[LatelineNews: 2003-7-20] NEW YORK - For all they share economically
and culturally, Canada and the United States are increasingly at odds
on basic social policies - to the point that at least a few
discontented Americans are planning to move north and try their
neighbors' way of life.
A husband and wife in Minnesota, a college student in Georgia, a young
executive in New York. Though each has distinct motives for packing
up, they agree the United States is growing too conservative and
believe Canada offers a more inclusive, less selfish society.

``For me, it's a no-brainer,'' said Mollie Ingebrand, a puppeteer from
Minneapolis who plans to go to Vancouver with her lawyer husband and
2-year-old son.

``It's the most amazing opportunity I can imagine. To live in a
society where there are different priorities in caring for your fellow
citizens.''

For decades, even while nurturing close ties with the United States,
Canadians have often chosen a different path - establishing universal
health care, maintaining ties with Cuba, imposing tough gun control
laws. Two current Canadian initiatives, to decriminalize marijuana and
legalize same-sex marriage, have pleased many liberals in the United
States and irked conservatives.

New York executive Daniel Hanley, 31, was arranging a move for himself
and his partner, Tony, long before the Canadian announcement about
same-sex marriage. But the timing delights him; he and Tony now hope
to marry in front of their families after they emigrate to British
Columbia.

``Canada has an opportunity to define itself as a leader,'' Hanley
said. ``In some ways, it's now closer to American ideals than America
is.''

Though many gay American couples are now marrying in Canada, virtually
all return home, hoping court rulings will lead to official
recognition of their unions.

Hanley's situation is different because Tony - a Southeast Asian - is
not a U.S. citizen. The men worried that Tony could be forced to leave
the United States after his student visa expires in two years: They
were elated when Canada's immigration agency said they could move
there as partners.

Hanley, who works for a Fortune 500 company in Manhattan, doesn't know
how the move will affect his career.

``It's a challenge, it's scary,'' he said. ``We'll have to drop
everything we know here, go up there and figure it out.''

Thomas Hodges, a computer systems major at Georgia State University,
said his dismay with American politics started him thinking last year
about going abroad. He recently wrote an article in a campus journal
titled, ``Why I Am Moving To Canada.''

``I'm thinking about Toronto, though I hear it's cold up there,''
Hodges, a lifelong Southerner, said in a telephone interview.



You are welcome here as long as you leave your politics and attitudes
at home.Canada is the best country on earth. We are peacemakers, not
war mongers like our neighbours to the south.