In truth, many Canadians would welcome the influx of disenchanted Obama supporters. “In Canada we’re happy to provide a safe haven for next-door neighbors in the middle of a marital dispute,” said Douglas Coupland, the writer and artist. “And if anyone trips while crossing the border, we’re happy to set their broken bones for free.”

The sentiment is echoed in business circles.

“The more the better is my view,” added Robert Prichard, chairman of the Bank of Montreal. “That said, President Obama is going to win, and we won’t be getting a special dividend on Nov. 7.”

The image of Canada as a political haven for Americans goes back centuries. “Canada began receiving U.S. emigrants at the time of the Revolutionary War, when the United Empire Loyalists left everything behind to build lives in the north,” said John Manley, a former deputy prime minister of Canada. “In that case, they were conservatives wanting to live under the king.”

But recent history suggests that few actually follow through.

While the number of United States citizens who annually chose to permanently reside in Canada doubled during George W. Bush’s presidency (from 5,800 in 2000 to 11,200 in 2008, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, a government agency), researchers say it had little to do with the elections.

“Relatively few people make the difficult decision to uproot themselves and their families,” said Dr. Janice Gross Stein, the director of the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. “The one big exception was the desire to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War.”