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What should Canadians do?

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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby FairMaiden » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 03:50:28

Yes, perception is what matters...and I believe most Americans perceive that we are living in igloos and have to wear toques all year round, eh?

seriously, with all the negative Canadian imagery and misinformation coming from TV & film, the sheeple are not going to start trekking north.

There are some Mexicans coming here. In BC and Alberta we have work programs where we actually pay to bring them up here and give them temporary residency. From what I've seen, they tried to start work action when they found out Canadians were making alot more to do the construction work they were being paid $18/hour for. I don't know if they are staying or returning to Mexico...I know they are suppose to be but that doesn't mean anything...
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby Snowrunner » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 04:28:15

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FairMaiden', 'I') know they are suppose to be but that doesn't mean anything...

They may not have to, well hidden on the website, but it's there.

And stop watching "Talking to Americans".
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby Nickel » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 07:43:49

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DaleFromCalgary', 'B')ut as I said before, and I mean it seriously, Canada has real winters. You can sleep under a shrub in the southern USA, where most Hispanics are, without freezing to death.

You know, I've always felt that this went a long way to explaining a lot about the relative differences between the US South and the North. In the South, if you really, really want to, you can largely abandon society, put together a tar paper shack somewhere in the lee of a mountain, and grow potatoes and shoot -- whatever -- for supper. Even if it's a pipedream, it's still seen as viable. Hence: you really don't need to rely on other people; you CAN go it alone. So you be belligerent, and you can have fence wars with your neighbours, and you can load up on guns and swan around telling everyone to get out of your way and this and that. This attitude eventually percolates up to foreign policy and the way people react to other countries.

By contrast, in the north -- especially here and the border states -- there's a nagging realization that, for much of the year, just being outdoors for too long can kill you. That we all acutely need to depend on one another, that good relations with your neighbours or even strangers could potentially save your life. That you can't just say "Screw the world", hammer together a few sheets of plywood in the forest, and go it alone. That we are always dependent on goodwill and community. And I think that makes a difference in the conduct of northern peoples as opposed to southern ones -- and I mean this generally. That geography is, to some extent at least, destiny, is underlined in the north in a way it's easy to deny in more clement climes.
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby wisconsin_cur » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 07:47:51

Does the winter hypothesis also true of California and, for that matter, BC?

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edit: or for Europe/Asia for that matter?
http://www.thenewfederalistpapers.com
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby Nickel » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 07:52:48

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FairMaiden', 'I') don't know if they are staying or returning to Mexico...I know they are suppose to be but that doesn't mean anything...

I suppose it's like anything else. They're coming for the work and the money, not because they think Canada (or the US, for that matter) is so great... to them, it's a bland, cold, boring world full of uptight, emotionally-reserved WASPs (of whatever race or religion; it's a state of mind these days) who wouldn't know a good time if it grabbed them by the hand and started dancing. Some of them will stay, and some will earn enough to go back home and live really well for a while, and then come back to load up again.
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby Nickel » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 07:56:54

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wisconsin_cur', 'D')oes the winter hypothesis also true of California and, for that matter, BC?

Yeah, but how many people do you think we can stuff into the 4 square yards of BC that aren't vertical? California is the plain between the Rockies and the Pacific. British Columbia IS where the Rockies meet the Pacific. Aside from a few open areas around river mouths, there's not a lot of horizontal in that province.
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby vtsnowedin » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 08:31:43

How many expatriot Canadians are living in the lower 48? If times got bad down here and conditions up north were relatively better would they and all the family they have acquired not move back? As to your ability to handle a large influx of new people I think you underestimate your abilitys. Could not every house in Canada take in and shelter an additional person for each person living there now? Are you not a food exporting nation. If you keep that food at home will it not feed as many at home as it dose where you ship it? I would think that the practical limits would give you a population of over 100 million.
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby Nickel » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 09:06:53

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'I') would think that the practical limits would give you a population of over 100 million.

Well, yes, over time, generations, not all at once. There's a real difference between potential capacity and real capacity. How well would Michael Jordan have done in the NBA when he was 7?

I've seen estimates of about a million Canadians living in the US. If things got bad there and not quite so bad here, I imagine some of them would move back, but I doubt all of them would. Right now, we're taking in around 250,000 newcomers a year. I suppose in an emergency we could accommodate double that. The Toronto Star reported that Stats Can estimated there were 1.4 million people who didn't report themselves in the 2006 census, and if that's the case, then there are roughly 35 million people in Canada -- about the population the US had during the Civil War. Obviously in a situation like that, there are only so many homes, so many jobs, so much tax revenue to go around. We could take in some people, but not many -- certainly not "many" in US terms.
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby oiless » Sat 29 Nov 2008, 13:16:53

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Nickel', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wisconsin_cur', 'D')oes the winter hypothesis also true of California and, for that matter, BC?
Yeah, but how many people do you think we can stuff into the 4 square yards of BC that aren't vertical? California is the plain between the Rockies and the Pacific. British Columbia IS where the Rockies meet the Pacific. Aside from a few open areas around river mouths, there's not a lot of horizontal in that province.

Actually the range along the Pacific is the coastal range, but your premise is correct. Mostly it's pretty steep and inhospitable.
If I had to survive outdoors in BC in the winter I'd rather be further inland anyway. It's a lot colder but it's drier. Here on the coast the winter weather is generally not very warm and very wet.
For instance, right now at my place forty miles east of Vancouver, it is right around 40 degrees F, there is steady rain falling, humidity is 100%. (fog) If one were camping out they would be wet, their bedding would be wet, their tent would be wet, and they would be trying to find something dry to burn.
I used to enjoy tent camping when I lived in the interior of the province, I've even slept out at -50 up north. I don't enjoy tent camping on the coast. I've been colder at times on the coast than I've ever been anywhere else, (coldest temperature I've ever spent extended time in was -64F) because the air is wet and eventually you just can't stay warm, even though the temperature is just above freezing.
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby MOCKBA » Wed 03 Dec 2008, 23:31:41

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', 'S')eriously, if I were Canadian I would say stop bowing down to the US on everything, and get some nationalism going. You've got a big country up there, lots of resources.. Canada should be looking out for Canada.

Most of Canadians have difficulty defining who they are. The best they could do (on a country scale) is to define themselves as "we are not..." or at worst have a beer commercial as nation building symbol. I wonder what "nationalism" is possible within such context?

Add to that quarter mil a year of "lesser stock" (left all to themselves to define what Canadian really means once they cross the border) that despite 20+ years of import cannot stabilize population problem; and even when they decide to stay in Canada (on welfare) past 3 years needed to get the passport, unlike new americans who oath to bear arms in support of the Constitution, they "swear to be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second", it becomes pretty much clear why the country has no indentity and it is impossible get "nationalism going".

The only part of the country that gives a damn about identity is Quebec... heh... and as a result the only Nation officially recognized in Canada is Quebecois.

On a subject of people overpopulating Canada when bad times come... It is ridiculous... the major problem that Canada is facing (in extremely good times that we had over last 20+ years) is depopulation. As it is, with 35 mil, only 100 miles line along the border is populated and 30-35 mil is how many is needed to preserve continuous settlement along the border. When bad times would come and population would plunge bellow 30 mil there won't be continuous settlement along the border even within 100 miles. There would be spots around major hubs and miles and miles (in hundreds) of snow between them. Remains to be seen if the country would be able to maintain itself as a whole in such setup.
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Re: What should Canadians do?

Unread postby Blacksmith » Thu 04 Dec 2008, 12:17:35

Bend over!

Stick you head between your legs!

Kiss your Ass goodbye.
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