Yeah, i definitely get that... given the results (or lack thereof) of our
own election, i'm certainly doubly aware of the States'... i would think
that it wouldn't be the most effective move as far as escaping US
politics to come to Van, while somewhere overseas may be better
for that - but lifestyle and career etc are definite factors.

Good luck, either way...
let me know if you come to Van, we'll meet up :)

Yooni, If Bruce has any intelligent, sweet natured, pragmatic, hopelessly romantic and good lookin relatives lookin for a pseudo-spouse that IS willing to relocate to Scotland, then by all means let me know. I can't move to Canada due to a DUI I got several years ago, but Scotland is high on my list of potential re-locations.

-K

People can come to Canada and stay with me as long as they bring presents.
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like american bacon? have you had it? it's to die for!

death

Looked into Uruguay. It seems to be a pretty good place. If the Repulinazis steal another election that is where my roommate and I are looking.

JSin

Yeah, what exactly happened in the Canadian elections? What was this election all about? It didn't seem to be a regularly scheduled election.
You all should riot and loot in the streets. Pretend a hockey team won or something!

Elaine - totally, the spare futon is yours!

Not much happened in the Canadian elections - apart from the Liberals kinda losing more seats for the most part (though Justin Trudeau, previous PM Pierre Trudeau's son, won his first seat in a somewhat tough and diverse riding against the Bloc Quebecois - Quebec's nationalist federal party that, rather ironically, started out as a separatist federal party!). Oh, and the Greens finally got included in the debates (winning almost as many votes as a the Bloc who won 50 seats but winning no seat, which is why we need a system that marries the British one with proportional representation somehow). Most of us are grouchy another election was called in the first place, particularly after Harper pushed through a law saying an election couldn't be called! It was called just because Harper wanted to try to secure a majority before his NeoCon buddies down south got wiped off the map. (He had and still has a minority government, thought this time he got even less of the popular vote I think - I'd have to check that! This is approx. our 3rd election in 6 years, my hood just voted last year in a by-election so had to go back and do it again, and it costs lots of taxpayer money. For a self proclaimed fiscal conservative, Harper's not very good at conserving taxpayer dollars....but then he's just like Bush in his approach and sense of entitlement.)

The big drama in Quebec was over arts and culture funds being cut rather dramatically - and Harper's government's move to try to censor and control what kind of movies get arts funding and so on - your basic neocon attitude towards the arts. Harper backpedaled furiously but it was too late for him in Quebec where people (obviously) don't consider culture to be a trivial luxury for the elite on par with sending one's daughter to ballet lessons (Harpers big claim to love culture was his daughter's ballet lessons, he wants to give tax break for this kind of thing!) It was both patronizing and clearly illustrated that many of the uber rich and elite actually wouldn't recognize culture if it walked up and bit them on their big red noses - apparently they're incapable of recognizing culture as being more than a commodity or a form of finishing school for one's children. (That said, Elizabeth May - leader of the Greens who I now have a political crush on - talked about the "creative class" and it's role in the economy, something Harper is obviously doesn't understand since for him art and artists are about propaganda and controlling "the message".) The arts cuts were a big deal across the country but in Quebec culture is very much a living, everyday thing of value for most people since it doesn't just mean art but also language and ethnicity.

So yeah, feel free to come visit but be aware that we've got Bush-lite in power up here. Considering how uncharismatic all our options looked next to the Entertainment Tonight style politics in the US, I'm sure most Canadians would have voted for Obama (certainly younger ones, it was a decidedly middle aged election with much talk about families and kitchen tables and so on). I think ultimately we all want less hot air and for the fuckers to stop trying to have total control (because we don't trust any of them) and to get over themselves to work together to do what's best for people not politicians.

In related news, which is just so Canadian, someone's been attempting to blow up a gas pipeline in BC but the RCMP and the news keep insisting it's NOT terrorism but more along the lines of troublemaking. Which is pretty interesting - though that may be because the most vocal opponents of the pipeline have been the tribes who live in the area. CSIS, our CIA type org, IS trying to make out it's terrorism but everyone else is saying totally the opposite. In related news, stolen dynamite that was recovered in Montreal wasn't terrorists but bikers (there was an ongoing biker war in Montreal that involved blowing up bars and restaurants back in the 80s, it looks like things may be heating up again).