Moving to Canada

Submission 26,326

Part of a series on Canada. [View Related Entries]

About

Moving to Canada is an idea often suggested by liberal American citizens in the wake of conservative victories in American government. Canada has more liberal institutions than the United States with regards to health care and LGBT laws.

Origin

As The Star^[1] puts it, "As long as there has been America, there have been Americans moving to Canada," citing how colonial loyalists fled to Canada after the Revolutionary War. It also cites how African Americans fled to Canada during the times of American slavery, Prarie pioneers went to Canada looking to settle its western territories, and draft dodgers who fled to Canada to escape fighting in the Vietnam war. The peak of American emigration to Canada came in 1974, when 27,932 Americans crossed the border.

Spread

Online, American emigration to Canada first had a swell after the 2004 Presidential Election, when George W. Bush defeated John Kerry. According to The Star,^[2] the amount of hits on Canada's immigration website was six times the normal amount the day following the election. In 2006, immigration to Canada reached a 30 year high. The popularity of the phrase led it to appear on popular satirical blog Stuff White People Like^[3] in 2008. They described the phrase thusly:

"It shows that (white people's) dedication to their lifestyle and beliefs are so strong, that they would consider packing up their entire lives and moving to a country that is only slightly different to the one they live in now.

2016 Presidential Election

The phrase "move to Canada" spiked on Google trends^[4] following Donald Trump's victories on March 1st, 2016 (aka "Super Tuesday") during the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary. Soon after, The Daily Dot,^[5] Huffington Post,^[6] Time,^[7] and more published guides of how to move to Canada. The topic continued to be prevalent in the lead-up to election day, and featured a similar spike in media articles following Trump's victory on November 8th, 2016. The night of the election, the Canadian immigration site crashed as it was flooded with visits.^[8] In a monologue the night after the election, Stephen Colbert urged Americans to quit the "move to Canada rhetoric because "America is a family."