📰​ Le Fil I Canada, land of milk and honey

Lire l'article original en français dans le magazine Le Fil #6

(EN) Lots of people dream of settling in Canada, the home of the maple leaf, which is reputed for its quality of life and career opportunities. Testimonials from some alumni who did just that.

All had different profiles and different reasons for choosing Canada. After working for  EDF in France, Guillaume Lauger (EMBA24), who has been program manager for the Bruce Power nuclear power station for two years now, was looking for an English-speaking working environment that was neither British nor American: Canada fitted the bill.

One couple of expatriates, who already had experience living abroad, carefully weighed up their options: “North-American culture appealed to us. Also, Canada gave us the possibility to take permanent residency or even obtain Canadian citizenship,” admits Amine Tazi (EMBA19), project management team leader at Hitachi Cyber who came to Ottawa after spending two and a half years in Halifax and ten years in Morocco. “After Germany and the Caribbean, we were looking for opportunities in North America. My husband found a job first in Vancouver where we have been living for the past eight years,” explains Marine Wolff (PGE97) Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at GCT. After an 18-year stint in Santiago, Chile, Valérie Flat (PGE93) moved to Montreal in 2015 to work as an immigration consultant so that her children could obtain internationally-recognized higher education qualifications: “What’s more, Montreal is much closer to France than South America or Asia: a six-hour flight in the case of an emergency. The fact they speak French was an added advantage.”

For younger alumni, the initial motivation was a new experience. Maxime Marie (MS20), account manager at Eudonet Canada, wanted to start his career abroad: “I fell in love with Montreal in the summer of 2017. After my masters’, I arrived on a working holiday visa [see box]. I started working at Decathlon, but was interrupted by Covid and then got another job.” Noémie Lane (PGE22), an IT consultant in the Sia consulting firm in Montreal, seized an opportunity offered by her employer in France under a two-year international volunteer experience scheme : 

“I wanted to move around, and I had relatives in Montreal so I went for it!”

The working environment

Canada offers many advantages in terms of professional life. Amine commends employers’ open-mindedness: “They don’t put a label on you or restrict you to the sector you started out in. Changing jobs is seen as a quality and appreciated. I worked in asset management in Morocco; it was no problem moving into cybersecurity here. I was soon promoted without asking for anything.” Maxime underlines the fast-track careers: “If you are good at your job, you will gain their trust and automatically climb the career ladder.” Guillaume remarks on the flexibility of the labor market: “It is possible to leave a company in two weeks and find a job in no time … but you can also be laid off very quickly!” He notes how pragmatic Canadians are and, on a less positive note, their use of the “dirty yes”: “They avoid conflict and will say yes but afterwards don’t necessarily do what they said they would!” Marine describes “an efficient working culture, well-organized employees focused on their tasks.” Work-life balance is respected with tight schedules, few breaks and short meetings: “The day starts at 8 am and finishes at 5 pm: there is a life outside work.” Noémie adds: “Employers care about their employees. There is less pressure and the working environment is more fulfilling than in France. My relationship to work changed here.”

Flourishing sectors

According to Maxime: “Tech is booming, Canada is a bastion of AI.” This is true of other sectors such as video games, aeronautics and mining “which plays an important role due to the country’s natural resources.” Guillaume points out that the energy sector is recruiting: “Ontario is home to a lot of data centers; the nuclear sector is extremely dynamic as is the automotive business as we are opposite Detroit. For people interested in our province, I would recommend contacting the AAGEF¹ to find an internship, a job or develop your network.” Amine points to IT, security and IT development as promising sectors as well as industry in general and defense which is thriving: “Canada was dependent on the US and wants to gain independence in this area.” However, he is not aware of any opportunities in finance and consulting. Valérie explains that there are dozens of highly regulated professions requiring authorizations which are difficult to obtain for expatriates2.

Everyday life

Everyone agrees that the cost of living is high in Canada. There is a housing crisis with supply outstripping demand due to a lack of infrastructure and influx of immigrants. “A studio apartment in Montreal costs about CAD1,500 (approx. €900) and starting salaries are quite low,” observes Maxime. “Food prices have shot up by 20% in six years. Your food budget will be high if you want good quality similar to Europe (meat, unprocessed foods).” Valérie adds: “Welfare benefits are equivalent to France, but new arrivals are not entitled to anything until they have worked and paid tax. The university is not free: in Quebec people pay CAD6,000 a year3.” Maxime is critical of the health service: “General practitioners wait until the problems become acute before they take action. Specialist consultations are expensive. Dental cleaning costs €34 in France compared to CAD250 here.” However, everyday services are well organized: “It only takes ten minutes to book a school bus pick up for your children by email,” explains Amine.

Guillaume Lauger (EMBA24)

Bruce Power

Amine Tazi (EMBA19)

Hitachi Cyber

Valérie Flat (PGE 93) 

consultante en immigration

Lifestyle

Amine underlines the stability of Canada, a traditionally peaceful and neutral country in geopolitical terms. “The recent changes in the US, a neighbor and until now close ally, are perceived as a betrayal.” Noémie appreciates the climate of tolerance: “Canadiens are less concerned about appearances and what people think of them than the French. They are more accepting of differences; disagreements are expressed more respectfully.” Guillaume adds: “They are nice, open straight away. It is very safe too. On our housing estate in Port Elgin, two hours away from Toronto, we can leave the house and car doors open without worrying about theft.” Maxime: “In terms of quality of life, the most attractive cities are Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver”. Valérie praises the “village” vibe of Montreal and its neighborhoods: “You can walk to the shops, not like in the States where you need a car to do anything. Public transport is efficient and you can travel by bike thanks to the cycle paths.” In terms of leisure and entertainment, the arts are not subsidized, “nothing is free and everything is expensive: concert or theater tickets etc. Only the music festivals in the summer and the city cross-country ski trails are free of charge. Outside the city, admission to parks and lakes is private,” she adds. In Quebec, the population defends its cultural specificity by using “French as much as possible; it is closely linked to their identity,” explains Maxime.

Advice and recommendations

Canada offers fewer immigration opportunities than ten years’ ago. According to Valérie: “You need a work permit to come and work here, and it is getting harder to obtain. Since November 2024, the government has clamped down on temporary visas and cut down the number of immigrants.” Marine arrived on a work permit before obtaining permanent residency then citizenship. She remembers that, when she arrived “in 2017, the immigration process was fairly simple.” In the same way, Maxime obtained the CSQ [see box] after working for a year, permanent residency in 2022 and applied for citizenship in 2025. “Permanent residency takes the stress out of having to depend on an employment contract,” explains Amine. Expatriates who have lived here for years may have to up sticks and leave if their employer terminates their contract.” Maxime agrees: “When you settle here, you need to be resilient to cope with the uncertainty.” Valérie’s advice is to only trust the links of official provincial government websites and ignore those which circulate on social media. And to carefully read all the instructions when completing the immigration application: “The slightest error can have serious consequences; the administration tends to nitpick.”

1- Association of alumni from French grandes écoles

2- Consult quebec.ca: https://bit.ly/4gRePkx 

3- A French student pays CAD11,000 (1 CAD = €0.61  as of 30/09/25)

Maxime Marie (MS20)

Eudonet Canada

Noémie Lane (PGE22)

Sia 

(FR) Vancouver, pôle d’échange avec l’Asie

« Le Canada a mille visages. Vancouver a des particularités qui lui sont propres : c’est le plus grand port du pays, et c’est une ville réputée dans le monde entier pour sa qualité de vie. Pourtant, sur le plan économique, c’est plutôt une ville de taille moyenne, avec peu de sièges d’entreprise et peu d’expatriés », nous explique Marine Wolff (PGE97), directrice de la planification et de l’analyse financières chez GCT, une société gérant des terminaux à conteneurs maritimes.

Vancouver est très prisée des Asiatiques fortunés qui souhaitent s’installer au Canada. Le marché immobilier est donc sous pression, avec des prix aussi élevés qu’à Paris. « Les salaires sont relativement bas : à poste équivalent, on gagne moins qu’à Toronto, alors même que les loyers sont plus chers. La sécurité sociale fonctionne bien pour la médecine générale, mais pour les soins spécialisés (dentiste, ophtalmologue, etc.), il faut avoir une bonne mutuelle. Les impôts sont assez élevés, et des critères comme la situation familiale ne sont pas pris en compte. »

La ville prône des valeurs progressistes, sociales et environnementales. Elle jouit d’une solide infrastructure de transports en commun et d’un vaste réseau de pistes cyclables, et propose également des services d’autopartage. « C’est l’endroit idéal pour élever des enfants. Les écoles visent à en faire des adultes instruits, sportifs et impliqués dans la vie locale. Plus tard, ils s’engagent souvent au-delà de leur travail, que ce soit dans des clubs, des associations ou leur vie de famille. La région est absolument magnifique, avec l’océan, des forêts et des montagnes ; les installations sportives sont excellentes et accessibles à tous. »

Parmi les secteurs les plus porteurs, l’on peut citer le transport et la logistique grâce à l’activité portuaire, mais aussi l’exploitation minière, Vancouver étant historiquement l’un des principaux marchés de minéraux du pays. « Le bâtiment se porte également bien, sur fond de développement de la région. Le secteur des technologies est dynamique, mais principalement alimenté par de petites entreprises », ajoute Marine.

L’inconvénient, c’est que les recruteurs recherchent souvent des profils 100 % canadiens : « les profils internationaux n’intéressent pas particulièrement les entreprises, qui privilégient les diplômes et l’expérience acquis au Canada ». Les immigrés sont principalement asiatiques : les jeunes viennent y étudier et s’intègrent bien dans la culture locale. Les Européens ne sont pas légion. « Les employeurs accordent également une grande importance aux qualifications professionnelles canadiennes, ce qui peut être un frein dans certains domaines comme la comptabilité ou l’ingénierie. Pour autant, de nombreuses passerelles sont possibles via le système universitaire, qui est très ouvert et permet d’obtenir des équivalences. C’est une occasion en or pour les jeunes immigrés : Vancouver est une ville très dynamique pour démarrer sa carrière. En revanche, pour les profils confirmés, il est plus judicieux de s’installer dans une autre région du Canada, ou alors il faut se constituer un solide réseau professionnel avant d’immigrer », conclut Marine.

Marine Wolff (PGE 97)

GCT