Britons seek to 'move to Canada' after Brexit vote
When elections don’t go a certain way in the U.S., many voters inevitably utter the slogan, “I’m moving to Canada.”
Britons on social media also took up the refrain after the result of the U.K. referendum became clear last night.
*slow claps*
*pauses to wipe away tears*
*googles “move to Canada”*
*cries on keyboard*— Gemma Chan (@Gemma_Chan1) June 24, 2016
How easy is it to move to Canada?
— chris webb (@chrismilkteeth) June 24, 2016
I love how “move to Canada” is now a global Plan B. https://t.co/B7aw8I0mIl
— Trevor Timm (@trevortimm) June 24, 2016
American comedian Mike Drucker suggested Britons use his place as a waypoint before proceeding north.
Hey, UK friends. If you want to crash at my place, we can all plan a move to Canada.
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) June 24, 2016
But another comedian from the U.S., Jack Moore, tweeted that, perhaps, Canada isn’t far enough away to avoid the dual threats of Brexit and a Trump presidency.
If Brexit inspires other nations to leave the EU & Trump wins, we’ll be primed for World War III. Can I move to Mars instead of Canada?
— Jack Moore (@JackPMoore) June 24, 2016
The “move to Canada” trend wasn’t confined to Twitter. Google saw a big jump in searches for the phrase in the U.K.
Brits are frantically trying to figure out how to move to Canada https://t.co/fFnSq7xjap pic.twitter.com/DiowSnUQcN
— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) June 24, 2016
Google’s own Trends account on Twitter noted the spike in searches for “move to Gibraltar,” the British overseas territory on a peninsula south of Spain.
+680% spike in searches for “Move to Gibraltar” in London since polls closed #EUref https://t.co/aMkqjxXH2i pic.twitter.com/wXa1Rk7zjE
— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 24, 2016
However, the spike for “move to Canada” was even more dramatic.
I love how “move to Canada” is now a global Plan B. https://t.co/B7aw8I0mIl
— Trevor Timm (@trevortimm) June 24, 2016
