Expats holding Canadian citizenship

[FascistLibertarian]

This is an issue I have been thinking about recently. This could really hurt us in regards to healthcare.

These people don’t pay taxes yet are going to come back here for medical care when they get old or sick.

I mean compared to the Lebanon evacuation how much more are all the people in the US (+1 million?) and other countries holding Canadian passports going to cost us?

Too much!

Do we even know how many people holding Canadian passports are living abroad?

We must do SOMETHING about this (what im not sure, a healthcare tax maybe).

I agree that not having Canadian expats pay taxes here is good in some ways (it makes Canadians easier to hire for multinationals unlike Americans).

Unless we act this is going to cost us a lot of money soon!

[August1991]

I agree that this is a serious issue, and it will become more serious in the future.

At present, there are many conditions attached to receiving OAP and CPP. In particular, a person must be resident in Canada for 10 years before receiving it. (I may be corrected on these details.)

In the case of health care, a person must be resident in the province for 3 months and then is automatically covered. It is not necessary to be a Canadian citizen - refugee claimants and permanent residents are also covered.

You may have noticed in the 2006 Income Tax form, for the first time there was an explicit question about foreign assets over $100,000.

All US citizens must file an income tax statement every year regardless of where they live in the world.

In most countries now, citizens can vote in elections wherever they live.

Canada has passed laws that apply to the behaviour of Canadian citizens outside of Canada.

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I think we are moving to a new definition of "government". Citizenship is not based on territory but rather membership in a "club". A passport will be like a credit card.

We have Canadian citizens with Canadian passports who have not been in Canada in years. Before you think of these people as foreign-born or immigrants, many are Canadians by birth but have chosen to live and work abroad. There will be more such people in the future.

[scribblet]

How can citizens living abroad receive health care if they are out of the country for more than 6 moths - do they maintain a residence here and come back every year for 6 months?

I don't understand how they can get 'free health care' if they don't meet the requirements.

[August1991]

How can citizens living abroad receive health care if they are out of the country for more than 6 moths - do they maintain a residence here and come back every year for 6 months?

I don't understand how they can get 'free health care' if they don't meet the requirements.

They don't receive health coverage if they're out of the country more than six months. But they will receive it three months after returning.

The provinces are also tough on paying out of province expenses. (BTW, this one of Harper's idea to reform Canada's health system. He was going to force them in some cases to pay for this.)

Of course, some people use subterfuge to circumvent these rules but fraud exists in all areas, particularly insurance. Maintaining a "residence" is only one method.