-Canada? But if it’s very cold there and there are almost no people…
Anyone who has emigrated or has even thought of migrating to the North American country will surely have heard that type of comment from some interlocutor.
And it is also very likely that the person in question mentioned that one of the advantages of going to live there is the subsidies or aid offered by the government.
But what of all that is true and what is not. Below, we discuss three myths about migrating to Moose Country and Maple Syrup.
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1. Is it very cold and unbearable?
The answer is yes and no: yes it’s cold and it’s not necessarily unbearable.
In Canada, the winter is long and in many cases full of snow, but there are several factors to consider before making any generalizations.
The first thing is that the climate is not the same in all regions. Canada is the second largest country by land area, after Russia, with 9,98 million square kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
For this reason the climate varies depending on the location of each place, its proximity to the coast and the North Pole.
The coldest winters, for example, “occur in the center of the country, in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, because they are the furthest from the oceans which, by not freezing, help keep the coasts a little warmer”. explains Phil Austin, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at BBC Mundo. University of British Columbia.
On the other hand, on the west coast, where Vancouver is located, winters are less cold and with less snow.
“In Vancouver, the wind comes from the west and there’s the Pacific Ocean which never freezes, so it blows on warmer waters. The only time real snowstorms happen is when the wind comes down from the Arctic bringing very cold air, which is rare,” he adds.
The places with the most adverse climate are found in the north of the country, where the provinces of Yukon and the Northwest Territories are located, which due to their proximity to the Arctic are very cold, with lots of snow and darker days.
Another important factor regarding winter is the amount of sunlight you have access to since then Just because it’s colder doesn’t mean the days are darker.
The question then is what everyone prefers: less snow and at the same time less light, or lots of snow and clear skies.
“In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, for example, you can have very bright days, with clear skies and the sun reflecting off the white snow, while in Vancouver in winter there is almost no snow, but you don’t see much sun either”, explains the teacher.
“It really depends on the personality type of people, whether someone prefers sunny days or if their mood is affected by very gray days.”
2. There are no people
Given that Canada has had a regulated immigration policy for several decades, with which it mainly seeks to attract a workforce, the belief has spread that it is an uninhabited country, where there is a lot of land and few people.
But that’s not entirely true.
“Canada’s problem is not that of population size but of structure; that is to say, it is not a question of how many people there are, but of the conformation of the population in terms of age,” explains Diva Marcela García, PhD in Demography at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
This is explained by the fact that the country “has a low birth rate, so there are fewer people in the initial stages of life, while mortality occurs later thanks to its high level of quality of life and access to universal health care for its population. The combination of these two factors makes it a country with a very elderly population“He added.
In other words, in Canada there are people of all ages, but there are more over 65s than children growing up.
This becomes apparent when looking at the fertility rate, an indicator that measures the number of children a woman has in her lifetime.
3. They give away money
The first thing to clarify is that the concept of “gift” is problematic and imprecise.
What is usually referred to are subsidies to which migrants may have access, but which are not necessarily money and are subject to various factors.
Canada is divided into provinces and each has its own local (provincial) government, so it manages its own budget.
In this way, depending on where the migrant lives, he will have access to the help that is offered to you, if there is any and if his profile is suitable to receive it.
“In general, it’s not like there are direct economic subsidies for migrants in Canada,” says Alejandro Hernández, PhD in Sociology at Carleton University.
“Rather, Canada has been supporting integration through third parties since the 1990s. Select agencies that promote integration and settlement services in the provinces and communities. The budget must be requested and renewed continuously by these agencies.
