[MG1]

Canada fourth best place to live: UN survey
Norway tops UN human development index
Agence France-Presse: Monday, October 5, 2009 8:07 AM

PARIS - Norway takes the number one spot in the annual United Nations human development index released Monday, while Canada ranks fourth in the list.

The top ten countries listed on the index are: Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan.

The index compiled by the UN Development Program (UNDP) ranks 182 countries based on such criteria as life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.

The United States ranks 13th, down one spot from last year.

China moved up seven places on the list to rank as the 92nd most developed country due to improvements in education as well as income levels and life expectancy.

Colombia and Peru rose five spaces to rank 77th and 78th while France — which was not part of the top 10 last year — returns to the upper echelons by moving up three places to number 8.

The UNDP said the index highlights the grave disparities between rich and poor countries.

A child born in Niger can expect to live to just over 50, which is 30 years less than a child born in Norway. For every dollar a person earns in Niger, 85 dollars are earned in Norway.

This year's index was based on data from 2007 and does not take into account the impact of the global economic crisis.

"Many countries have experienced setbacks over recent decades, in the face of economic downturns, conflict-related crises and the HIV and AIDS epidemic," said the UN development report's author Jeni Klugman.

"And this was even before the impact of the current global financial crisis was felt."

Afghanistan, which returns to the list for the first time since 1996, is the only Asian country among the bottom ten which also include Sierra Leone in the 180th spot, just below the Central African Republic.

Niger ranks at the very bottom, just below Afghanistan.

© Copyright (c) AFP

Let's keep it that way by making sure immigrants don't change this country and destroy the very reason why they came here in the first place.

EDIT: Yeah...... just used the news story to get my message in there. I'm just sick and tired of hearing about the threats against our way of life. I love it here. I don't mind immigrants. Welcome it, but please don't try to change our country. It's bad enough delaing with those fucktards in Quebec whining and wanting to leave. Do they not know how lucky we are here?

[silk]

As an immigrant, I love vancouver for the following things.

1) Vancouver Canucks
2) CBC Girl
3) Weed
4) Recongized education certificate
5) Tasty Salmon

[achiam]

Did you know that up until the 80s, every French speaking country in the world had not only a Canadian Consulate, but also a separate Quebec Consulate?

[MG1]

Did you know that up until the 80s, every French speaking country in the world had not only a Canadian Consulate, but also a separate Quebec Consulate?

No way............. fricken french bastards!

During WWII most of them refused to fight for our country and to free their own home land, France. We should have deported them to Australia (British Penal colony) back in 1812 when the British kicked their little derriere's.

Oh wait............ perhaps Australia, which is ranked 2nd in this year's list would be somewhere lower on the list if that were to have happened........ hahahahaha...........

OK, not fair. Not all Frenchies want to leave our country, just 65%. The rest are Metis.

Still can't beat french women.............oh well.

[twitchyzero]

I didn't think Iceland would beat Canada

[Simplex123]

wtf iceland? What is their population? Lol

[MG1]

I've heard some awesome things about the women there. Honestly, Iceland is supposed to be much nicer than Greenland. You wouldn't know it by their names.


On a side note, my comments towards the French Canadian bastards were just tongue in cheek. I have plenty of French Canadian friends and colleagues. I bug them all the time. They're cool with it. The few Metis friends I have are even more fun to poke at. I can tell french and First Nations jokes.

[Brianrietta]

wtf iceland? What is their population? Lol

I'm assuming you think China and India should top the list based off their size? :rolleyes:

[Wongtouski]

Norway and Iceland shouldn't be higher than Aust and Can, simply due to the fact that you can't just move there to live, their immigration laws aren't as loose as Aust and Can.

[hotjoint]

:thumbsup:

[Chuck Norris]

Norway and Iceland shouldn't be higher than Aust and Can, simply due to the fact that you can't just move there to live, their immigration laws aren't as loose as Aust and Can.

That's exactly why they are rated higher than Canada.

Canada lets some great people into the country but they also let in all kinds of retards that fuck up our system, drain tax dollars etc. It is no one specific race of people contrary to what some people might feel.

The fact that Canada is rated 4th is pretty surprising if you ask me.

There is a joke with the securities people running FINTRAC saying that the odds of Canada having a terrorist attack are very minimal because most of the terrorist live here.

I have been to Norway and the place is wonderful. They keep it that way by telling everyone else to gtfo unless they have something they want.

Typically the only people that end up going there are people who are invited or apply and have a skill that the country really wants. Also, you go through everything shy of a polygraph test to make sure you're on the up and up.

If you're a doctor with a lot of cash but have some shady family members they probably will deny your application. Living somewhere should be a privilege, not a right. This is something a lot of people in Canada do not appreciate nor understand.

[tonyvu]

As an immigrant, I love vancouver for the following things.

1) Vancouver Canucks
2) CBC Girl
3) Weed
4) Recongized education certificate
5) Tasty Salmon

:werd:

[skyxx]

Let's just say a lot of people in Canada take it's own country for granted. We have so many great services that people don't realize. If you all look at the other countries and compare it, they don't even come close. Everyone just whines about this and that yet they never look at the bigger picture of how generous our country is. Just my two cents.

[124Y]

As an immigrant, I love vancouver for the following things.

1) Vancouver Canucks
2) CBC Girl
3) Weed
4) Recongized education certificate
5) Tasty Salmon

Yo man good summary!! :thumbsup:

[skyxx]

As an immigrant, I love vancouver for the following things.

1) Vancouver Canucks
2) CBC Girl
3) Weed
4) Recongized education certificate
5) Tasty Salmon

Is it CBC Girl the member or CBC girls?

[Wongtouski]

That's exactly why they are rated higher than Canada.

Canada lets some great people into the country but they also let in all kinds of retards that fuck up our system, drain tax dollars etc. It is no one specific race of people contrary to what some people might feel.

The fact that Canada is rated 4th is pretty surprising if you ask me.

There is a joke with the securities people running FINTRAC saying that the odds of Canada having a terrorist attack are very minimal because most of the terrorist live here.

I have been to Norway and the place is wonderful. They keep it that way by telling everyone else to gtfo unless they have something they want.

Typically the only people that end up going there are people who are invited or apply and have a skill that the country really wants. Also, you go through everything shy of a polygraph test to make sure you're on the up and up.

If you're a doctor with a lot of cash but have some shady family members they probably will deny your application. Living somewhere should be a privilege, not a right. This is something a lot of people in Canada do not appreciate nor understand.

I know what you mean, but that's not really the point. Ok , say you're not from any of these countries and you read that list, wouldn't you look at that list and say to yourself that that list is a form of advertisement? The idea of that list isn't far from a top 10 list of cars or clothes, you're in a way indirectly inviting people to come when you tell them how wonderful your place is to live.

By the way I am always surprised when Canada is at the top ten.

random question: say an blackkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk african guy got to move to Norway, how is that place great for him?

[ctsport]

Let's keep it that way by making sure immigrants don't change this country and destroy the very reason why they came here in the first place

HAHA if it wasn't for Canadian immigrants bringing with them their zeal, hard-work, capital, expertise, and culture-Canada would not be the wealthy country it is now.

My dad was a poor immigrant from Communist China and in time he was able to build from the ground up two very successful companies, employing many native born Canadians, put both his kids (who were born here) through university AND be able to retire comfortably by the age of 50. How many native Canadians, with all the advantages that it entails-can claim to have accomplished so much is such short a time?

Your ignorance is not only extremely distasteful but outright dangerous to our very way of life. As a CBC, I am ashamed that so many of my fellow Canadians are so boneheaded.

[Brianrietta]

How many native Canadians, with all the advantages that it entails-can claim to have accomplished so much is such short a time?

Your ignorance is not only extremely distasteful but outright dangerous to our very way of life. As a CBC, I am ashamed that so many of my fellow Canadians are so boneheaded.


How many? A lot...? I'm honestly shocked that you would comment on ignorance immediately after such a stupid statement.

[Brianrietta]

HAHA if it wasn't for Canadian immigrants bringing with them their zeal, hard-work, capital, expertise, and culture-Canada would not be the wealthy country it is now.

My dad was a poor immigrant from Communist China and in time he was able to build from the ground up two very successful companies, employing many native born Canadians, put both his kids (who were born here) through university AND be able to retire comfortably by the age of 50. How many native Canadians, with all the advantages that it entails-can claim to have accomplished so much is such short a time?

Your ignorance is not only extremely distasteful but outright dangerous to our very way of life. As a CBC, I am ashamed that so many of my fellow Canadians are so boneheaded.

You know what I'm ashamed of? "Canadians" who feel the need to add their country of origin or lineage into their identity (looking primarily at you, chinese and french people). When someone asks me where what I am, my answer is definatively "Canadian". I don't make a deal out of the fact that my parents were Icelandic and Norwegian. I'm not a "Scandanavian Canadian". I'm ashamed to live in a country that seems to have such a fractured identity. It shouldn't matter where someone is from. If they're a Canadian citizen, whether born into it, or immigrated, their identity should include the sort of tolerance and acceptance that your post neglected to show.

From Wikipedia (for ease of finding stats to link)

Ethnic groups
32.2% Canadian
21.0% English
15.8% French
15.1% Scottish
13.9% Irish
10.2% German
4.6% Italian
4.0% South Asian
3.9% Chinese
3.9% Ukranian
3.8% Aboriginal
3.3% Dutch
3.2% Polish
2.5% Black

[StylinRed]

Australia 2nd? wtf are they on



You know what I'm ashamed of? "Canadians" who feel the need to add their country of origin or lineage into their identity (looking primarily at you, chinese and french people).

i agree 100%, when ppl ask me what am i or "where i hail from" i say Canada and they're like "wtf?" -_-

[m4k4v4li]

lol ur a fucking idiot you know how much of canada's economic growth depends on immigrants

why is change used in a negative context? at least we're not the US thats a huge melting pot filled with boarder hoppers and hoodlums killing each other off in the ghetto

when the population of canada is the size of california, don't expect everyone in the world to conform to you... you're gonna get swallowed and left in the dust thinking wtf just happened...

[taylor192]

Let's keep it that way by making sure immigrants don't change this country and destroy the very reason why they came here in the first place.

EDIT: Yeah...... just used the news story to get my message in there. I'm just sick and tired of hearing about the threats against our way of life. I love it here. I don't mind immigrants. Welcome it, but please don't try to change our country. It's bad enough delaing with those fucktards in Quebec whining and wanting to leave. Do they not know how lucky we are here?

Canada is a great country cause immigrants come here and we do change it. Otherwise we'd be a carbon copy of Europe where most original immigrants came from.

Try not to be so racist.

[Brianrietta]

Canada is a great country cause immigrants come here and we do change it. Otherwise we'd be a carbon copy of Europe where most original immigrants came from.

Try not to be so racist.


No, the problem is that people try to CHANGE it. They should be helping ADD to it. Semantics, sure, but an important distinction. If you want to live in a certain country, live in that country. If you want to take aspects of that and add that to Canada's cultural and societal diversity, that's welcome. But if an immigrant comes here to Canada, I damn well want to see them speaking some degree of English or French, and interacting outside of their ethnic background. The "Canadian dream" is for example a Vietnamese couple who moves to small town Sasketchewan who starts and successfully operates for the sake of argument a convenience store. They probably interact with other people in the community (who are probably not Vietnamese in ethnicity). The people there are introduced to a foreign culture they would not have had any contact with otherwise, and the couple may have a better life than they would have had back in Vietnam. That's good. That's Canada. I have no respect for people who move to Canada, never learn how to speak one of our languages, and have never seen outside of Richmond or Brampton...

[Jsunu]

Listen, this thread is just going to degregate into a large flamewar between immigrants vs locals. I recognize the fact that immigration brings in a large amount of economic wealth into Canada. But, I also recognize that immigration brings about social change in terms of the "Canadian" culture.

My question to you guys is what defines Canadian culture? how do we differeniate ourselves from America other than certain Canadian Stereotypes? Keep in mind that this country is still very young and that we have already affected dramatic change to the individuals who originally settled in Canada (aboriginals).

[godwin]

There are visible minorities in Nordic countries.. eg they adopted a lot of Korean orphans in the 70s and 80s.

The majority of them do well, since social support structure (day care etc) are state paid and people make use of it.


random question: say an blackkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk african guy got to move to Norway, how is that place great for him?

[MG1]

HAHA if it wasn't for Canadian immigrants bringing with them their zeal, hard-work, capital, expertise, and culture-Canada would not be the wealthy country it is now.

My dad was a poor immigrant from Communist China and in time he was able to build from the ground up two very successful companies, employing many native born Canadians, put both his kids (who were born here) through university AND be able to retire comfortably by the age of 50. How many native Canadians, with all the advantages that it entails-can claim to have accomplished so much is such short a time?

Your ignorance is not only extremely distasteful but outright dangerous to our very way of life. As a CBC, I am ashamed that so many of my fellow Canadians are so boneheaded.

I think you and a lot of others who responded aren't getting what I said. Buddy, I'm in the same boat as you. I'm not talking about those immigrants who came here and worked hard and started a new life here.

I'm talking about those who drain our system and take afvantage of it.

The key concept here is "Come to this country to start a new life." That's what my great grandfather did. So don't jump the gun there, buddy.

Read my post over again. I don't even care if immigrants learn the language or not. It's pretty hard for older people to learn a language. Just try to blend in and not take over is the message. You of all people should know this, right?

Again, don't jump on the racist bandwagon. There............

I didn't even mention a particular race. I am a Canadian of Asian decent. My allegiance is to the flag of Canada. My country of origin was left behind four generations ago.

[m4k4v4li]

win post by Jsunu^

btw OP is still a fucking hypocritical dumbass who supports the seperation of quebec from canada yet wants to maintain a strong traditional canadian culture?

as the 2nd largest province / populace .... we would get pwned if quebec decided to separate... it would act as a barrier from reaching all the islands and a huge cut off of natural resources not to mention quebec is as old as canada is

[MG1]

No, the problem is that people try to CHANGE it. They should be helping ADD to it. Semantics, sure, but an important distinction. If you want to live in a certain country, live in that country. If you want to take aspects of that and add that to Canada's cultural and societal diversity, that's welcome. But if an immigrant comes here to Canada, I damn well want to see them speaking some degree of English or French, and interacting outside of their ethnic background. The "Canadian dream" is for example a Vietnamese couple who moves to small town Sasketchewan who starts and successfully operates for the sake of argument a convenience store. They probably interact with other people in the community (who are probably not Vietnamese in ethnicity). The people there are introduced to a foreign culture they would not have had any contact with otherwise, and the couple may have a better life than they would have had back in Vietnam. That's good. That's Canada. I have no respect for people who move to Canada, never learn how to speak one of our languages, and have never seen outside of Richmond or Brampton...

Finally......... I was hoping someone would get what I was trying to say without going overboard and yelling, "Racist!"

We (Canada) have an identity, and a way of life........... maybe not the best words to describe it........ perhaps standard of living? <--- it's more than that. It's more like..................

Anyway.

[m4k4v4li]

I'm talking about those who drain our system and take advantage of it.

.

like unemployed bums that sit around and collect EI/welfare checks? crackheads in DTES?

no worries tho visor wearing c-lais that bust out umbrellas during summer annoy me too

[MG1]

win post by Jsunu^

btw OP is still a fucking hypocritical dumbass who supports the seperation of quebec from canada yet wants to maintain a strong traditional canadian culture?

as the 2nd largest province / populace .... we would get pwned if quebec decided to separate... it would act as a barrier from reaching all the islands and a huge cut off of natural resources not to mention quebec is as old as canada is

BUDDY!!!!!! Read between the lines. Don't go calling me a hypocritical dumbass. You're just a............ nvm. Don't want to go there. Have a nice day.

and god bless.

[m4k4v4li]

lol don't think you know what standard of living means

this issue occurs anywhere in the world where there are a large influx of immigrants, like black people in the US that have altered urban american culture, i bet natives were bitching non stop about all the europeans immigrating into NA, its called globalization and change, theres nothing you can do to stop it

but how do you think all these immigrants get to Canada in the first place? its from relatives that HAVE achieved that "canadian dream" you speak of

and they breed children that do better understand and assimilate and add to canadian culture

[MG1]

Listen, this thread is just going to degregate into a large flamewar between immigrants vs locals. I recognize the fact that immigration brings in a large amount of economic wealth into Canada. But, I also recognize that immigration brings about social change in terms of the "Canadian" culture.

My question to you guys is what defines Canadian culture? how do we differeniate ourselves from America other than certain Canadian Stereotypes? Keep in mind that this country is still very young and that we have already affected dramatic change to the individuals who originally settled in Canada (aboriginals).

America is a melting pot whereas we are more of a mosaic.

America gets its strength from immigrants. No doubt about it. You look at all the great things America has produced and most are from immigrants. The immigrants are so pro America. They are proud Americans. Sometimes more proud than Americans who've been there forever. Why is that not so in Canada?

In a previous post in another thread, I mentioned an old Chinese guy singing O Canada at the top of his lungs during an event. It was great to see, because I was the only other guy singing just as loud and proud.

Anyway............

[MG1]

lol don't think you know what standard of living means

this issue occurs anywhere in the world where there are a large influx of immigrants, like black people in the US that have altered urban american culture, i bet natives were bitching non stop about all the europeans immigrating into NA, its called globalization and change, theres nothing you can do to stop it

but how do you think all these immigrants get to Canada in the first place? its from relatives that HAVE achieved that "canadian dream" you speak of

and they breed children that do better understand and assimilate and add to canadian culture

I give up.

[m4k4v4li]

to put it in simple language for you

because the united states is older, and has had more successive generations of immigrints and time to assimilate

china opened its doors to the world 20 years ago and the majority of the fob immigrints you see from china are all born and raised in china... I bet if you look at the behavior of their kids (our generation) and their kids kids it would be very similar to the americans you described

if you moved to china at the age of 50, im sure chinese people will think you're not assimilating into chinese culture either, and im sure you would have a hard time doing so as well

not to mention chinese culture is VERY different from many western cultures compared to other eastern cultures like india that have had previous british colonization or other british colonies / countries that have had western influence

[Jsunu]

Finally......... I was hoping someone would get what I was trying to say without going overboard and yelling, "Racist!"

We (Canada) have an identity, and a way of life........... maybe not the best words to describe it........ perhaps standard of living? <--- it's more than that. It's more like..................

Anyway.

How is immigrants or individuals who maintain their native culture affect your way of life?

Im not trying to shit your your beliefs (which are valid by the way since I see the change here in richmond) but I feel that groups that tend to not learn english or maintain a high degree of cultural heritage are individuals who are more comfortable with their own culture. I do not see it as a deliberate attack on Canadian culture, but simply individuals taking the easy route and transplanting their lives here. I do not see it destroying our way of life.

Also, im not trying to argue here im just want to debate this

[StylinRed]

immigrants that come here and only want to associate with their own ethnicity (granted many do so only because its easier but some only wish to cohabitate with their like)

immigrants who pull out the race card whenever they do something wrong (like that convenience store on the east coast that are starting an uproar and pulling race into the situation because they beat up and hog-tied and caged a shoplifter and beat him while confined)

immigrants who come here and don't add anything to the country and only take the benefits of being canadian and sending it elsewhere (welfare, etc send all the money out of the country get what they can and then leave the country, start an investment/charity company and just leech all they can from Canadians and bring it back to support their originating country)

etc etc etc

those ppl don't appreciate being Canadian and are only here to take and end up ruining the country, they can stay the fuk out or get the fuk out, everyone else who tries to make this country theirs by conforming and adding where they can are very much appreciated and desired

think thats close to what 89blkcivic believes maybe not
but 6chr0nic u sound angry because u were spotted for being a leech maybe? :P

[MG1]

win post by Jsunu^

btw OP is still a fucking hypocritical dumbass who supports the seperation of quebec from canada yet wants to maintain a strong traditional canadian culture?

as the 2nd largest province / populace .... we would get pwned if quebec decided to separate... it would act as a barrier from reaching all the islands and a huge cut off of natural resources not to mention quebec is as old as canada is

I know I said I quit, but I just read this one and had to reply.......

I support separation of Quebec? I think I referred to year 1812. You know....... the Plains of Abraham. Deporting them after they lost the war. A few posts later, I mentioned that my comments were tongue in cheek.

Anyway, you get last word, 'cause that's what you want. Make it a good one, buddy.

See? I refrained from calling you names. Perhaps you should, too.

[Tapioca]

America is a melting pot whereas we are more of a mosaic.

America gets its strength from immigrants. No doubt about it. You look at all the great things America has produced and most are from immigrants. The immigrants are so pro America. They are proud Americans. Sometimes more proud than Americans who've been there forever. Why is that not so in Canada?

In a previous post in another thread, I mentioned an old Chinese guy singing O Canada at the top of his lungs during tan event. It was great see, because I was the only other guy singing just as loud and proud.

Anyway............

I think the difference in attitudes stems from our very different histories. The US was born out of rebellion to a 'stuffy' mother country, while Canada was born out of necessity. Remember, the settlers in the four original colonies which were later to become the provinces of Canada, were United Empire Loyalists who fled the American colonies because of their allegiance to the British Crown. This sewed the seeds of our culture of deference to authority, of modesty, etc. It's reflected in our Constitution (Peace, Order, Good Government,) it's reflected in our education system, our controversial debate about our flag in the 1960s, our controversial debate about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, etc. .

Of course, this country has become much more progressive over the last century, but I think history has a lot to do with our attitudes about our country and our relative lack of patriotism.

[Jsunu]

immigrants that come here and only want to associate with their own ethnicity (granted many do so only because its easier but some only wish to cohabitate with their like)

immigrants who pull out the race card whenever they do something wrong (like that convenience store on the east coast that are starting an uproar and pulling race into the situation because they beat up and hog-tied and caged a shoplifter and beat him while confined)

immigrants who come here and don't add anything to the country and only take the benefits of being canadian and sending it elsewhere (welfare, etc send all the money out of the country get what they can and then leave the country, start an investment/charity company and just leech all they can from Canadians and bring it back to support their originating country)

etc etc etc

those ppl don't appreciate being Canadian and are only here to take and end up ruining the country, they can stay the fuk out or get the fuk out, everyone else who tries to make this country theirs by conforming and adding where they can are very much appreciated and desired

think thats close to what 89blkcivic believes maybe not
but 6chr0nic u sound angry because u were spotted for being a leech maybe? :P

But this does not dramatically affects the "Canadian" way of life

The race card only applies to a very small portion situations

Individuals who invest in Canada and move their finances to Hong Kong or where ever still contribute to the Canadian Economy. In fact, our buisness immigration policies benifit mostly Canadians. For example, in order to start a buisness here you must follow strict guidelines in terms of where you invest and how. Therefore, most buisness fails within a few years, causing immgrants to move back to china (which is sadly misunderstood as leeching). While this only applies to new buisiness immigrants, it is not hard to see how any investment in Canada is good economically.

But what I do not agree with is the cultural racism I experience here. I do not speak any chinese whatsoever, therefore I am discriminated against in Richmond! in freakin Canada! that i cannot agree with.

But other than that, I do not have any problem with immigrants not assimilating to a overall cultural identity. Eventually the new generation will become more culturally diverse anyway as a result of our increasing globlization.

I just dont see immigrants as a major drain in Canada, in fact it is a positive factor.

[MG1]

I think the difference in attitudes stems from our very different histories. The US was born out of rebellion to a 'stuffy' mother country, while Canada was born out of necessity. Remember, the settlers in the four original colonies which were later to become the provinces of Canada, were United Empire Loyalists who fled the American colonies because of their allegiance to the British Crown. This sewed the seeds of our culture of deference to authority, of modesty, etc. It's reflected in our Constitution (Peace, Order, Good Government,) it's reflected in our education system, our controversial debate about our flag in the 1960s, our controversial debate about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, etc. .

Of course, this country has become much more progressive over the last century, but I think history has a lot to do with our attitudes about our country and our relative lack of patriotism.

Wow, Empire Loyalists. And here I thought RS was.......... absolutely correct. Other settlers like the Ukrainians (Prairies), Scotts, etc.

I need to get out more...... the rest of Canada is not like here. One of my goals is to drive across this great country of ours. I retire soon, so I'm starting to plan already.

[Nightwalker]

I do not have any problem with immigrants not assimilating to a overall cultural identity. Eventually the new generation will become more culturally diverse anyway as a result of our increasing globlization.

I just dont see immigrants as a major drain in Canada, in fact it is a positive factor.

I'm with this. It seems like people just like to blame all their frustrations and problems on people that are different than they are.

[Brianrietta]

Im not trying to shit your your beliefs (which are valid by the way since I see the change here in richmond) but I feel that groups that tend to not learn english or maintain a high degree of cultural heritage are individuals who are more comfortable with their own culture. I do not see it as a deliberate attack on Canadian culture, but simply individuals taking the easy route and transplanting their lives here. I do not see it destroying our way of life.

"our way of life"

I'd like to think that the Canadian way of life is one of inclusion, of mutual acceptance, of social diversity. Having seen things and travelled around the world, I can say without a doubt that on top of being very ethnically diverse, Canadians are extremely tolerant people. What we decry as a horrific racist attack here, would be scoffed at in many other regions of the world as being too commonplace to even mention. Now part of what built this country's culture of inclusion is the interaction that takes place between the immigrants from all over the world, and first to many generationed Canadians. Being reclusive and not being active in a larger, more ethnically community is in my opinion indeed "destroying our way of life". One could argue that humanity at it's core fears what it doesn't understand, and one could argue that racism is the product of that fear. When differing ethnic groups are not able to interact and identify with each other's cultures, I would propose that the social harmony that we by and large live with today is endangered.

[m4k4v4li]

haha im a leech?
i was born in montreal, hence the quebec comments
my great grand parents are first generation chinese that paid head tax to immigrate here

[CorneringArtist]

Multiculturalism v. Melting Pot...

Personally, I can see this happening in my own school. Some of the kids who are immigrants either embrace coming here to make a lot of friends, and learn other people's cultures or the Canadian culture in general, and then there's that group who are too pussy to talk with other people, stay within their own cultural circle, and effectively alienate themselves from the rest of the school community, likely for the fact that they came to Canada just to use the education system and learn some English (which is pointless since they only speak their native languages most of the time), and then the boot their own asses back to their own country once they graduate. Honestly, if you come here, learn to fit in and add to the identity, don't try to change the fit so you still feel like you're at home.

I've wanted to vent this issue for a couple of years now, and this seemed like a good outlet.

[RRxtar]

just have to say something about the french and hating on the french... well over half, maybe even as much as 3/4s of the canadian military is french.

[Tapioca]

Wow, Empire Loyalists. And here I thought RS was.......... absolutely correct. Other settlers like the Ukrainians (Prairies), Scotts, etc.

I need to get out more...... the rest of Canada is not like here. One of my goals is to drive across this great country of ours. I retire soon, so I'm starting to plan already.

I guess I was trying to make a point about our attitudes towards patriotism. On the whole, Canadians generally aren't really patriotic people like the Americans. If there's no sense of pride, or security in who we are as a people, how do we expect immigrants to feel a sense of greater attachment to Canada as opposed to their home cultures?

[ctsport]

You know what I'm ashamed of? "Canadians" who feel the need to add their country of origin or lineage into their identity (looking primarily at you, chinese and french people

Haha people like you are pathetic. Just because we (as in people who can identify with other cultures and are not confined just to the mainstream) frighten you, you claim we are somewhat "less" Canadian, or less "patriotic."

I take pride that I am no "average Joe," who eats only bacon and eggs for breakfast and obsesses over a pass-time in which grown men hits a ball around with wooden sticks.

I am not afraid to explore new foods, new ways of doing things and to learn from the histories of other peoples. I have more education and earning potential than the "average" native born-Canadian. I can navigate through Canadian institutions just as well if not better than most Canadians. My family pays more taxes, are more politically envolved, donates more to NGOs, and contributes more to our economy than the "average" Canadian. I dare-say I (we) are more "Canadian" than most Canadians.

I acknowledge that first generation Canadians are "different" and will never be able to assimilate 100% into Canadian society. But I have great respect in that these immigrants have given up everything to come to Canada for a chance of a better life for their families. I am not afraid of their "differences," I can see that that very difference is a uniqueness that can be beneficial and an advantage to Canada. They see things from a different perspective. They therefore can contribute these qualities that are not present in native-born Canadians, if only given the chance.

These "missing qualities" can so clearly be seen in our best academic institutions. Go to the campuses of Simon Fraser or UBC and look at the faces of the students. More often then not these students are children of immigrants and minorities. These kids are the cream of the crop- they are the business leaders, lawyers, and doctors of tomorrow. Clearly, something in their parents cultures is helping them to outcompete many native-born Canadians.

The places in Canada that are most economically vibrant are also the places whose people embrace rather than fear and stigmatize other cultures. The diversity of culture is so blatantly present in places like Kits and Yaletown, they are also populated by some of the wealthiest and best educated Canadians. Contrast the vitality and diversity of these areas to the monotony of Langley.

Diversity is what makes a country strong, not fear of the unknown. Every successful company knows this, yet people aren't able to see the same principles apply to countries as well. The wealthiest cities in North America are also by far the most diverse and tolerant: cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, San Francisco, New York City, etc. There is a very obvious correlation between diversity of peoples and economic success. Is it any wonder that places that are most xenophobic, places like "the South" in the US and places outside of the major metropolitan areas in Canada are also the least economically competitive?

I rest my case.

[Sid Vicious]

Haha people like you are pathetic. Just because we (as in people who can identify with other cultures and are not confined just to the mainstream) frighten you, you claim we are somewhat "less" Canadian, or less "patriotic."

I take pride that I am no "average Joe," who eats only bacon and eggs for breakfast and obsesses over a pass-time in which grown men hits a ball around with wooden sticks.

I am not afraid to explore new foods, new ways of doing things and to learn from the histories of other peoples. I have more education and earning potential than the "average" native born-Canadian. I can navigate through Canadian institutions just as well if not better than most Canadians. My family pays more taxes, are more politically envolved, donates more to NGOs, and contributes more to our economy than the "average" Canadian. I dare-say I (we) are more "Canadian" than most Canadians.

I acknowledge that first generation Canadians are "different" and will never be able to assimilate 100% into Canadian society. But I have great respect in that these immigrants have given up everything to come to Canada for a chance of a better life for their families. I am not afraid of their "differences," I can see that that very difference is a uniqueness that can be beneficial and an advantage to Canada. They see things from a different perspective. They therefore can contribute these qualities that are not present in native-born Canadians, if only given the chance.

These "missing qualities" can so clearly be seen in our best academic institutions. Go to the campuses of Simon Fraser or UBC and look at the faces of the students. More often then not these students are children of immigrants and minorities. These kids are the cream of the crop- they are the business leaders, lawyers, and doctors of tomorrow. Clearly, something in their parents cultures is helping them to outcompete many native-born Canadians.

The places in Canada that are most economically vibrant are also the places whose people embrace rather than fear and stigmatize other cultures. The diversity of culture is so blatantly present in places like Kits and Yaletown, they are also populated by some of the wealthiest and best educated Canadians. Contrast the vitality and diversity of these areas to the monotony of Langley.

Diversity is what makes a country strong, not fear of the unknown. Every successful company knows this, yet people aren't able to see the same principles apply to countries as well. The wealthiest cities in North America are also by far the most diverse and tolerant: cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, San Francisco, New York City, etc. There is a very obvious correlation between diversity of peoples and economic success. Is it any wonder that places that are most xenophobic, places like "the South" in the US and places outside of the major metropolitan areas in Canada are also the least economically competitive?

I rest my case.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/randomcschtuff/gifs/didntreadlol.gif
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/omara86/whatwhat.gif

[Nightwalker]

I take pride that I am no "average Joe," who eats only bacon and eggs for breakfast and obsesses over a pass-time in which grown men hits a ball around with wooden sticks.

Wait WHAT!

http://blogchef.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/crispy_bacon_1.jpg

Meaty crispy salty delicious bacon!

[Brianrietta]

I'm going to preface this with saying that every one of your posts here has mentioned or inferred that foreign-born Canadians are superior to native-born. I'm not sure..., but that's pretty much the exact definition of racism.

(racism - a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior)

Haha people like you are pathetic. Just because we (as in people who can identify with other cultures and are not confined just to the mainstream) frighten you, you claim we are somewhat "less" Canadian, or less "patriotic."

Hmmm. Yes, I must be pathetic, because I think that if you're going to be a Canadian citizen, you should identify yourself as Canadian. Not French-Canadian, not Chinese-Canadian, or the like.

I take pride that I am no "average Joe," who eats only bacon and eggs for breakfast and obsesses over a pass-time in which grown men hits a ball around with wooden sticks.

Cricket? Croquet? Wait, let me guess. Polo maybe? Baseball is more of a US/Central America/Japan/Koreas sort of game... Or maybe you have a ball confused with a rubberized puck, used in the game of Hockey. Perhaps you've heard of it during your travels outside of the bubble world you appear to live in. Hockey is the game that the Canadian "average Joe" obsesses over, but you'd know that if you had any idea what the rest of the people in Canada were like. Also, to appease the people who simply see this wall of text, I present the following picture:

http://plutoniumblond.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/averagejoecostume.jpg

I am not afraid to explore new foods, new ways of doing things and to learn from the histories of other peoples. I have more education and earning potential than the "average" native born-Canadian. I can navigate through Canadian institutions just as well if not better than most Canadians. My family pays more taxes, are more politically envolved, donates more to NGOs, and contributes more to our economy than the "average" Canadian. I dare-say I (we) are more "Canadian" than most Canadians.

See that's the thing. You seem to think that because you contribute more to the Canada's GDP, you're more Canadian than anyone else. It comes across that you're taking a very economic view to your identity as a Canadian citizen. If you actually read any of my posts in their entirety though, you'd realize that what I mean by being Canadian is idealistic, and part of that ideal is being slightly, no way less prejudicial.

I acknowledge that first generation Canadians are "different" and will never be able to assimilate 100% into Canadian society. But I have great respect in that these immigrants have given up everything to come to Canada for a chance of a better life for their families. I am not afraid of their "differences," I can see that that very difference is a uniqueness that can be beneficial and an advantage to Canada. They see things from a different perspective. They therefore can contribute these qualities that are not present in native-born Canadians, if only given the chance.

Most definately! I'm also not afraid of their "differences". But their experiences and culture go to waste in the fabric of Canadian society when they never leave their ethnic social circles, which is my argument through most of this thread. You conspicuously neglect to mention that native-born Canadians also have values, qualities and experiences that are beneficial in return to new immigrants as well. Or maybe you think that they don't have any...

These "missing qualities" can so clearly be seen in our best academic institutions. Go to the campuses of Simon Fraser or UBC and look at the faces of the students. More often then not these students are children of immigrants and minorities. These kids are the cream of the crop- they are the business leaders, lawyers, and doctors of tomorrow. Clearly, something in their parents cultures is helping them to outcompete many native-born Canadians.

I'm certain that SFU and UBC are no different than visiting the University of Toronto, Wilfred Laurier University or Queens. Many students born in other countries visit these schools and no doubt will be the leaders of tomorrow. Many of them back in their country of origin though... Do you want to know why there are so many foreign students in our high-end universities? $$. At least in Ontario, the universities recieve considerably more money from foreign students than native-born Canadians for the same education. Wealthy foreigners can afford to send their children to our schools. That's not even in itself a bad thing though. Here's the overt racism coming in though. You're saying that something in those foreign cultures is helping them to outcompete those native-born Canadians though. I present that it's not their culture. It's the depth of their wallets.

The places in Canada that are most economically vibrant are also the places whose people embrace rather than fear and stigmatize other cultures. The diversity of culture is so blatantly present in places like Kits and Yaletown, they are also populated by some of the wealthiest and best educated Canadians. Contrast the vitality and diversity of these areas to the monotony of Langley.

Diversity is what makes a country strong, not fear of the unknown. Every successful company knows this, yet people aren't able to see the same principles apply to countries as well. The wealthiest cities in North America are also by far the most diverse and tolerant: cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, San Francisco, New York City, etc. There is a very obvious correlation between diversity of peoples and economic success. Is it any wonder that places that are most xenophobic, places like "the South" in the US and places outside of the major metropolitan areas in Canada are also the least economically competitive?

I rest my case.


I would disagree that diversity is what makes a country strong. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Japan is a strong country (at least economically - which I have a feeling is how you would rate the strength of a country). Japan is 99% ethnically Japanese... That being said, I do believe that diversity is what makes our country strong. But diversity, in census form, is useless without it being present in all parts of our culture. It's just a word unless we all keep an open mind. Anyways it's 1:30 out here so I'm going to sleep off the carpal tunnel I just got from this.

[HonestTea]

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/randomcschtuff/gifs/didntreadlol.gif
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/omara86/whatwhat.gif


WTF :rofl:

[l2_narain]

and god bless.

:lol

[DragonChi]

http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/

here is a full list form the report.

[scottsman]

Seems like a lot of peoples opinions are based on what they see in Vancouver or Richmond and then apply that to all of Canada.

As a white Canadian living in Asia(Vietnam) I completly understand how an immigrant would feel coming to live in Canada, especially 10, 20, 30 years ago. It definately isnt easy to just jump into a society that doesnt speak your language and has a completely different way of life. So of course you look for what feels comfortable and safe. How can you really blame a person from Taiwan for primarily hanging out with Taiwanese people or eating at thier restaurants.

If you have a problem with how some people assimilate together then try inviting them out for drinks some time and make them comfortable in a more "Canadian" surrounding(hockey game for example).

If immigrants just came to Canada and did the "Canadian Thing," then we wouldnt have the opportunity to learn about so many different kinds of cultures through the arts, food, history, etc. etc.

[goo3]

Being reclusive and not being active in a larger, more ethnically community is in my opinion indeed "destroying our way of life". One could argue that humanity at it's core fears what it doesn't understand, and one could argue that racism is the product of that fear. When differing ethnic groups are not able to interact and identify with each other's cultures, I would propose that the social harmony that we by and large live with today is endangered.

Do we hold the same standard towards natural born Canadians as well as immigrants? If so, then why is there so much blame towards the "others"?

I see reclusiveness as a human trait. Not everybody is as comfortable or have as high a cultural IQ as others. It's not their fault. You make it sound like they, immigrants and non-immigrants, are malicious ppl. I find leading by example of what you think is a better way to interact with others rubs off over time. You might even learn something from the other side. It's certainly more constructive than finger pointing which is usually followed by defensive walls. Then you end up with exactly what you say you don't want.

Reading the amt of ignorance in this thread, you would think all multinational companies would eventually self-destruct.