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> The major sense I get from Canadians whenever I arrive back is an enormous sense of financial illiteracy. Like they just don't know or care about how badly th

by cpsns 4y ago

> The major sense I get from Canadians whenever I arrive back is an enormous sense of financial illiteracy. Like they just don't know or care about how badly they get ripped off all the time on so many things and will never care enough to do anything meaningful about it. In reality there is nothing meaningful Canadians can do to fix this, that isn't how things work in Canada. MPs and MLAs don't listen and no party that could actually win will take the required steps to solve this problem. It's extremely difficult not to be apathetic when you know the fight isn't winnable. People know they're getting ripped off, that's why anyone who can goes to America to buy essential goods.

jamal-kumar 4y ago
I mean you can do what I did and leave. A lot of intelligent people have already. Hello, doctor shortage? It's a nice passport.
- ckdarby 4y ago
  You left over internet and mobile bills? Damn.
  - jamal-kumar 4y ago
    I ran a VoIP company before leaving because of spook interference. Long story I won't tell here.
- ejb999 4y ago
  didn't realize there was a doctor shortage in Canada - all I ever hear about countries with socialized medicine is how they are better than the US at delivering health care more cheaply - possibly true in some respects, but if there is no doctor to see you, than it really doesn't matter. US system is far from perfect, but at least I can always find a doctor when I need one.
  - jamal-kumar 4y ago
    It's awful if you have a chronic health condition or need specialists but when you get hit by a car and don't have to pay a huge hospital bill it is pretty cool. Still it's hemorrhaging talent because of dumb pay schemes that could probably be fixed overnight if it wasn't for the aforementioned financial illiteracy
  - rfrey 4y ago
    There's a shortage of primary care, family doctors in Canada, but that's a systemic issue resulting from a skewed payment system that undervalues family medicine. The result is some difficulty getting a family doctor after you leave home as many practices are fully booked with patients and there aren't as many young physicians entering family medicine as we need. The outcome is having to go to a walk-in clinic or (worst case) the ER room if you need care and don't have a doctor. That's inconvenient because of having to sit in the waiting room for a few hours. In Alberta there is a genuine issue with doctors leaving the province (mostly for other provinces, not the country entirely), but that is the direct result of the conservative government there waging war on the public medical system in an effort to build support for a private system. The only place I hear about the terrible medical care situation in Canada is in the American far-right press and some of their Canadian surrogates (e.g. Rebel News in Alberta).
  - sandworm101 4y ago
    Is there a country on the planet without a doctor/nurse shortage? I've never heard anyone anywhere say that their had too much healthcare available. No healthcare system is perfect but Canadians are not dropping dead in the streets for lack of doctors. There are localized issues, mostly due to the distances involved in Canada, but the population as a whole is doing better than most. Just look at the COVID numbers. For all its problems, Canada's healthcare system is handling COVID far better than the US. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60380317 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60380317
    - jamal-kumar 4y ago
      I ask Canada for a specialist and I'm on a waiting list for half a year and then my appointment gets cancelled. I fly to Latin America and go to a doctor throw down less than 100$ and my health is immediately better. Total investment stays under 1000$.
- cpsns 4y ago
  Leaving the country is not trivial for most people. I see this comment a lot from people who have left, but for lack of a better term it's an extremely "privileged" position. If you're either not in a high demand industry, not highly skilled, or lack a degree you aren't going to be leaving Canada. Even if you are all of those things it can still be difficult. I'd leave in an instant but despite being highly skilled I lack a university degree which in my experience has made it almost impossible, despite trying.
  - jamal-kumar 4y ago
    I don't have a uni degree either, kinda sounds like a you problem for lack of a better term A plane ticket out of Canada has never costed me more than half of average monthly rent in BC
    - cpsns 4y ago
      How is the cost of a plane ticket relevant at all? I can afford to fly around the world tomorrow if I want, that doesn't matter. > I don't have a uni degree either, kinda sounds like a you problem for lack of a better term I'm not going to partake in this dude. You don't have to be nasty because I suggested you might be privileged in some way. Not everyone gets the same opportunities and not everyone has the same life circumstances.
      - jamal-kumar 4y ago
        In which case I wish you all the best of luck that your outlook improves.
      - kenned3 4y ago
        "You don't have to be nasty because I suggested you might be privileged in some way." it is always external factors isn't it? He's privileged, I went to the US for years because i am privileged.. Everyone else who has done this is privileged? This is sort of the "everyone thinks they are above average which is impossible" problem.. Not everyone can be "privileged".. maybe that isnt the issue after all? what have YOU done to make YOURSELF admissible? No one will do this for you... there isn't any form of "Affirmative action" program to enter a foreign country. They admit based on your skills and abilities and their needs to fill those roles. Look at the requirements, find out what you are missing..
- perlpimp 4y ago
  on concurrent note can't get out of country car insurance which is 200-300$/month for a junker car just collision liability bare basics. it is a bit of a crisis way established institutions fleece us Canadians.
  - frosted-flakes 4y ago
    Where do you live? I'm in a medium-sized city near Toronto and pay around $60. Mid-20s, male, basic liability on a 19-year-old VW.
    - perlpimp 4y ago
      Toronto downtown, thats the quotes I got for toyta Camry 18 years old.
- Kranar 4y ago
  Canada has the same doctors per capita as the U.S., it's just that in Canada access to health care is considered a defacto universal right whereas in the U.S. for much of the population health care is a privilege or benefit associated with employment.
- jszymborski 4y ago
  Canada has problems, and it's good to talk about them lest we never be rid of them. Suggesting "just leave" is a pretty facile argument if I'm being abundantly generous. Fleeing a country whenever you take issue with industry cronyism is an excellent way to move to a new country every 3 weeks. It's also a great way to make sure whatever policies you disagree with flourish in your absence. Changing country comes at a huge financial and emotional cost not everyone can afford. What country did you move to that magically doesn't have any problems?
dorfsmay 4y ago
The concept of polical parties and MPs/MLAs voting whatever their parties is telling them makes no sense. Polarisation is making this issue worse. It's 2022, we have technology that can make direct democracy cheap, easy and secure. Some countries are doing it the old fashion way, and it works. In the meantime, proper representation is a good intermediate step: https://www.fairvote.ca/ https://www.fairvote.ca/
- TheOtherHobbes 4y ago
  Policy is defined by whoever writes the laws and decides their content, not so much by who votes on them. PR is definitely an improvement on FPTP, which is hugely biased towards the Establishment. But it's still very vulnerable to well-funded PR and influencing campaigns. Real democracy is difficult and precarious. Solutions have to be systemic covering not just politics but also law, the civil service, education at all levels, the media, the military and police, and ownership of key public assets.
  - dorfsmay 4y ago
    Don't you think laws will be written and advertised differently if every citizen has a chance to vote on them vs being slam dunk by the party in power? There will still be well funded PR in a direct vote system, but it will hopefully be easier to expose and see the value of each law. Sure the executive side of things can and should be improved, but it'll be harder, and I'd argue a different initiative.
- car_analogy 4y ago
  > It's 2022, we have technology that can make direct democracy cheap, easy and secure Are you from a parallel universe where operating systems, compilers, and software and hardware supply chains are secure against nation-state adversaries? Obligatory https://cs.cmu.edu/~rdriley/487/papers/Thompson_1984_ReflectionsonTrustingTrust.pdf https://cs.cmu.edu/~rdriley/487/papers/Thompson_1984_Reflect...
car_analogy 4y ago
> no party that could actually win will take the required steps to solve this problem. Trudeau did campaign on electoral reform, and then went back on his word: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ask-electoral-reform-2021-federal-election-1.6163972 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ask-electoral-reform-2021-f...
kenned3 4y ago
F-me.. responded to teh wrong thread...
- karaterobot 4y ago
  Just a note that the person you quoted is not the person you responded to.
  - kenned3 4y ago
    Opps.. thanks.. i've fixed it..

by cpsns 4y ago

jamal-kumar 4y ago

I mean you can do what I did and leave. A lot of intelligent people have already. Hello, doctor shortage? It's a nice passport.

ckdarby 4y ago
You left over internet and mobile bills? Damn.
- jamal-kumar 4y ago
  I ran a VoIP company before leaving because of spook interference. Long story I won't tell here.
ejb999 4y ago
didn't realize there was a doctor shortage in Canada - all I ever hear about countries with socialized medicine is how they are better than the US at delivering health care more cheaply - possibly true in some respects, but if there is no doctor to see you, than it really doesn't matter. US system is far from perfect, but at least I can always find a doctor when I need one.
- jamal-kumar 4y ago
  It's awful if you have a chronic health condition or need specialists but when you get hit by a car and don't have to pay a huge hospital bill it is pretty cool. Still it's hemorrhaging talent because of dumb pay schemes that could probably be fixed overnight if it wasn't for the aforementioned financial illiteracy
- rfrey 4y ago
  There's a shortage of primary care, family doctors in Canada, but that's a systemic issue resulting from a skewed payment system that undervalues family medicine. The result is some difficulty getting a family doctor after you leave home as many practices are fully booked with patients and there aren't as many young physicians entering family medicine as we need. The outcome is having to go to a walk-in clinic or (worst case) the ER room if you need care and don't have a doctor. That's inconvenient because of having to sit in the waiting room for a few hours. In Alberta there is a genuine issue with doctors leaving the province (mostly for other provinces, not the country entirely), but that is the direct result of the conservative government there waging war on the public medical system in an effort to build support for a private system. The only place I hear about the terrible medical care situation in Canada is in the American far-right press and some of their Canadian surrogates (e.g. Rebel News in Alberta).
- sandworm101 4y ago
  Is there a country on the planet without a doctor/nurse shortage? I've never heard anyone anywhere say that their had too much healthcare available. No healthcare system is perfect but Canadians are not dropping dead in the streets for lack of doctors. There are localized issues, mostly due to the distances involved in Canada, but the population as a whole is doing better than most. Just look at the COVID numbers. For all its problems, Canada's healthcare system is handling COVID far better than the US. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60380317 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60380317
  - jamal-kumar 4y ago
    I ask Canada for a specialist and I'm on a waiting list for half a year and then my appointment gets cancelled. I fly to Latin America and go to a doctor throw down less than 100$ and my health is immediately better. Total investment stays under 1000$.
cpsns 4y ago
Leaving the country is not trivial for most people. I see this comment a lot from people who have left, but for lack of a better term it's an extremely "privileged" position. If you're either not in a high demand industry, not highly skilled, or lack a degree you aren't going to be leaving Canada. Even if you are all of those things it can still be difficult. I'd leave in an instant but despite being highly skilled I lack a university degree which in my experience has made it almost impossible, despite trying.
- jamal-kumar 4y ago
  I don't have a uni degree either, kinda sounds like a you problem for lack of a better term A plane ticket out of Canada has never costed me more than half of average monthly rent in BC
  - cpsns 4y ago
    How is the cost of a plane ticket relevant at all? I can afford to fly around the world tomorrow if I want, that doesn't matter. > I don't have a uni degree either, kinda sounds like a you problem for lack of a better term I'm not going to partake in this dude. You don't have to be nasty because I suggested you might be privileged in some way. Not everyone gets the same opportunities and not everyone has the same life circumstances.
    - jamal-kumar 4y ago
      In which case I wish you all the best of luck that your outlook improves.
    - kenned3 4y ago
      "You don't have to be nasty because I suggested you might be privileged in some way." it is always external factors isn't it? He's privileged, I went to the US for years because i am privileged.. Everyone else who has done this is privileged? This is sort of the "everyone thinks they are above average which is impossible" problem.. Not everyone can be "privileged".. maybe that isnt the issue after all? what have YOU done to make YOURSELF admissible? No one will do this for you... there isn't any form of "Affirmative action" program to enter a foreign country. They admit based on your skills and abilities and their needs to fill those roles. Look at the requirements, find out what you are missing..
perlpimp 4y ago
on concurrent note can't get out of country car insurance which is 200-300$/month for a junker car just collision liability bare basics. it is a bit of a crisis way established institutions fleece us Canadians.
- frosted-flakes 4y ago
  Where do you live? I'm in a medium-sized city near Toronto and pay around $60. Mid-20s, male, basic liability on a 19-year-old VW.
  - perlpimp 4y ago
    Toronto downtown, thats the quotes I got for toyta Camry 18 years old.
Kranar 4y ago
Canada has the same doctors per capita as the U.S., it's just that in Canada access to health care is considered a defacto universal right whereas in the U.S. for much of the population health care is a privilege or benefit associated with employment.
jszymborski 4y ago
Canada has problems, and it's good to talk about them lest we never be rid of them. Suggesting "just leave" is a pretty facile argument if I'm being abundantly generous. Fleeing a country whenever you take issue with industry cronyism is an excellent way to move to a new country every 3 weeks. It's also a great way to make sure whatever policies you disagree with flourish in your absence. Changing country comes at a huge financial and emotional cost not everyone can afford. What country did you move to that magically doesn't have any problems?

dorfsmay 4y ago

The concept of polical parties and MPs/MLAs voting whatever their parties is telling them makes no sense. Polarisation is making this issue worse. It's 2022, we have technology that can make direct democracy cheap, easy and secure. Some countries are doing it the old fashion way, and it works. In the meantime, proper representation is a good intermediate step: https://www.fairvote.ca/ https://www.fairvote.ca/

TheOtherHobbes 4y ago
Policy is defined by whoever writes the laws and decides their content, not so much by who votes on them. PR is definitely an improvement on FPTP, which is hugely biased towards the Establishment. But it's still very vulnerable to well-funded PR and influencing campaigns. Real democracy is difficult and precarious. Solutions have to be systemic covering not just politics but also law, the civil service, education at all levels, the media, the military and police, and ownership of key public assets.
- dorfsmay 4y ago
  Don't you think laws will be written and advertised differently if every citizen has a chance to vote on them vs being slam dunk by the party in power? There will still be well funded PR in a direct vote system, but it will hopefully be easier to expose and see the value of each law. Sure the executive side of things can and should be improved, but it'll be harder, and I'd argue a different initiative.
car_analogy 4y ago
> It's 2022, we have technology that can make direct democracy cheap, easy and secure Are you from a parallel universe where operating systems, compilers, and software and hardware supply chains are secure against nation-state adversaries? Obligatory https://cs.cmu.edu/~rdriley/487/papers/Thompson_1984_ReflectionsonTrustingTrust.pdf https://cs.cmu.edu/~rdriley/487/papers/Thompson_1984_Reflect...

car_analogy 4y ago

> no party that could actually win will take the required steps to solve this problem. Trudeau did campaign on electoral reform, and then went back on his word: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ask-electoral-reform-2021-federal-election-1.6163972 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ask-electoral-reform-2021-f...

kenned3 4y ago

F-me.. responded to teh wrong thread...

karaterobot 4y ago
Just a note that the person you quoted is not the person you responded to.
- kenned3 4y ago
  Opps.. thanks.. i've fixed it..