Close Reading

It’s sad how many foreign workers are taking all the restaurant, security, engineering and gas station/convenience store jobs. It’s annoying to be at Wendy’s, BK, McDonalds, A&W or a gas bar/convenience store and see a group of friends/foreign workers working behind the desk, then all of a sudden change their work jacket from (for example) Wendy’s to a Skip the Dish sweater and deliver the food they just made. That tells me the system is failing or people are getting paid cash under the table. It’s time for these big companies and the government to step in and stop this. There is multiple examples in my smaller city in a daily basis so I can just imagine how often this happens in bigger cities. Mean while local Canadian born and raised people and their kids can’t get jobs. Stop subsidizing these foreign workers at the very least or donor to all of us. That would put a stop to at least have of it.

Indian’s come to our country for refuge. Now they change our traditions, get away with stuff no one else can. Like who’s behind all the stolen cars being shipped out to India. They come to our country, committing crimes, laughing at our justice system. They have more rights than the aboriginal people who were born here. That’s just sad. There’s gotta be a stop to this.

My dad came to this country in the 80s; I was born here. I had a lovely childhood in the 90s and 2000s. My parents bought a house in suburban Toronto with just a high school education. They sent us to public school, which was perfectly good. I was looking forward to buying my own house, etc. I loved this country. Even back then, people were reticent about being too nationalistic. But I was PROUD to be Canadian even though my parents were not born here. I thought of myself as Canadian, I sang O Canada proudly, I celebrated Remembrance Day in a solemn way even as a child, and I would have died for the country if we had been at war. \n\nWell, not anymore. I don't recognize this country after years of Trudeau. I can never buy a house here, the cost of groceries is burdening me, and the younger people in my family can't even find part time jobs as students. People are increasingly rude, crime has me on edge, it's congested. Freedom of speech, which was taken for granted when I was very young, is dwindling away. Churches have been burnt, Trudeau has incited hatred against people who disagree with him. I'm actually moving to the USA to work there, so that will ease a lot of these issues. (I know it's not perfect down there, but having spent a lot of time there, I can see many things are better). But I'm sad. I'm sad for my family that still lives here. I'm sad that the country I once loved is gone.

I am born and brought up from Bangalore i was so happy for indians moving abroad but now really sad all will come here and destroy bangalore now plz remove immigration open and let these peacefuls enter tho ? they will bring democracy victim card holdings to your country which they learnt from their masters britishers

Sad to say but, probably these Indians have a contingency plan to make Canada as the second India. They're taking advantage of all the possible immigration programs, until they can bring their entire clan here, which is alarming and not anymore acceptable. They exploited the program and the government seems like they are not doing anything about it. We, the locals, are worried about the turnout in the coming years.? I feel bad for the people who were born here, and especially the first Nations.

I was born in this country and very proud to be Canadian but your right the last 9 years this country has bee destroyed by this government. I am sad and disgusted in where we are at.

Go out and vote and we can hope for a chance to get our Canada back, its a long road. born and lived here 56 years, the current state is sad.

My son and I just left Canada. He was born there, and I had been there for 44 years It’s too much to take now in Vancouver/Surrey. It was beautiful in the 80's and mid 90's but everything started to go downhill after that. It's really sad to leave, but that's how the government have treated their citizens.

I'm Canadian born and raised. My grandparents came from England after WW2 for a better life and sadly the Canada that they immigrated to is long dead. \n\nThe lack of opportunity and the insane policies of the federal government has severely decimated the quality of life in Canada. I wanted to start a family and own a home, nothing huge or extravagant, just something to call my own and all of that seemed impossibly out of reach to me. I had a somewhat well-paying job and lived within my means and I could not seem to get ahead. I didn't own a large or new vehicle, rarely ate out and would always try to buy used. Still, I could barely save or invest anything. \n\nNot wanting to live in a place that just wants me to be poor, lonely and unhealthy I pulled the trigger and left for Eastern Europe. I have no regrets and while it has been a difficult and stressful process, it has been well worth it.

I just stumbled across this video. This is my first viewing of one of your videos and it was sad and painful to watch. I was born in Canada to immigrant parents. I grew up on a farm in Alberta. Listening to your memories of growing up resinated with me as that was my experience as well. Fast forward to today, my husband and I left Canada in 2022 and are currently in Mexico. We have thought about a return to Canada but the reports really don't give us hope. We will likely move again someday, but Canada isn't high on that list until something changes. I will look forward to seeing where you have chosen. Thank you for the honesty in this view.

Dear Alina, the YouTube algorithm brought me to this channel and to this video. Your video hurts me. I’m born in Bavaria directly opposite the Americans in one of their barracks. I was allowed to grow up with and almost among them. At school, the children of Western European guest workers, including Turkey. \nWell Canada was always the brother of the States in my eyes. The dream country when the States don't work. Since Trudeau and Covid, unfortunately, a lot has gone off the rails. Oh yes, Germany is not the answer, if that's what anyone thinks. I also wanted to go to Canada for a long time, but that's no longer the case. Happy and yet sad at the same time at the moment. I will leave my home country. too. I already know one thing, it won't be an EU country at the moment. \nAll the best to you, everyone on the other side of the pond. Peace with you. Stay safe and Servus from Bavaria

I was born in Sudbury in 1973 and we moved to Ottawa shortly after. Growing in Ottawa in the 80's were the best years of my life. I obviously didn't know that back then! Nowadays, there's not a week in Ottawa without at least more than one shootings. The houses our parents bought in the 70's for $35000 are worth now more than $600000... I sincerely don't recognise our society anymore. It's almost as if all that we knew back then is gone! I'm really sad for today's teenagers and young adults. I really wish we could go 40 years back!!!

Born and raised in New Brunswick. This makes me incredibly sad. I can't recognize my own country.

Great video Alina and thank you for sharing your well balanced perspective. Born and raised in Canada to immigrant parents who came in 1970. I left in 1992 and came back in 2015 and left again for good in 2020 mainly due to the draconian covid restrictions. It was the best decision I ever made in my life and I have never looked back. From my point of view, Canada is beyond unrecognizable today and the leaders in Ottawa have sold the country and the people down the river along time ago and sadly the real serious Canada is nothing but a memory. I feel sorry for the immigrants who come to Canada and have a romanticized vision of the nation. They have no idea what they have gotten themselves into. I wish you all the best and I have no doubt that you will successfully shape your own path. God bless! ❤️?

I too am thinking of leaving. Sad but our governments have failed the people again and again to the point where it's not worth living here anymore. I was born and raised in Canada but I am taxed to death and it's tougher and tougher to keep the middle class status.

I left Canada in 2021 and came back this week for the first time. I am in complete shock I honestly don’t know how people survive. I bought a TRAVEL SIZE conditioner, soap, eyebrow pencil and toothpaste and the total was $47 at shoppers ??. I went to a restaurant with a friend. we shared a meal and got two kid size meals for her kids and 2 glasses of wines . The total was almost $200. Since I’ve been abroad for a while I wanted to go to the doctors and utilize my work insurance. Impossible! Wait time is 3-4 weeks just for an initial meeting. It would be easier for me to pay out of pocket abroad than use the “free” services Canada ( and my job) offers. I have no children and work in tech and I’m grateful but even working in this field I wouldn’t be able to have a quality life living here. It’s so sad I was born and raised here but I see no future for myself in Canada.

I guess I’ll be having to move to the US if I want any chance of getting housing or work. People who haven’t physically seen the stuff that’s happening here only know the bare minimum. Everything is too expensive, there’s no “Canadian culture” anymore, you can’t get a job, you can’t find a decently priced apartment, rooms for rent (private) are going for 1200$ a month in Toronto (and I’ve seen more expensive). I’m not excited to grow old in the country where I was born as it’s being run straight to the ground. It’s very sad.

Sadly, there is no housing for the people born there, theres long wait lists for surgery and people are dying before being seen, theres a rise in crimes, theres kids being stabbed to death, theres anger every where, in every country for the same reasons.... its time for All our politicians who All need to be Protecting the people of the country and the country itself. ... its not the people coming to work, to have a family and assimilate into the local community and culture..... its the ones who want to cause trouble, who refuse to work and expect to be kept by the tax payers who legally live there... the workers are sick of being over taxed, over worked, while others spit in their eye whilst riding on their back ...

It is honestly making me sad that now immigrants can just live here without any papers. My parents worked hard to be citizens of America before I was born. Democrats are a disgrace. We need to get them out because the government is giving them more benefits than actual citizens.

I have been in this country all my life and have 2 children who was born here and have college degree. Now they can't even find a job for over 4 months. The sad part is I recently got laid off and I can't even find a job and I have a degree in Civil Engineering. It's unfortunate to see what's happening to Canada. ?

Hi Febby, stumbled upon your video and wanted to know your experience in Canada. As someone who was born in Canada and left, I wanted to know about some current sentiment, especially by younger people. I think you had some interesting information. I'm actually sad to hear that crime and homelessness has gotten even worse, especially in places like you mentioned, DTES. One thing I want to share with you about the housing issue. Canada acts like a Federation. Meaning that a lot of decision making is delegated to the provincial and municipal level. Yes, Canada has goals for immigration. That's a super valid goal because every developed country is going through declining birth rates. Canada wants to lessen the damage that will be felt by so many other countries like Italy, Germany, China, Japan, etc. The issue with this federated government is like you said, a disconnect between goals and readiness. However, I really feel this will never be accomplishable because of all the lobbying that occurs at the municipal level that the Federal and even Provincial level government cannot control. Yes, there may be shortages in labour to do development, but even then, I really think that lobbying and corruption is keeping adequate supply from being built. From the homeowners and the perspective of the wealthy property owners, they want to keep the valuation of housing high by keeping supply low. Why else is the municipal government keeping such archaic zoning laws? From what I could find, there has been some talk about changing this (https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-to-table-housing-law-targeting-outdated-zoning-rules-1.6627260) but I struggle to see anything really being done. That's probably because of lobbying. The immigration laws set by the government had too many loopholes and flaws ultimately. I don't think we are getting enough productive immigrants. Actually, the opposite seems to occur a lot. The wealthy from the countries I mentioned are abusing the immigration policies in Canada to transfer and preserve their wealth in Canada. I think it has hid in plain sight for a long time, and people have started talked about it in the last 5-10 years because of the struggles of housing affordability from the middle class. What about the immigrants that really want to start a life in Canada and find opportunities like you said? The housing is too expensive for them to do that. Really chicken and egg problem like you mentioned. And this issue can't readily be fixed with the way Canadian government operates. Look forward to hearing your thoughts. I hope you make an update video in the future.

I was born and raised in the US and have always traveled only to grow up understanding that the US is trash. Yes, I love my guns but I believe that the gun safety is not where it should be. Public transportation and education is sad and severely lacking. I could write a book about the short comings of the US. I hope to get out of here.

Toronto born and raised and a 4th generation Canadian, I loved Toronto so much! As a boy, I was lucky enough to live in a large house at Yonge and St. Clair. Early on we didnt even have to lock the doors or lock up our bikes. We had Beckers corner stores and played tag and baseball down on Summerhill Ave. Fast forward several decades and I have been living in small town USA. By no means is this country even close to perfect but the town I live in is safe, clean and not nearly as populated as Toronto. I am heading back there for a visit and look forward to having my mind blown at the volume of humans that I will see there. I loved the diversity and the amazing food but the housing shortage and ridiculous prices for rent/housing make it next to impossible for even an income earner of my stature want to go back. I cant afford to buy a house there and I make pretty good money. I will love to visit and it is where I am from but I dont see myself moving back there. That makes me sad. Thank you for the video!

As a Canadian who was born here I don’t even recognize my home anymore. Used to be predominantly white Canadians and now its rare to find someone who was actually born here or has long lasting family here. Really sad but no one cares because white people are the enemy now. You see so much white hatred in the media and its only predominantly white countries being forced to have open immigration and borders.

It's not a better life anymore. Sad to say. Ive lived in ontario since i was born and its not great since trudesu got in. Going down hill.

Born and raised in Brampton. In the last 10 years, the entire cultural identity has been lost in Brampton, and there's no way back. Immigration is great, but what it's done to Brampton is nothing but sad. No sense of community. No Canadian identity. Time to move!

With all due respect saying the govt should help them get jobs here doesn't reflect what they do for most who were born here or immigrated otherwise than coming as an international student. It's not a right to stay. I feel bad for those who were sold a lie by the immigration consultants but something needs to be done to fix things as it's so badly broken. We're not promised all of these things that some of the students are thinking they're entitled to now that they're here. Sadly too many feel so entitled nowadays regardless of where they come from

I never saw a real natives of this country. All I see is Europeans and Asians. Where is all indigenous peoples? Can you ask them their feelings too? It's sad to live here with Canadian born kids who have no jobs.

Born and raised in Toronto so sad to see what has happened to the city,

Canada is a corporation and I guess the more immigrants WE have then the GDP looks better. I am a Canadian and my mother was born here and my grandmother came to Canada in 1907 from the USA when she was 7 years old. I was born in the 1940s and brought up in rural surroundings. Back then We had traditional beliefs and I had farming background. Connection of relatives and helping our neighbours were how We lived. I became a schoolteacher. I saw that in 1954 when I went to school that learning was not natural and it was fear based. Then I completed a dip. of ed psy and then I decided that if I ever wanted to help change the system that I would require at least an m. ed. - leadership. I knew the university I went to would not be able to say no to me when I applied to get into this program. However, I was too much of an negative influence on the younger students and had to finish the last couple of classes at home and which I did. Today, the families have been divided, people do not connect or communicate properly and I have to question what living skills did I learn? Instead, my head was filled with propaganda which sadly, I've had to relearn. I say, stay in your own country and fix it there. Indian has some wonder ancient wisdoms for healing and health. The OWNERS of our nations like the banking families realize that when new immigrates come in that they assimilate more, and the older generations begin to question what THEY were taught and why. I remember when say a barn burned down or one had to be built that neighbours would help build the barn for the farmer. Then we would all celebrate and the women would get together and cook the food and we would have a barn dance. Life was simple then, but connection was authentic and we didnt lose ourselves. We must know ourselves and our history or we are lost and so many people live in chaos and ignorance. Learn to become our Divine selves. Learn to understand that WE are living in a fictional world when We are educated to be who we are not.

We all have Pierre Elliot Trudeau to thank 3:34 for his immigration policies on letting in just about every low life from shit hole countries\nWell ya many who came have contributed to the country but a much higher percentage were and have not\nI was born in Canada grew up in low income housing & steadily more and more low quality people were let into this country\nSlack laws and nothin but big money hand outs etc\nThen came the young girls having babies etc who were babies themselves\nCanada is now a third world country \nWhat a sad sad situation we’re in let alone the rest of the world \n1984 is here in 2024

They need to go home…..I was born in PEI and lived here all my life….it is so sad what has happened on our little island…media has people believing that no one here wants to work so we need these immigrants…..that is not true….i know many young people from here that can’t get a job…there are no doctors, apartments are all full, and our cost of living is through the roof…..our premier is so busy filling his pockets and doesn’t give a hoot about us……thank you True North for reporting this

Trudeau is destroying our country… It’s so sad as for political reasons Trudeau decided his only way of increasing GDP growth was by allowing even more new immigrants into Canada. You can see the GDP increase while the GDP per capital decreased…\n\nNo wonder our housing costs are so high, you can’t magically increase housing supply at the rate in which immigration has gone into hyperinflation along with the hyperinflation in housing, food cost, energy costs… Trudeau has been destroying Canada, you can’t keep bringing in skilled new immigrants and not expect the cost of labour to decrease… \n\nCanada has only been holding on because America enjoys outsourcing some highly skilled jobs to Canada, as the cost of our labour is so incredibly cheap, because of our artificially depressed labour costs do to our specific immigration policy… Our immigration policy incentivized those with more education and work experience to be accepted into Canada… Seriousky what your seeing more and more of is rich new immigrants to Canada using us as simply a place to store wealth, launder money, increase Canadian asset prices, then use Canadian citizenship, or Permanent Residency as a springboard into getting into the USA… It’s so sad to watch my country destroy itself through horrible policy, and the complete ambivalence of our elite to the problem…People often forget just how monopolistic major Canadian companies are, and just how corrupt and nepotistic our politics are… Incoukd vent for days about how Trudeau has been destroying Canada… It sucks because for the most part the well educated, polite , and overall just good people who arrive as new immigrants to Canada have been amazing people to meet and make friends with, but I see the stress that everyone is feeling, and the resentments that can fester if not discussed out in the open… I hate to see conflicts between those born in Canada, those who have become new Canadians, and those who just landed here! We need to have some open and honest discussions about the future of Canada, because what Trudeau is doing is making every major issue within Canada worse! I don’t think you could intentionally do more damage than Trudeau already has!

Born and raised in Canada. The rising cost of living is just depressing and I’ve basically given up on starting a family because of it here in Vancouver. I know that in order to move out of my parents house, I’d have to get a full time job, eat instant noodles only, and have at least five roommates in order to continue living here. Minimum wage in BC is $16/hr changing to $17/hr but living wage is at least $26/hr last I checked. It’s so sad because I love it here but it seems just seems impossible to be hopeful .

I was born whilst my father was away risking his life so that we could keep our values and rights of living…..now we appear( the government etc) to be allowing these “ other people “ to tell us what to do and when……sad / sick days ,!!??

This is sad. Born in Canada, left to marry an American but I have always wanted to move back...not now. This is not the same country I left. 20 years ago can make a huge difference.

so sad that customer was born human

Why’s the white population declining in cities like Brampton where immigrant populations are soaring? Go to an immigrant owned business, they don’t hire white people. Go to immigrant owned rentals, they don’t house white people. So why would white Canadians move to a city or area that won’t house or employ them? Even canadian universities are turning down more and more Canadian born students in favour of international students because they pay more. It’s sad to see Canadian born youth being rejected by their own country institutes. You would never see this in India or China or Pakistan.

Except War Refugees most of the so called refugees are mostly rich just flocked to have social benefit. Meanwhile by born Canadians are dying in street. Suffering with loneliness, drug and homelessness. I'm an int'l student. I feel really sad when I encounter with any Canadian homeless person. I try to help as much as possible. Allah(God) bless Canada & Canadians.

As a 29 year old who was born and raised in the gta area of Ontario, it's so sad how true all of this is. As I said, I'm 29, with a wife and 2 kids, and I'm stuck living at home with my parents cause if we can could afford to live anywhere else.

Canadian born citizen here. I am almost done my degree. Once I'm done well I have been saving up for tuition well before starting university so I will pay that in cash and then head out to perhaps the states. I get it that they have the same issues as us but there is definitely room for improvement. You can't progress in Canada like you can in America. The most you will make in Canada is what you are paid for a few years of experience in America. Have several years of experience? You will make double. It's sad to see what it has become but if no decisions are made on the federal level most will have no choice but to go somewhere else.\n\nEdit: I also have family in America that will allow me to stay with them until I get settled as well. It's a no brainer. But probably will be here for a couple of years to save some cash

Thanks for making this video and spreading the truth of what's happening in Toronto. As someone born and raised in this city, I would sadly have to say to stay away from here now. In the past I would have said this is one of the best cities to live in. It was a great city and now it's a dead city.

Born here and sadly spent a few years homeless in Toronto after both of my parents died (orphaned) when I was younger. I remember being told I had to be at least 25 years old to get help from Streets to Homes in Toronto and was homeless at 17 with no living parents (orphaned). It wasn't until the beginning of Covid that I moved away and another city helped me get off the street in 4 months. Have my own wonderful place for the past 3 1/2 years.\n\nSo glad I never gave up, and so glad I never started drugs.

So brutal. I have a 15 year old looking for her first job and all her friends ate too. Guess what.....all those jobs we used to get as we entered the workforce are gone. Every single DQ A&W grocery store McDs etc jobs go to foreigners. So where will all the high school kids work? They are becoming despondent and depressed. It's really sad. For the kids born here and the kids that got told bs there would be plenty of jobs. It's just wrong!!!? I'm highly concerned for the kids. Canada is sliding into a toilet. It also appears that you are at the back of the list if you are born here and God forbid too white. So what is the deal with all these Walmart's etc hiring only foreign people ? It's not to give the kids of Canada a start and a chance. It must have some reason that is going to destroy the country because when a local high school student has to compete with ,300 foreigners for a low paid job this is not going anywhere good. It is extremely distressing. Just resign and incorporate Canada into India or somewhere because it's not Canada anymore.

Born in the 50s and I have watched Canada steadily decline to the point that in 2024 many Canadians are struggling to pay the bills, buy food and have given up any hope of owning a home......it is truly sad how far our country has deteriorated.

I Love when Canadians and American are calling other people immigrants when they themselves are the also the immigrants. These lands were indigenous lands that where stolen from them, they even built schools over top of their bodies, yet they say this is their land. From an Arab / Canadian born and raised here this is truly sad. This country is literally built with all kinds of different nationalities and would be nothing without them all! These comments are truly sad. Wishing you the best on your journey and future endeavors!

Last December, I spent THREE DAYS in the Emergency dept waiting for a bed and to be admitted. My ailment? I was suffering from bacterial pneumonia. They bungled my medication as well. Canada's healthcare system is a joke. I was born in Canada and have watched the deterioration of our once once-vaunted OHIP system fall apart through mismanagement. Sad state of affairs indeed. That's just the tip of the Iceberg. How our nation treats veterans who have served our country and those with debilitating disabilities is atrocious.

It is really sad. It all comes down to the money. Like any other social issue, follow the money trail, and you'll come to the conclusion greed. I lived in india and was born and raised here. As,I told my friends in india.stay at home, unless you have lots of money to do so. Keep your culture and love your home.

I'm only halfway through but feel I need to comment and well I'm not exactly a new Canadian. But I was born the but grew up in New Zealand. And well why not . I moved over there in 2014 with full rights as a citizen. My trade wasn't recognised. Canada has its own rules about everything. You need to have training to pour drinks in a bar wtf.! But yea I came wanting a better life and well thankfully I wound up in Calgary so eventually I had the money to leave. And come home where know having seen the Canadian shit show I'm killing it here. It saddens me and yes I was that asshole that got trudeau on there cos I seen one rousing speech where he invoked his dad Pierre. And I fell for it. And not to lie I look old Canadian so I fit right in English is my first language and all that. And funnily enough it was the first time in my life where I could say fucking immigrants. It's a brutal place a brutal work climate and well there's a lot that's nice but when it's bad it's dog ear dog. I feel really sad about what's happening, all the mass illegal immigration and yet your a criminal for noticing it. A lot is very wrong, don't get me wrong nz is doing all the same shit too. I went to Canada for prosperity and to change my life lesson I learnt was go home ans do better and that's fucked.

I'm 75, was born in Toronto, lived in Vancouver, New York City, but moved back to Toronto in 1985. Toronto was/ is a great city from May to late October. Today the developers own the politicians. Toronto, is now all terrible condos, ugly steel with glass walls. So sad what has happened to my Toronto, the Toronto I used to know.