A Place for Every Piece

My wife tells me quilting is hard. This is one she made during Covid:

It’s not the same as knitting a blanket. You’ve got to put all the scraps together, add a layer of warmth, and a special backing for strength.

Quilting. It’s not quick or easy, but when it’s done right, it lasts for generations.

This week, the U.S. announced it is charging $100,000 to let foreign workers, including doctors and nurses, start working there.

That’s a little weird, considering its own government department predicts a shortage of more than 187,000 doctors by 2037—nearly half in primary care alone.

It’s like lighting your house on fire, then selling tickets to use the hose.

Long before Trump, America liked to call itself the “Melting Pot.” Take all the unique things people bring like languages, food, and traditions and boil them down until everything looks and tastes the same.

I have a lot of Americans on my newsletter and many of them are healthcare workers. If that’s you… consider the quilt instead.

In quilting, every piece keeps its own colour and texture. Quilters pull fabric from everywhere—an old shirt, a pair of jeans, a kid’s jacket—and stitch them into something strong and beautiful. Not melted down, not erased, but held together.

What America calls the Melting Pot, Canada has always called the Mosaic.

We’re not perfect. You only have to look at our history with indigenous peoples to know that. But we’re learning and trying to fix what we can.

We need healthcare workers here too. But instead of charging you a huge fee, we’ll help your kids find their classrooms. Instead of grilling you at the border, our provinces and territories have teams of people ready to welcome you, to fast-track you.

Canadians believe there’s a place for every shape.

Quilting. It’s not quick or easy, but when it’s done right, it lasts for generations.

So if you’re an American or international healthcare worker looking for a safer home for your family, a less stressful job, and a chance to make a real difference in the lives of your patients, consider Canada. Especially Vancouver Island, where I live. It’s gorgeous here. We keep getting ranked one of the best places to live in the world.

My wife and I set up the website NanaimoInfusion.ca — it’s full of practical information about moving to our part of Canada, transferring your licence, what schools are like here, how to get a job, and so on. And HealthMatchBC.org lists thousands of open healthcare jobs across our beautiful province of British Columbia.

A good quilter doesn’t throw away pieces because they’re different. A good nation shouldn’t either.

And unlike America right now, our quilt still has space.
Space for your family.
Your story.
Your colour.