(from the song)
This Is Canada
Maple Syrup ‘N Log Cabins, Eh
Kick Your Ass All Hockey Season, Eh
Mounties Be Ridin’ Horses, Eh
Yeah, This Is Canada
Furry Woodland Critters In Our Zone
We Got The Best Weed Ever Grown
We Got The Best Bacon Ever Known
This Is Canada
The adventure starts. Four days on the road from Denver with two senior cats who made traveling rough. But then, they weren’t consulted about the trial escape made necessary after Trump was elected. Total shock about that election led to a plan that was whittled down to leaving for just three months to the great white north. Here, we’ll avoid the 24-hour news cycle and do a bit of local travel. Read some books, take an online class.
We’re about six miles north of the border and about an hour east of Vancouver in a rural area that grows blueberries, hops, brussel sprouts, and where neighbors sell eggs to each other at prices Americans would go crazy over right now. Bird flu has not ravaged small Canadian poultry farms.
Canada has always been a nation known for its friendliness, its niceness. They were (and should be) our closest ally. In a way, we’re like cousins—sharing a continent, history, and values. I remember 9/11 when flights were grounded in Canada and how Canadians took people into their homes. I remember how recently Canadian firefighters helped with the LA fires. There are countless other times, Canadians have had our backs and we’ve done the same. But the times are changing.
“Elbows up!,” Canada cries in a hockey phrase that means defend yourself. Immigration to Canada is difficult and has become more difficult recently. Canadians are cracking down just like a lot of the rest of the world. Americans can still cross the border to travel in Canada, but residency is altogether a different thing. You can come as a student, with a Canadian job (a company here would have to sponsor you), or a relative in Canada could sponsor you. Even after my son attended a four-year university and obtained his degree, he found it virtually impossible to remain in Canada (and that was a decade ago BEFORE the new restrictions involving quotas). The only way for me to feasibly immigrate to Canada would have to involve a sponsorship where my son would immigrate first (by first obtaining a Canadian job), and that would open a grandparents’ option. I bring this up because there has been interest from people in how to leave the US and Canada does feel like the easy answer. I wish it were.
Canada feels a lot like the US but there are differences. We’re saved from the language issue we faced in Belgium when we lived there. But products contain French directions and ingredients. Packages are in grams and kg. The sizes and choice of items are different. 3% milk (it’s a choice here)? Spreadable butter seems exotic and difficult to find. We haven’t found a breakfast sausage that suits yet. There’s a mixture of pork and ground beef widely available. That’s not commonly found in the US, but we did see meat mixtures in Europe. Many American products are on the shelves but we’re trying to buy Canadian (since we are ashamed of the deranged orange one). Canadian products are increasingly being marked by a red maple symbol in the store and there is an active movement among Canadians to buy Canadian. Every time we go shopping; I experience sticker shock. The exchange rate means that I have to discount everything by about 30% just to accommodate for the currency difference. Still, things feel more expensive.
Yesterday, we filled up the gas in the car for the first time on this side of the border. My husband got out to pump it. An attendant came out to do full service and my husband was stunned. When was the last time you didn’t pump your own gas?
Driving around we notice many American chain stores and restaurants but there are uniquely Canadian ones, too. At this point, we’ve only explored a small mall and there aren’t any significant differences to report. London Drugs was the biggest “drug” store I’ve ever been in. It resembles a small department store. You can buy furniture and TVs there.
We have settled into the day-to-day necessities and will be turning more towards travel. I hope to post more about what we see and experience. But at the same time, this away from home time is a time of preparation for what’s to come. I’m trying to fill in some gaps in education that I think are necessary. I’m finishing up a course on the Constitution, a book on fascism, and a dive into class war is upcoming. All heavy topics-but that’s where we are.
ellisnelson 
Thanks for sharing that post—it’s a compelling and candid account of a personal political migration wrapped in humor, realism, and reflection.
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I don’t blame Canadians for being angry. I’m angry, and I’m not Canadian. I’ve lived in border states (Wisconsin and New York) and have always viewed Canadians as cousins. This little dictator wannabe is picking fights he can’t win. The only thing he’ll do is hurt everybody.
Ah, don’t get me started on a rant.
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I hear you!
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Thanks for writing this. We think of how sad this is to be against Canada of all places. Great people there. My husband and I don’t know where to travel anymore and if we will be able to get back across the borders. This IS NOT America or American.
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At this point, you can cross the border both ways BUT be aware that tensions are high. Both sides are asking more questions and neither side is friendly. Things have gotten worse in the 3 weeks we have been here. We have a mailbox just across the border in the US to receive mail order prescriptions and it was not a nice experience leaving or re-crossing. And now there is the question of having to pay tariffs if we buy anything on the American side, including gas. We bought a TV in Canada and I think that will require us to pay a tariff on return.
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I really like your site.
Blessings, Judy Kelly, Love a Good Story
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Wow! Thanks for posting your experiences so far. Looking forward to more of your escape. I’ll live though your experiences.
Does everyone seem friendly? I’m sure they do, but thought I would ask.
I hope you have a great 3 months. Will you return to Colorado, or leave Canada for a few days and then return?
Other than not living through the chaos here, and I know you’ve only just arrived, but how do you think you would like living in Canada full time if you could?
I appreciate your post. Sorry for the stupid questions. Just wondering. Best wishes to both of you. You’ve done what many of us wish we would/could.
I
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Yes, people seem friendly, and the driving is courteous. We haven’t met a lot of Canadians- just experienced service people and crossed a few people walking. Crossing the border into Canada was a far better experience than when we recrossed into the US. We went back across to the US side to establish a mailbox to allow us to get mail order prescriptions. I think full-time would be the easiest experience of the choices for living out of country. It would be expensive though. Canadian housing, especially in BC, is very high. The weather is a challenge for us because we are used to so much sun and walking every day. It rains all the time here. Ken says he thinks the windshield wipers have never gotten this kind of work out. Mud- all the time! So, there are adjustments. And it would never feel quite like home, but it would be the closest thing possible. My son still has a fondness for Canada and has life-long friends here. Crossing back and forth across the border to reset the clock on your time in Canada was one of things the new Canadian policy strongly discourages so we won’t be doing that.
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p.s. We have children and we are terrified of this debt our children will have to pay. So we have to take of America and not support the whole world anymore. It’s not being done to hurt anyone, but to save America. So fair tariffs are fine, unequal, not.
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I can only suppose you voted for Trump. Tariffs are passed on to the consumer. We are now in a trade war STARTED by the great orange one. The best way to start to pay the debt Trump ran up (and continues to run up) is by taxing billionaires (like his friend, Musk). Please start watching news sources other than Fox. If you don’t like American networks, use the BBC or something else.
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Hope all goes well for you. If we weren’t so old and it weren’t so cold there, we might consider moving to Canada. However, today is my handsome devil’s 85 the birthday and I’ll be 84 at the end of May. My hope is that this horrible man and his cohorts get sacked before the 4 years are up. (One can dream, can’t one?)
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Yes, hold on to hope. But Hitler didn’t go easily and neither will Trump/MAGA.
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I love Canada. We used to go to Stratford every year and stay at the Elora Inn. Or in St. Jacob.
But the politics are more complicated. Canada is totally dependent on the US and nobody treats us fairly. We can’t support the whole world, and we don’t really need anyone else. Though we are highly in debt and things have to change. It is not sustainable. We need to bring manufacturing and our companies back here which is the purpose. All our companies went elsewhere and then have higher tariffs than we do.
If you can get along on your own and don’t need us, why be mad at the US? Just do your thing, eh?
I have a place off the grid in Michigan’s UP and I understand much of your way of life. And admire it.
Good luck to you.
Lynn
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The politics are complicated, and Americans are NOT getting it. Here’s the timeline: “Nov 30th, 2018 – The United States, Canada and Mexico finalize a trade agreement. Trump personally negotiates the terms and signs the document, celebrating it as ‘the greatest trade agreement in history”. (This is important.)
Nov 29th, 2024 – In a face to face meeting, Trump threatens the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, that he will be imposing 25% tariffs and that if Canada wants to avoid that, it should join the US as a state.
Nov 30th, 2024 – Trump publicly calls our Prime Minister ‘Governor Trudeau’ and instructs his staff to only address him as Governor going forward. He again suggests Canada should join the USA.
Dec 3rd, 2024 – Trump remarks that he would split Canada into two states once annexed.
Dec 10th, 2024 – Trump posts that the majority of Canadians support annexation, despite public polling that only 13% of Canadians would consider the idea.
Dec 18th, 2024 – Trump again falsely states that the majority of Canadians support annexation and that one of his lapdogs, Wayne Gretzky, should have a leadership role in that new scenario.
Jan 7th, 2025 – At a press conference, Trump says that he would use economic force to destroy the Canadian economy to annex it.
Jan 14, 2025 – Trump again claims that most Canadians want to be American, despite new polls showing only 10% of us are open to the idea.
Jan 20th, 2025 – During his inaugural address, Trump says that the U.S. will ‘expand its territory’ during his second term.
Jan 23rd, 2025 – At the World Economic Forum, Trump says that Canada can avoid tariffs and economic collapse if it joins the US. He says this in front of representatives from most countries in the world.
Jan 24th, 2025 – Trump states publicly that Canada ‘will’ become a state
Jan 31st, 2025 – Trump announces a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports to begin the next day.
Feb 2nd, 2025 – Trump refers to Canada as its ‘Cherished 51st state’ and that it should join the US to avoid tariffs.
Feb 3rd, 2025 – A one month delay is agreed upon. Trump, in a conversation with Trudeau states that he doesn’t think existing border treaties with Canada are valid, and need to be revised.
Feb 7th, 2025 – In a closed door meeting with his cabinet, Prime Minister Trudeau is recorded, without his knowledge, telling everyone that he believes very strongly that Trump is serious and that he stated his reason for annexation as Canadian resources.
Feb 9th, 2025 – In a Super Bowl pre-game interview, Trump says that he’s serious about his threats, calling it a ‘viable consideration for expanding US territory’
Feb 10th, 2025 – Trump announces an additional 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada to come into effect March 12th.
Feb 24th, 2025 – Trump publicly remarks that whoever signed the USMCA agreement is an idiot. He was the one that signed it.
Feb 27th, 2025 – Reports of American spy planes and reconnaissance aircraft flying over southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.
March 4th, 5th, and 6th 2025 – Tariffs come into effect. Canada retaliates with it’s own tariffs. Tariffs are again postponed until April 1st after a huge market backlash.
March 4th, 2025 – In an address to a joint session of congress, Trump states that the US will own Greenland ‘one way or the other’.
March 5th, 2025 – US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told Canadian finance minister Dominic LeBlanc that Trump “had come to realize that the relationship between the United States and Canada was governed by a slew of agreements and treaties that were easy to abandon.”
March 7th, 2025 – Unconfirmed Memorandum and maps leaked on twitter reveal Trump is allegedly planning to annex the entirety of the great lakes and Southern Ontario, home to 13,491,332 Canadians. This amounts to 35.25% of Canada’s total population and includes its largest city, Toronto. This region accounts for 38% of the Canadian economy, and its loss would make Canada’s independence functionally impossible.
March 8th, 2025 – Canada’s foreign minister warns European allies that their government considers Canada to be under existential threat.
March 9th, 2025 – Mark Carney, the new Canadian Prime Minister, in his inaugural address states that Trump is seeking to destroy Canada, and its way of life.
March 11, 2025 – President Trump threatens to “permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada” if Canada does not drop a 250% to 390% tariff on U.S. dairy products, which he doesn’t state only kicks in after a certain quantity of tariff-free U.S. dairy enters Canada, a quantity that was originally negotiated and agreed to by Trump during the USMCA in 2018.
In Trump’s own words, “The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State. This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear. Canadians’ taxes will be very substantially reduced, they will be more secure, militarily and otherwise, than ever before, there would no longer be a Northern Border problem, and the greatest and most powerful nation in the World will be bigger, better and stronger than ever — And Canada will be a big part of that. The artificial line of separation drawn many years ago will finally disappear, and we will have the safest and most beautiful Nation anywhere in the World — And your brilliant anthem, “O Canada,” will continue to play, but now representing a GREAT and POWERFUL STATE within the greatest Nation that the World has ever seen!”
To my American friends, I know most of you are amazing and generous people. You didn’t ask for this, and I understand that. I hold no ill will towards you, whatsoever. But I must stress, with as much seriousness as I can, the amount of damage this has done.
We have viewed you as our closest friend and ally for a century. We thought of you as brothers and sisters. We answered the call, again and again, for any support you needed from us. Most of Canadians visit the USA so much that we’ve seen more of the US than we have the rest of Canada.
American products have been taken off our shelves. Canadians are cancelling travel plans to the US. Photo after photo has been shared on social media of empty flights from Canada to the USA.
This isn’t a joke to us. We’re not overreacting. We don’t think he’s just saying this shit to cause chaos or negotiate a deal. We wholeheartedly believe that our closest ally and friend is about to bring violence across our border, economically destroy us, and eliminate our way of life.
The main driver for Canada’s creation in 1867 was SPECIFICALLY to not be part of America, and to end America’s very public threats and plans to annex our territory.
We’re angry. We’re really, really fucking angry. Open your eyes to what’s happening because we’re tired of trying to make you understand why and asking you why it seems like none of you care.”
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