However, what we do have is a pretty welcoming, friendly, and adventurous population that's a great basis for building a home, even if that doesn't mean having a house. If you have no sentimental attachments, no social life, no outdoor hobbies, no family, no job, and no prospects for a job, all of those together are perfectly legitimate reasons for getting the hell out and seeking prosperity where it might actually be found.
For me, I haven't had a job for almost a year, nobody's hiring, nobody will be hiring, rent is increasing, I'll almost certainly never own a home or be able to retire, and I don't think having kids would be feasible if I was set on it; all together, a miserable situation to be in. But... I do have friends, I have places to spend my time, I don't need to worry about medical expenses, I have a roof (for now), and I'm in better shape than many people in their early thirties. I like the vibe, and don't think I'd have better opportunities in those respects anywhere else.
That said, I did already move for work once, and picked the most appealing place imo, so anywhere else would have to pass a very high bar in order to compete. I'm also relatively more outgoing and open than people who claim to want strong social lives, and am willing to put in the groundwork. If you're a lonely, socially anxious or inept person, or a sweaty careerist tryhard who doesn't take time away from work anyway, being here vs anywhere else probably won't be such a significant difference except a better account balance.
Edit: I'd qualify my characterization of being welcoming, open, and adventurous, with the possible exception of smaller towns and cities where quite the opposite can be true. No so much because they don't like newcomers or because they're bigoted, but many people in those places—even if they're relatively cosmopolitan—haven't bothered to look beyond their high school friends for connection, even well into adulthood, and I've heard that can be quite difficult to break into. But I also don't think it's unique to Canada and it's a worthwhile experience to get the hell out of your hometown no matter where you're from by your mid-twenties I think, if even for a few years.
Im sorry but this is one of the saddest things I've ever read. As a Canadian of this was my experience of Canada I would be doing everything I could to get out. Thankfully it isn't yet, but things definitely are not looking good and I am worried about the future
For example, I don't really want to own a house to begin with, but if I did it would be a modest condo in or close to my current neighborhood where I've established myself, not some arbitrarily cheaper place where I'd get some bungalow and there'd be no jobs outside of trades anyway, not many people to re-establish a social life with, or would require a car, or a remote job that I don't have and wouldn't want to do from home in an isolated prairie town. These are just all factors in the system I'm in that don't serve anyone but people who already have quite a lot of money and want to make more by sitting on property. Until then, I'll eek by living in this studio basement suite owned by boomers, sharing rent with my partner, figuring out what the next move is. Maybe eventually I'll have to yield and bail, but I'll cross that bridge when I end up at zero (real zero, not zero + savings) again.
The systems have more or less been the same for many decades, and they've been getting pushed for at least the last one, just not everywhere all at once to their breaking point. They are slow, complex systems that require people to give up control usually, and that's unfortunate, but it is what it is.
It just depends what your personal circumstances are whether that's a reasonable deal or not, and it's not for me to judge one way or another. If I could make U.S software money from Canada, it's a no-brainer, I just can't and wouldn't really want to live there long-term. The outcome I could hypothetically have doesn't seem all that compelling, but it probably does for a great number of people for obvious reasons.
For me though, there's something a bit too intensely capitalist I guess that rubs me the wrong way. So many things and people are American size, and super, and mega, and excessive, and seemingly lacking nuance in a way I just don't like. I do get used to it and forget I'm there, and always enjoy the visit, but I can't see myself being there for more than 6 months.
Unfortunately I think Philly is more dysfunctional than GTA. Perhaps the greatest of American cities.