I had a friend who moved to Canada a few years ago, and it wasn't easy. They make it quite difficult to emigrate there. I would think as a retiree it would be almost impossible.

There's a whole series of items that can give you "points" towards qualification - speaking French/English, educational background, working in a particularly valued job, etc. And you need to show resources to support yourself. I think it's quite hard for retirees with no family there to emigrate to Canada. They don't want people not working & drawing from health care system.

I've known quite a few Canadians who have spent their working lives in the US return to Canada to retire, but have seen few Americans retire there.

http://www.visabureau.com/canada/emigration-to-canada.aspx