Canada is the land of maple syrup, affordable healthcare and housing, religious diversity, abortion laws, and most importantly hockey. Canada is very liberal compared to the political views of many Americans, which is why a recent tourism campaign by Cape Breton in Canada has told people to move to Canada before Donald Trump is elected. This has blown up on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
With the recent radical statements of the candidates of the upcoming presidency, most notably some specific members of the conservative party, people yet again have been threatening to move to Canada if a certain someone gets elected. During super Tuesday, tweets about moving to Canada rose by more than 350%, and Toronto City Councillor Norm Kelly even tweeted the link to Canada's immigration services halfway through super Tuesday. That tweet has earned over 32,000 re-tweets and still counting. This in itself is not unusual. Back in 2004 there was also an increase on the immigration page by a huge margin when Bush was running again.
Do you think anyone will actually move if a candidate such as Trump wins the election? Would you consider moving to another country if someone unfavorable won the election? If not, would there be anything less drastic that you would do? What does this say about the American public if they are so willing to move to a new country if someone wins yet not so willing to go out and actually vote?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35706377
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/02/how-to-move-to-canada-trending-after-trump-win.html
7 comments:
You've got a good little launch here Dondo Vinciguerra, however, I don't think Canada will be seeing a large influx of American migrants anytime soon; even if Donald 'Trump' Drumpf wins the election. Which, that in itself, in my eyes, is basically impossible. While it is true that Canada consistently ranks in the top 5 countries, in terms of quality of life, maple syrup and hockey simply isn't enough for many Americans. Jokes aside, the fact that this is even in discussion paints our country in a very dark picture. Some of the rhetoric coming from the more conservative candidates, namely Donald 'Trump' Drumpf, is quite sad. Considering leaving your home country just because of a few politicians and their propaganda, is sad to see. The crazy ideas of a few men and women should not be able to trump the will of a nation. That being said, if Americans want to see different candidates running for office and ruling the politcal spectrum, they should go out and make a difference themselves. If someone is truly willing to leave the country because their candidate doesn't win sounds an awful lot like sore losing to me. To be so thin-skinned just demonstrates how frail the American population can really be and exposes the lack of politcal participation among the youth. The point of a democratic society is that anyone favoured by the majority has the ability to lead. If an individual leaves because they don't favour the outcome of a vote defeats the point of having a democracy in the first place. This taken into account, building a wall around the Mexican border, blocking a religion from entering the country and saying "I would bomb the shit out of them' (in regards to ISIS) are pretty convincing signs of mental instability and sophistication. The American people have to rise up and be the change they wish to see.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/us/politics/move-to-canada-trump-clinton.html
Hmmm this is a tough one. Although Canada is quite alluring, especially during an election such as this, I think Canada might still be a hard sell. The surplus of people who pronounce boots incorrectly and seem to worship the maple syrup empire as if it were their government may not mix well with the typical american. However, many Americans may make this sacrifice rather than be exposed to the impending doom of our government due to this current election. With Trump as the likely leader of the GOP anyone who doesn't believe in sexism, racism, or discrimination in general will be looking to flee the country, and Canada with its liberal tendencies may be a good fit. However, on the contrary those who are dying to "feel the Bern" may be disappointed as it looks like his nomination is unlikely. Therefore, those who simply don't think Clinton is liberal enough, or the many still in dismay over her recent scandals, may be headed to Canada to ensure their socialist tendencies are not corrupted by the actions of "non legitimate democrats". Over all I think Canada is likely seeing that this election may be one of the most dividing in history.
People have always joked about moving to Canada if a certain candidate were elected President, but I actually believe this is the first time many people are serious about it. Donald Trump is so extreme in his thoughts and actions that many people would not be willing to live even 4 years with him as their President. Whether this is due to the fact that he could royally screw everything up (not just for America), or simply because they do not want to be represented by such a discriminatory man, these people may have a point. That's not to say that if Trump is elected a massive migration to Canada would happen; I am just saying that there are definitely a significant number of people out there who hate Trump enough that they would explore other options. On the other hand, I do not believe any other candidate is extreme enough to force Americans out of the country that they love. Even if Trump is elected, I think people will realize it is not as easy to move to another country as they thought, and will stay put. In addition, people should understand that although the President is obviously important, whoever is elected is not the Supreme Leader of the United States. The best thing to do in this situation is for everyone to go out and exercise our great right vote, so that no candidate can be elected by fluke.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/us/politics/move-to-canada-trump-clinton.html?_r=0
I would move from America to Canada or Ireland to escape Trump the same as any rational human being would escape from the regime of a bigot. Clinton at least, is a reasonable and decent candidate. Its as simple as that. People have fled oppressive politicians many times in the past, it wouldn't be that surprising.
People will move. Whether it is to Canada, Europe, Southeastern Asia, etc., they will move. My unfounded estimate places this number somewhere in the tens of thousands. Canada is convenient for such an escape. It's right there, the health care system sounds alright, (I have never experienced socialized medicine firsthand, but I have not heard too many complaints) and it's almost America, right? A little weirder maybe. As the4th3rd said, humans have fled oppressive politicians in the past, also to avoid drafts, and a potential Trump presidency certainly evokes the imagery of the aforementioned examples.
In regards to my own situation, I think I would try to stick things out. While the potential of shoving off into the unknown world of emigration would be enticing, this is still my country, and I feel like my new foreign neighbors (I suppose I would be the foreigner in this situation) might not take kindly to someone who would expatriate because some inept egomaniac managed to capture the White House. The worst case scenario is this: his lunatic policies are stonewalled by the Congress, he gets impeached, or he is voted out after four years of stagnancy. It wouldn't be that bad. I would be more concerned if Cruz won office.
I don't think that as many people who are stating the affirmative in that poll are going to move. However, some definitely will. When I found out that Trump was running for the election this summer, I always joked, "If he actually gets elected, I'm going to college abroad." Now, this is becoming a reality for a lot of people. In reality, I would not be bold enough to move right away after a candidate I did not like was elected. On the contrary, a lot of people probably would do this out of fear, and also to prove a point.
These types of statements speak volumes to how Americans perceive the political system. The fact that people are more willing to move away than to vote for the candidate that they prefer speaks to how powerless many Americans feel in the elections. Many do not vote because they do not believe their voice will be heard or make a difference. Consequently, they feel the need to take matters into their own hands to make change in their lives individually, by moving away.
I don't really believe that a huge amount, or if at all any, of people will move to Canada just because the person that they wanted ended up being pushed out of the race while Trump wins the whole thing. I believe that there might be more public outcry towards the election Trump, but I don't think that people will make the move with the reason of Trump becoming president. I'm not saying that Trump is the best next individual to become president, but I'm saying that people fear what Trump might do especially with the background that he comes from. It is not my responsibility to tell people what to think or what to do, but given the current circumstances I believe that I would be on the edge of my seat if Trump does become the next president. If people really don't want Trump to become president, then the most wise decision to do is voting for the other candidates and not moving to another country to escape this problem. This will only help Trump's journey to the White House because by not voting basically means you're voting for Trump.
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