: There's about ten million of them in my town of 70,000 people, and they all do pretty damn well for themselves. Our banks are bending over backwards to give business loans.

2.) In general, we pollute less, per person, than America, and we, unlike y'all, actually think the Kyoto Agreement is a good thing. Sure, in Toronto, birds can explode om hot days because of the air toxins, but in BC, ANYWHERE but Vancouver, you'd never know there was pollution in the world. (Obvious exceptions - directly downwind from a smelter, pulp mill, or refinery).

3.) There was no number three! Our health care isn't free... Ipay 108 a month for my family's basic medical, and 94 a month for extended, which includes 95% of available prescriptions, major surgeries, 80% dental, 100% optic, etc, etc... if you have a good job, it's basically free. The health care costs are absorbed by your income. Additionally, if you're crazy poor, healthcare IS free (but the second you make more money, they get you).

4.) University Campuses.... *explodes*

5.) Where I live, the average house has a gun. Twenty minutes out of town, the average house has three. My in-laws have five, which they mostly use for shooting the GOD-DAMN BIRDS THAT KEEP EATING THE GOD-DAMN CORN CROPS! Sure, you occaisionally pick buckshot out of your corn, but it's worth it!

Where I live, we're technically 'scrub desert'. Ten minutes south, past the ridge, you enter 'plains coniferous'. Keep going south into the Okanagan, and it's 'sub-tropical arid'. Go north twenty minutes and it's 'sun-temperate coniferous'. Most of the coast around Vancouver, ten minutes inland, is 'coastal rainforest'. Go north to Squamish and up, and it's 'temperate rainforest'. We got tundra, and we got permafrost, and we have the national hotspot (Osoyoos) 27 days of the year.

BC! We don't know WHAT the hell our weather is!

1) I was pretty sure there were private businesses, but thanks for clarifying.

2)I also didn't believe so much into the pollution thing (heard about the badness today actually. Heard before they had clean water or something before...)

3) I thought that's what it was. I pay the taxes and then I get healthcare provided by the government. Apparently that's not how it works down here, i'll ask.

4) OMGWTFBBQ!!! (not into girls at the moment, waiting till after/during college, so that's good i suppose)

5) I'm only REALLY interested in airsoft guns, so this is good news.

6) I just like cold more than everything else, so that's all fine and doodly dandy (...ugh...)

Well, thanks everybody for the help so far! I think now, when the time comes, i'll have the right idea.

Wait. There are sub-tropical, rainforest and desert climates in Canada?

CANADA?

Are you just totally bullshitting, WB? Or have you turned my world upside down by daring to suggest that there's more to Canada's weather than snow?

What's next? Are you going to tell me that Canada has sexy women and access to NFL and MLB games via satellite television? Bah, then you'll be trying to tell me that Canada has the internet. You Canadians should just stick to ice-fishing in your igloos and chopping down giant pine trees.