Now that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are back from their six-week holiday on the shores of Vancouver Island, rumours are growing that the couple are contemplating a more permanent move to Canada, my homeland.
They are not the only ones. Minutes after the Conservatives’ victory in the December general election, Google searches for “move to Canada” shot up. Could Prince Harry and Meghan be on to something? With Brexit looming, could Canada be the place for those too disillusioned to stay in the UK?
As European borders shut for many migrants and refugees, Canada continues to be seen as a place of refuge. According to a UN report, the land known for maple syrup, Margaret Atwood and the increasingly unhip prime minister Justin Trudeau took in the highest number of resettled refugees in 2018 and was ninth in the world for asylum seekers.
According to Statistics Canada, by 2031, 24% of the country’s population will be from a minority group. It is also one of the most inclusive countries. Canada was the fourth country to legalise same-sex marriage and each year Toronto hosts one of the biggest Pride bashes in the world.
Last year, Canada was named one of the friendliest countries in the world for immigrants by one survey, and it is consistently ranked one of the most welcoming places for newcomers.
Then there is its size – only Russia has a bigger geographical footprint – and its access to nature. (Forest bathing in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, anyone?) While 80% of Canadians live in cities, nature is on their doorsteps. Funding for conservation of national and provincial parks is also growing, with plans to protect a quarter of the country’s land and oceans by 2025.
Some people think of Canada as a kind of US-lite, a place of wide open spaces and adventure, but it is so much more. It is a place without the threat of a wall, where people disagree about politics nicely. And, of course, it has TimBits – the holes in doughnuts.
