Canada: A land of dreams or a site of scams for international students?

Probably. For sure BC has a health care issue that is pretty depressing, has been for a few decades :frowning:

Was there last summer, when we likely brought over Covid as well. Passed it onto my mom, who believes in the Canadian efficiencies/health care, and pays lots of taxes. The hospital in the town on Vancouver Island gave her a queue number in the double digits. She basically said fuck this, got in her Cadillac SUV and drove home. Yet they still like to talk about its merits. I keep quiet.

All for a good public system but France and most of Europe—they allow private options. The Canada Health Act makes them illegal in Canada. Where there are private options in secondary care such as dentistry or optometry, the country does them very well!

1 Like

Agree full on, minus the grocery getter that is :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

However have had numerous family members (mostly elderly) keep having massive wait times for actual serious problems that need actual sollutions that are available elsewhere. Having a fucked knee and not being able to work nor drive somewhere far away to get it looked at for 4 months is a bit beyond a system retarded. Eye surgery to be able to.see etc, months. this creates addition.al risks of accident which tax the system that much more. preaching to the choir perhaps. it’s been the same problem since I was a kid :frowning: the family members and friends that visit me here I suggest just paying out of pocket for non surgical type health care while they are here. Double digit wait times, but often with sollutions within a week.

I am all for the idea of Canada not doing the private thing that much, but they need a good system.in place in order take such services away from the public. This, they have not seem to be able to do :frowning:

Why not? The UK, France, Australia etc. all have strong public systems and private options available too. Not allowing it, puts Canada in the same league as North Korea and Cuba where it is illegal to have private options for core services. Not good company to be in. For peripheral services, such as optometry or dentistry, Canada really does well with private sector tinkering and towers over Western counterparts. It has taken me a few years in Europe to find a dentist equivalent to the quality I get on Vancouver Island.

Doctors themselves in Canada set themselves up billing wise as private entities in service of the state, so why not tinker with core services in actual offerings while still protecting the public system?

It’s like liquor. People think Europe is Old Europe and socialist. Yet, in most countries outside Scandinavia in Europe, rows and rows of hard booze in supermarkets. Such a pleasure to pick up Whisky in the UK while shopping or good Bordeaux wine/pastis while in Southern France where my family lives.

North America is often a really weird mix of state control and puritanism. In most Canadian provinces, you can only buy limited varieties of local wine (quite protectionist really and emphasizing Buy Local), and no hard stuff at supermarkets. Surprised California/NAPA conglomerates have not challenged through NAFTA. It is nanny state oversight–a hangover from the Great Depression and Prohibition but still on the god-damn books. Has to be in separate stores.

In Saskatchewan, you cannot serve alcohol at strippers (I am not making this up). Surprised Hustler or some other rich porn empire never highlighted this fact and sued 'em trade wise through NAFTA Chapter 11 or local agreements. If I were a multinational adult entertainment entity, I would be suing the fuck out (well at least opening a trade dispute against) of Saskatchewan!!! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:Who put it in? That promoter of Eugenics–socialist Tommy Douglas. In Saskatchewan, booze and strippers don’t mix (yahoo.com)

Am pretty sure the current right wing government in SK would change it if it were sufficiently challenged.

Try going to Manitoba. There are security guards in a booth at the entrance of every liquor Mart. There is a Sally port that they have to buzz you in to, then you slide your id under the glass. They then scan your ID, after which they buzz you into the store. No ID (even if you are 85!!), no entry. Hard to believe this is real, but I am not making this up.

I believe it–and they probably justify it that they’re protecting minority demographics and the social ills caused by booze. I just wish some people with deep pockets would raise a dispute on the protectionism, paternalism, and puritanism, which is a barrier to trade.

It was triggered by a very violent robbery done by youths where one of the employees, who was 100% cooperating, was seriously injured.

1 Like

You quoted only the first part of my point and totally missed the key point of my post :wink:

many places have armed security, but usually they have scale. when the low volume mom n pops start having guys with guns at the entrance, it’s time to rethink how things are being done.

That level of absurdity sounds like thesteroetypes we grew up laughing about in the states. my family doesnt get the irony when they themselves do things now that they used to laugh at and shrug off as “american” not 20 years ago. if only they looked at it from the 3red person :joy:

1 Like

Could always drive over to the US. They’d happily take her in within an hour or two at any hospital. And then they’d happily charge her far more than her car and house are worth for a minor emergency like “it looks like your breathing troubles are actually just acid reflux, not a pulmonary embolism like your GP suggested”

They had a property in Hawaii for decades and are well acquainted with the US system. They found the Canadian system superior–at least pre-Covid. Then again, that’s Hawaii, which is very different than the mainland US, where health services are better.

And they do defend the Canadian system vs my much more skepticism. They were just disappointed with such waiting in emergency waiting rooms.

Ah, you must work for the government!

My point was merely that Canada needs to innovate in core services for health and that it is also highly protectionist on booze.

“Innovate.” “Enhance.”

How about deliving proper public services?

Guy

I suppose doing almost anything to get staff in doors would be an improvement. Other than spending loads of cash and providing worse service, of course. they are good at that.

Another family member is moving to a bigger city now, because no doctors. her GP retired and nothing is available :frowning:
this one to Vancouver, hopefully there can get some health care.

Schools in North America (Mex, Canada, USA, CR) will go broke as they need more students too, like this case. See ads in Taiwan, Japan for many uni’s like a business
Financially struggling university West Virginia closes down, leaving students scrambling (msn.com)

universities are businesses. Some places may try to play a pretty song about otherwise, but they are for profit, even if that means public money as well. It is how many good things have turned into, like many religions. what people are told is a good cause but in reality is simply a business for money and power.

I respect countries that offer free education and are not hell bent on indoctrination.

I think most Canadian colleges and universities are not worried about going broke, but yeah they need international students for that reason. Compared to Taiwan, or even the US, Cansda is very attractive to international students for lots of reasons

Definitely it is a business, and Australia as well, there is competition for these international students who pay DOUBLE what local students pay in Canada. But this has been the case for a long time

Occasionally schools will fail and close, but nothing like what is happening and will get worse soon in Taiwan

France and Norway are free or almost free.

Germany is also almost free if not free, at least for degree programs in German. Also they do not discriminate between local/out of state/international in terms of tuition. All students pay the same regardless of citizenship. This may be an EU directive. I find that the EU generally have more inclusive/less discriminatory rules when it comes to most things.

The only downside is that you must be fluent or better in the language of the nation you wish to study in, because the free or almost free degree programs is going to be in their local language, and not English (I’m sure exceptions exist).

Unfortunately none of the English speaking countries have English degree programs that are free/almost free. UK is not EU anymore, and even before Brexit their degree programs were expensive as hell.

So if English is the only language you can study in, your options for free university is very limited.