[boona]

Companies here just can't afford it. Canada's economy just isn't what the US economy is. Not only that, but income after the cost of living and taxes is just much lower. That was put on display recently when farming subsidies came to light, which essentially doubles the price of food for Canadians. (There are actually pizza restaurants smuggling US cheese into Canada.) So even if they could compete with salaries, it's not going to get you as far in Canada. As much as they try to patch things up with subsidies like IRAP, it's way too little to combat the drawbacks. Unless there's a drastic change in policies, Canada will never be able to keep talent in.