The Dark Side of Canada Progressive Facade: Drugs, Homelessness, and Student Protests

Canada seems to be one of the most developed countries in the world. But in reality, in Canada, people are doing drugs on the road. They are homeless. They have become beggars. Indian students are protesting in the streets because they are afraid of being deported.

Canada used to be known as a perfect country a while ago. But today’s reality has changed. Some people in India consider Canada to be their second home. It isn’t easy to get a green card in America. But it is easy to get PR in Canada. Health care is accessible here. This country welcomes immigrants, and the leaders there are very progressive. 

On the internet, only one-sided images of foreign countries are visible. The Canadian PM himself says that there are too many international students. He cannot take the pressure of so many students. Not only the leaders of Canada but Canadians also think the same.

But wait, Canada is an immigrant-friendly country, right? Well, the truth is a little different.

Canada is the second largest country in the world. In this one country, three Indias can easily fit. But the population of Canada is less than four crores. The population of Mumbai and Delhi is more than that of Canada. Because of such a small population, Canada has a labour shortage.

A video went viral a while ago in which a customer said that no one comes to their house to return an Amazon package in Canada. You have to go to the Canada Post yourself. Canada needs people. That’s why Canada adopted an open-door policy until 2021.

Canada became the fastest-growing G7 country. However, after 2021, Canada has become very selective. This research shows that Canadians’ view of immigration is changing. Canadians are concerned that they will not be able to welcome newcomers. And the pressure of this changing trend is coming on politicians.

Canada wants to reduce the number of temporary residents from 6.2% to 5%. 

One-third of the international students who come to Canada to study come to Canada to settle. But these students do not come for free. They pay fees. International students add $22 billion to the Canadian economy every year.

International students must deposit $20,000 in Canadian banks as a guaranteed investment certificate. And one-third of these students are Indians. So, Canada will have imposed a cap on international students for the next two years. That is, only a limited number of people will get an entry for education in Canada. And this will also have an impact on Indians.

Look at Canada’s hypocrisy.

As long as they need immigrants, Canadian locals also support immigration. They openly welcome immigrants. They make them a part of their country. But as soon as they get a chance, they turn away. They deport them.

Does someone want to make a future in such a country?

People consider Canada’s education system quality because it doesn’t just focus on theory. Hands-on training and experience are given importance, too. Their universities also equip students with different skills that will help them after graduation.  Canada’s second hypocrisy is visible in their economy today.

Today, there is a housing crisis in Canada. Canada’s government can build 3.87 million houses by 2031. But they will need 5.1 Million houses. In Canada, the average house price is almost $7 lakh. That is about 4.5 crores. Now, anyone will think they can afford a house once they go to Canada and earn in Canadian dollars. Right?

In fact, on average, if a person’s annual income is less than $1,95,000, they cannot even take a loan. Today, the situation is such that Canada’s top 10% wealthiest people are also hardly qualified to take a loan. In short, if a person moves to Canada today, he cannot afford a house.

Even if they do, they must keep paying the loan installments. Despite being the second largest country in the world despite having such a small population, people are homeless.

In winter, with snow and – 20-degree temperatures, people sleep in tents on roads. The biggest problem of Canada is that despite being such a big country, all the development and jobs are only around the cities of Canada.

And most of the towns are on the border of America. The Northern region is empty because it is freezing there. And for miles in the middle, there is nothing. The cities that are cities are also not livable due to drugs.

In Canada’s British Columbia, drugs are legal. Here the drugs talked about are hard drugs like morphine, heroin, meth, cocaine. If someone is over 18 and in British Columbia, then they can carry up to 2.5 grams of drugs, and the police will not do anything. It is not that the drug problem in Canada has arisen due to the legalisation of drugs. 3% of the population of Canada says that they have done hard drugs. 

Data says that 21% of Canadians can be drug addicts. That’s 6 million people. So many drug addicts are a complete failure for that country, whose healthcare system is considered the best healthcare system in the world. Canada has a universal, publicly funded health care system.

The government spends 70%, and 30% is private. Hospitals are private, but the money for the treatment comes from people’s taxes. Which means people have already paid money for health care as a tax. This sounds great, but is it?

There are different healthcare systems in other provinces of Canada. The biggest problem in Canada’s healthcare system is wait times. Canadian doctors also say that wait times for medical help have never been so bad. If the doctor asks a person to go to a specialist, they may have to wait six months to get an appointment. 

This also has a direct impact on medical professionals.

Medical life has become difficult due to long working hours and stress. And it is not that everything related to health care is free in Canada. The medicines, dental treatments, and eye treatment are not covered. For this, you people have to pay separately. If someone has an injury and the doctor has advised physiotherapy, they must pay for it separately.

It is very well known that India’s healthcare system is not perfect. But here, it is not like a pregnant lady having to wait 30 weeks to go to a gynaecologist. 

• The waiting period for general surgery is 21 weeks.

• The waiting period for urology is 31 weeks.

• The waiting period for orthopaedic surgery is 44 weeks.

• Forget surgery; people have to wait for CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds for many weeks.

The problem with universal healthcare is bureaucracy. Canada’s government officials decide whether the health is an emergency. The objective of these statements is not to humiliate Canada at all. Because every country has some problems.

The only difference is that in India, people only see India’s issues and the highlights of foreign countries. All these problems that are mentioned in Canada are facing today.

The story can differ for those who settled in Canada 10-15 years ago and have PR or citizenship. But what happens is that the Indians here see only one-sided images. They always feel that the grass is greener on the other side. Then, they take a loan or use their parents’ savings to go to a country like Canada.

Where they do not get any representation after changing a policy, they have no choice but to protest on the road. There is universal health care in Canada. But this system is not perfect either. Canada has a high standard of living. But there is also drug abuse, homelessness as well as inflation.

Only the top 10% of people in Canada can take a mortgage. As an immigrant in Canada, a person will always be insecure as long as they are a temporary resident. 

At any time, Canada may change its policies and may deport international students if the counsellors of foreign education tell all these things to the students themselves. But unfortunately, Indian students are only shown a dream. A dream of a good life. Which is not a dream but a gamble.