Re: Any Canadians here?
Cheegum are you kiddingg meee .... what does england have ... even their cricket team sucks ...
Re: Any Canadians here?
Another Canadian reporting... resident of Ottawa, but a Torontonian at heart.
Welcome to Canada Stardust - I'm sure you'll like it here - every city/town has something unique to offer - it really depends on your lifestyle preferences and social predilections.
I am a student at University and will be moving to Vancuover to work towards a degree in fashion.....lets hope I accomplish this goal of mine!
Awww Ria are you really leaving Calgary!!! :( We just met lol!!!
Well I wish you the best of luck in your studies....and keep Calgary....and the Calgary Flames close to your heart ;)
AND....please whatever you do....don't let them convert you into a canuck fan.... :S
Awww Ria are you really leaving Calgary!!! :( We just met lol!!! Well I wish you the best of luck in your studies....and keep Calgary....and the Calgary Flames close to your heart ;)
AND....please whatever you do....don't let them convert you into a canuck fan.... :S
Malika u sure have ur priorities right :p ... don't worry no one is taking away ur flames fans lol ... but malika just hope and wish that leafs don't beat flames whnever they play cuz u know whats gonna happen after :D:D:D
Re: Any Canadians here?
Canada is a great place. especially Toronto...
any place is as boring or as fun as you make it. I remember when I was a kid, we'd hear that Islamabad was boring, etc. but I loved the couple of years I spent there. and Toronto reminds me a lot of Islamabad. especially if you drive in some areas of Mississauga, it totally feels like you're in Islamabad.
the other great thing about Canada/Toronto and ppl who lived in or grew up in the middle east would be able to appreciate is that Toronto is a truly multicultural city. there is practically no racism. you see ppl of all colors, races, religions, etc. all in all, Canada is great and if I was going to choose a place to live in apart from Islamabad, Toronto would be it.
Malika u sure have ur priorities right :p ... don't worry no one is taking away ur flames fans lol ... but malika just hope and wish that leafs don't beat flames whnever they play cuz u know whats gonna happen after :D:D:D
lol i sure do! :D
And last time we played you guys...guess what happened...yea you lost!!!
Next game is in the New year....maybe your leafs will make a new years resolution to actually try and win a couple of games :P
lol i sure do! :D
And last time we played you guys...guess what happened...yea you lost!!! Next game is in the New year....maybe your leafs will make a new years resolution to actually try and win a couple of games :P
Malika man just wait and watch ... lol we shall see wat happens in new years and after all this insult i doubt kadri is gonna be talkin to u :p ... i'll show him all the posts and then we'll see wat happens then
Assalam u Alaykum
I do agree with some of your points. However the issue as I see it is if you look at the UK in general compared to Canada, you
will see that the people in the UK are certainly more in touch with their roots. Just take as an example, any main UK city or
town where you have a half decent muslim community and walk in the town centre. You will find many Pakistanis wearing the
traditional shalwar kameez, both men and women without any shame or issues. Would you see the same in Canada except in the
mosque? Its not that this is the be all and the end all, neither is saying Assalam u Alaykum in pure pakistani accent, but its an
indication of how far society has moved away from their culture.
In Canada people would not want to be seen dead in their traditional wear because they feel they need to fit in and be accepted
and this mentality has ultimately affected not only the older generation that originally came there in the 60s but the younger
generation also that was born in Canada. My family has been in Canada since the 60s and hence have seen the Pakistani
community grow and see where they were and where we are going and its certainly in decline.
Also when you refer to 6 hijab wearing girls in your local community this seems very strange to me. I could pick 2 or 3 random
houses in the UK in any street and you will find that. In fact I am finding that Islam is more and more prominent now in the UK
than ever before and girls wearing hijab and abaya is becoming more and more common, so much so that in some areas in some
towns and cities within the UK it is in fact the norm. In Canada and again of course it depends on where you are, but you would
be hard pressed to find 2 or 3 girls/women wearing hijab on the streets.
As for people moving to Canada, of course there is a reason. One of the reasons is that Canada have always had a points
system and if you have enough points, you get to come in. We need the people and we have the space and hence the
immigration policy reflects that. UK on the other hand is an island and has limited space and so it is a lot more difficult to get
in. And you will find that it is the people who are educated from Pakistani backgrounds that tend to come to Canada due to
gaining a higher number of points. Most of the immigrants that come to the UK are from small villages and you could hence
argue a lot more traditional with traditional values. Like I said if you go to any area in the UK with a small minority of
Pakistanis or muslims, you will know that you are in the Pakistani area. The same cannot be said of Canada.
If you just look at the type of Islam that is being practised in large pockets of Muslim communities in Canada, it a very secular
Islam whereby there is plenty of free mixing, not only at these large events like ICNA or ISNA (lets be honest, young guys and
girls go there for one thing and the old folks go there to meet their mates), but also on the community mosque level. This
openness and eagerness to integrate into society is slowly leading the muslim population down a slippery slope where they will
not be able to climb back from.
As for economics, I would not agree that that the standard of living is higher, or if it is you certainly pay a hell of a lot more
for it. It is more expensive in Canada, taxes are higher, you have to pay for your own medicines if you are self employed or do
not have medical insurance, the lisit goes on. My father who is now 64 years old, lived there for 39 years, is a diabetic patient
and has had a heart bypass, but is still not covered for medical prescriptions. Compare this to the UK where all medicines
prescribed by a doctor are covered regardless of age, wealth, status etc. In addition for under 19s and over 60s there is no
prescription charge where in Canada you could pay up to 25 dollars for every prescription. Also as a Canadian citizen OHIP
will not cover you untill you have resided in the province for 3 months, regardless of Canadian citzenship or not. Long story
but we found out the hard way.
Canada however has fantastic university's. Great education system, but university is expensive as oppose to being
almost free in the UK. Also Canadians are one of the most educated pple in the world according to a show i was wathcing on
the CBC. Unfortunately it seems they are overworked as by law employee's can get 2 weeks of work, now many comapanies
will only give you 2 weeks exactly while some employers will give more..i guess depending on how lucky you are.In the UK by
law you get 20 days off work not including stat holiday.
Please dont take my comments to heart. I am just stating my opinion of how it was living in Canada, being born there and
having lived there most of my life. My son was also born there and so he is a thrid generation Canadian. If I compare an
average third generation Canadian Pakistani to a 3rd generation British Pakistani, there is a huge difference. The British
Pakistani will certainly in 90% of the cases be more in touch with their religion and their culture. For my kids we decided to
settle in the UK only becaause it more ideal for what we wanted for us and our family. We go to Canada 2 twice a year and
love the 4 season in a year ( i love fall) and i do miss Canada with all my heart, often still get homesick even though i havent
lived in Canada fo 12 yrs. I do get very definsive when pple do say bad things about my country. Canada is in my blood no
matter what happens . Even though i havent lived there for 12 yrs I havent changed my citizenship, I cant betray her, just
wish wome aspect of Canada..or shall i say Ontario was better. There is always room for improvent for both Canada and England
Salaam
Assalam u Alaykum I do agree with some of your points. However the issue as I see it is if you look at the UK in general compared to Canada, you will see that the people in the UK are certainly more in touch with their roots. Just take as an example, any main UK city or town where you have a half decent muslim community and walk in the town centre. You will find many Pakistanis wearing the traditional shalwar kameez, both men and women without any shame or issues. Would you see the same in Canada except in the mosque? Its not that this is the be all and the end all, neither is saying Assalam u Alaykum in pure pakistani accent, but its an indication of how far society has moved away from their culture. In Canada people would not want to be seen dead in their traditional wear because they feel they need to fit in and be accepted and this mentality has ultimately affected not only the older generation that originally came there in the 60s but the younger generation also that was born in Canada. My family has been in Canada since the 60s and hence have seen the Pakistani community grow and see where they were and where we are going and its certainly in decline. Also when you refer to 6 hijab wearing girls in your local community this seems very strange to me. I could pick 2 or 3 random houses in the UK in any street and you will find that. In fact I am finding that Islam is more and more prominent now in the UK than ever before and girls wearing hijab and abaya is becoming more and more common, so much so that in some areas in some towns and cities within the UK it is in fact the norm. In Canada and again of course it depends on where you are, but you would be hard pressed to find 2 or 3 girls/women wearing hijab on the streets. As for people moving to Canada, of course there is a reason. One of the reasons is that Canada have always had a points system and if you have enough points, you get to come in. We need the people and we have the space and hence the immigration policy reflects that. UK on the other hand is an island and has limited space and so it is a lot more difficult to get in. And you will find that it is the people who are educated from Pakistani backgrounds that tend to come to Canada due to gaining a higher number of points. Most of the immigrants that come to the UK are from small villages and you could hence argue a lot more traditional with traditional values. Like I said if you go to any area in the UK with a small minority of Pakistanis or muslims, you will know that you are in the Pakistani area. The same cannot be said of Canada. If you just look at the type of Islam that is being practised in large pockets of Muslim communities in Canada, it a very secular Islam whereby there is plenty of free mixing, not only at these large events like ICNA or ISNA (lets be honest, young guys and girls go there for one thing and the old folks go there to meet their mates), but also on the community mosque level. This openness and eagerness to integrate into society is slowly leading the muslim population down a slippery slope where they will not be able to climb back from. As for economics, I would not agree that that the standard of living is higher, or if it is you certainly pay a hell of a lot more for it. It is more expensive in Canada, taxes are higher, you have to pay for your own medicines if you are self employed or do not have medical insurance, the lisit goes on. My father who is now 64 years old, lived there for 39 years, is a diabetic patient and has had a heart bypass, but is still not covered for medical prescriptions. Compare this to the UK where all medicines prescribed by a doctor are covered regardless of age, wealth, status etc. In addition for under 19s and over 60s there is no prescription charge where in Canada you could pay up to 25 dollars for every prescription. Also as a Canadian citizen OHIP will not cover you untill you have resided in the province for 3 months, regardless of Canadian citzenship or not. Long story but we found out the hard way. Canada however has fantastic university's. Great education system, but university is expensive as oppose to being almost free in the UK. Also Canadians are one of the most educated pple in the world according to a show i was wathcing on the CBC. Unfortunately it seems they are overworked as by law employee's can get 2 weeks of work, now many comapanies will only give you 2 weeks exactly while some employers will give more..i guess depending on how lucky you are.In the UK by law you get 20 days off work not including stat holiday. Please dont take my comments to heart. I am just stating my opinion of how it was living in Canada, being born there and having lived there most of my life. My son was also born there and so he is a thrid generation Canadian. If I compare an average third generation Canadian Pakistani to a 3rd generation British Pakistani, there is a huge difference. The British Pakistani will certainly in 90% of the cases be more in touch with their religion and their culture. For my kids we decided to settle in the UK only becaause it more ideal for what we wanted for us and our family. We go to Canada 2 twice a year and love the 4 season in a year ( i love fall) and i do miss Canada with all my heart, often still get homesick even though i havent lived in Canada fo 12 yrs. I do get very definsive when pple do say bad things about my country. Canada is in my blood no matter what happens . Even though i havent lived there for 12 yrs I havent changed my citizenship, I cant betray her, just wish wome aspect of Canada..or shall i say Ontario was better. There is always room for improvent for both Canada and England Salaam
You suck sumosambs ... cuz of your last paragraph now i can't even go after you ... i have never been to UK or know much about it so i'll hold my comments ... but i like it here ... i think it depends more on family than anything but yeah surroundings do matter and I hope you find everything in the UK that you were looking for :)
Awww shucks Libranrulz... I really dont want to debate which country is better...as i really do love both. I just wanted to give Stardust an opinion of someone who also had moved from the Uk to Canada. Also i didnt want to sugar coat it, these are things we personally found difficult. We ended up buyng a house in the UK and settled, allhumdulillah we are happy.
gee thanks sarsaparilla ... way to make me feel speciall
I live in the city that has won it 25 times. Don't know when we will win it again though!
Re: Any Canadians here?
Montreal is definatey not he best city or team ... they have stupid signs in french and one way streets and no right turns on red lights ...
Ontario is pretty nice...minus the winter which sucks. Toronto is a nice place to work - but not a place to live....hate living in toronto.
Which is why I moved to Burlington:)
The commute is a pain sometimes....but its worth it.
Lots of desis in Markham...which can be a good thing or a bad thing...depending on how you look at it !
I apologize but I do not agree to the points you have raised, your post is so much “one point” oriented in such a microscopic way that you have lost focus of the macro level things.
Wearing Shalwar Kameez openly and walking on street without shame is a plus point for you….how? It is plain idiocy to think that only Shalwar Kameez would hold us closer to our religion. The problem with most of us is that we symbolize some conspicuous things (wearing shalwar kameez in this case) with certain preconceived notions (in this case being closer to Pakistan and deen).
If being comfortable in Shalwar Kameez is such a big issue and is testament to the fact that it has direct correlation with being accepted in a country, then live in Pakistan.
As a rule, when we immigrate we MUST TRY to fit in the new home without losing out on fundamental things that our religion teaches. Do you know what kind of wrath muslims are getting in almost all major countries in Europe for not fitting in the mainstream and creating their own silos…..any idea?
This is pure sweeping statement, and I can also counter you by saying that my maternal family is also living in UK since 1950s and their children are way worse than families (again my maternal side) moved to Canada. Now what………did you prove any is better. It’s your word against mine.
To get to this point, Muslim population in general has paid a very big price, as this has made the life of an average muslim much more difficult, when you say you moved to UK in 1960’s, I have following questions for you:
-
Do you think Pakistani Muslims (in UK) in 1960’s were worse Muslims (less practicing) as compared to today in UK, as ratio of Hijabi Muslims was less in 1960s as compared to today, because Hijab was almost non prevalent in the population of 1960s that moved from Pakistan?
-
Do you think Pakistani Muslims (in UK) in 1960s were better accepted with respect to racism (now don’t get me started on biggest racist country towards Pakistani Muslims and especially Pakistanis where we are everyday called “Pakis”) in UK as compared to Pakistani Muslims today?
When you are living in silo wearing Hijab/Abaya is no achievement, when you are hurled abusive comments every now and then when you move into mainstream areas where Hijab/Abaya is not looked upto. Or am I missing something?? that you are saying that Britons are very accommodating and accepting towards Hijabi/Abaya adorning ladies.
By being able to create areas where you can wear Abaya/Hijab without shame has not resulted in better (socio economic) living conditions, infact it has worked totally against Pakistani Muslims.
This is no qualification for moving to a country, if it is something that you give too much importance then move to Saudi Arab.
Yes there is…it is ranked 3/4 best country to live in and not 21 like UK in most recent report by United Nations. I am sure if you perpare the report it would be #1 and Canada would be #182. I guess you should write to United Nations about it…I am sure they will revise their yearly reports.
Again sweeping statement, have you lived in ALL towns/cities of Canada? Come on……huh, although there are many areas like that in Toronto, Mississauga, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver where there is distinct Pakistani areas…but is it a good thing….NO WAY….. no nation has every achieved any success where inhabitant was holding onto the cultural traditions their for fathers gave. Just give one example of successful country is successful as a whole where packets of population are living in their own silos. You think Afro Americans achieved something in US by being constrained in their own world, Arab Muslims in France have achieved anything which French government commends, Pakistani Muslims have achieved anything in UK which your Government commends. Think big….think in larger perspective of future generation.
My God…..you make such sweeping statements that it feels that you have seen through each and every individuals heart and mind and they have given explicit statements to you based on which you are writing it. Be more general please.
As in…what? Have you seen what has happened to them in Akhirat?
First decide if you agree or not? Coz in one sentence you have negated what you have said the first half of the sentence….dont get jazbati…..talk with facts:
Refer to this HDI (Human Development Index) but I am sure you will say that you do not agree with this index as it is not developed by someone wearing shalwar kameez…..
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/best-country-live-list-countries-2009-un-hdi](http://www.nowpublic.com/world/best-country-live-list-countries-2009-un-hdi)
Standard of living as calculated in HDI takes into account MUCH MUCH more things than you have stated, although tax structure is one bigggggggg component of this study.
That is what has made them more outcast and less acceptable in mainstream life, and way less acceptable in the society, thus breeding problems/issues for our coming generations which would be much much more.
We have failed the future generations………!
Exactly, that is personal totally myopic personal preference, where I am saying about general things. No two persons can think identical that is why they do sampling and and bigger sample give better results…….It is your own personal opinion and I respect that. But when we are talking about general things then I do not agree with any of your point. Period
In the end after reading your post…I am sure every Pakistani living outside UK and Canada will think that …for them to live in UK is living in Mecca or Madinah and living in Canada is like living on the Strip in Las Vegas!
Awww shucks Libranrulz... I really dont want to debate which country is better...as i really do love both. I just wanted to give Stardust an opinion of someone who also had moved from the Uk to Canada. Also i didnt want to sugar coat it, these are things we personally found difficult. We ended up buyng a house in the UK and settled, allhumdulillah we are happy.
Salaam sumosabs
Thank you so much for that precis about life in Canada. It was really informative! I havent moved to Canada yet, I will InshAllah next July/September. I just wanted to know what it's like right now so I have some sort of an idea instead of getting a huge culture shock like I did when I moved from Saudi to England.
I have to disagree though about your comments relating to people being more in touch with their roots. Obviously I can't compare to Canada but my personal experience has been that people are going away from their religion especially the younger generation who are hooked on MTVs and Wii's and chatting to boys on the internet. Divorce rates amongst Muslims in the UK are on the rise and it's sad to say but alot of young girls and guys get up to alot of stupid things at university (I have seen so myself). A lot of girls who wear the Hijab here have double standards in that they give an image of being perfect Muslims but usually mess about with guys in private.
What's more is that I don't find people in England are friendly or approachable. They are cold and distant and socially constipated (as my dad puts it). Also, I have very good qualifications from excellent institutions in England yet I have been unable to secure a good job because of a) the recession and b) I'am Asian c) competition is rife. I should be earning three times my current wage but Alhumdulilah, Halal ki kamaai haye so I dont wish to be ungrateful.
When I first moved to England 12 years ago I hated it then and I hate it more now (especially moving from the Middle East). Life in Canada (I think) still resembles Middle Eastern life in terms of the friendly people, multiculturalism and wide roads! lol ;)
I dont know which part of England you live in sumosabs and it genuinely may suit your religious and cultural needs. We live in an area where even the Muslims have been stone cold and tight fisted with their money. It's very sad.
But thank you for giving me such an honest viewpoint about Canada. It really does help in confirming that I have made the right decision about my move to Canada.
Ontario is pretty nice...minus the winter which sucks. Toronto is a nice place to work - but not a place to live....hate living in toronto.
Which is why I moved to Burlington:)
The commute is a pain sometimes....but its worth it.
Lots of desis in Markham...which can be a good thing or a bad thing...depending on how you look at it !
thats a bad thing. Iam trying to get away from desis :S
Re: Any Canadians here?
Die hard, dedicated Canadian reporting.
I love Canada........it's icy cold for many months in the year but I love it still.
Plus Toronto is a Gupshup Hub. In fact one of the primary hubs.
Don't listen to cheegum telling you to stay there......you will like Toronto way better. Although we have more extreme weather than England....the people are much friendlier and the atmosphere much more welcoming.
I hear you about the desi community and while I don't want to appear biased I have to admit that there is a distinct difference in the desi community in Toronto and the one that I have experienced in England.
thats a bad thing. Iam trying to get away from desis :S
Lol. Then you're probably better off in Burlington or Oakville..both are relatively close to Tdot without all the noise, pollution, crime, and the long line of desis !
Plus, Burlington and Oakville have some great condos/homes by the lake...they're pricey but a great place to raise a family in my opinion..which is one of the reasons I moved to Burlington from Toronto..
You have been misinformed miss. This past week we had windchills downwards of -45 degrees. It can dip to around -50 with the windchill or -35 to -40 without the windchill but thats only once in a while and its not too bad 
unless you have to stand outside for some time. Normal winter weather is around -10 to -20 but that is not continuous. You get some cold days and then it warms up to around 0 or even the low positive digits and then another dip and so on.
You can’t say snow is a norm in may but yeah it can happen. Heck i’ve seen around a foot of snow on June 28 But don’t let that scare you. The people are much warmer than the weather so comeon down here and enjoy 
Re: Any Canadians here?
I would love to take a trip down to calgary and see wat all this commotion is about