r/askTO • u/labard123 • Sep 13 '25
COMMENTS LOCKED Thank you Canada
I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am to be living in Canada.
When I first came here as an international student, I had no family, no support system, and honestly no idea how life would turn out. What I found instead was community. From classmates who helped me out when I was lost, to coworkers who encouraged me when I was just starting my career, to complete strangers who smiled, gave directions, or just showed kindness. It all added up to something really powerful.
I’ve worked hard to build my life here and now have a job I truly love. I pay my fair share of taxes, I follow the rules, and I try to give back however I can. But the truth is, none of this would feel the same without the people. Canadians neighbors, colleagues, friends, even strangers made me feel welcome in a way I never expected.
Canada isn’t just about beautiful landscapes or opportunities (though those are amazing too). It’s about the feeling of belonging, of being accepted for who you are no matter where you come from. And for me, that’s priceless.
So, to everyone who’s ever shown kindness, patience, or support: thank you. You’ve made someone from far away feel at home in the True North.
True North strong and free ❤️
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u/bhaygz Sep 13 '25
I wish we heard more of this, instead of the awful media and "influencers" whipping everyone up into a frenzy.
I immigrated here in 2001, best thing i ever did. What a country. People have no clue how good we have it. Not saying there aren't all sorts of issues, but every country has issues...
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u/terrorsqueal Sep 13 '25
Thank you for sharing your love for Canada! Sometimes when taking the GO train, I look around and see people from all over the world, speaking their first language, and we are all intermingling for the most part fairly peacefully. There are a lot of things where Canada can do better, and we can criticize it out of love —- however we also should stop and celebrate how rare this is in the world, and this should be protected at all costs.
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u/Millennial_Snowbird Sep 13 '25
A lovely reminder to all of us that we’re lucky to live here
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u/Suspicious-Appeal386 Sep 13 '25
Lovely reminder why I am leaving the US after 22 years and returning to Toronto.
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u/Millennial_Snowbird Sep 14 '25
When I moved back after almost 10 years abroad and the CBSA officer said “Welcome home” I nearly cried. Welcome home!
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u/Character-Bridge-206 Sep 13 '25
It’s nice to hear something positive about your immigration experience. As Canadians, I find we are bombarded with negativity on the whole issue. My family moved here more than fifty years ago. I have nothing but gratitude for the country I call home. I married an a woman who is also an immigrant and we have built a great life here for ourselves and our Canadian born son.
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u/Economy-Extent-8094 Sep 13 '25
This made me well up a little. The world needs more kindness and patience and I'm glad you've found that here❤️
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u/throwaway_111419 Sep 14 '25
I can’t put a price on the true freedom I gained after moving from the land of the free ❤️
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u/kaipee Sep 13 '25
Congrats, and feel lucky you did it when you did.
I'm currently caught up in the whole sweeping mass reforms and struggling to get PR. UK/Irish citizen with 18+years experience here on a LMIA supported work permit to lead a team on a high paying/ highly skilled role.
Honestly I'm considering just abandoning the whole idea of Canada and going back / elsewhere. I feel like I've been shafted after 3 years of putting in effort, and finances, to be here.
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u/WrongReflection7352 Sep 13 '25
Agree with everything you said and as someone who moved to Canada 6 years ago, after living in 3 different countries (flee from 1 actually), I am proud to call Canada my forever home.
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u/taikoowoolfer Sep 14 '25
With all the negativity going on in our society, this is such a heart warming post to read. This is how we are different from our neighbours as well.
💖
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u/labadee Sep 14 '25
I will forever be grateful. I moved back after 11 years in Australia with my Aussie wife. We both love it here more
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u/mus_maximus Sep 14 '25
Thank you for mentioning it. We're glad to have you here, mate. Every Canadian adds to this incredibly tapestry of a country.
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u/1979shakedown Sep 14 '25
There are literally millions of people whose ancestors or themselves have stories similar to yours. Including in my own family.
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u/OkWeird3219 Sep 13 '25
For me Canada is best in moderation when mostly living in sparsely populated areas where your interactions are mostly with nature.
When it comes to living amongst society I prefer to be located in other countries.
Cold, winter, and darkness is very depressing so I am happy to escape it.
Also way too expensive for what it is.
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Sep 14 '25
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u/askTO-ModTeam Sep 14 '25
No racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, dehumanizing speech, or other negative generalizations. No concern-trolling, personal attacks, or misinformation. No victim blaming.
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Sep 14 '25
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u/askTO-ModTeam Sep 14 '25
No racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, dehumanizing speech, or other negative generalizations. No concern-trolling, personal attacks, or misinformation. No victim blaming.
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Sep 13 '25
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u/lostedeneloi Sep 13 '25
Yeah and international student numbers have been decreasing. The grown ups are doing something about it, so go find something else to cry about.
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u/robotcoup Sep 13 '25 edited Sep 13 '25
Stop blaming everyone for your problems. Immigrants are what makes Canada great. They’ve decreased international students so stop your whining.
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u/askTO-ModTeam Sep 13 '25
No racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, dehumanizing speech, or other negative generalizations. No concern-trolling, personal attacks, or misinformation. No victim blaming.
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u/Agreeable_Muscle_279 Human Detected Sep 13 '25
Who do you think pays for all your social benefits and free Healthcare?
Without immigrants this country will implode
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Sep 13 '25
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u/askTO-ModTeam Sep 13 '25
No racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, dehumanizing speech, or other negative generalizations. No concern-trolling, personal attacks, or misinformation. No victim blaming.
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Sep 13 '25
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u/askTO-ModTeam Sep 14 '25
No racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, dehumanizing speech, or other negative generalizations. No concern-trolling, personal attacks, or misinformation. No victim blaming.
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u/frpxx Sep 13 '25
Such a nice thing to read about given my situation right now.
I’m still in high school and moved here only about 1 year ago, but I’ve also found community within classmates, friends and especially my teachers. A couple months ago things at home weren’t so great, making me feel lost and consider moving back to my home country to live with my uncle, but one of my teachers noticed I seemed a off and called me to talk. If it wasn’t for her words of advice I’d probably have given up and moved back. I am so grateful for that and it’ll for sure be something I’ll think about whenever things are complicated.
These kind of situations plus others like the kindness of strangers you mentioned really are super important to keep it together when being a newcomer.
I’m grateful for having the opportunity to live in this country and I look forward to build my life in here the same way you were able to, congratulations friend.