Two American nurses, Brandi Frye and Henrietta Addo, start work in Nanaimo, British Columbia after leaving the U.S. following Trump's election. Frye spent 18 years at a Los Angeles hospital; Addo feared losing her job under cuts to diversity programs. A former CBC host has recruited over 1,200 American healthcare workers to Canada through TikTok and an online community.
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It's Brandi Frye's first day of work in the emergency room at Nanaimo General Hospital.
I'm so excited to be here. So relieved.
She's a nurse. She left the United States to escape Donald Trump. Good morning, Brandi.
Hi.
How are you doing?
Good.
How are you feeling?
I'm nervous, but I'm ready.
What are the things that you're worried about?
That I'll be too pushy, or that I'll be too friendly, or I'll be too—
Too American?
Too American, yeah. I want to get the Canadian accent down, you know. I want to belong here.
So taking Tylenol is not good. All right, I'll say it. It's not good.
In the months since Trump was elected, much has changed for American healthcare workers. We are the sickest country in the world. Job cuts, changes in vaccine policy, and fear for many of delivering care in the face of immigration rates. If you want to care for others in a place that cares about you, come to B.C. The government of British Columbia, desperate for doctors and nurses, has targeted unhappy Americans with ads like this. A food truck to hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. Free snacks with a side of opportunity. The province of British Columbia says more than 140 American doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners have accepted offers to work here. And it expects that number to grow.
Trump came into office, it was like everything turned just so vulgar and ugly. See here what this is.
Brandy Fry is among the first of the healthcare workers to make the move. She'd been working at the same hospital outside Los Angeles for 18 years.
I've worked in labor and delivery. I've worked in the emergency department in trauma, and then I've done open hearts. Okay. It's all my little boys.
She's 55.
These are the boys now.
She left behind 3 grown children, a granddaughter, and a big house.
So I'm going to be gone from 6:30.
But she's a Democrat and a single mom. When she saw a posting about jobs in Canada on LinkedIn—
What'd you guys practice today?
It was her 13-year-old son she was thinking about.
And I just felt like we were headed the wrong way, for sure. And I started looking at my son Bruce. I didn't want him to have to grow up in a world where there was just such a narrow perspective.
So you hear about the opportunities for nurses in Canada.
Yes.
What was your reaction when you saw that post?
That's it!
That's where I'm going. Canada! I'm going to be a Canadian, you know, and get the man! Elbows up.
Hello Americans, I'm Tod. We've been watching the news. We know it's getting worse down there.
It's not just government recruiting healthcare workers.
Our kids dodge homework, don't lie browns, our healthcare's not barbarian. We are the very model of the modern-day Canadian.
Former CBC radio host Tod Maffin is leading a grassroots campaign to bring more healthcare workers to Nanaimo.
It really is the community has come together. To just give these people advice.
A lot of people in Canada are liking becoming our beautiful, cherished 51st state.
Several months ago, when Donald Trump began threatening to annex Canada and Canadians responded by cancelling trips and buying local, Maffin had an idea. He invited American neighbours north in a show of cross-border solidarity.
I had thought that for them coming up, it would just be kind of a fun weekend. They'd eat some Nanaimo bars, they'd go on a seaplane, they'd look at some whales, they'd go home. But it was clear that it was much more meaningful for a lot of them. Some of them came up and hugged me or my wife and wept. They were so moved by the opportunity to see that there was a safe place for them and their family to go to in a way that could also help Canada.
So he and his wife set up an online community for Canada-curious healthcare workers.
And it's now busy. There are 1,200 people, mostly American healthcare workers in there. Nurses, phlebotomists, doctors, surgeons, all grouped into different categories, all looking at different regions. If you are an American healthcare worker and you've been thinking about moving to Canada—
One of Maffin's TikTok videos caught the attention of Henrietta Addo.
And I was like, okay, this is kind of cute. And it said, for physicians and nurses, if you're interested, contact this recruiter.
At the time, Addo was analyzing hospital data in Michigan, and she was worried about losing her job as the Trump administration cut diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
And seeing as I was the only Black person in my role, it was like, okay, if they start making cuts, will you be it? You know? And I was like the newest hire from like 2 years ago. Will you be it?
Did you feel more vulnerable because you're Black?
1,000%. 1,000%. I'm excited. It's a new adventure, a new learning.
The paperwork took 5 months. Then Addo and her boyfriend drove across the country to her new home by the ocean and a job in the emergency room at Nanaimo General. She says she feels welcome.
I think as we're here, we're seeing more and more Black people, and it's great, but I haven't had any uncomfortable situations here. People see you, they ask you where you're from, and they get excited that you're here. So it's just kind of I've kind of been like an ordinary person here, really.
Both Addo and Frye expect the work will be challenging. Nanaimo has a busy ER. It's a trauma centre. There's an opioid crisis. And there aren't enough nurses.
I've gotten calls every single day from their automated AI system. Here's some shifts. Would you like some shifts? Would you like to work some shifts? We've got some shifts for you.
You haven't even started yet.
No, I haven't started yet.
Do you think Canada can live up to your high expectations?
I think it already has. Just look at, I mean, the people have been so welcoming. People, every time they find out I'm a nurse, they're like, thank you so much.
Even before her first day, she got this thank you card at the hospital.
The very best to you and your beautiful son.
It's from someone in Toronto who saw her post online about moving to Canada.
Really, really, really, really moved me, actually.
Fry's first day went well.
Hey!
Hey, Brandi, how was it? It was great!
Yeah?
Yeah, it was really awesome. I really enjoyed the staff and felt really welcoming, and it was great.
You must be tired.
Kind of exhausted mentally, yeah.
Tired, but confident she made the right choice to leave the United States.
It just solidifies that this is where I belong. Feels good. Feels really good.
