4 ms·

As a Canadian living in the US, all I can say is that was lame. For starters, Canada has a neo-con government. Yes, they're somewhat to the left of the Republi

by ojbyrne 14y ago

As a Canadian living in the US, all I can say is that was lame. For starters, Canada has a neo-con government. Yes, they're somewhat to the left of the Republicans, but they've only just gotten a majority, so give them time. Second, that page shows a picture of a beer from Unibroue. I've found that there are beers from that same brewery that you can't find in Canada (at least not easily) that are available in the US. And the selection of american craft beers make Canada's look like a joke. Plus beer is cheaper here. Finally, and most importantly for people here, Canada's VC industry is non-existent. And the current government isn't really a fan of entrepreneurship unless it involves taking something out of the ground. Plus the high today in sunny Silicon valley is expected to be in the 80s.

cperciva 14y ago
As a Canadian living in Canada, it seems to me that you're a bit out of touch. For starters, Canada has a neo-con government. Yes, they're somewhat to the left of the Republicans, but they've only just gotten a majority, so give them time. I'd say that our government is somewhat to the left of the US Democratic party. Sure, there's the occasional nutty MP who wants to limit abortion rights, bring back the death penalty, or abolish gay marriage, but there's always going to be a few of those, and they're in no way representative of government policy.
- il 14y ago
  Note that all of the above policies are considered mainstream in the United States.
- ojbyrne 14y ago
  I bet you see the death penalty brought back before the next election.
- cryptoz 14y ago
  The Canadian neo-con government is based on short-term thinking. They prefer to deny climate science, burn oil as fast as they can, move to pass laws to "increase jobs" without a single thought for the future. Simply, the Canadian Conservative party is evil. They have been found guilty of cheating in elections (see In and Out in 2006, and voter suppression via robocall allegations in 2011). They cancel long-term science research to focus on profit motives. They are neocons not due to their social policies but due to their oil/finance focus at the expense of the health of their own people and all life on Earth.
paulgb 14y ago
I agree about Canada's current government, but we have a legacy of progressive policies that have given us, among other things, a working health-care system. Having lived in the 'states as well, beer is an odd mention. It's not that Canada has bad beer, but California has great beer. I'd kill (well, figuratively) to get Moonlight Brewing's Death and Taxes up here. And as good as poutine is, I miss the Mission Burrito even more. I prefer Canada's seasons to the SF peninsula's flatline. Comparing fall temperatures for one day in the fall avoids the fact that you'll still be wearing long sleeves some days in July. And I think the VC industry has changed since you left, but the absence of VC money has bred some resilient, profitable companies like Freshbooks and Shopify rather than hundreds of Instagram clones.
bijanv 14y ago
As a Canadian who as also lived in the US I can say that thanks, it was my attempt at sattire :) For starters, Canada has a neo-con government. Yes, they're somewhat to the left of the Republicans, but they've only just gotten a majority, so give them time. As cperciva mentioned, I think you're also reading the headline news, our 'conservative' party is still more left than the Democratic party in the US. Second, that page shows a picture of a beer from Unibroue. I've found that there are beers from that same brewery that you can't find in Canada (at least not easily) that are available in the US. And the selection of american craft beers make Canada's look like a joke. Plus beer is cheaper here. You got me there, but I love Dieu De Ciel, and the number of microbrews coming up every few months in Toronto and other major cities is amazing. The scene is definitely evolving here. Finally, and most importantly for people here, Canada's VC industry is non-existent. And the current government isn't really a fan of entrepreneurship unless it involves taking something out of the ground. If you're building something interesting you're guaranteed to be able to pull financing from the same US based investors. Just look at Wattpad, Shopify et al. With the eased restrictions on foreign investment, this will only get better with time. Plus the high today in sunny Silicon valley is expected to be in the 80s. I was really hoping nobody pulled this out of the bag! Yeah we're already in the freezing this week :(
potatolicious 14y ago
As another Canadian living in the US, I think your'e blowing things way out of proportion. Canada's federal government is the most conservative it has been in decades - but it's still far from neoconservative (at least in the sense that we know it in the US). It is still far more liberal in almost every way from either the Democrats or the Republicans. The National Post had an interesting poll: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/04/canada-calls-the-u-s-election-guess-who-wins-obama-or-romney/ http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/04/canada-calls-the-u-s... Not scientific by any means, but it's a clear expression of Canada's political zeitgeist. We are, as a whole, way further to the left than the US, even with the Conservative Party of Canada in charge. Agreed on the VC industry though - and it's more than just seeking funding for your startup, but also strongly affects employees. It's hard to feel optimistic about going back to Canada for a cool startup gig when the cost of failure is doing IT "consulting" for IBM.

by ojbyrne 14y ago

cperciva 14y ago

As a Canadian living in Canada, it seems to me that you're a bit out of touch. For starters, Canada has a neo-con government. Yes, they're somewhat to the left of the Republicans, but they've only just gotten a majority, so give them time. I'd say that our government is somewhat to the left of the US Democratic party. Sure, there's the occasional nutty MP who wants to limit abortion rights, bring back the death penalty, or abolish gay marriage, but there's always going to be a few of those, and they're in no way representative of government policy.

il 14y ago
Note that all of the above policies are considered mainstream in the United States.
ojbyrne 14y ago
I bet you see the death penalty brought back before the next election.
cryptoz 14y ago
The Canadian neo-con government is based on short-term thinking. They prefer to deny climate science, burn oil as fast as they can, move to pass laws to "increase jobs" without a single thought for the future. Simply, the Canadian Conservative party is evil. They have been found guilty of cheating in elections (see In and Out in 2006, and voter suppression via robocall allegations in 2011). They cancel long-term science research to focus on profit motives. They are neocons not due to their social policies but due to their oil/finance focus at the expense of the health of their own people and all life on Earth.

paulgb 14y ago

I agree about Canada's current government, but we have a legacy of progressive policies that have given us, among other things, a working health-care system. Having lived in the 'states as well, beer is an odd mention. It's not that Canada has bad beer, but California has great beer. I'd kill (well, figuratively) to get Moonlight Brewing's Death and Taxes up here. And as good as poutine is, I miss the Mission Burrito even more. I prefer Canada's seasons to the SF peninsula's flatline. Comparing fall temperatures for one day in the fall avoids the fact that you'll still be wearing long sleeves some days in July. And I think the VC industry has changed since you left, but the absence of VC money has bred some resilient, profitable companies like Freshbooks and Shopify rather than hundreds of Instagram clones.

bijanv 14y ago

As a Canadian who as also lived in the US I can say that thanks, it was my attempt at sattire :) For starters, Canada has a neo-con government. Yes, they're somewhat to the left of the Republicans, but they've only just gotten a majority, so give them time. As cperciva mentioned, I think you're also reading the headline news, our 'conservative' party is still more left than the Democratic party in the US. Second, that page shows a picture of a beer from Unibroue. I've found that there are beers from that same brewery that you can't find in Canada (at least not easily) that are available in the US. And the selection of american craft beers make Canada's look like a joke. Plus beer is cheaper here. You got me there, but I love Dieu De Ciel, and the number of microbrews coming up every few months in Toronto and other major cities is amazing. The scene is definitely evolving here. Finally, and most importantly for people here, Canada's VC industry is non-existent. And the current government isn't really a fan of entrepreneurship unless it involves taking something out of the ground. If you're building something interesting you're guaranteed to be able to pull financing from the same US based investors. Just look at Wattpad, Shopify et al. With the eased restrictions on foreign investment, this will only get better with time. Plus the high today in sunny Silicon valley is expected to be in the 80s. I was really hoping nobody pulled this out of the bag! Yeah we're already in the freezing this week :(

potatolicious 14y ago

As another Canadian living in the US, I think your'e blowing things way out of proportion. Canada's federal government is the most conservative it has been in decades - but it's still far from neoconservative (at least in the sense that we know it in the US). It is still far more liberal in almost every way from either the Democrats or the Republicans. The National Post had an interesting poll: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/04/canada-calls-the-u-s-election-guess-who-wins-obama-or-romney/ http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/04/canada-calls-the-u-s... Not scientific by any means, but it's a clear expression of Canada's political zeitgeist. We are, as a whole, way further to the left than the US, even with the Conservative Party of Canada in charge. Agreed on the VC industry though - and it's more than just seeking funding for your startup, but also strongly affects employees. It's hard to feel optimistic about going back to Canada for a cool startup gig when the cost of failure is doing IT "consulting" for IBM.