Look Who it Was Random video

Has Canada Changed? — This Isn’t the Country I Grew Up In!

2,422 views · Published 16 December 2016 · 7:09 · Indexed 8 November 2026

Channel: Mike Martins · 2016 · People & Blogs

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In this video, I want to ask viewers in Canada—and really people watching from anywhere in the world—a simple question:

Is your country still the same country you remember growing up in?

I’m not talking about borders on a map. I’m talking about everyday life, affordability, community, opportunity and the relationships people have with one another.

Growing up, I remember Canada as a place where an immigrant could arrive with almost nothing, work hard and gradually build a life. My father came here with a bag and very little money and worked extremely hard to build something for his family. As a Portuguese-Canadian, I love my Portuguese heritage, but Canada has also always been home to me.

What concerns me in 2016 is how quickly things seem to be changing.

Housing has become incredibly expensive. Debt is everywhere. People seem increasingly isolated from one another. Neighbors sometimes don't even know each other's names. Parks that should have children playing in them can feel empty. Where's the street hockey? Where are the kids outside playing basketball? Where is that neighborhood feeling many of us remember?

I'm deliberately trying to do the opposite. I talk with my neighbors. I speak Portuguese with the Brazilian family nearby and Spanish with Mexican neighbors. To me, actually knowing the people around you is an important part of having a functioning community.

And affordability is becoming much more serious than just complaining about expensive houses.

I personally know working people who are facing Christmas without stable housing. I'm hearing stories about students needing help finding shelter. When people can work and still struggle to keep a roof over their heads, I think we need to start asking some difficult questions about where our society is headed.

I'm also thinking about my children.

Will they experience the Canada I remember? Will they have the same opportunities? Will they know their neighbors? Will they grow up in communities where people actually look out for one another?

Maybe some of this is simply me getting older and seeing the world differently. That's exactly why I want to hear from you.

Tell me what country you're watching from and whether it still feels like the country you remember from childhood. Has it changed for the better—or for the worse?

 #canada  #WhatHappenedToCanada #costofliving  #housingcrisis  #canadiandream  #middleclass  #vancouver  #community  #mikemartins

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