No Canada safe haven for Democrats

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by CutiePie2000
I think Americans would find our shopping to be rather disappointing. Canada is pretty behind the times in terms of shopping....Americans definitely have the leg up on us in retailing.

Mark well my words....in Canada, this is the shopping situation:
no J. Crew,
no Illuminations (one of my faves),
no Nordstroms,
no Bon Marche,
no Filene's,
no Bonwit-Teller,
no Nieman-Marcus,
no Barney's although our Holt Renfrew is a poor ersatz version of Barney's)

Need I go on?

J.Crew was supposed to come up a couple of years ago (when American Eagle did), but pulled out when the dollar fell to $0.63 US. Maybe they'll look into coming up again, especially. Personally, I'm hoping for Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor LOFT to expand up here as they have an excellent petite collection. I'm glad that the Toronto Eaton Centre Banana Republic store has finally got its petites though.


We do have Jacob and Jacob Connexion though

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by Taualumna
But Lady Pi Phi, that would depend on where you live. You don't vote Liberal in "Kleinland".

That's true, but Toronto is pretty Liberal, and that's where the majority of immigrants settle.

[NeonPi]

Ya damn right you don't! But you need to realize that the PC's have been in office since early May 1971 - 5 weeks before I was BORN!

(note: I'm a born & bred Alberta girl - I can't myself! A favourite saying in Alberta when the feds doing soething stupid ... "We have the oil, the guns and the money - don't piss us off!")

Originally posted by Taualumna
But Lady Pi Phi, that would depend on where you live. You don't vote Liberal in "Kleinland".

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
That's true, but Toronto is pretty Liberal, and that's where the majority of immigrants settle.

Which I find weird, because as of late, most immigrants come from countries that are more in line with Alberta, morally speaking. But then again, middle class immigrants/new Canadians tend to settle in the 905, which is more likely to vote Conservative.

[bcdphie]

Vancouver and Victoria are extreme Liberal bases, and Vancouver has a huge influx of immigrants, but where their turn comes, they vote, more the most part along Liberal lines. My old riding (I now live a couple of blocks into the next riding) had the largest Liberal victory in the country.

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by Taualumna
Which I find weird, because as of late, most immigrants come from countries that are more in line with Alberta, morally speaking. But then again, middle class immigrants/new Canadians tend to settle in the 905, which is more likely to vote Conservative.

I don't know. The 905 is still a fairly Liberal area. I can't explain it, but immigrants, especially new immigrants, tend to vote Liberal.

[Jill1228]

I just saw this on Yahoo:

Americans Flock to Canada's Immigration Web Site

Fri Nov 5, 2:22 PM ET

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada's main immigration Web site has shot up six-fold as Americans flirt with the idea of abandoning their homeland after President Bush (news - web sites)'s election win this week.



"When we looked at the first day after the election, Nov. 3, our Web site hit a new high, almost double the previous record high," immigration ministry spokeswoman Maria Iadinardi said on Friday.


On an average day some 20,000 people in the United States log onto the Web site, www.cic.gc.ca -- a figure which rocketed to 115,016 on Wednesday. The number of U.S. visits settled down to 65,803 on Thursday, still well above the norm.


Bush's victory sparked speculation that disconsolate Democrats and others might decide to start a new life in Canada, a land that tilts more to the left than the United States.


Would-be immigrants to Canada can apply to become permanent resident, a process that often takes a year. The other main way to move north on a long-term basis is to find a job, which requires a work permit.


But please spare the sob stories.


Asked whether an applicant would be looked upon more sympathetically if they claimed to be a sad Democrat seeking to escape four more years of Bush, Iadinardi replied: "There would be no weight given to statements of feelings."


Canada is one of the few major nations with an large-scale immigration policy. Ottawa is seeking to attract between 220,000 and 240,000 newcomers next year.


"Let's face it, we have a population of a little over 32 million and we definitely need permanent residents to come to Canada," said Iadinardi. "If we could meet (the 2005) target and go above it, the more the merrier."


But right now it is too early to say whether the increased interest will result in more applications.


"There is no unusual activity occurring at our visa missions (in the United States). Having someone who intends to come to Canada is not the same as someone actually putting in an application," said Iadinardi.


"We'll only find out whether there has been an increase in applications in six months."


The waiting time to become a citizen is shorter for people married to Canadians, which prompted the birth of a satirical Web site called www.marryanamerican.ca.


The idea of increased immigration by unhappy Americans is triggering some amusement in Canada. Commentator Thane Burnett of the Ottawa Sun newspaper wrote a tongue-in-cheek guide to would-be new citizens on Friday.


"As Canadians, you'll have to learn to embrace and use all the products and culture of Americans, while bad-mouthing their way of life," he said.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally posted by Jill1228
Yeah the shopping does kinda suck here (but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Lush and the MAC store).

Yeah, I love MAC. The founder of MAC, Frank Toskan, is Canadian. MAC is now owned by Estee Lauder and its huge cosmetics-conglomerate syndicate.

Lush originated out of London's Covent Garden (that was the site of the first store). I like their "shampoo pucks" for hair. Great for travelling.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
I don't know. The 905 is still a fairly Liberal area. I can't explain it, but immigrants, especially new immigrants, tend to vote Liberal.

I used to live out in the Don Valley West area, which is fairly borderline PC/Liberal (it was PC provincially and Liberal federally until last October) but my current riding (Toronto Centre) is Liberal, Liberal, Liberal. Conservatives came in, like third this past federal election! I guess that's what happens when you live down town and your riding includes part of the university and the gay village......I like the shopping and convenience and all, but can't stand some of the values.