I have lived in Canada and in the United States. I have lived in Canada for 18 years and I am absolutely happy calling Canada my home. As with any country, Canada has its pros and cons. I think for me what I love about living in Toronto is the fact that I am surrounded by different cultures. In Canada once we become citizens we are not expected to be “Canadians” and denounce our roots. This is the reason why my community is composed of Chinese-Canadians, Korean-Canadians, Ecuadorian-Canadians, Peruvian-Canadian, Salvadoran-Canadian etc. There are various communities that live together in harmony who share their cultures with others.

I am proud of the fact that Canada has two official languages. I have often traveled to Quebec and I have always made it an effort to speak French. Canada has a vast history just by traveling from province to province one can see the differences. Just traveling from Toronto, a fast paced metropolitan area you can take a six hour drive and end up in Montreal a city that resembles a city you could find in Europe with its trendy shops, and 19th century churches.

As with any other country there are pros and cons of emigrating to Canada. When my family first applied to move here it was a lengthy and costly procedure. Often people who hold a profession in their native country would have to go through re-training in order to meet Canadian criteria. This is often the biggest drawback. Often people have to start from the beginning but there are programs that have been placed in order to help new comers to Canada with a trade or profession to succeed.

As for the weather, there is absolutely nothing that I can complain about. It definitely snows up here but there is a budget set in place in order to clear the roads and make everything accessible. It really depends where one resides in Canada being such a large country it’s obvious that those that live in the north would receive the brunt of the snow. Southern Ontario this year has had their share of storms however when it snows it is time to have fun. There are many activities that one can do in the winter.

The health care system is widely accessible in Canada. People are not turned away at hospitals and surgical procedures are covered. It is not a perfect system it has its flaws. The wait times are sometimes long, and prescription drugs are not covered.

The taxes may be high in Canada but at the end of the day the taxes are done in order for Canadians to live comfortably.

I think that Canada is wonderful because it is motley of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds.