Why I Left Communist Canada
November 14, 2011
The Voyage of a Canadian Expat (Part 1) I resented the fact that although the government professed freedom of religion, Christianity was under constant siege and treated as a pariah.
by Kevin Thomas
(henrymakow.com)
I was raised in a middle class WASP family in Winnipeg. After graduating as an Engineer, I moved to Montreal. There I worked for a large multinational.
Along the way I accumulated enough wealth through investments to become financially independent. I never felt as though I belonged in Canada; it was an accident of birth. I always felt out of place living there.
I began to feel more and more alienated as time passed. I disagreed with the political system and the all pervasive discriminatory policies couched as political correctness. The government was eager to get it's pound of flesh at tax time but I felt I got little value for my money.
The political system favored minority groups and I began to feel like a second class citizen. I am a Christian but am not attached to any organized religion. I resented the fact that although the government professed freedom of religion, Christianity was under constant siege and treated as a pariah.
I went through a divorce and again felt discriminated against as a man by a justice system. After 20 years of corporate existence, I was leading a life of quiet desperation like 92% of the general working population.
For as long as I could remember I hated winters and, lifestyle always ranked higher than career. I longed to live in a warmer climate. I also felt that most Canadians were politically illiterate and naive, and I had problems resonating with people in general conversations, which at some point would move into the realm of politics.
I never claimed to be smarter, only wired differently, perceiving subtle changes that the general population could not or did not want to see. That image of the Canadian public remains has not changed to this day.
I strongly believe in the inner compass, inner voice, gut feeling, or what ever other term you wish to ascribe to it. This is our umbilical cord to the Divine. I believe that each of us has a unique destiny and this inner conscience guides us along some predetermined path, telling us through subconscious messages what opportunities to seize and which to ignore.
Many of us arrive at some comfort zone in our lives, call it an equilibrium point where we choose to no longer challenge ourselves and we begin to atrophy. As I now reflect on the purpose of life, I realize that it is all about change. If we resist change, and are not following the divine plan for our lives, life will conspire to force us out of our comfort zone and create the needed changes.
In short this is what happened to me. I was overwhelmed by despair; bad marriage, unhappy and desperate job situation, bad politics, cold weather and a feeling that life was beyond my control. At the same time as life's perfect storm approached the corporation where I worked was downsizing and offered generous separation packages to resign. This was the event that changed my life forever.
CAYMAN ISLANDS
My passion in life had been scuba diving. Choosing the Cayman Islands as a new home was not a difficult decision . Residency is not automatic nor easy to obtain. You have to demonstrate sufficient income to support yourself and after 2 years, residency is granted. You must also purchase real estate worth at least $180k US. It is virtually impossible to get a passport in Cayman.
As a simple resident, you are not allowed to work in the local economy. Investing in the markets from a computer is fine which suited me well. As long as you are not infringing on the employment opportunities of the local population you are free to do as you wish.
You see, unlike Canada and the US, in Cayman local citizens have more rights than foreigners. Although this discriminated against me I found it refreshing and logical. The concept of political correctness was unknown.
As I said, lifestyle is important to me. The average yearly temperature was 25 degrees. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The water was the color of windex and I bought a condo on the waterfront.
In Cayman there are no direct income taxes; all taxes are consumption based except real estate where you pay a one time up front tax called a stamp duty (5%): that's it.
There are no social programs, yet everyone enjoys a high standard of living. There are no pan handlers on the street or begging of any type. Infrastructure is first class and it is a racially mixed society with no racial tension whatsoever.
There are more expats than locals and meeting new friends is easy. Many Canadians work in Cayman but they do so under a work permit system. Employers seeking to employ a foreigner must first advertise the position and qualification in the local newspapers for 2 weeks to see if there are any locally qualified people who apply.
If a local applies then he/she gets the job. Unlike Canada, if you are charged with a felony, you go to jail or are repatriated to your home country without a human rights tribunal or series of court hearings.
Invariably, all the Canadians that I met in Cayman had a special place in their heart for Canada. All talked about how wonderful and special a country Canada was but I never met one that returned.
Overall I believe the Caymanian people are among the happiest people on earth. They live in a first world country with an almost perfect climate.
I have never lived in a country like Cayman where there was complete racial harmony, and there is no legislation needed to bring this about. The government makes it clear that Cayman citizens are 1st class and are protected.
There are few if any social programs. Government revenue programs are few, and since there is no direct income tax, government is small and relatively efficient. There is virtually no unemployment. Foreigners who are not permanent residents and who are not gainfully employed must leave. How could someone living in a system that is so logical not enjoy living there. It all made so much sense to me.
However, Cayman is expensive. And, after a few years, the intuition I mentioned told me Cayman was overdue for a major hurricane. It arrived 6 months after I sold and moved. Ivan a category 5 arrived and destroyed the condo that I formerly owned. Eighty per cent of the buildings on the island were in some way touched by the storm and the clean up was long and arduous.
NEXT - Panama and Uruguay
Fred said (November 15, 2011):
Did a quick search on Wiki re. The Cayman Islands and was quite nonplussed to see the description of the aforesaid-----being--- The Cayman Islands are a British overseas Territory and Overseas Territory of The European Union. How does this stand in regard to Canada, Australia and New Zealand? I need not Explain!