He moved to Canada 6 years ago and now returns to the U.S. with a criticism of the system: “Economically, Canada is struggling”

One Reddit user took to the platform to explain his decision to move his family back to the United States after six years of living in Canada. Though we cannot verify the veracity of the claims made, we can look at other sources of information to corroborate whether or not the argument for returning to the U.S. stands under scrutiny. Additionally, when examining the post, one thread becomes clear: if you are poor, life in Canada and the United States is hard.

Reasons for moving back to the U.S.

The poster explains that they were offered a job in British Columbia in a STEM-related field over five years ago, and together with his wife, decided to take the job and move their family north. While the user does accept that there are “some advantages to [living] in Canada,” like the low levels of gun violence compared to the U.S., more expensive public services for those who are “cash-strapped,” and “better work-life balance.” Nevertheless, the decision to move back to the U.S. was motivated by the fact that he and his family would have greater access to healthcare and a greater number of “career opportunities for ambitious people.”

The factors that influence the difference in salary between the U.S. and Canada

Already, we see that this is the experience of a very specific type of person. For instance, those who prioritize work-life balance may see Canada as a better fit, but for those looking to work more for more money, then the U.S. economy may offer opportunities that Canada does not. These differences are reflected in income inequality between the two neighboring countries. The Gini Coefficient measures the distribution of wealth in a society. A coefficient of 1 implies that a single individual owns 100 percent of the country’s wealth and 0 means that all income is distributed equally. According to the

, as of 2022, the Gini coefficient is larger in the United States (41.3) than it is for Canada (31.3). Additionally, while the indicator has been increasing in recent years in the U.S., representing an increase in income inequality, it has been falling in Canada. For Canadians, this means that some incomes are increasing and some might be falling, as the inequities in income diminish. In an economy where income inequality is less prevalent, “getting ahead” can be harder as there are often legal protections that limit what companies can offer. I don’t mean in terms of laws that prohibit certain salaries but think about certain labor protections or the existence of a public healthcare system and the impact on salary. In the U.S., where employers might provide health insurance to their employees, many workers are still required to pay monthly premiums and meet their deductible before their coverage kicks in.

Meanwhile, in Canada, where a public healthcare system exists, salaries might be taxed at a higher rate, reducing take-home pay, but those healthcare expenses that U.S. workers might face never materialize (unless they opt into a private plan). A similar story can be told when it comes to child care, where by 2026, the government is hoping to provide parents with childcare that would cost them $10 or less per day, per child. Assuming a child attends daycare or preschool five days a week during the entire year, a family would pay less than $2,700. The Guardian recently reported that the average paid by American families is around $1,000 a month, highlighting again how public services reduce costs for families.

Additionally, Canadian workers are afforded certain labor protections that many workers in the U.S. are not. Under Canadian law, most workers who have been with a company for at least a year are entitled to severance pay. This is not the case in the U.S., where unless specified by a contract or collective bargaining agreement, an employer can give workers two weeks notice that they will be laid off. When determining salary, an employer in Canada will need to factor the possibility of severance pay into their budget, in case an economic downturn occurs and they decide to lay off employees. In the U.S., workers might benefit from higher salaries, but when those contracts end as a result of a layoff, they can be left without an income very quickly, and if they have a high standard of living, that can quickly create economic challenges unless they are able to find another job quickly.

When the poster argues that the Canadian economy is stagnant, they are failing to account for how regulation and labor protections limit the ability of Canadian firms to grow quickly and act without consequence. Additionally, a higher minimum wage to ensure workers stand a better chance of escaping poverty if they are in the workforce might also limit the ability of the economy to grow.

Comparing healthcare systems and their outcomes

The Reddit post also spends quite a bit of time talking about their experience, and that of their friends and colleagues, with regard to healthcare in Canada. As mentioned earlier, Canada is home to a single-payer healthcare system that offers coverage to citizens and residents. Workers and retirees are charged a tax to receive healthcare, but they pay no out-of-pocket expenses, aside from medication and elective procedures.

The post describes the experiences of a few friends who were diagnosed with cancer in Canada, which is a good place to begin our examination. According to data from the Canadian Cancer Society and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the rate of cancer within populations is similar, 0.62 percent for the former and 0.59 percent for the latter. When it comes to the survival rates, comparing the number of people in a year that are diagnosed, compared to the fatalities, in 2024, the survival rate in the U.S. was 5 percent higher. There are methodological reasons that explain this difference, but there are no scientific studies that suggest cancer deaths are seriously underreported in the U.S. The post suggests that those who can afford it go abroad for care because long wait times within the public system can lead to a terminal diagnosis that can be terminal. The post explains that one friend was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer after waiting for an MRI for two years, and by the time they got their diagnosis, the cancer was too far gone and the only option made available in the Canadian system was palliative care. The patient ended up going to the U.S. for treatment, but sadly passed away, with the late diagnosis being blamed for the death.

The case’s veracity cannot be confirmed, but regardless it is striking and deeply concerning. Perhaps because the healthcare system in Canada is public there is an expectation that the quality of service should be able to avoid these outcomes. Nevertheless, to assume that they are avoided in the U.S. private system is misleading. While the overall cancer rate in the U.S. might be higher, Fight Cancer, a patient advocacy organization, reported that mortality rates from cancer are higher in counties “that experience persistent poverty,” with the overall death rate being 12.3 percent higher among all types of cancer. For stomach cancer, which was the cause of death of the poster’s friend, the mortality rate is 43.2 percent higher in poor areas. To be clear, both situations should be unacceptable. Anytime a patient is denied timely access to healthcare that results in their death is a failure, regardless of their income.

Aside from cancer, it is important to mention that life expectancy is higher in Canada, and rates of heart disease as well as maternal and child mortality are lower (nearly twice as high in the U.S. as Canada). The Canadian government should do more to ensure those diagnosed with cancer are informed early to ensure their greatest chance of survival, but the other areas where the healthcare system overperforms that which exists in the U.S. are also important to mention.

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