mikedavid00

Now why are you incapable of applying this same logic towards immigration effects on healthcare insurance? Ah yes, a personal, emotional bias on the subject.

True...my own US company has such a development house set up in Montreal....we call it "near shore" instead of "off shore". Do you find dealing with your Canadian offices to be an increasing poor experience? It's ok to say yes. In the last few years I really think the American's have realized the type of country Canada has become. American's no know that Canadians are not a country of beavers and people that say 'eh'. My brother worked for GE on a contract for some company in the US supporting blackberry and email devices. They lost the contract because the quality of support was so poor. They even had to travel down here twice to find out why they couldn't handle the basic task of doing their job. At Microsoft our whole contract got axed for the same reason. A person 6 people down from Bill Gates sat with me alone in an office and said 'in the beginning you guys were great, what happened to your team'. I told him the story and 2 months later the team was cut. 8 Canadians laid off. Oh yeah silly me. Only 2 of us were actually Canadians. Really, really poor quality coming out of the GTA IMO. How is your Montreal office?

BS. New grads start at 40K. See http://salarywizard.monster.ca if you don't believe me. Not only do I disagree with new grads makign 40k, I'm suggesting that a new grad SIMPLY CANNOT GET an entery level development job to begin with. This is the crisis that we're in.

I'm sure there are other engineering and research companies that can be attracted over the next years by promoting Canadian immigration's unlimited skills category. These are precisely the type of jobs we need to attract. Lol you're out of your mind. Firstly, I used to work for Microsoft here in Mississauga. The problem with Microsoft is that their head office in the middle of no where in Washington. There is nothing to do there. Ok. suppose someone asks you to move to North Bay Ontario to work. Would you do it? Probably not. The US has lots of jobs yes. But what people don't like to talk about is that there is a catch to these jobs - you have to relocate. Go to the Bay area or Manhattan and you will people from all over the US trying to land these jobs so they can live in their dream cities. We had an opening for our lead team in Issaquah washington. None of our team members applied becuase our lives were here and no one wanted to move to Issaquah. You are in the middle of a forest out there and there is nothing to do. They put up condo's with nothing but Microsoft employees. Goto a resturaunt and you will find over half of everyone there a microsoft employee. It's a weird place and it's not cut out for most people. People usually have to travel up to Vancover to get a taste of shopping and city life. So what happened is Microsoft had to hire someone from the India team and fill that position. The job was posted in the US for 2 months before they finally chose a bidder from India. Now his dreams are coming true. What MS wants to do is bring people in more easily than the current rules allow. And the Vancouver office is a joke that's going to be hiring 200 people. Wow! that's goign to solve our problems! And the people microsoft brings in ARE the best. They are not losers filling out applications with paper degree's claiming their software developers. They have a lot from China. Their English is always exceptional and these people are very gifted. A stark contrast from what there is here in Canada.

Do you have any scientific evidence that people high on pot are never too impaired to drive a car? Yes. I heard on the radio once when Harped decided to fund breathalizers for pot intoxication that stoned driving related deaths are about the same likeliness as alchohol related deaths. I immagine there are more net deaths with alcolhol seing as far many more more people drink. Also, on side note, -I used p ot for about a month or so and developed bad insomnia. At this time I never even drank. -I've lived completely sober taking about a year or two between maybe having 1 drink. -And of course I've drank. I've had the best and worst of all and remember them vividly. The best of my abilities were reached through being completely sober. I'm not saying that to make any kind of statement, that's just the truth. I look back at some of the things I accomplished when I was young and sober and think 'did I do that?' Now I drink and get tipsy.. and post on this forum. I'm not at my potential I know. But I have to say that I really enjoy coming back from work and having some drinks and watching TV. Things become more entertaining and I enjoy my night much more. Being sober causes me to read all night and stay up late and stress over work. Wee d is just a waste of life and money IMO. It makes you feel very slow and retarded the next day and really holds back your potential. And it's not fun if you do it every day. It just becomes a habit. Drinks make you gain wait, hold water, and kill your sex drive. It can also make you feel slow the next day and it gives you the feeling of poor health. Oh yes it also causes you to over eat which is a major problem. But the drinking buzz is the best of them all hands down. Because no matter how drunk I am, I'm still sober as crazy as it sounds. But I don't get drunk anymore cause I'm not young. Now I'm just tipsy. Other drugs just simply impair you to the point you are retarted which isn't fun. I think mj is way, way over rated.

If he's so lucky, why don't you move to the U.S.? No sarcasm. Really, move to the U.S. Because their immigration policy does not allow anyone who just 'wants to come live there'.

Lucky you. (no sarcarsm. He really is lucky)

This in not totally true..the longest living American demographic group is Asian females. Researchers at Harvard University's Initiative for Global Health and its School of Public Health divided the US into eight "Americas" based on factors including race, location, population density, income and homicide rates http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/0002418/42/ Thank you for the post and the cite. Just as I guessed. People of the 3rd world traditionally have better diets, then come here, then enjoy our cholestoral lowering medications, bypasses and such which most likely cuased them to live longer. Oh yes, they usual get this for free since they have not paid taxes. You can't convince me that these Asian elderly were born and raised in the US. Please don't insult our intelligence. People who are poor (ie man blacks in the US) have higher drug use and may experience more still births I assume. This *drasticly* lowers the average life expectancy. Let's take still birth and immigrants of the picture and THEN measure life expectancy. I have a hunch the numbers will come out a bit different.

I'll still say it's the saturating of our own labor market via non-logical immigration where almost 10% of the country of Jamaica is living in Canada. There's software development jobs in Canada paying $9 an hour and requires education. I challenge you to find these scum wages in the US. Ah yes you can't. Because they don't purposely saturate their own labor market. (yes i know. the key word was 'purposely') And yes Global Warming nonsense certainly doens't help.

Well put. When a country no longer has a vibrant middle-class, how can it have a bright future? I agree. And how letting in 300,000 people into Canada a year helps the situation? I don't know. Oh.. maybe it *is* the excess labor that is creating this situation unlike in the US where it doesn't exist.

Lol.. Those statements were laughable. Just about every person I ever worked with has used EI but that's because I'm in IT and now 85% of IT jobs in Toronto are contract (heard on radio) so there's never security. Now the *rare* people in Canada who take up a PROFESSION ie: Teacher, Nurse, ACCOUNTANT (you) will never have problems finding employment. Everyone else is just struggling to get buy and keep their jobs. This includes me. Yes, now that I'm older, I realize that I should have been a teacher. Without a doubt that is the path I should have taken. But no, I decided to be 'American' and persue my dreams here in Canada. wow was I in for suprise just how poor Canada is and how little work there is. 40% of all jobs in Canada are in Ontario. That says a lot. People who are accountants or teachers or nurses are not working real jobs IMO beucase they are always 100% garunteed employment all the time which is NOT the case for the average private sector worker like me who always is wondering when the axe will fall. But I have to say that accountants really have crapy work so I don't envy them!

People on this forum love to pull out the 'GDP' card which honestly is very useless seing as several 3rd world coutnies have higher GDP's than Canada. Forget about GDP, let's ask: How much taxes do you peronsally pay for healtchare?

Yes I obviously know what productivity is, but please explain to me how this is a Canadian specific problem and how to fix it. How are we falling behind other countries in specific?? How are we to imporve? AH yes. You don't know, the Toronto Star doesn't know, the talking heads on TV don't know, and the CBC doesn't know. But just like Global Warming, we're going to take this as profacy and use this as an excuse as to why we're failing.

Hmmm.. every company I have been associated with has used the latest in technology (ie: email, computers, fax machines). The west was *extremely* quick to adopt the internet when it started. I whitnessed it. If anything, it was Europe that fell far, far behind 10 years ago. So again, what is this Canadian specific problem of 'productivity' we have? I'm still waiting for someone to explian this to me. I could file my EI claim over the internet - couldn't do that in many US states. I register my car insurance online.. hmmm.. can't do that in most US states. I can go online in Ontario and view hospital wait times.. nope.. can't do that in the US. Canada is considered one of the most 'wired' places in the world for internet and phone access (going off memory from article I read years back), but what about the US where more than half of the population are stuck with dial up ineternet access. So again, how is 'productivity' the death of Canada? What is it? I'm curious. No seriously.

No go ahead. Please explain. No one else has.... not the media, not the studies.. no one. So please, what is this magic 'productivity' that is the reason the sky is falling?

I would not want a 'doctor' from some third world university working in our system without having his/her credentials thoughly examined.The problem with unaccredited doctors is due to the lack of intern positions for doctors that did not graduate from Canadian universities. The solution is to have the governments provide more funding for intern positions. Lowering our standards is a bad idea. The US back in the 80's I think had a doctor shortage and resolved the problem with the help of the health insurance companies funding major schools and opening more seats in the medical schools. And yes, the marks were lowered to allow more people int becuase there were more spaces. Americans then became doctors. Once you get into med school it has a very low fail rate. Actually I think the lowest. This is because they actually teach you things and don't play assignment games that we're all used to. They almost mentor you into becoming a dr. Canada, I believe, does indeed have an 'elitism' problem in our medical schools. Similar to the third world, sons and daugters of other Doctors are getting 'preference' over other people who just want 'in'. It's known that there is not much seating space to get in. Marks to enter are *increadibly* high, and we just don't turn out enough doctors. This is a typical Canadian 'elitism' issue where there is a fight to keep the schools small and exclusive. Again, private health insurance and corporations are the answer to help fund and expand these medica learning facilities. As far as stoneage dr's go, in Hamilton they tried to beta test a fast track program where you would spend a day or two examining case studies and giving recommendations. A medical panel would read over the answers and then deem them competant enough to practice. Well, all failed. And I believe only %20 of class even got the first case study correct. In the 3rd world, you get passed by who know and who your family is. We don't really live in the third world so we can't comprehend my last sentance. But a Pakistani co-worker I used to work with said it best: "In Pakistan there is a saying; under every rock there is a Doctor... and btw they get paid gov't minimum wage too". So bleeding hearts like Geoferry who works with his 'highly skilled and smart' immigrants can choose these people to operate on him. I think I'll pass and wait for: Adams, Dr. David Owen 184 Meadowlark Shop Ctr 156 St & 87 Ave NW Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5R 5W9 (780) 484-1122 ( Phone ) (780) 489-4121 ( Fax ) Accepting New Patients: Yes Gender: Male Physician Status: Active Practicing in Alberta: Yes Qualifications Specialty: General Surgery Practice Limited To: N/A Approval(s): N/A Degree: MD -Doctor of Medicine University of Western Ontario, 1969

Lol.. The CBC and MSM has really gotten to you eh? We don't need a gun registry, we need a Doctor registry. You can sign up for the stoneage-cultured doctors, and I will choose Dr. Bernstein or Dr. James. That will make things fair. Go fast track those doctors, but YOU sign up that you would like to be treated by them. I will keep myself off that list and wait for a Canadian/American doctor. Does that sound like a good deal?

On another forum: A response: Another: WTF?????????? I'M *LIVID* RIGHT NOW!

Lol... Oh lordy.. Ok.. someone here please tell me what productivity is? 'Productivity' is reminding me a lot of terms like 'baby boomers' and 'global warming'.

Some of the spending plans are normal government business. But 78 new releases? Yeesh. Talk about cynical politics. This is what Harper used to complain about with the Liberals. It certainly won't help him if he doesn't have an actual legislative agenda come the fall. Spending money isn't the same thing as actually controlling the agenda. In life you learn to work with the system then against it. This goes for all aspects of life. In Canada, if there are terrorist attacks in Egypt that kills Canadians, Harpers ratigns will go down despite him or Canada having nothing to do with the situation. Canadians are morons and uneducated politically. This is the result of not voting on propositions. Only 4% of Canadians can name all the political parties sitting in the house of commons. Yet most of these dummies want to say whether harper is doing a good job or not. Canadians have been conditioned to be told what to think and to obey our elites. It's actually not their fault, we just run a corrupt, authoritarian gov't that tell everyone to shut their mouths and do as their told. We do not have gov't the represent the people, we have gov't that play political football with important issues so they can gain votes. Now we have 800,000 people waiting to come to Canada who we have NO JOBS for, no healthcare for, and no schools for. All in sake of political pandering for votes. Well guess what Dion and Harper, I have to LIVE AND WORK with these stoneage cultures. YOU DONT. SO F OFF AND GO BACK TO FRANCE!

Maybe? ...as in a little bit? How about a lot. It's funny how almost every other country on earth appreciates 'their own', except for us here in Canada, UK, and now Australia. We're talking 3 countries out of ALL the countries on earth. Get out of you CBC bubble and look around. I heard when white people goto Japan people will come up and take pictures with you becuase 'white people' are such rare aliens over there. Get it through your head - most countries simply do NOT let outsiders into their countries. Go try to immigrate to Mexico and see how far you get. Go and try. Try Italy, France, or Poland and see how far you get just trying to 'wander' into their country. Good luck. Canada lets immigrants in because politicians learn that their vote can be exploited to their benefit. When Harper loses the next election, maybe he'll realize that immigrants will never vote for him and he'll never get into office. What do you think he's going to do then? He's going to reform immigration which will stop the status quo. Dion surely wont like that because that threatens their support base.

You are only supporting my point. These births HEAVLY weigh the statistics down for life expectancy. But this topic shouldn't be up for discussion as we really don't know exactly how each country measures this. I'm amazed you wouldn't even question how these stats are conducted for each country. Do you really trust stats coming out of Cuba? What I'm saying is that 77 vs. 80 is well within a margine of difference. Not error, just 'difference' of how each country conducts their stats.

Yes. Americans die before their time more than Canadians. A lot due to homocides and army work etc. For instance, Ontario 1.45 Homicides per 100,000 people. Detroit 42.0 Homicides per 100,000 people. You cannot say that this does not effect the statistics. If someone dug deep enough and excluded the homocides and army deaths, and then excluded elderly immigrating to Canada, I would not be suprised if the rates were the same or the Americans actually came out on top. My job title is 'data analyst' btw. hehe.. Dig a bit deeper instead of reading the headlines.

Very well said.

That is an issue of how both countries are gathering stats so is not up for discussion. We really don't know how we gather our stats as compared to the US. Still births, for instance, can weigh down the statistics. Also, there are much less crimes involving death per capita here than the US. That alone can weigh down the stats significantly. And of course, you have elderly people from the 3rd world who typically do not suffer from obesety and suffer from less cancer rates (i *think*. that's not a fact but I remember reading that people of the third world experience less cancer or fetal disease or obesity than our native Canadian population which in turn can drastically change our stats once they're using our medications. Simpler example: the old men from China are everywhere looking to be 95 years old. You don't see to many Canadians that are 95 and out and about.) Ultimately, if that is the case, it means NOTHING for us Canadians. It's just another effect of immigrants masking our ability to gather statistics effectively.