I was raised in the US and, at 29, moved to Vancouver, BC Canada in 1977.
I moved due to career opportunities and didn’t intend to stay long, but here I am.
Personal income tax is higher in Canada, however there is the national healthcare system which is actually provincial, therefore it varies between provinces and there is a minor monthly cost to the user.
The advantage is that people do take care of medical issues before they become more serious, and should you suffer a major medical disaster, you won’t likely find yourself choosing between bankruptcy and a shorter, painful life.
There are no HMO’s here, so your choice of hospital in an emergency is closest available, otherwise is dependent on which rights your doctor has access to.
In spite of John McCains repetitive statements, there has been absolutely no government bureaucrat that stood between me and my health care. The closet I come is sending my monthly premium to the governement.
The system is not without problems (as no system is including the US). Most problems stem from bad management practices (medical and governmental) and are not inherent to the system exclusively.
Politics is similar, but the time from the declaration of an election to voting is way shorter (2 months), so at the advertising level it is much more user friendly.
While there are several parties at all levels of government, the top 3, from left to right are: NDP, Liberal, Conservative and all 3 have a good presence in the elected government, though NDP tends to be the smaller. This diffuses the 2 sided acrimony and splits it 3 ways and when either large parties dominate, the influence of the NDP is strong.
However the current body of elected officials is about as effective as those in the US, and the federal leader does carry out secret negotiations of which the population is unaware (current negotiations for free trade with the European Union)
There is a lot more separation of church and state. No religious faction is embedded with a party trying to promote morality and point of view as a political issue.
The financial crisis in the US is affecting Canadian stocks due to investor fears more that stock credibility. Lending practices are more strict (no ARM’s here, I think). Though the regulated banks did get involved in the MBS scheme, it was nowhere near the levels achieved by US regulated banks.
The governments (all levels) are just as prone to make stupid decisions regardless of their party affiliations. EG British Columbia used to have the provincially owned BC HYDRO, which built power plants (water driven) and transmission networks to provide all residents with power. This government agency MADE MONEY and provided residents with the lowest cost power in Canda and lower than most US regions. The premier, in his drive to privatize, decided that BC HYDRO will no longer be permitted to provide power which will be the responsibility of private companies. Electricity rates are rising fast and the remaining governmental BC HYDRO retains the high cost/low profit transmission line provision and maintenance.
BC used to own a rail line “BC RAIL” which, like most rail lines, had a huge excess of developable, prime property. Opponents of the privatization wanted the government to sell of the prime developable property to the benefit of all. Instead, the rail line was “sold” at way below value, to a friend of the premiers who then sold off the prime land and is making a bundle.
The government pays for the partial costs of 2 television networks one of which provides programming similar to PBS, and 2 radio stations which provide different program, but with in depth coverage of discussions, et al which surpass NPR.
As a whole, the government tends to make “protective” decisions on behalf of the consumer. EG the controversy about the chemical used to make “hard plastic” containers in several food related products. Because the actual effect of this chemical is not definitive and because there is some concern that the effect on babies and young children could impair brain function and development, stores can no longer sell baby products with this ingredient.
As a society, Canadians tend to be less war oriented and prefer that the standing armed services be involved in peace keeping activities.
If you are a victim of murder by another person, you will more likely die by a knife than a gun (which means you do have to be in the action, so to speak)
Regulatory issues, though, remain similar (those for more or less), but there isn’t the amount of extreme hard core brand name politicization that is growing in the US.
Social trends tend to emanate from the US and migrate to Canada. Those that affect important issues (education, etc) are sometimes noticed ahead of time, evaluated and dealt with. Whether the adoption/rejection is good or bad depends on your point of view.
Canada is less crowded, and the overall educational levels are higher than those in the US.
Though I remain a US citizen and Oregon will always be my “home”, I see no reason to move. It’s fine here.
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