Canucks Embrace American Lefties Penar Musaraj, Arthur (Trent University) PETERBOROUGH, Ont. (CUP)— While watching CBC’s coverage of the American election November 2, I was struck by one quick Q and A on the vot- ing line-up. After clearly pointing out she would vote for John Kerry, a woman was asked: “What would you do if Bush won? “T will consider moving to Canada,” she answered. And she is not the only one. Many active Kerry supporters have already declared in their numerous blogs that they would most certainly pack their bags and flee to avoid dealing with “four more years” of Bush. While much of the reaction can be dismissed as mere post- election rage, there are hints a northbound exodus of progtessive left- wingers is not completely unlikely. Canada’s immigration website received a record 179,000 visitors November 3, 64 percent of them from the United States. In addition to Bush’s re- election, same-sex marriage ‘bans in 11 states have made many gay and_ lesbian Americans see Canada as an attractive option. For many such Americans, the fact so many of their fellow citizens cannot accept same-sex mar- riage is impossible to deal with in the long run. Some academics have also turned their attention towards Canadian universi- ties; wotd has it some ate seriously contemplating moving to Canada’s biggest universities in Montréal and Toronto. And the American media is certainly giving left- wingers a hand. In its October issue, Harpers Magazine had already pub- lished a “Reader’s Guide to Expatriating,” where a whole bunch of options were con- sidered, including the creation of an imaginary vir- tual nation—the perfect solution to avoid having to deal with real elections. In a column printed November 3, Jill Porter, a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, offers some practical advice to Americans thinking of heading north: drink before you go, because they only allow 1.14 litres of booze in without tax; learn what litres, metres, and Celsius are; and don’t worry about getting sick, since — Canada guarantees free flu shots and pub- lic healthcare. (Post-election depression pills are covered, too.) Yet, Canada doesn’t seem too excited about the prospects of a brain gain from liberal America. CNN _ reported November 3 the federal government would not provide any special “welcome home” parties for depressed American lefties. In an interview with the network, Canadian Immigration Minister Judy Sgro spelled out clearly that Americans wanting to renounce their citizenship and become Canadian will not get any special treat- ment: “They'll join the crowd, like all the other people who want to come to Canada.” Statistics show since the 1980s the number of Americans gaining permanent residency or citizenship in Canada has shrunk to 5,000 a year. Similarly, the num- ber of American workers entering Canada dropped to 15,789 in 2002 from 21,627 in 2000. Furthermore, the process of gain- ing resident status takes at least a year, while full citizenship takes up to three or four years. Seeking refugee status could be considered a last resort too, as two desert- ers from the Iraq war already proved fi Ne earlier this year. But it would be virtually impossible to demonstrate you are seek- ing refuge in Canada from the oppressive American government (unless, of course, Bush starts a ferocious campaign to phys- ically eliminate liberal opponents). Mainstream Canadian media has been on the topic as well. One website— CANADIAN IMMIGRATION which encourages Canadians to pledge “to sacri- fice their single-hood to save our southern , neighbours from four more years of cow- boy conservatism”—treceived about 95,000 hits over four days recently. The It would be virtually impossible to demonstrate you are seeking refuge in Canada from the oppressive American government (unless, of course, Bush starts a ferocious campaign to physically eliminate liberal opponents). oN eZ attention was mostly due to impressive media attention. Created by This magazine, the website launched October 20, with a goal to satir- ically respond to some of the main trends of the Canadian left. The main-page spoof profile of a Canadian bachelor includes “part-time tree-hugger hot for: Mountain Equipment Co-op, vegan potlucks, Mother Earth, feminist collectives, and dread- locks.” Joyce Byrne, publisher of This, said the initial idea was to have a spoof “dating for lefties” web- site, which—given the alarming trend of Americans threatening to leave the country if Kerry lost—turned into the current site. Byrne is blown away by the sudden explosion of interest in the site and it sounds like she has mixed feelings about it: that it’s great this minor project is getting so much exposure, but its central message is in many ways not going through as intended. In the stagger- ing number of pledges registered on the site— 1,500 at last count—there are several who take things seriously. And while the bulk of these escape declarations will not join a real exodus to Canada, there are cer- tainly some Americans that are probably seriously considering moving up north. After all, every rumour has a grain of truth in it—but it’s still just one grain. november § eBl/ean