I'm choosing to leave for the U.S. for a unicorn job. Does that make me a traitor to Canada?

Alice Nelson · For CBC First Person

· Posted: Jun 22, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

This First Person file is the acquisition of Alice Nelson, who is simply a dual national of Canada and the U.S. For much accusation astir CBC's First Person stories, delight see the FAQ. 

In January 2025, I got a telephone to spell for a occupation interrogation astatine the University of Texas astatine Arlington (UTA). They were looking for a prof to pb a caller theatre arts grade program.

My person Claire said, "That's a unicorn job!"

"What's a unicorn job?" I asked.

"It's a occupation wherever they're looking for idiosyncratic precise circumstantial and you are that unicorn." 

A emblematic tenure-track occupation volition get 100 applicants. I was feeling similar 1 very, precise fortunate unicorn.

I had to marque a hard choice: enactment successful my tenured occupation teaching theatre successful Windsor, Ont., wherever my vocation was astatine a standstill oregon determination to the U.S. to commencement over. It was a prime further analyzable by the commercialized warfare initiated by Donald Trump and his claims that Canada should go the 51st authorities of the U.S. 

A large move 

Seven years earlier, I was surviving successful Calgary and had been moving declaration jobs arsenic a theatre creator and educator. On my 40th birthday, I landed a tenure-track presumption arsenic an adjunct prof successful the schoolhouse of melodramatic creation astatine the University of Windsor. 

My partner, Oly, and I had assemblage and household successful Calgary. I wasn't definite if he would privation to spell with me. But erstwhile I told him I got the job, helium smiled and said, "I conjecture we're moving to Windsor."

We packed up and drove crossed the state with our 2 dogs to commencement our caller beingness successful Ontario.

Fast-forward to July 2024, I achieved tenure and became an subordinate professor. That aforesaid month, University Players, our students' mainstage, which gives them the accidental to use their training, was unopen down. The six unit members who taught students the accumulation broadside of theatre mislaid their jobs successful the department. The schoolhouse besides decided to halt caller enrollment successful the acting program.

In September, a impermanent talker astatine UWindsor's Senate repeated implicit and over: "Nobody is coming to prevention us" — referring to Canadian universities. 

And it's existent — each time there's an nonfiction astir programs being chopped astatine different Canadian assemblage oregon assemblage owed to underfunding from provincial governments, the interaction of tuition frost and a caller national headdress connected planetary pupil permits (which has deed Ontario hard). Yup, cipher is coming to prevention us.

I felt similar 1 of the violinists connected the Titanic. 

"Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight."

Concerned for my future, I started occupation hunting. I'm a dual national of the U.S. and Canada, truthful I was looking successful some countries, hoping to find thing successful my field.

Theatre faces heavy cuts

Over the adjacent year, I made it a extremity to foster opportunities for students who had mislaid a ton of show opportunities. I directed a vigor play mentation of A Christmas Carol, organized a Thriller flash mob, ran an improv nine and directed Kristen Thomson's comedy, The Wedding Party, successful our smaller workplace theatre.

During the hiring process with UTA, I was asked wherefore I wanted to permission a occupation that I loved, wherever I had tenure and was thriving. To which I answered honestly: Our mainstage was cut, the acting programme was not accepting immoderate students adjacent autumn and our assemblage had (at the time) a projected $30-million deficit.

A mates of weeks later, I was offered the job.

Then, things started to alteration politically betwixt the U.S. and Canada. Trump started making tariff threats to Canada and goading that it should beryllium the 51st state. I recovered the rhetoric ridiculous, and similar others, felt an upswell successful Canadian patriotism. The effect done protests and societal media was besides "Elbows up," encouraging Canadians to get acceptable to fight. Given the context, my parents were disquieted astir maine moving to the U.S., and friends expressed their concerns.

On apical of that, my spouse is not a dual citizen, and we aren't married. That meant helium couldn't determination with maine easily.

While my declaration was being drawn up, I had a period to agonize implicit the decision, sojourn an migration lawyer and person my parents that I was a unicorn.

On my overanalyzed pro and con list, immoderate pros were: I could enactment successful my field, nonstop plays and determination would beryllium nary shovelling. 

Some cons were: Living isolated from my spouse until we get joined and get him citizenship, leaving my students earlier they graduate, the deficiency of cosmopolitan wellness care, targeting of the 2SLGBTQ+ assemblage successful the U.S., restrictions connected women's bodily autonomy, racism and deportation, etc. This database could spell connected and on. Also, nary Tim Hortons.

The thought of being a Canadian successful the U.S. successful 2025 is complicated, and I consciousness blameworthy leaving astatine a clip erstwhile I privation to backmost my country. I've had immoderate radical springiness maine a hard clip astir moving to the U.S. One idiosyncratic called maine a traitor. Am I? 

I privation to enactment successful Canada, but I besides privation to enactment my household financially. I person to punctual myself and friends who don't privation maine to determination that not each Americans are bad. A batch of them didn't ballot for Trump, and my mom's broadside of the household successful the U.S. are Democrats. 

I gag astir the deficiency of Tim Hortons due to the fact that I fearfulness telling the information successful nationalist volition get maine flagged astatine the border, and I won't beryllium capable to cross. Yet, I'm American, and arsenic a citizen, I can't beryllium denied entry. 

After a batch of thought, I took the job.

The Canadian portion of maine doesn't privation to leave, but the American portion of maine is relieved I tin enactment successful my tract successful the U.S., arsenic determination are nary opportunities successful my tract successful Canada close present — they are disappearing.

Well, I amended get packing. This unicorn, Canadian astatine heart, is riding disconnected into the sunset with her saddlebag of theatre books, 2 dogs, a wedding day acceptable and anticipation for the future.

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