7 Dark Sides of Canada You May Have Never Known

7 Dark Sides of Canada You May Have Never Known

You will be amazed when you see the facts

Canadian flag portrait (unsplash.com/jasonhafso)

Canada is often thought of as a welcoming, friendly country and very open to people who come there. Not a few also have the title of "country of hope" given to this country, because it opens wide doors for immigrants who want to improve their fate. 

However, these good things are probably only felt by tourists who only visit the Land of Ice Fragments for a short time. There are many dark sides that are rarely revealed to the public and have actually been rooted for decades. 

Are you curious about the dark side of Canada, which is in the northernmost part of North America? For more details, see the review below, come on! 

1. Very high cost of living

Canadian dollar illustration (unsplash.com/piggybank)

Even though salaries in Canada are high, the cost of living is also quite high. Reporting from the site numbeo.com, the estimated cost of living for a single person in Toronto is C$1,515 or around IDR 17 million per month, without renting a property or residence. 

Meanwhile, if you are with a family consisting of a husband, wife and two children, the estimated costs you have to spend per month will reach C$5,492 or around Rp. 63 million, without property rental. 

If you want to rent a property in the form of a residence or apartment, you have to prepare a budget of around C$2,560-C$4,202 or the equivalent of IDR 30-IDR 48 million per month, depending on the area and number of rooms. 

2. Social and economic disparities

Illustration of social and economic disparities (unsplash.com/wegenerb)

Canada is one of the "favorite" countries for immigrants, especially asylum seekers. Reporting from CBC, the number of immigrants entering Canada in 2022 will be 437,180 people. Because Canada has a pro-immigrant policy. 

Unfortunately, these policies lead to social and economic disparities among immigrants, native-born residents, and permanent residence holders. For immigrants, finding permanent work is difficult if they do not have a skills certificate. As a result, their income is not balanced with their living needs. 

One clear evidence of this gap is the existence of slum villages on the outskirts of large cities, such as in Vancouver and Toronto. 

3. Racism and discrimination

Illustration of the anti-racism movement (unsplash.com/duncan_shaffer)

Canada is also not free from issues of racism and discrimination. According to survey results from the General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety 2019, approximately 49 per cent of Black residents over the age of 15 have reported experiencing at least one act of discrimination over the past five years. 

Of all black people, around four in ten (41 percent) experience discrimination based on race or skin color (racism). These experiences of discrimination generally occur among Canadian-born blacks (65 percent) compared to immigrant blacks (36 percent). 

4. Ease of obtaining marijuana

illustration of marijuana leaves (IDN Times/Arief Rahmat)

Since 2018, the Canadian Government has legalized the use of marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes through the Law The Cannabis Act. Citizens over 18 years of age are allowed to possess up to 30 grams of marijuana in any form. Retail shops that sell marijuana can also be easily found in big cities. 

This controversial step is certainly not without problems. Even though it is legal, there are still many black markets selling marijuana, because the quality of legalized marijuana is considered to be not good. 

In addition, many people drive vehicles while smoking marijuana. Of course, this is very dangerous for the safety of himself and others. 

5. Free health facilities, but very long

Free health illustrations (unsplash.com/cdc)

Canada is one of the countries that provides many free health facilities to its citizens, permanent residents, and people who hold other official visas (for example work and student visas). Unfortunately, many residents complain about the time spent accessing this facility. 

Reporting from the Cracked website, the average Canadian has to wait four hours or more in the emergency room waiting room before seeing a doctor. Meanwhile, if you seek treatment at a clinic or clinic with a specialist doctor, the waiting time can reach 18 weeks. Wow! 

In addition, many Canadians do not have a family doctor. As a result, health cases that require immediate or emergency treatment cannot be handled properly. 

6. Human trafficking

Illustration of human trafficking. (IDN Times/Sukma Shakti)

Even though it is known as a developed country, apparently Canada cannot escape the issue of human trafficking. In fact, Canada is a source, destination and transit country for victims of human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. 

Reporting from the official website of Public Safety Canada, around 3,541 cases of human trafficking were reported to local police during 2011-2021. As many as 96 percent of human trafficking victims reported to the police were women and girls with an average age range of 18-24 years. 

7. Barbarian seal hunting

Illustration of a seal (unsplash.com/amyannaasher)

In Canada, there are official laws governing seal hunting regulations. One of them is the prohibition against beating small dogs that are still puppies and have white fur to death. 

Unfortunately, many people hunt and treat seals very barbarically. They hit the dog on the head until it died and sold the fur on its body. 

The Humane Society of the US investigated the hunt and discovered that many seals were skinned while they were still alive. Very sadistic, right? 

So, that's a review of the dark side of Canada that you may be hearing about for the first time. What number were you most surprised to see?