I've lived there and in the US (and other countries.) I would say it is best to be poor in Canada, best to be rich in the US. So if you are middle class in Can

I've lived there and in the US (and other countries.) I would say it is best to be poor in Canada, best to be rich in the US. So if you are middle class in Canada, there is a good chance you are living hand to mouth and if you are poor in Canada, you have the luxury of time. From first (well technically second) hand experience, a family of 6 can be on the dole in Canada until the children are grown up after which the parents can go on disability until retirement kicks in. It's not necessarily a bad way to go, the children of the aforementioned family utilized the free education and healthcare to get a leg up and most of them became middle class. At which point they will see the other side of the coin.