Re: “Aussies living in Vancouver say they prefer Canadian lifestyle to Down Under,” Jan. 26.
I was disappointed in the biased article about Aussies preferring the Canadian lifestyle, especially on Australia Day! The article should have been about enlightening Canadians with facts about Australia and what Aussie ex-pats missed about Australia.
I am an Aussie, married to a born and bred Vancouverite. We have a son, who is a dual-citizen. We moved back to Australia in 2017, after living in Vancouver for seven years. I suffered with chronic arthritis due to Vancouver’s damp climate, for more than half the year. The cost of living was ridiculous (glossed over in the article); Vancouver locals were predominantly unfriendly (I concur with the frosty reputation of Vancouverites); and the corruption was abhorrent.
I got tired of the “Canada is the best country in the world” attitude, the ‘”B.C. is the Best Place on Earth” propaganda and the slogan “the world needs more Canada” arrogance. Or as Canadians like to call it “humble bragging.”
And why the competitive attitude? Life is not black and white. There are some things I like about Canada and some things I like about Australia. It is largely subjective. There are also Canadians who love living in Australia. Not everyone in Canada is progressive — I had to deal with xenophobia and sexism in Canada. In summary, the article’s objective seemed to be about inflating Canadian egos and perpetuating the myth that “everyone wants to live in Canada.” The media’s purpose is to report the facts, not reinforce extreme nationalistic attitudes, which is very dangerous and divisive, especially in today’s political climate.
M. Curry,
Brisbane, Australia
