Is Life in Canada Better for Gays and Liberals than Life in the United States?
I'm a 32-year-old nursing student and fiction writer. I'm also gay, very liberal, and live in Portland, Oregon, one of the last lefty strongholds in the United States. Problem is, A LOT of politically moderate/fiscally conservative folk from California and the Midwest seem to be moving here. Call them hipsters, call them yuppies, what ever you will... they are snapping up our jobs (with their multiple degrees that mom and dad paid for) and driving real estate prices through the roof. A cottage the size of a Fisher Price playhouse will easily rake in $400k in the "liberal" Southeast where I currently rent. I will never make enough money to own a house in PDX. I'd like some input from other American ex-patriots, liberals, environmentalists, feminists, socialists, LGBT folk who are residing in Canada now. Is it REALLY better than the States? Does the fact that the Canadian economy leans more toward socialism instead of the predatory capitalism of the U.S. make a difference at all?
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered - 7 Answers
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1 :
CANADA is better for you
2 :
i think so (could you like get married in canada but then still live in u.s.a
3 :
well gay marriage is legal in Canada and people seem to be much more excepting. I've only been to Canada once but it's obvious people are more excepting their in general
4 :
Like anywhere it depends where in Canada you move. As I recall central Canada is conservative, but as you get out to coast on either end it seems to get more liberal, especially in bigger cities. Urban areas are more liberal everywhere it seems. But I seriously think many places are better than the USA right now. Problem is that if you leave, and thus don't end up voting presumably, you can't have a say in changing the USA for the better. But that said, Canada is great, very diverse, good housing values at least where I am(in Alberta because of the huge boom housing costs a lot because there's just such high demand), we have a stable economy, and so forth. So far I've found I like Montreal best for LGBT related things. Their gay village seems more like the one in San Francisco. I found that a bit nicer than somewhere like my town where the gay village is just a bar. Anyways, again, it's all about where you go, Canada is the second biggest country in the world, that's a lot of room for people to vary.
5 :
It is true that the Canadian economy gears more towards socialism, however the degree to which it does differs per province. Places like Alberta and Ontario, are becoming more and more privatlitized in attempts to generate more revenue for the already wealthy province. Thus causing extreme inflation. Housing, utilities and food prices are through the roof. As well, both provinces are noted for their right-wing nature. Then you have Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which are predominately agricultural. Manitoba is a very left-wing, ultra-liberal province, which supports our most socialist party, the NDP. However, there is little work, low incomes, and an overpopulation of Aboriginals and immigrants. It has the highest murder rate per capita in all of Canada! Saskatchewan is still NDP, however not as socialist as Manitoba. Quebec is a francophone community, which will be impossible for someone who does not speak fluent french to live. Their domninating party is the Bloc Quebecois, a party that supports the Quebec seperatist movement (they believe the French people entitled to the land of Quebec, and wish to seperate from Canada). They are predominatly Roman Catholic, and do not support gay marriage. The Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and PEI) are built on the backs of the first scottish/irish/english settlers to Canada. This is were the settlers landed, and began to develop the country. It is a traditionalist province, which legalized same-sex marriage in 3 of the 4 provinces (with the exception of PEI). Howeover, locally it is frowned upon. Then there is B.C., the most socialist part of Canada. They are currently governed by our middle-slightly-leaning-to-the-left party the Liberals. They are considered the granola-crunchers of Canada. However, they experience much cultural tension between the various groups that live there. As well, housing prices are very expensive, while food is low. They are a rich province, however not the richest (Alberta is). The current governing party of Canada is the PC's(Progressive Conservatives), which support business and conservatism. However, they hold a minority government. Overall, Canada is a great place. Jobs are plentiful, and rights are still maintained. The best place for jobs would be Alberta, however it would contrast with your beliefs and is extremely pricey. B.C. would correspond with your beliefs, but it is also pricey. Jobs are moderately easy to find. The Maritimes have no jobs, and is moderately priced. Manitoba has some jobs, however only government employment. The province is basically falling apart. Saskatchewan is doing O.K. and is expected to continue growing slowly. Jobs and pricing is fair. Ontario is very expensive, and jobs are somewhat easy to find. Quebec is largely protected by the government, so jobs and housing are stable. Hope this helps!
6 :
I'd say Canada. But before moving there make sure you do research on why you're moving there and anything that could happen. note: just because something is better doesn't mean that you still won't have problems.
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