在加拿大辽阔的天空下，每一片飘落的枫叶似乎都在诉说着不同的故事。李明（化名），一位在多伦多扎根多年的华人青年，他的故事尤为令人动容。作为一名移民，李明一直梦想着能与远在中国的父亲共度一段温馨的时光，让他亲眼看看自己在这片土地上建立起的小天地。2019年的春天，这个梦想终于得以实现，李明的父亲踏上了加拿大这片遥远而神秘的土地，带着对儿子成就的自豪和对新世界的无限好奇。
Under the vast Canadian sky, each falling maple leaf seems to tell a different story. Li Ming, a young Chinese man who has been rooted in Toronto for many years, has a particularly touching story to tell. As an immigrant, Li Ming has always dreamed of spending some cozy time with his father in China, so that he could see for himself the small world he has built on this land. in the spring of 2019, this dream was finally realized, as Li Ming's father set foot on this distant and mysterious land of Canada, with pride in his son's achievements and infinite curiosity about the new world.
Vast Canadian sky: 广袤的加拿大天空，vast（广袤的）+ Canadian（加拿大的）+ sky（天空）。在这段文字中，指的是加拿大辽阔而壮丽的天空景色，营造了一种宽广、开放的氛围。
Touching story: 感人的故事，touching（感人的）+ story（故事）。在这段文字中，指的是李明的故事富有情感，引人共鸣，特别是在他作为移民在加拿大的经历和梦想成真方面。
Infinite curiosity: 无限的好奇心，infinite（无限的）+ curiosity（好奇心）。在这段文字中，指的是李明的父亲对加拿大这个新世界充满了无尽的好奇和兴趣，想要探索和了解更多。
然而，命运总喜欢在平静的湖面上投下石子，激起层层涟漪。父亲在一次普通的家庭聚会中突然感到身体不适，紧急送医后被诊断为严重的心脏病。接下来的两个月，医院成为了他们临时的“家”。在这段艰难的日子里，李明日夜陪伴在父亲身旁，亲眼目睹了加拿大的医疗技术如何在生死线上挽回了父亲的生命。那些日子里，父子间的情感纽带似乎比以往任何时候都要紧密，每一次握紧的手都传递着无声的鼓励与支持。
However, fate always likes to throw stones on a calm lake, stirring up layers of ripples. The father suddenly felt unwell during an ordinary family gathering and was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. For the next two months, the hospital became their temporary “home”. During these difficult days, Li Ming accompanied his father day and night, and witnessed how Canadian medical technology saved his father's life on the line of life and death. In those days, the emotional bond between father and son seemed tighter than ever, and every handshake conveyed silent encouragement and support.
Fate always likes to throw stones on a calm lake: 命运总喜欢向平静的湖面扔石头，fate（命运）+ likes to throw stones（喜欢扔石头）+ on a calm lake（在平静的湖面上）。在这段文字中，指的是命运总是喜欢在平静的生活中制造波澜，带来意想不到的变化或挑战。
Temporary "home": 临时的“家”，temporary（临时的）+ home（家）。在这段文字中，指的是医院成了他们临时的家，因为在这两个月里，他们大部分时间都在医院度过，照顾生病的父亲。
Line of life and death: 生死线上，line（线）+ of life and death（生与死）。在这段文字中，指的是李明的父亲在生死攸关的时刻，加拿大的医疗技术挽救了他的生命。
当父亲终于从病痛中渐渐康复，李明的心中本应充满了宽慰与感激，但随之而来的巨额医疗账单却如同乌云般笼罩在心头。那张接近19,000加元的清单，不仅仅是数字的堆砌，更是他对父亲深沉爱意的试炼。在加拿大，人们常道“医疗是免费的”，但对非居民而言，这背后隐藏的真相却远非如此简单。李明原本寄希望于加拿大的医疗费用减税政策（Medical Expense Tax Credit, METC），梦想着它能像冬日里的一缕阳光，穿透阴霾，照亮前行的路。他满怀期待地向税务局提交了申请，幻想着哪怕只是一点点的经济负担减轻，也能让他在这场突如其来的风暴中喘息片刻。
When his father finally recovered from his illness, Li Ming's heart should have been filled with relief and gratitude, but the huge medical bill that followed was like a dark cloud hanging over his heart. The list of nearly 19,000 Canadian dollars was not just a pile of numbers, but also a test of his deep love for his father. In Canada, it is often said that “health care is free”, but for non-residents, the truth behind this is far from simple. Li Ming had originally pinned his hopes on Canada's Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC), dreaming that it would be like a ray of sunshine in the winter, piercing through the haze and illuminating the road ahead. He submitted his application to the IRS with great anticipation, fantasizing that even a small reduction in his financial burden would give him a moment's respite from the sudden storm.
Dark cloud hanging over his heart: 心头笼罩的乌云，dark cloud（乌云）+ hanging over（笼罩）+ his heart（他的心）。在这段文字中，指的是李明因为高昂的医疗账单而感到的沉重压力和忧虑，尽管父亲的病情已经好转。
Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC): 医疗费用税收抵免，medical expense（医疗费用）+ tax credit（税收抵免）。在这段文字中，指的是加拿大政府为减轻医疗费用负担而提供的税收减免政策，李明希望通过这个政策减少其医疗账单上的经济负担。
Ray of sunshine in the winter: 冬天里的阳光，ray of sunshine（阳光）+ in the winter（在冬天）。在这段文字中，指的是李明把加拿大的医疗费用税收抵免政策比作寒冬中的一缕阳光，希望它能减轻他的经济压力，带来一丝希望和安慰。
然而，现实的回应却是冰冷且不容置疑的。由于父亲作为访问者而非永久居民的身份，按照现行法律，他并不符合METC的申请资格。这一判决，犹如一桶冰水，瞬间浇熄了李明心中燃起的微弱希望之火。他第一次深切地感受到了制度的刚硬边界与个体力量的渺小，即便是在一个以人文关怀著称的国家，法律的铁律依然无情地划分了权益的归属。
However, the reality of the response was cold and unquestionable. Due to his status as a visitor rather than a permanent resident, the father was not eligible for the METC under the current law. This decision, like a bucket of ice water, instantly doused the faint flame of hope that had been burning in Li Ming's heart. For the first time, he deeply felt the rigid boundaries of the system and the insignificance of individual power. Even in a country known for its humanistic care, the iron law of the law still ruthlessly divides the rights and interests.
Permanent resident: 永久居民，permanent（永久的）+ resident（居民）。在这段文字中，指的是拥有在某个国家长期居住权利的居民，与临时访客不同，他们享有更多的法律权益和福利。
Humanistic care: 人文关怀，humanistic（人文的）+ care（关怀）。在这段文字中，指的是一个国家或社会对人的关注和照顾，强调对个体尊严和福利的重视。
Iron law: 铁律，iron（铁）+ law（法律）。在这段文字中，指的是法律的严格性和不可动摇性，强调了法律的冷酷无情和其在维护制度上的强硬态度。
加拿大的医疗费用减税政策（METC），本质上是一项旨在缓解公民及居民医疗经济压力的社会福利。它每年帮助数百万家庭降低了因病致贫的风险，体现了加拿大社会安全网的一部分。但如同所有复杂的政策设计，其背后隐藏着精细的条款与条件。对于非居民，尤其是临时访问者，METC的门槛极高，几乎难以触及。政策明确规定，欲申请此抵免的受抚养人，除与申请人存在法定的亲属关系外，还必须在经济上依赖申请人，并且在申请当年的任何时间点上，实际居住在加拿大。这一居住要求，正是李明父亲无法逾越的鸿沟。
Canada's Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC) is essentially a social benefit designed to relieve citizens and residents of the financial pressure of medical care. It helps millions of families each year to reduce the risk of poverty due to illness and embodies part of Canada's social safety net. But as with all complex policy designs, there are fine terms and conditions hidden behind it. For non-residents, especially temporary visitors, the threshold for the METC is extremely high and almost impossible to reach. The policy specifies that, in addition to being legally related to the applicant, a dependent who wishes to claim the credit must be financially dependent on the applicant and actually reside in Canada at any point in time during the year of application. This residency requirement was the chasm that Li Ming's father could not overcome.
Social safety net: 社会安全网，Social（社会的）+ safety net（安全网）。在这段文字中，指的是加拿大为保护其公民和居民免受经济困境而设立的各种社会保障措施和福利项目。
Residency requirement: 居住要求，Residency（居住）+ requirement（要求）。在这段文字中，指的是为了符合医疗费用税收抵免政策，申请人及其受抚养人必须在申请年份的任何时间内实际居住在加拿大的条件。
这场经历，像是一堂生动的课，让李明和所有关注此事件的加拿大华人乃至有意移民的中国朋友，深刻认识到了在规划家庭团聚和海外生活时，除了憧憬美好，更需面对现实的复杂性和不确定性。它提示着人们，必须事先了解并采取措施预防潜在的风险，比如购买适合的国际旅行医疗保险，以应对可能发生的紧急医疗情况，避免措手不及的财务危机。
This experience is like a vivid lesson for Li Ming and all Chinese Canadians and even Chinese friends who are interested in immigrating to Canada, that when planning for family reunion and life abroad, in addition to envisioning the good, one must face the complexity and uncertainty of reality. It reminds people of the importance of knowing and taking steps to prevent potential risks in advance, such as purchasing suitable international travel medical insurance to deal with possible medical emergencies and avoiding financial crises that could catch them off guard.
Family reunion: 家庭团聚，family（家庭）+ reunion（团聚）。在这段文字中，指的是家庭成员在海外生活时重新团聚，特别是指移民到加拿大的中国家庭重新相聚。
Medical emergencies: 医疗紧急情况，medical（医疗的）+ emergencies（紧急情况）。在这段文字中，指的是在海外生活期间可能发生的需要紧急医疗处理的情况，强调了购买适当的国际旅行医疗保险的重要性。
Financial crises: 财务危机，financial（财务的）+ crises（危机）。在这段文字中，指的是在海外生活期间可能遇到的突发财务问题，提醒人们要提前采取措施预防，以免陷入措手不及的财务困境。
