After the drubbing Democrats took in yesterday's elections, many are probably feeling like Vietnam draft-dodgers of the 1960s — that Canada would be a better place to live.

Well, for many Democrats that's probably true. If Canada is anything, it is a haven for left-wing, socialist-minded individuals who share a disdain for the freedom-minded, war-on-terror-fighting, tax-cutting Bush administration.

But liberal Dems who are planning to "escape" the "tyranny" of President Bush's second term — and see Canada as Xanadu — shouldn't pack their bags just yet.

Perhaps expecting a throng of American ex-pats in the event of a Bush victory, Canadian immigration officials are laying down the law.

"You just can't come into Canada and say 'I'm going to stay here.' In other words, there has to be an application. There has to be a reason why the person is coming to Canada," ministry spokeswoman Maria Iadinardi told Reuters.

And, she added, that process can take up to one year.

Call it a "cooling-off period."

That may be a good thing for disgruntled Dems because, according to Canadian immigration officials, more Americans are leaving the country than applying for citizenship or work permits.

Why? Blame it on liberalism. Canada "has a creaking, publicly-funded healthcare system and relatively high levels of personal taxation," Reuters reports.

Canadian officials note that U.S. workers in-country dropped to 15,789 in 2002 from 21,627 in 2000. And, Reuters reports, "early indicators on Wednesday showed little sign of this changing."

Still, it may be worth the wait. Liberal Democrats like government health care and higher taxes.

One problem, though. What's this about Canada actually enforcing its immigration laws? Liberal Democrats think borders between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico should be dissolved, so no question this business of having to wait a year to emigrate is disheartening, to say the least.

Well, if enough U.S. liberals emigrate, maybe they can help the Canadian government change that policy someday, thereby making it easier for future generations of disgruntled leftists to emigrate north as well, should a Republican win the presidency again.

For now, though, while there's no question Canada would be, politically, a better match for most supporters of Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards, getting there won't be as easy as they might have thought.