3 ms·

I am in a similar situation in a EU country, where I just live and pay taxes to, my income comes from a company located in another country. The inefficiencies

I am in a similar situation in a EU country, where I just live and pay taxes to, my income comes from a company located in another country. The inefficiencies of the country where I live and the quasi-xenophobic sentiment towards foreigners (mostly Americans foreigners) made me decide to plan to leave. I agree with your points, and I think that Canada will have to work smartly to retain those people otherwise they’ll end up leaving.

1over137 3y ago
Canada's population is already 23% immigrant, highest of any G7 country. There may be less of that 'quasi-xenophobic sentiment towards foreigners' than where you are.
- mr90210 3y ago
  Well I am not necessarily saying that they need more immigrants, that’s up to them.
- zirgs 3y ago
  Just because someone is an immigrant himself doesn't mean that he doesn't hate other immigrants.
  - bryanlarsen 3y ago
    Yes, that's my personal experience. Immigrants are more xenophobic than those born in Canada.
  - 1over137 3y ago
    Of course. But it might mean that the 77% of the population that is born in Canada is more accustomed/acclimatized to immigrants. They are not a weird/rare thing, and so they are accepted/liked by a bulk of the population.
  - skissane 3y ago
    I’ve heard before immigrants take quite negative stances on “illegal”/“undocumented”/“irregular” immigration, saying “I had to jump through all these hoops to come here, I have no sympathy for people who break the rules instead”. Is that xenophobia? Years ago, I went on a business trip to the US, and while there an Indian-American colleague said some very Islamophobic things to me. I guess he probably brought some of that with him from India, although certainly there would have been things in the US to reinforce it. Also, he was a 9/11 survivor and this was only a few years later, so that was likely a factor too. There is some obvious overlap between Islamophobia and xenophobia - although not all Muslims have an immigrant background (converts), and there are billions of non-Muslim foreigners
- skissane 3y ago
  > Canada's population is already 23% immigrant, highest of any G7 country. There may be less of that 'quasi-xenophobic sentiment towards foreigners' than where you are. Australia is even more immigrant than Canada – around 30% overseas born. But I think part of why Australia (and maybe Canada too) have less of a problem with xenophobia than some countries with less immigrants – greater selectiveness in the immigration intake, and skewing it more towards highly skilled/educated people. If you take in 100,000 university graduates from China and India, versus 100,000 random refugees and economic migrants from anywhere at all – it is unsurprising the former cause significantly less social problems than the latter, and those social problems tend to fuel xenophobia.
TimPC 3y ago
Canada won't do the work needed to retain them. Talking to lots of people it's mostly the combination of unaffordable housing (Canada has a far larger housing crisis than the US does with our two largest metro areas containing 25% of the country's population not having non-condo homes under $1 million) and high tax rates. People have some tolerance for paying tax rates in the 42-44% range plus sales tax plus property tax if their life is overall affordable, but when home prices are staggering high and that life becomes out of reach people move somewhere better. You can't fix housing when you want to import people faster than you can build homes for them (and Canada wants to grow to 100M people over 50 years) and you can't lower taxes when you want to pay for things without crushing debt and Canada seems to want more government programs not less.
- mr90210 3y ago
  Thanks for the context.
- lukas099 3y ago
  > Canada has a far larger housing crisis than the US does I did not know this. Makes me wonder -- what is the point at which housing is so unaffordable that people start to riot?
  - randomdata 3y ago
    It is unlikely there is such a point. The Canadian government still holds crown land that they will give away for free to anyone willing to settle it. That provides an option of last resort. Any location in the country that compels one away from free has got to be worth it. While one may complain, as people love to do, they are still pulling out their purses because they know it is worth every penny. Should the balance change, people will leave for greener pastures before worrying about rioting. Canada's whole legacy is built on people moving around when certain locations become too expensive. Its ancestral people have done it over, and over, and over again. There is no reason to think this time is different.
    - swader999 3y ago

1over137 3y ago

Canada's population is already 23% immigrant, highest of any G7 country. There may be less of that 'quasi-xenophobic sentiment towards foreigners' than where you are.

mr90210 3y ago
Well I am not necessarily saying that they need more immigrants, that’s up to them.
zirgs 3y ago
Just because someone is an immigrant himself doesn't mean that he doesn't hate other immigrants.
- bryanlarsen 3y ago
  Yes, that's my personal experience. Immigrants are more xenophobic than those born in Canada.
- 1over137 3y ago
  Of course. But it might mean that the 77% of the population that is born in Canada is more accustomed/acclimatized to immigrants. They are not a weird/rare thing, and so they are accepted/liked by a bulk of the population.
- skissane 3y ago
  I’ve heard before immigrants take quite negative stances on “illegal”/“undocumented”/“irregular” immigration, saying “I had to jump through all these hoops to come here, I have no sympathy for people who break the rules instead”. Is that xenophobia? Years ago, I went on a business trip to the US, and while there an Indian-American colleague said some very Islamophobic things to me. I guess he probably brought some of that with him from India, although certainly there would have been things in the US to reinforce it. Also, he was a 9/11 survivor and this was only a few years later, so that was likely a factor too. There is some obvious overlap between Islamophobia and xenophobia - although not all Muslims have an immigrant background (converts), and there are billions of non-Muslim foreigners
skissane 3y ago
> Canada's population is already 23% immigrant, highest of any G7 country. There may be less of that 'quasi-xenophobic sentiment towards foreigners' than where you are. Australia is even more immigrant than Canada – around 30% overseas born. But I think part of why Australia (and maybe Canada too) have less of a problem with xenophobia than some countries with less immigrants – greater selectiveness in the immigration intake, and skewing it more towards highly skilled/educated people. If you take in 100,000 university graduates from China and India, versus 100,000 random refugees and economic migrants from anywhere at all – it is unsurprising the former cause significantly less social problems than the latter, and those social problems tend to fuel xenophobia.

TimPC 3y ago

Canada won't do the work needed to retain them. Talking to lots of people it's mostly the combination of unaffordable housing (Canada has a far larger housing crisis than the US does with our two largest metro areas containing 25% of the country's population not having non-condo homes under $1 million) and high tax rates. People have some tolerance for paying tax rates in the 42-44% range plus sales tax plus property tax if their life is overall affordable, but when home prices are staggering high and that life becomes out of reach people move somewhere better. You can't fix housing when you want to import people faster than you can build homes for them (and Canada wants to grow to 100M people over 50 years) and you can't lower taxes when you want to pay for things without crushing debt and Canada seems to want more government programs not less.

mr90210 3y ago
Thanks for the context.
lukas099 3y ago
> Canada has a far larger housing crisis than the US does I did not know this. Makes me wonder -- what is the point at which housing is so unaffordable that people start to riot?
- randomdata 3y ago
  It is unlikely there is such a point. The Canadian government still holds crown land that they will give away for free to anyone willing to settle it. That provides an option of last resort. Any location in the country that compels one away from free has got to be worth it. While one may complain, as people love to do, they are still pulling out their purses because they know it is worth every penny. Should the balance change, people will leave for greener pastures before worrying about rioting. Canada's whole legacy is built on people moving around when certain locations become too expensive. Its ancestral people have done it over, and over, and over again. There is no reason to think this time is different.
  - swader999 3y ago