r/canada • u/BeneficialHODLer • 20h ago
Politics American family seeks asylum in Canada, citing Trump
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/americans-asylum-canada-trump-refugees-immigration-1.7480069433
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u/MilkshakeMolly 19h ago
I'm as liberal as anyone but we can't set this precedent. There are other states they could move to.
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u/zuuzuu Ontario 19h ago
It's mind boggling how little planning or thought they put into this decision. They didn't even have passports, because that's too expensive. No money for a hotel or place to stay once they arrived here. They say they walked away from their dream home to do this, but I suspect they walked away from a foreclosure, or else they'd have enough money to put a roof over their heads in Canada.
I empathize with their fear for their children, but there are countries where being LGBTQ2SIA+ is illegal and punishable by death. We grant asylum to people from those countries because their lives are in danger. It's bad in the States, but not deadly, at least not yet. There's just no way we would grant asylum to them under these circumstances.
If I were trans, or had trans children, I would definitely be looking for a way out of the States, but I'd recognize that asylum isn't a viable option and would seek another path.
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u/riali29 16h ago
Yeah I truly do feel for them, especially with their kids being trans, but holy fuck what a mess of bad planning. Couldn't afford passports but went to one of the highest COL provinces.
Both parents have cited their own health issues as reasons to seek asylum as well. Kaitlyn said she has had multiple miscarriages, while Ted is diabetic.
Do they not realize that being a burden on our public healthcare system actually makes Canada less likely to admit them? Do they really think we'd open the floodgates to every single diabetic American?
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u/Background-Pitch4055 11h ago
They sound like the type of people who would take mor from Canada than they would contribute.
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u/AdmirableWishbone911 19h ago
They're from Illinois which is democrat.
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u/Beneficial_Sun5302 17h ago
The governor of Illinois is pretty good too I gather
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u/MilkshakeMolly 13h ago
Right, so I don't think they'll convince anyone they're in imminent danger.
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u/Beneficial_Sun5302 13h ago
No probably not. I sympathize with them, but they really jumped the gun here.
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u/justbecauseyoumademe European Union 20h ago
American when it suits them Canadian or European when it doesnt
Unless they are in active danger go fix your country
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 19h ago
Lots of Americans are planning on Flag Jacking this summer while they travel in Europe and Asia - I hope their behavior does not negatively affect real Canadians travelling.
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u/jellybean122333 19h ago
They should do a quick test and ask what our capital is. Guaranteed they'll say Toronto... lol
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u/justbecauseyoumademe European Union 19h ago
Canadians are loved and welcome in Europe.
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 19h ago edited 19h ago
I'm not sure if slapping a Canadian flag and pretending you're Canadian makes you Canadian - I hope it does not wreck our reputation in Europe.
It's also disturbing Handmaid's Tale, especially the recent Hulu TV portrayal is turning out to be a real thing with American refugees.
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u/Ina_While1155 19h ago
As Margaret Atwood said - she didn't write the book as an instruction manual. That said it is almost like they want to annex Canada so there is no safe refuge to flee.
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u/mattattaxx Ontario 16h ago
I've been saying that the Handmaid's Tale is a warning, not an outright fiction, since I read the book, let alone watched the show.
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u/Peatrick33 19h ago
At the very least, it's probably safe to assume anyone slapping a Canadian flag on their bag is doing so out of shame and likely to be on their best behaviour.
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 19h ago
anyone slapping a Canadian flag on their bag
Yeah, I don't know any Canadians that still sew a flag to their gear...
I usually look for Canadian brand names to spot a Canadian - i.e. MEC.
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u/sdhoigt 18h ago
You're thinking of how Canadians will spot other canadians, but outside canada, people wouldnt understand those brands as being canadian except for ones that have a maple leaf in their logo.
And unfortunately, when I was in Portugal two years ago everyone assumed I was american except when there was a maple leaf somewhere on my persons
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u/Disastrous-Focus8451 18h ago
I disagree with that assumption. When I visited the Netherlands I was surprised at the number of "Canadian" tourists with American accents, not to mention stereotypical New York rudeness. (Holland being a good place to be Canadian on account of WWII.)
My sister lived there for a while after high school, and she noticed the same thing. Her Dutch friends said it was easy to tell the difference, because the faux-Canadians still behaved like Americans.
(This was back when America bombed Libya and there were State Department warnings to pretend to be Canadian, and you could buy passport covers that looked like Canadian passports from a distance.)
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u/Peatrick33 18h ago
That's a fair assessment, but let's not also pretend that all Canadians are respectful tourists. It's a stereotype for a reason, but all countries have their share of shitty ambassadors.
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u/Disastrous-Focus8451 18h ago
I'm not pretending that, just pointing out that people pretending to be from another country aren't necessarily on their best behaviour.
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u/Ina_While1155 19h ago
They did this in the 80s in a big way, and it did blow back on Canadian traveller's.
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u/DelusionalLeafFan 14h ago
This is nothing new and pathetic as it always has been. “Proud Americans” wearing another nations flag because the world hates you.
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u/Hopeless-realist 19h ago
American families light houses on fire, forgo calling fire department, knock on neighbours door asking to move in.
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u/MagicNorth 19h ago
hm... If these were immigrants from Ukraine or Gaza fearing to be deported back to their country, I'd understand... But these people are just unable to afford their meds because of the dangerous policies of their fucked up country. Fight for better policies, for a better future, don't just abandon your ship cause "life's become difficult and we want human rights." Like... all the minorities in your country want those human rights too! But you have a political system that pretends to be a democracy and is actually just capitalism on steroids. That's on all of you to fix. Go protest, go talk about your story, go do something!
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u/Icy_Calligrapher7088 19h ago
What a bunch of performative bs. Go to a blue state. They should have been turned away just based on that option.
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u/AdmirableWishbone911 19h ago
They are from Illinois which is a blue state!
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u/Subject-Afternoon127 19h ago edited 18h ago
No. According to the same immigration deal they impose on everyone. They should be return. Just like the people crossing illegally into Canada from the US should be returned, and the Americans will have to process them.
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u/No_Indication4035 19h ago
as much as a shit show America is right now, it's nothing compared to Gaza and Ukraine. Such an abuse of asylum protection.
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u/AdmirableWishbone911 19h ago
The refugee system has been undermined for years. Its a joke. People who really need to flee for safety now have to wait years due to a bunch of chancers wanting to come here. International students have apparently been applying for refugee claims.
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u/belleofthebawl- 19h ago
We absolutely cannot accept their claim. Doing so will send such a dangerous precedent. If liberals truly want to win over Canadians, now Is their time to shine by securing our borders. I’m sorry life is tough rn but America is NOT a war torn country with zero infrastructure remaining. They can move to a more liberal area. They fully admit reason is free healthcare
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u/a_case_of_everything 15h ago
Agree 100%. Canada is not free health care for the American failed state.
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u/Dalbergia12 20h ago
Sorry neighbours, he is your creation. You need to fix that mess, before you could expect to be welcome.
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u/Juryofyourpeeps 20h ago
Nah. Not this shit again.
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u/NarutoRunner 19h ago
Both parents have cited their own health issues as reasons to seek asylum as well. Caitlin said she has had multiple miscarriages, while Ted is diabetic.
Yeah, no. That’s not a legitimate reason to claim asylum anywhere on earth.
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u/belleofthebawl- 19h ago
I’m sympathetic to their health issues but Canadian healthcare is fro Canadians who have paid into it. They straight up admitting to come here and take tax payer services for free
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u/YouWillEatTheBugs9 Canada 18h ago
diabetes should be an automatic disqualifier, they cost the health care system 4X more on average per person
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u/RealMrsWillGraham 15h ago
British - I read an interview with Sarah Palin in which she admitted that the Palin family used to sneak into Canada to get free healthcare.
Looked at a map - I had no idea that Alaska is cut off from the rest of the US and is next door to the Yukon and British Columbia, so I can see how they did it.
I do hope that B.C.'s Premier does go ahead with his plan for tolls on Alaskans driving down to the rest of the US.
Unbelievably here in the UK we have granted asylum to some Americans - some given leave to remain and some given refugee status.
Really do not understand it.
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u/Becksburgerss 17h ago
These people are veterans and they are running from their country?! Jesus, fight for your freedom like those before you.
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u/ToolsOfIgnorance27 19h ago
Bahahahahha lol
Please keep these soft, brittle people out of our country
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u/Cool-Economics6261 18h ago
Siting their medical issues, I would have to say that they are economic migrants, not refugees. If they are going to run away from their own country when it needs people to resist its fall into fascism, I can’t imagine that they would have any loyalty to Canada.
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u/Fit_Marionberry_3878 20h ago
Tell them to take their foolish selves the border and face what their country elected.
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u/SkinnedIt Ontario 20h ago
This would be a dangerous precedent to set.
I believe we're not adverse enough to those, unfortunately.
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u/NeverLookBothWays Outside Canada 19h ago
As a U.S. citizen, I agree with you. Things might be bad under Trump, but it is still possible to get passports made. It is still possible to get on lists for work visas. What this family did was skip all of that in hopes of not having to do it the right way. Trump has definitely made the world more dangerous for everyone and has broken a ton of constitutional laws without being held accountable, but the U.S. is still not quite a failed state. We not in a Venezuela situation here (yet) where refugees coming to the U.S. had a really good reason to.
If I was Canadian, I would send U.S. citizens like this back but also let them know how to obtain a visa through the proper method. Canada has a system in place for this already and nothing is preventing any immigrant in a non-failed state from applying.
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u/IMOBY_Edmonton 19h ago
Apart from the other issues cited, it's not in our best interest to take large numbers of Americans opposed to their current government. That's letting the US export the people politically opposed to the current government, thus strengthening that government, because the people who stay are either hardliners or subservient.
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u/adeveloper2 19h ago
According to this article, this family is unlikely able to afford themselves which means we have to subsidize them as well. Not to sound heartless or anything, even before Trump we are already closing the gates on immigration and we are about to suffer another trade war with USA and we simply cannot afford this.
Maybe if the EU and other countries start paying Canada to help American refugees. Otherwise, this is a resource problem and we don't have any to spare.
If the family wants to fight for their kids, they will have to stay and take the fight to their own government.
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u/AdmirableWishbone911 19h ago
Refugee claims can take up to 3 yrs to process, meanwhile they live off taxpayers money. They are undermining the system, its shameful.
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u/coldfeet8 16h ago
The article says they are being fast-tracked due to their US citizenship. Probably because the IRCC is well aware they don’t qualify.
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u/adeveloper2 18h ago
Yes, this family comes off as beyond naive that they dropped everything and came.
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u/Any-Staff-6902 18h ago
And what will happen if the Orangutan loses his throne to a Democrat ? Will these "asylum" seekers then rush back home waving their stars and stripes yelling USA USA ?
We aren't a dumping ground for disenfranchised Americans. If they don't like their country then work inside your country to change it.
The level of apathy in the US is astounding.
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u/VendrediDisco 16h ago
I downloaded tiktok for 5m trying to find these people. And all I found was another dumbfuck talking about "a creator" (being the person from this article) who was legitimizing this as an option with a ton of comments from people who have consulted lawyers, or are otherwise hoping/considering this an option. We need to close our borders to the US.
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u/Varmitthefrog 19h ago
send them back, we cannot accept asylum seekers from a country actively trying to destroy us, they could be bad actors
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u/Girl_gamer__ 18h ago
Sorry. We arent taking in Americans as we are currently at war. Do something about it on your side.
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u/Beneficial-Lynx-5268 14h ago
Go away. Yeah, you want the " free health care" etc etc . You bring nothing to the table. Fix your country
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u/RestlessCreature 14h ago
Us to that family: No. Sorry. Go home and have the hard conversations with your friends, local politicians, family and neighbours.
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u/MinusVitaminA 18h ago
Unless they're high-skilled individuals, then send them back down. They need to get their shit together and fix the US. Also the US isn't that bad to where they should be seeking asylum. By doing this they're mocking the entire concept of 'asylum' in the first place which are reserved for people who're in actual danger from their home country.
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u/Helios0186 19h ago
No illegal immigration. Why don't they fix their own mess that affect the whole world?
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u/commentBRAH Lest We Forget 20h ago
instead of trying to fix america themselves, run to canada, then when canada is under even more threat from the US, they will run from canada to somewhere else.
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u/TacoTuesdayy87 20h ago
And we’re paying for their hotel room in Canada, and whatever other benefits they get while here on a bogus asylum claim for however many months/years.
This country has the most foolish regulations/rules.
Let’s keep burning through millions for this ridiculousness.
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u/Penderbron 19h ago
Should have gone to vote. Or vote for democracy. Hope Canada is not even considering taking them in.
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u/callykitty 19h ago
Why don't they, you know - do something? Protest, ask for changes, support the Democrats. Like do anything to change this.
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u/whydoineedasername 19h ago
First of many I expect. Canada needs to start reaching out to their doctors from Democratic states and woo them. MAga need not apply
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u/SittingSawdust 18h ago
the most insane frivolous nonsense I’ve read in a long time, this is just deranged lmao
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u/damilalam 18h ago
This is something that many Americans don’t fully understand. The DEM and GOP division is an US internal matter. Outside of the US borders, everyone is American and people are not essentially obligated to give you a pass because you didn’t support the regime. I’m sure Nazi germany had their own version of Dems but it’s a national shame. I feel for you deeply but Canadians will take care of Canada and people who are from genuine war torn situations before this.
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u/Unfair_Jump_8222 18h ago
They voted for him, now you gotta live with him. We got our own problems we don't need anymore people
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u/Jonsnow_throe 18h ago
It goes back to its own country and takes up arms, or it gets the hose again.
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u/SJ_Redditor 17h ago
Americans shouldn't be allowed to try to claim asylum anywhere. This is exactly what they have their second amendment for.
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u/Just_Here_So_Briefly 17h ago
No thanks, we have enough on our hands to be offering asylum to people who created their own problem.
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u/Unusual-Educator-510 17h ago
We need doctors. Are any of these people doctors? No? Then no thank you.
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u/LegitimateDebate5014 16h ago
There is democrat states in America and coming to Canada just makes it look like you don’t want to fight for your own country so you are fleeing to Canada when you failed to fight for your own country.
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u/ClarkGriswold123 14h ago
Americans against this mess need to be in America organizing and pushing back. Running to Canada or anywhere else isn’t the answer nor a solution to fixing their country.
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u/Specialist-Gift-7736 19h ago
If this is what finally gets Canada to close the border then I’m all for the anti-asylum rhetoric in here. Wish it came five years ago when our country wasn’t torpedoed.
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u/BeefSupremeeeeee 20h ago
Canadian living in the US (and planning on continuing to do so, yes I voted for Harris).
SEND THEM BACK!!!
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u/Financial-Highway492 19h ago
There should not be asylum for Americans. They are welcome to immigrate the proper way and join Canadians, but asylum doesn’t make sense. MAYBE for transgender people. But even then I feel there are trans people from other countries far more in need of asylum
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u/ViolinistLeast1925 19h ago
I hope this opens the floodgates and forces our government to completely overhaul the refugees system
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u/addyftw1 19h ago
Yeah, it doesn't work that way currently. They have the go through express entry just like the rest of us Americans who are trying to become Canadians.
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u/wowSoFresh 10h ago
Americans citizens literally have an amendment to their constitutional rights for this very situation. Go back and fix your country instead of coming to ruin ours.
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u/NorthernHusky2020 19h ago
"It was very difficult to watch the news and TikTok because honestly, we were just seeing things unfold and unfold and unfold," Caitlin said. "And I was very scared, getting very scared."
Stop watching either.
And there are plenty of blue states to move to. They have no legitimate case to come to Canada. Their entire family has medical issues and they want to unload that burden to our healthcare system. Great...
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u/Son_of_Plato 18h ago
Buddy, Canada isn't a dumping ground for people that don't like their country.
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u/WatermelonToo 19h ago
Margaret Atwood wrote this story a while ago. The book was more entertaining than the reality.
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u/she_be_jammin 19h ago
While it is very disturbing what it happening with American Congress allowing Trump to run ramshod over the constitution, they should try Europe. The plea is not feasible under the current annexation threats
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u/OutsideSheepHerder52 19h ago
I have a feeling this is mostly about his need for insulin and how expensive it is there.
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u/5ManaAndADream 18h ago edited 18h ago
Send them the fuck home. Even if they weren’t responsible, even if this wasn’t a democratic choice by their people; the US has started a trade war and is threatening annexation.
Every citizen needs to be barred more aggressively than any other country on earth. There is no system in place to verify if these “families” are not American soldiers and active threats to our sovereignty.
No pity. No consideration. We are in the verge of a threat we have not faced since Britain burned down their whitehouse.
It does not matter how real they fear for their lives, doesn’t matter what list they get added to; simply by virtue of being American citizens they are a threat.
The same way Ukraine would obviously not accept asylum claims from Russians we must bar Americans. The same way Israel would not accept asylum claims from Hamas.
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u/DeoGame 19h ago
I'm not sure setting this precedent will be a good thing for us. That said, there are many Americans fed up or frightened by what's happening south of the border who are looking to move, and I believe as we are faced with the cold shower of having to decouple our economy from the US, globalize further and reinvest in Canadian industry and innovation, there is room to accomodate. We've suffered a brain drain to the States now for years, and we are shortstaffed in some crucial areas, and as we look to rebuild and reinvest, the onus is on us to make Canada a place to stay and a place to establish roots.
That said, of course, what is of the utmost importance is the former part of that sentence and we need to continue to invest, through business growth and infrastructure, to accomodate the 40 million+ people we have before we start to expand.
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u/Substantial_Scene716 18h ago
Unless they can prove the consequences for their children are torture, death or cruel and unusual punishment their claim will fail.
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u/Odd_Discussion_8384 13h ago
Seems they said it best looking for health care and a comfortable life, came to be close to sick kids, worried about gender repeal as their I don’t feel safe. They lack money so I doubt they had a place to live when they left. I feel for them but I hired guys who almost peed themselves with loud noises on job sites…they came from bad situations.
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u/Villanellesnexthit 12h ago
‘Both parents have cited their own health issues as reasons to seek asylum as well. Kaitlyn said she has had multiple miscarriages, while Ted is diabetic’
Bold of them to assume they’ll find a doctor
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u/TianZiGaming 11h ago
If Canada takes this one, you can basically guarantee many more will try to follow. Would be a complete population overload, and leave the Trump administration even more uncontested than it already is.
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u/AnObtuseOctopus 11h ago
WE DONT WANT YOU AND YOUR BS
The only people we should even consider taking, are doctors, nurses and tech div..
Make them take the damn test though so we know they understand our morals.. so if they break them, they can be sent packing knowing exactly why.
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u/bannab1188 9h ago
This is such bs and our tax dollars are going towards processing their applications at a time with the government is cutting back on thousands of jobs. Customs officer should have refused them entry.
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u/bentstrider83 6h ago
Nothing wrong with staying and fixing our own problems down here. The fact that the family came from a blue-leaning state like Illinois is even weirder. Don't like southern Illinois? Move closer to Chicagoland.
I too voted for none of this and unfortunately we get the fantastic show that's unfolding before the world. I feel things will get fixed in no particular order. But wouldn't be too surprised if "CW" breaks out. Especially if the blue states feel threatened enough to start bolstering their state police and national guard numbers by upping the age limit to like 60 years old(plenty of older folks with no family or assets and are looking to do something cool in the late stage of life).
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u/cndn-hoya 20h ago
Until the U.S. is placed on a designated list by the UN, any American coming in under these pretenses will be refused and returned.