Dear reader,
After Donald Trump was elected president of the United States on Wednesday, Google searches for “move to Canada” surged. Of course, we’ve been here before—I remember reading similar headlines in 2016. It may be easy for Canadians to feel smug. But, in our supposedly liberal utopia, we’re also seeing the creep of privatized health care, stricter immigration and refugee policies, and attacks on trans rights. And—though Pierre Poilievre can’t really be compared to a certain orange-tinted, hate-spewing convicted felon—we may also be on the cusp of electing a radically conservative leader.
Still, I must admit that, in those terrifying early hours after the election was called, I felt a rush of gratitude to live in a country where issues like reproductive rights aren’t up for debate. Escaping Trump’s America is a worthy endeavour, and I sympathize with those who are seriously considering it. So, this week, we’re revisiting Steve Kupferman’s 2016 piece “Dear Americans: Moving to Canada Is Hard,” about the realities of making that leap.
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