Moffatt: A wave of young digital nomads is leaving Canada for cheaper, warmer countries

Need better data. But if they file Canadian taxes and thus technically remaining Canadian citizens, does it matter that much compared to those who leave and don’t file Canadian taxes?

…These visas have caused a form of shadow emigration, where talented young Canadians have left the country, but they are not counted in our statistics, forcing policymakers to rely on anecdotes to determine the extent of the issue and how it is growing over time. 

The Canadians who live in work in those countries typically file Canadian tax returns each year, they continue to have Canadian bank accounts and Canadian passports, so in the eyes of data collectors, they still are domestic residents in Canada, even if they have been living elsewhere for years.

Their absence, however, is a loss for Canada. A 2024 study from the Bank of Canada found that two-thirds of Canada’s labour productivity gap with the U.S. stems from differences in the productivity levels of high-income workers in the two countries, and that the emigration of the high-talent workers from Canada to the U.S. is likely a contributing factor….

Source: A wave of young digital nomads is leaving Canada for cheaper, warmer countries