> Canada's brightest, healthiest, and wealthiest will just hop over to benefit from the more favorable conditions there after reaping the expensive taxpayer funded social benefits
I see this repeated often on the web, but I hate this saying. I work in engineering. I'm surrounded by bright individuals, both fresh and experienced. Saying the brightest people leave Canada implies only the dumb and at most the mediocre remain in Canada, which I find not only offensive, but also not matching the reality.
Most of the Canadians I worked with in the US have gone back to Canada.
Our Principle Engineer at my last gig did like ~10 years around the DC area and then pissed off back to Calgary to raise kids and settle down. Still works remotely for the said US gig.
Plus have you ever been through a winter where it dips to -40C? Fuck that noise. I'm from the south and live in Canada and never though I'd miss bitter VA winters...
There are certainly bright people who remain in Canada, but they usually have clear reasons that convince them to stay rather than double their salaries.
Again, you are presenting (In Canada AND Bright) as a rarity, something very unusual to see in reality. This is offensive to the many many bright people in this country and it does not match the reality.
So long as we aren't talking hard stats, I don't see how one statement is incongruent or not. Companies found in places like e.g. Kitchener, Ontario because they believe there are bright people, 100%. They are still not willing to pay them Silicon Valley salaries overall (exceptions exist)
I see this repeated often on the web, but I hate this saying. I work in engineering. I'm surrounded by bright individuals, both fresh and experienced. Saying the brightest people leave Canada implies only the dumb and at most the mediocre remain in Canada, which I find not only offensive, but also not matching the reality.