Man commits suicide at Ground Zero
Americans flock to Canada’s immigration Web site
In 1980, I promised to move to Australia if Ronald Reagan won the Presidency. Of course, I was a silly, idealistic college student with more money than sense…and I had precious little money. Well, Reagan won, I had to eat my words, and I ended up somehow surviving the eight years of “Morning in America”. The lesson I took from that experience was that even if you think The Devil Incarnate has been elected President (which just might have happened on Tuesday), life goes on. If I can survive eight years of Ronald Reagan, I can survive eight years of George W. Bush. And you know what? You can too.
OTTAWA (Reuters) - The number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada’s main immigration Web site has shot up six-fold as Americans flirt with the idea of abandoning their homeland after President George W. Bush’s election win this week.
“When we looked at the first day after the election, November 3, our Web site hit a new high, almost double the previous record high,” immigration ministry spokeswoman Maria Iadinardi said on Friday.
On an average day some 20,000 people in the United States log onto the Web site, www.cic.gc.ca — a figure which rocketed to 115,016 on Wednesday. The number of U.S. visits settled down to 65,803 on Thursday, still well above the norm.
Bush’s victory sparked speculation that disconsolate Democrats and others might decide to start a new life in Canada, a land that tilts more to the left than the United States.
Would-be immigrants to Canada can apply to become permanent resident, a process that often takes a year. The other main way to move north on a long-term basis is to find a job, which requires a work permit.
But please spare the sob stories.
Asked whether an applicant would be looked upon more sympathetically if they claimed to be a sad Democrat seeking to escape four more years of Bush, Iadinardi replied: “There would be no weight given to statements of feelings.”
Canada is one of the few major nations with an large-scale immigration policy. Ottawa is seeking to attract between 220,000 and 240,000 newcomers next year.
“Let’s face it, we have a population of a little over 32 million and we definitely need permanent residents to come to Canada,” said Iadinardi. “If we could meet (the 2005) target and go above it, the more the merrier.”
Canada is a great place, and Canadians are fine people. Personally, I love Canada. If I could live any place in the world without worrying about the cost of living, I’d live in Vancouver, BC. That being said, we still live in the finest, freest country in the world. Let’s not forget that, shall we? Before y’all overreact, try to keep in mind that, while the result of Tuesday’s election may have been as unpleasant as a barium enema, 115 million people participated in the most successful democratic process IN THE WORLD. There are going to be winners and there are going to be losers. In the end, though, we are all Americans, and as such we are ALL winners.
Move to Canada if you choose, but do it for the right reasons. For one, the hockey is better there. Game on, eh?
