Jennifer McCartney - 25 Jun

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First Edition: June 2019

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Print book cover and interior design by Susan Van Horn. Map art on pages x and xi credit: Denys/Getty Images Plus Plaid pattern: Getty Images Plus Knit pattern credit: olgagriga/Getty Images Plus

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018964334

ISBNs: 978-0-7624-9507-8 (paperback), 978-0-7624-9506-1 (ebook)

E3-20190518-JV-NF-ORI

FOR MY PARENTS, TERRY AND REBECCA, WHO CHOSE CANADA AS THEIR HOME.

WHATS YOUR CANADA FANTASY? Living life as an artist in an eco-cabin on Salt Spring Island? As a hotshot financier with a condo on the fifty-third floor of a posh building overlooking the Toronto skyline? As a quiet farmer in the rural Quebec countryside who supplies produce to all the hottest restaurants in Montreal? Or perhaps your fantasy involves a lumberjack. Or just free health care. Whatever your taste, it makes perfect sense to daydream about picking up and reinventing yourself in a country thats not only welcoming to newcomers but also affordable, safe, and, well, right next door.

Sometimes were inspired to make a change after noteworthy events in our lives, such as a marriage or divorce, a death in the family, or a new job opportunity. Sometimes these noteworthy events that inspire us are more global in scale. Hours after the 2016 presidential election results were announced, for example, the Canadian immigration website crashed. Americans who supported the losing candidate wanted to know how to move to Canadaand fast. Even before that, searches for How can I move to Canada shot up 350 percent after the then-presidential nominee clinched the Republican nomination. And why not? Its nearby. Its a great place to live. The health care is famously free, the crime rate is low, and the quality of lifeand the life expectancyis high. In fact, three out of the top ten best cities to live in the world are in Canada, according to the 2017 Global Livability Report.

although thats a great start.

Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder.

John F. Kennedy, address to the Canadian Parliament, 1961

There are a lot of stereotypes about Canadamany of them well earned. Theres tons of space, and its all kept pretty clean. The government is mostly honest and well meaning. The people are mostly laid back and well educated. Its a multicultural wonderland where everyone is welcome. Right? Aside from the health care and gun stuff, its basically just like the United States in every other respect isnt it? Well, not quite.

From our love of bunny hugs and chesterfields to our embrace of big government, strong rye, and curling, there are a ton of subtle and not-so-subtle cultural differences newcomers to Canada will discover. Not to mention our uniquely Canadian historymoose on the loose in Tim Hortons, socialists on strike in Winnipeg, and crack-smoking mayors in Toronto. So you want to move to Canada? Buckle up! Youve got a lot to learn. (And a lot of paperwork to fill outwere a very bureaucratic country.)

Whether youre an armchair traveler, youve fallen in love with a Canadian, or youre simply fed up and ready for a real change, youll enjoy this handy guide on what to expect. Written by a Canuck with dual American-Canadian citizenship, this is an authoritative and step-by-step practical guide on how to move to the best country in the world.

Argos suck.

How Many Provinces Are There?
Whats a Province?
And Whats the Deal with the Queen?

The more I see of the country, the less I feel I know about it. There is a saying that after five years in the north every man is an expert; after ten years, a novice.

Pierre Berton, author