O, Canada! More Americans Heading North

[Tom Joad]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3433005&page=1

O, Canada! More Americans Heading North
The Number of Americans Moving to Canada in 2006 Hit a 30-Year High
By MARCUS BARAM
July 31, 2007 —


Blame Canada!

It may seem like a quiet country where not much happens besides ice hockey, curling and beer drinking. But our neighbor to the north is proving to be quite the draw for thousands of disgruntled Americans.

The number of U.S. citizens who moved to Canada last year hit a 30-year high, with a 20 percent increase over the previous year and almost double the number who moved in 2000.

In 2006, 10,942 Americans went to Canada, compared with 9,262 in 2005 and 5,828 in 2000, according to a survey by the Association for Canadian Studies.

Of course, those numbers are still outweighed by the number of Canadians going the other way. Yet, that imbalance is shrinking. Last year, 23,913 Canadians moved to the United States, a significant decrease from 29,930 in 2005.

"There has been a definite increase in the past five years  the number hasn't exceeded 10,000 since 1977," says Jack Jedwab, the association's executive director. "During the mid-70s, Canada admitted between 22,000 and 26,000 Americans a year, most of whom were draft dodgers from the Vietnam War."

The current increase appears to be fueled largely by social and political reasons, says Jedwab, based on anecdotal evidence.

"Those who are coming have the highest level of education  these aren't people who can't get a job in the states," he says. "They're coming because many of them don't like the politics, the Iraq War and the security situation in the U.S. By comparison, Canada is a tension-free place. People feel safer."

One recent immigrant is Tom Kertes, a 34-year-old labor organizer who moved from Seattle to Toronto in April.

Kertes attributes his motivation to President Bush's opposition to gay marriage, and the tactics employed during the war on terror since 9/11.

"I wanted a country that respected my human rights and the rights of others," he says. "We joked about it after Bush won re-election, but it took us a while to go through the application."

Kertes, who moved with his partner, is happy in his new home. "Canada is a really nice country. My mother is thinking about it. My stepfather has diabetes and has health issues. So, he'd be taken care of for free if he moved up here."

Not that Kertes doesn't get homesick every once in a while. "I have no intention of giving up my citizenship. I have an American flag at home on the wall  I didn't have that in Seattle. All of a sudden, I'm a nationalist. On the Fourth of July, I really missed being home."

Jo Davenport, who wrote "The Canadian Way," moved from Atlanta to Nova Scotia in December 2001. She also cites political reasons for her move, saying that she disagreed with the Bush administration's decisions after 9/11.

"Things are totally different here because they care about their people here," she says, explaining that she's only been back home once or twice.


Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

[Nixon's Head]

Beasters.

[Vegas]

They'll start moving back here once they figure out how long they'll have to wait for healthcare.

[KinjaKahn]

It is funny how those who are so disgruntled that they move... have no drive to stand and fight for change. Obviously they need a better govenrment to take care of them.

[IBC]

Beasters.

YESSS!!!!!!

[IBC]

They'll start moving back here once they figure out how long they'll have to wait for healthcare.

I don't think that has been the case. Care to share one anecdotal story that somehow proves your whole point?

['Lifer]

Maybe everybody is simply on a journey to the North Pole......look at all the Mexicans venturing north from their homeland. Perhaps most of us haven't received that "calling" yet.

[Nixon's Head]

YESSS!!!!!!That's the only reason I can see for moving to Canada...well that and draft-dodging.

[Iron Jaw]

That's the only reason I can see for moving to Canada...well that and draft-dodging.

Of course, just like more Canadians continue to come to the U.S. (legally)than vice-versa, more Canadians joined the U.S. Armed forces during the Vietnam (59,000) war than there were American draft-dodgers running off to Canada - that's a seldom publicized but very true fact.

[IBC]

Of course, just like more Canadians continue to come to the U.S. (legally)than vice-versa, more Canadians joined the U.S. Armed forces during the Vietnam (59,000) war than there were American draft-dodgers running off to Canada - that's a seldom publicized but very true fact.

Does that make the Vietnam War a good decision? Tell me about that one, I would love to hear.

[Iron Jaw]

Does that make the Vietnam War a good decision? Tell me about that one, I would love to hear.

My opinion on the Vietnam War would take pages (and I may just devote a full post of my opinions about the Vietnam War). My opinion of draft dodgers who flee to foreign soil is another issue. They should have neve been given amnesty (though of the 55,000 that fled to Canada during the Vietnam War, an estimated 25-30,000 still live there - they didn't return despite amnesty). Some also fled to Sweden and Mexico, though Mexico deported many some back to the U.S. (those who couldn't pay their own way). We actually had more draft dodgers in WWII (an estimated 350,000) than we did in Vietnam and Korea combined since considerably more people were needed - the draft age in WWII was 18-44 (registration age was 18-64). And those who fled to foreign soil to avoid the draft during WWII were stripped of their U.S. Citizenship for good. Of course, since Canada was involved in that war it would have been pretty stupid to run north.

In actuality, there were only 16,000 "official" draft dodgers during the Vietnam War - meaning those who were actually slated for the draft. The majority of those who fled north to avoid the draft were never actually drafted but left the U.S. in the event their number came up - or they just went with someone who did. And some were classified as deserters - a different classification of course, referring to those already in the military. Desertion can be more severely punished - in a combat zone a deserter is subject to the firing squad, though the last American soldier who was executed for desertion was Eddie Slovak during WWII (443 were executed, but most were for rape and murder). Actual desertion rates in WWII were 55 percent higher than they were in Vietnam. During WWII 105,000 applied for concientious objector status, less than 10,000 were approved and 6,000 of those denied were jailed for failure to comply with the draft after notice of C.O. Status rejection.

WWII was a popular war. But it certainly had it's share of dissidents.

My basic statement on this is I have no regard and little sympathy for those who flee the country for the purpose of draft evasion.

I'll do my little piece on my opinion of the Vietnam War in a couple of days.

[IBC]

My opinion on the Vietnam War would take pages (and I may just devote a full post of my opinions about the Vietnam War). My opinion of draft dodgers who flee to foreign soil is another issue. They should have neve been given amnesty (though of the 55,000 that fled to Canada during the Vietnam War, an estimated 25-30,000 still live there - they didn't return despite amnesty). Some also fled to Sweden and Mexico, though Mexico deported many some back to the U.S. (those who couldn't pay their own way). We actually had more draft dodgers in WWII (an estimated 350,000) than we did in Vietnam and Korea combined since considerably more people were needed - the draft age in WWII was 18-44 (registration age was 18-64). And those who fled to foreign soil to avoid the draft during WWII were stripped of their U.S. Citizenship for good. Of course, since Canada was involved in that war it would have been pretty stupid to run north.

In actuality, there were only 16,000 "official" draft dodgers during the Vietnam War - meaning those who were actually slated for the draft. The majority of those who fled north to avoid the draft were never actually drafted but left the U.S. in the event their number came up - or they just went with someone who did. And some were classified as deserters - a different classification of course, referring to those already in the military. Desertion can be more severely punished - in a combat zone a deserter is subject to the firing squad, though the last American soldier who was executed for desertion was Eddie Slovak during WWII (443 were executed, but most were for rape and murder). Actual desertion rates in WWII were 55 percent higher than they were in Vietnam. During WWII 105,000 applied for concientious objector status, less than 10,000 were approved and 6,000 of those denied were jailed for failure to comply with the draft after notice of C.O. Status rejection.

WWII was a popular war. But it certainly had it's share of dissidents.

My basic statement on this is I have no regard and little sympathy for those who flee the country for the purpose of draft evasion.

I'll do my little piece on my opinion of the Vietnam War in a couple of days.

To avoid an unjust war? We have a responsibility not to obey unjust laws.

[Iron Jaw]

To avoid an unjust war? We have a responsibility not to obey unjust laws.

Unjust is an opinion. Many thought WWII was unjust. WWI, Korea, Spanish American War, Civil War, Mexican War, War of 1812, the American Revolution (lots of people around who were referred to as a Tory, and others who just didn't believe in fighting the British) - all had people who thought their particular war was unjust (or they supported the opposition). In 1965 the War in Vietnam was popular. In 1970, it was not. In between, the pendelum swayed. To some it was a just war, to others it was not. People become war weary, frustrated at lack of immediate success.

[IBC]

Unjust is an opinion. Many thought WWII was unjust. WWI, Korea, Spanish American War, Civil War, Mexican War, War of 1812, the American Revolution (lots of people around who were referred to as a Tory, and others who just didn't believe in fighting the British) - all had people who thought their particular war was unjust (or they supported the opposition). In 1965 the War in Vietnam was popular. In 1970, it was not. In between, the pendelum swayed. To some it was a just war, to others it was not. People become war weary, frustrated at lack of immediate success.
Frustrated at the same ol' manipulation to get us into war, frustrated at the lack of success fighting a war that could not be won, frustrated at the fact that we were put into war under false pretenses.

[Tom Joad]

Frustrated at the same ol' manipulation to get us into war, frustrated at the lack of success fighting a war that could not be won, frustrated at the fact that we were put into war under false pretenses.


Frustrated at the maverick attitude we took in relation to the rest of the world over the whole situation?