1) No culture 2) Hypocrisy 3) No escape
I could list economic factors, the prolific racism, the horrible soul-crushing winters, the cold vast empty countryside, etc. However, I'll be fair as many other countries suffer from similar issues. I won't even waste my time explaining the usual complaints which people endure similarly in other nations, as no place is perfect after all.
NO CULTURE
I am not kidding. Nada. "Culture" consists of snow, beavers, maple syrup and HOCKEY. That sums it up. Canadians identify themselves by what they aren't, namely they are not American.
First Nations people could claim to have some 'culture' but it's very little considering most of their traditions and languages were wiped out by Canada's early settlers, then the residential schools which tried to "kill the Indian in the child", and finally living mostly in poverty on third-world reserves while the rest of the country resents them for getting financial help from the government. They hang on to the residuals of their ancestors' "culture" but there's not a whole lot to go by.
The French are mostly encapsulated in Quebec. They are virtually no different than the rest of Canada other than they speak French (Francophone) and have a higher percentage of Catholics. That is literally all, but due to these minor differences they call "culture" - they resent the rest of Canada, threaten to separate, and force their French language on the rest of the entire country which is virtually all English.
Minority groups and others in Canada cling to the 'culture' of the nation they came from, or that their parents emigrated from. They'll call themselves 'Indian', 'Italian', 'Irish', etc; but as for a unifying Canadian culture ... there is none, again, apart from snow, hockey, syrup and NOT being American.
When you complain about the lack of culture, defensive Canadians try to point out that Canada is a "young" country, and so is less established than other nations with ancient cultures or long histories. But that excuse doesn't wash entirely if we compare the country to the United States for example.
Look at what originated in the US: jazz, hip hop and country music all formed there. If punk didn't, its early beginnings were at least nurtured there. And in Canada? Nary a blip!
A great deal of the 'culture' we have here was imported from the US. There is nothing truly 'culturally Canadian' other than the bastardization of pieces of British and French heritage. First Nations people are also found in the United States, so they aren't unique to the country either.
I could go on, but suffice to say there is little to no culture here: it is an incredibly dull, sterile, soul-less place that clings to fragments of tradition from other locations. Canada is easily decades behind the USA and Europe in so many categories it should be considered embarrassing for a 'developed nation'.
HYPOCRISY
First there is the hypocrisy with which Canadians treat Americans. We are constantly told, growing up, that we are superior to Americans in intellect, etiquette and countless other things. Americans are racist boors, uncouth, superficial, and a laughing stock while Canadians are "nice" and "respected" and "beloved worldwide".
Canadians' disdain for Americans is laughable when they look to the USA for everything: music, fashion, TV shows, films, shopping ... the list goes on; while they buy American products and enjoy American culture, they are busy congratulating themselves on being 'superior' to Americans.
While Americans created a republic, sent men to the moon, explored space, created great innovations - Canadians sat by idly, benefiting but not contributing; applauding themselves for imaginary graces while denigrating the accomplishments of their neighbor to the South, who they rely on for trade, protection, entertainment and nearly everything.
Second, Canadians congratulate themselves on not being racist when they are (in my opinion and experience) some of the most racist people around. They point to the treatment of African-Americans in the US, or Aboriginals in Australia while they ignore their own heinous history, prolific racism and discrimination which colors the entire country. Immigrants to the country constantly complain of their treatment. I know born-and-raised minority Canadians who have experienced less racism in the US, Europe and foreign countries than the country of their birth!
When anybody complains, Canadians point out that no place is perfect and that every country has its problems. Somehow though, this argument doesn't seem sufficient to them when they're extolling the virtues of Canada and telling everyone how 'superior' it is to the US and other nations.
Canadians are constantly bragging about living in the 'best country on earth', when most have merely been raised under complete propaganda and have never left the country to experience life elsewhere, often not even their own province! The people that speak of "Canada" have almost never been in every province, or even half the provinces of the country.
NO ESCAPE
It's usually people who have lived throughout the country, been to numerous provinces and traveled outside of Canada, who hate it. Its staunchest defenders are people who've never seen the entire nation, let alone outside it! Just as the biggest critics of the US have for the most part, never even set foot there.
The ones who have lived in Europe or the US, emigrate. Almost all the wealthy citizens and celebrities leave the country permanently and never return.
Unfortunately, for your average person there is NO ESCAPE. Most people would be content to shrug their shoulders, say "it's just not for me" and then move and carry on with their lives. But that is not an option. Unless you meet a very certain set of criteria, you cannot simply up and move to the USA or Europe.
So people are quite literally STUCK IN CANADA. They want to move, they want to leave, but they aren't allowed. When they grumble about being "prisoners" here, they aren't kidding! They are literally being held here against their will. Unless they happen to come into an enormous sum of money, or marry a citizen from elsewhere, or have chosen the "right profession" (needed at that moment) to get a visa - it could be years or decades before they find a way out.
Unlike other places, there are no real options. In Europe most citizens can work and live in the country of their choosing by virtue of the EU or other factors. Unhappy people in the US have 49 other states to choose from - all varying in climate, culture, costs and geography. Here in Canada there is nowhere to go. The country for the most part is all one bland mass.
It would be as if 80% of the USA were Minnesota, with a small section of Maine and the state of Washington where house prices average $1 million and an income of at least $100k/year is needed in order to simply live comfortably.
And so people who are unhappy in Canada (whether born or immigrated) have no choice but to continue staying on, paying absurd prices to get by, with limited options. All of this while being told they live in "the greatest place on earth" and are "superior" to Americans and others.
Experiencing the same problems as any other country (crime, racism, etc), they must sit and endure while self-righteous fellow citizens spew bile at other nations and treat them with contempt for wanting to leave. It truly is the fool's paradise... the land of milk and honey - courtesy of decades of propaganda and indoctrination. O Canada!
