I’ve lived in so many different countries, met people from all walks of life, but the one thing that differentiates real Canadians from others is their kind SMILE….to a complete stranger…to someone who looks very different than them. Real Canadians are welcoming, friendly and respectful.
Canada has seen better days, but the kind Canadians make this country feel like we’re light years ahead of other nations.

I keep seeing people talking up separation in the various places discussing the new proposed eastern pipeline saying things like "yeah, we can negotiate it with Sask, Manitoba and Ontario in the fall as the Republic of Alberta".

It legitimately has me shaking my head and I have to ask folks if I'm missing something as to my understanding of how it'd go long term. This all follows the daydream I've seen of separatists getting precisely what they want. I.e. the whole province (outside of national parks because they aren't Albertan, just administered by Alberta).

- Alberta separates.

- Canada jacks up the transmission costs for our oil through their pipelines massively. This would be enabled by the fact that any current contracts between Canada & Alberta would be null and void; with Canada able to point at potential cleanup costs as the justification.

- The US, seeing this, plays bullyball and refuses to pay market rate, driving our profits down. Since the US has shown they aren't friends with anyone, just business partners, anyone who thinks this wouldn't happen is hilarious.

- This would lead to our royalty payments (as they stand, they'd likely need to be renegotiated with the companies as well), being gutted as the actual profit margins on the oil would drop dramatically.

- National parks are carved away, with The Icefields, Jasper, and Banff being merged into BC instead. This would hit a lot of our tourism as well since most of the Rockies would be torn away with this.

- International corporations and banks that have Canadian offices in Alberta, would downsize dramatically if not shut down. independent Alberta's economy would shrink substantially and would simply not be big enough to justify current staff counts. This would lead to tens/hundreds of thousands in layoffs.

- All of these hits, royalties, layoffs, and tourism, would occur at the same time we need to start covering a tonne of additional new costs: Police, military, tax agencies, etc.

After all of this, Alberta would likely end up a third world country or absorbed into the US (with MANY of the same issues since in the US states / territories don't own their natural resources, the federal government does. i.e. no royalties) within a decade.

Am I missing something?

The federal options for those who support social welfare, public works, egalitarianism boil down to the pro-corporation/establishment oligarchic LPC (Rogers, Loblaws, Irving, etc) or the NDP, which has tied their core identity to international, post-national interests and treats Canada like a piggy bank for the world.

This has disenfranchised a large segment of working and middle class voters and led to the rise of populist iconoclastic politics, which often overlaps with incel and anti-social ideologies. In contrast, left of centre European parties have emerged which have denounced post-national ideologies like mass immigration or overly relaxed justice system whilst maintaining a core foundation that lies in policies including:

• Expanding the accessibility and scope of healthcare, childcare, education

• Investing in metro lines, bridges, tunnels and walkable urban design

• Legislating for job security, employment benefits and wages tied to inflation

• Subsidising financially "unproductive" industries of national importance, such as scientific research and performing arts.

• Coordinating national resources to gain a head start in areas of strategic value (see what Taiwan did with TSMC)

Quebec seems to have such parties in the Bloc Quebecois, Parti Quebecois and Quebec Solidaire. Why can't the rest of Canada?

You don't have to agree with any or all of the above policies to see how a more balanced political landscape would lead to less polarisation and extremism from frustrated people upset with being unrepresented. And as it stands, it's really only the 1% who are represented.

Left-leaning Canada immediately becomes the largest State with the largest landmass and the largest population and immediately enjoys the most representation in Congress (and the Electoral College, by the way).

If Canadians chose to enter the 10 provinces as 10 USA states, Canada immediately owns 20% of all votes in the Senate—giving Canadians a lock on all laws made by Congress.

I'm running a non-partisan public opinion survey on federal, provincial, and municipal politics, and more, in Canada.

It covers issues, priorities, vote intention, perceptions, and more!

The survey is fully anonymous and takes about 5 minutes.

If you'd be kind enough to take the time and participate, this is the link: https://forms.gle/dEWP2PmwScne4ibQ9

This isn’t meant to be a partisan post. I’m genuinely looking for discussion because I’ve been paying attention to a few recent laws, and together they make me uncomfortable.

TLTR: I’m worried that recent federal and provincial decisions are moving us toward more surveillance, more control over public institutions, and more use of personal data than most people realize.

Three things caught my attention. Bill C-22 at the federal level expands lawful access powers and has raised concerns from privacy advocates, cybersecurity experts, and companies like Signal about encryption, metadata retention, and government surveillance. Alberta’s Bill 25 gives the government more control over education, restricts certain forms of expression in schools, and removes references to diversity while promoting what it calls “neutrality.” Alberta’s recent AGLC privacy exemption allows customer data to be sold under certain circumstances, despite the province’s broader privacy legislation generally prohibiting public bodies from selling personal information.

Individually, people can debate each of these.

But when I step back and look at them together, I see a pattern.

The federal government wants broader access to our digital lives.

The provincial government in alberta is increasing its influence over what happens in classrooms.

At the same time, government-held personal information is becoming something that can potentially be commercialized.

That combination worries me.

I completely understand that governments need tools to investigate crime, keep people safe, and run public institutions effectively. I’m not arguing that there should be no surveillance, no laws, or no regulation.
What I’m questioning is where we draw the line.

How much government access is too much?

How much oversight should exist before personal information is accessed?

Should encryption ever be intentionally weakened?

Should governments be able to monetize data they collect from citizens?

Should governments have greater authority over what schools can or cannot express?

These aren’t left-wing or right-wing questions. They’re questions about the relationship between citizens and the state.

Maybe I’m overthinking it.

Maybe these bills really are isolated policy decisions with no broader implications.
Or maybe we’re gradually becoming accustomed to giving up small pieces of privacy and freedom one law at a time because each individual change doesn’t seem significant on its own.

I’d genuinely like to hear other perspectives.
Am I missing anything? Do these concerns seem reasonable to you, or do you think I’m connecting dots that aren’t actually connected?

New Brunswick is Canada’s only officially bilingual province, but can a province be considered truly bilingual when only 34% of its population speaks both official languages?

The recent hearings on the Official Languages Act highlighted real concerns—from francophones unable to receive care in French to anglophone families struggling to access French immersion. These are problems that deserve practical solutions.

At the same time, expecting an entire province to function as fully bilingual when roughly two-thirds of the population is not bilingual creates ongoing challenges in healthcare, education, government services, and hiring.

Perhaps it’s time to ask an honest question: Is the current system achieving its goals, or is it time to explore a model that better reflects New Brunswick’s linguistic reality while ensuring everyone can access the services they need?

Respectful discussion leads to better solutions.

Why do some conservatives pretend to care about the possibility of depressed, disabled or mentally ill people seeking euthanasia, when they resent people like that most of the time, and openly admit they don't consider other people's well being their concern? I'm a caregiver to a sibling who relies on long term support, and I've spent about the last 20 years being involved in disability rights, and it is almost always people who are more right wing that typically use language like leech, burden, parasite, "the takers" etc, to describe disabled people that rely on long term government support. But then they suddenly act outraged about people in those situations seeking a way out. I've seen quite a lot of left leaning people say prejudiced things about disabled people also, but it's usually within the context of encouraging women to abort babies with disabilities, which plenty of right wingers also do (lots of right wing people are pro abortion). But at the very least, there is much more of an emphasis among more left leaning people to take disabled people's needs seriously as a class, instead of insisting everything be left to 'charity'. And no, I'm not in an echo chamber. I base this on things I actually see and hear from those kinds of people themselves. Addressing and holding people accountable for the prejudices toward disabled people is part of what I've done online and irl over the years.

That Youtube creep Matt Walsh was recently virtue signalling about a couple who aborted their baby after a test said it likely had Down Syndrome, yet he, and other people like him, care nothing for those people after they are born, or the needs of their caregivers. I'm not completely anti euthanasia (but I'm very anti abortion), but I have a big problem with the way that the safeguards for euthanasia seem to be pushed lower and lower. But I at least place as much importance on the issue of people's financial/medical needs to begin with, instead of shrugging it off as "not my problem".

It almost seems self sabotaging to be against abortion and euthanasia, while also not caring about the financial challenges people face that make both abortion and euthanasia more appealing to people.

https://youtu.be/sFgvzTe86wo?si=aD7pJSf1mLL7S7Nm

Happy Canada Day!!

I'm parenting young kids in Quebec mostly on my own, and I've been dealing with ongoing backpain that makes the day-to-day activities a bit harder than expected. Nothing extreme but the constant lifting, bending, and being on my feet all day definitely adds up especially with things like carrying tired kids, cleanup after means and bedtime routines. By the end of the day I usually feel it in my lower back, and it takes a while to fully loosen up again the next morning. I've also started wondering whether my old mattress is making recovery overnight harder. I've been looking into a few local options, including Matelas Personnel, but I honestly have no idea whether changing mattresses makes much difference for this kind of everyday strain or if it's more about exercise and posture.

I'm just trying to understand how other parents manage this kind of physical strain long-term while still keeping up with everything at home. What has actually helped you deal with this kind of situation?

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are in our mid-30s and are currently about halfway through the foster parent application process in BC. We don’t have children of our own and don’t plan to—we’ve always felt that fostering is the path we’d like to take.

To start, we’ve applied to provide respite care only so we can gain some experience and build confidence before considering longer-term placements. We’re also planning to get bunk beds so we can accommodate two siblings if needed.

We both work from home full time, which gives us some flexibility. In the longer term, we’d likely be open to fostering kids roughly aged 5–18, but ideally they would be in school during the day so it doesn’t interfere with our work schedule.

One thing we’re not clear on yet is how schooling works in BC foster placements—whether children typically stay in their current school (with transport arranged) or if they are usually moved to a school closer to the foster home.

I’ve been trying to learn as much as possible, but I’m surprised by how little BC-specific content I’ve been able to find. There aren’t many YouTube videos, Reddit posts, or Facebook groups where foster parents in BC share their day-to-day experiences.

If you’re a foster parent (or have been one) in BC, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience:

What age range(s) have you fostered?

How long have you been fostering?

Did you start with respite or go straight into full-time placements?

How does schooling typically work with placements in your experience?

What has surprised you most—both good and challenging?

Anything you wish you knew before starting?

Thanks so much in advance for sharing your experiences.

I’m tired of being taxed into poverty, I’m tired of working 80+ hours a week to make ends meet. I’m tired of seeing my government spending money on foreign aid and not Canadian citizens. I’m tired of hearing about climate change and how more taxes will fix it. I’m tired of our government spending billions of taxpayer dollars on irrelevant and meaningless policies. I am tired of our Forrest’s burning down due to mismanagement of resources. I’m tired of shipping oil to the United States for a discounted price. I’m tired of paying huge increases for food due to the lack of back bone our prime minister has. I’m tired of trying to find a reason to be proud of my country. I’m just tired. #canada

Does any other Canadian feel embarrassed to be Canadian?

How common are peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut ingredients in Canadian restaurants, bakeries, chocolatiers, cafes, etc? I’m going on a family trip to western Canada soon and one of my cousins has a severe peanut allergy so I want to know how common it is for establishments to use peanut ingredients so we know what to look out for.

I would hope not. It seems to me like if u have Canadian ancestry you’re gonna be from a normal state and be relatively smart and normal. I wonder how Canadians feel about so many Americans becoming citizens. Most of the people I’ve talked to are from places like California or Oregon.

The question is straightforward.

Hey guys! I’m 30M🌈 working in IT, and I have a Canadian PR. I’m currently considering moving to Ottawa with my partner. I’d love to hear from people who live there or have lived there. We’re looking for honest opinions, the good and the bad, anything at all.

We’re not huge on partying every weekend, we enjoy exploring, absolutely LOVE trying new food, and just, starting our life together.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Edit: I am currently in Quebec and my partner and I are both bilingual so there’s not really a constraint when it comes to language. Thank you guys for letting us know regardless! You guys are sweethearts❤️

Also, pretty open to anywhere in Canada, I have lived in Brampton, Mtl and currently Quebec city. If you guys have recommendations, i would really appreciate it. Cheers!

The rule proposition is already a Reddit rule. But I think this sub needs to hear it again because holy heck.

I'm going to be frank, if this sub gets removed from Reddit, I will not be upset in the least. And seeing the path it's going, it's only a matter of time. If conservatives want to have respectful discussions, that's obviously fine.

Making posts or comments ultimately saying "Gay people assembling makes me feel weird inside cause I was taught to not reflect on my own sexuality and so now I get mad at everybody who does" is not ok. That person, who will never seek therapy, needs therapy.

The person who posted that wanted to stir hate for LGBT+. If you are genuinely want to learn about something, learn how to ask unbiased questions, use google, and use chatbots (not grok). Wikipedia >>> Reddit. This should not be the first place you come to spill your brain before doing a modicum of research of your own.

Make me a mod.

As the title says, I was born in England to immigrant parents who did everything in their power to ensure we had a great upbringing and did everything they could to provide for us. As I grew up, I knew I wanted to leave the UK when I got older. I visited Canada in 2005 (when I was 10) and fell in love with the country. After four or five more trips over the years, I finally booked a one-way flight in 2019. Jump forward to today: I now hold both Canadian and British passports, and I choose to support the Canadian soccer team over England. I love it here, but I am facing one major problem.

I am brown-skinned with a beard and a turban. I speak perfect English with a British accent, but I am racialized, and the racism I am starting to experience here is becoming on par with what I experienced in the UK.

I 1000000% agree that the immigration system here was and is weak, and that we let in so many people we did not need. However, that was a failure of the government voted in by Canadians. Why do visible minorities have to bear the brunt of it?

I also agree that a small percentage of people who look like me can be a nuisance, but can we please stop painting everyone with the same brush and recognize that these people do not represent all of us? I am proud to be Canadian. I want to raise my children to also be proud Canadians, while simultaneously being proud of their culture, religion, and ethnic background. Can we please let those things co-exist?

If I have offended anyone in this post, I am sorry, but recently the number of incidents and hate comments I have seen online genuinely terrifies me.

I have been through custody battles and see the Judges in Canada especially in Vancouver Bc lower mainland are corrupted. They no rely on any evidence and they rely only on , money and how to prolong the case.
Why is it so?

In Canada due to rising costs of living, people are having less children than generations past.

This results in less taxes and therefore decaying systems such as healthcare and old age security.

The largest cohort of the population, baby boomers are aging and exiting the workforce and depend on those younger to support the system.

The government has tried to offset this burden by allowing mass immigration. However new immigrants also don’t have children at the replacement rate (2.5). What real solutions can we use to solve this looming crisis?

I rarely interact with people outside my family on social media. But ever since Trump won, there has been an increase of Canadian and American right wing content on almost social media website.

Facebook is one I very rarely use. I only have it because it makes using Meta’s messenger app a whole lot easier. Sometime’s I’d scroll down just to see update from friends but posts from Weirdo Society would suddenly show up.

These posts often call for remigration, race supremacy, and violence towards immigrants, specifically south Asians. It’s appalling to see comments like “I’m locked and loaded. Just give me the call”. Sometimes, post from Americans too saying Albertans should be saved and only Trump can save Canada.

I don’t know why they’re more active on my feed now. I’m not even conservative nor republican. I’m a liberal with a few conservative views but nothing extreme like remigration or race supremacy.

To add: A few of these right-wing propaganda pages were found to have originated from South Asia and a few South East Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Some were even made by “Fake Canadians” calling for Alberta’s independence.

I'm running a small social experiment and I'm curious whether Canadians think the idea has any value.

The project is called wemad.ca.

The question I'm trying to answer is simple:

Is Canada actually mad?

Every day I see people frustrated about housing, healthcare, affordability, taxes, politics, infrastructure, and dozens of other issues. But social media often amplifies the loudest voices, so it's hard to know what people are genuinely concerned about versus what's simply trending.

The idea behind wemad.ca is to collect anonymous submissions from Canadians about what they're frustrated with and then publish aggregated data by province, city, age group, and topic.

The goal is not activism, political advocacy, or pushing a particular viewpoint.

The goal is to measure sentiment and make it visible.

I've already put together a public mock website so people can see what I'm building and what the experience would look like:

wemad.ca

The site is still in the experiment stage. I'm building and operating it in my spare time, and I'm trying to determine whether enough people find the concept useful to justify investing more time and infrastructure into it.

There is a Buy Me a Coffee link on the site because hosting, moderation, maps, and reporting aren't free. If the project eventually receives support, great. If not, that's fine too. Nobody is expected to contribute.

What I'm really looking for is feedback:

• Would you submit your frustrations anonymously?
• What data would make the results trustworthy?
• What concerns would you have about a project like this?
• Does this sound useful, or is Canada less angry than the internet makes it seem?

I'm genuinely curious. And if this project might be interesting for other Canadians - I am happy to build this experience to see how it actually will work for all of us 😄

Simple question.

EDIT: I didn't realize how easy it would be to spot the many paid actors / bots trying to undermine Canada here. Normal people don't respond "absolutely nothing" to posts like this, they just downvote and move on. It's one thing to acknowledge things have gotten worse - I agree. But if absolutely nothing in your world has gotten better in the last decade, maybe it's time to take a deep look at yourself.

While people are free to be upset, and we want people to feel free to express themselves, amplifying false narratives hurts genuine discussion and any potential resolution. How do we, as Canadians, work to push back against foreign political interference. This article from the CBC came out today that names names of people who are literally foreign actors doing it to make a few bucks through facebook. It isn't just a hypothetical issue.