Canada Issues a Wake-Up Call: You May Be a Citizen

[John Q. Citizen]

Source: Wall Street Journal

Thanks to a new law, Canada will bestow citizenship Friday on what its government believes could be hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting foreigners, most of them Americans.

The April 17 amendment to Canada's Citizenship Act automatically restores Canadian nationality to many people forced to renounce it when they became citizens of another country. It also grants citizenship to their children.

The Canadian government doesn't know the precise number or location of individuals affected by the legislation. But it believes most are U.S. citizens, a spokeswoman for Canada's immigration office said. U.S. Department of Homeland Security records show 240,000 Canadians were naturalized in the U.S. from 1948 to 1977; the new law fixes problems that occurred during those years.

To reach that amorphous group of beneficiaries, the Canadian government has turned to YouTube. It's running an ad there titled "Waking up Canadian," in which a man awakens on April 17 to a room festooned with red-and-white Canadian flags. He's met by a welcoming committee consisting of two stuffed plush moose, a hockey player, and a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

more...

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123993183347727843.html?mod=yhoofront

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My dad was born in Canada. i wonder if this means I have or can get dual citizenship. That would be very cool. I'm going to look into this.

[frog92969]

1. ...and they want your back taxes!

:tinfoilhat:

[ohio2007]

21. Maybe somebody up there is looking for votes

:tinfoilhat:

[HEyHEY]

26. That's why howard hughes left.

Spent six months in Canada cause he was like two days shy of being subject to tax.

[ShockediSay]

2. Universal health insurance !!! nt

[Xithras]

3. My sister in law will become Canadian

Her mom moved to the US in the mid-1970's to marry her dad, and she became an American citizen soon afterward. My SIL was born in the US as a US citizen and has never been further north than Oregon, but she's apparently going to be eligible for automatic citizenship there now.

It doesn't matter one iota for her though. She likes the SF Bay Area too much to consider doing anything more than a brief visit.

[aquart]

8. What if she needs surgery?

[struggle4progress]

4. *sigh* I suppose rightwing nutters will now be claiming Obama's mother was born in Canada

[No Elephants]

12. Yes. He was born early when the plane from Hawaii to Kenya stopped in Canada to refuel.

[Vidar]

5. Sigh,all my ancestors were Scandinavians, in the 19th century.

[sasquatch]

6. I spent a week in Canada once as a kid, does that mean I'm a citizen?

:D

[earcandle]

7. I skied in Canada once. Actually my only time on the slopes on the bunny hill.

And I love Leonard Cohen who is from Canada.

We just saw him the other night in Oakland.
What a man. Wow. Wish there were more like him.
Glad I got one of them.

[Bobbieo]

9. My mother was born in Canada. Actually on Crysler Farm on The St . Lawrence River - the

site of an historic 1812 battle. Her mother was Mary Crysler

[tuvor]

10. Here's an article from the CBC.

As many 'Lost Canadians' gain citizenship, others are left in limbo
Children born abroad to Canadian parents or adopted abroad may lose rights

In a peppy YouTube video posted by the federal Citizenship and Immigration Ministry, a man awakes on April 17, 2009, to a once-austere bedroom now adorned in Canadian paraphernalia.

Titled Waking up Canadian, it’s aimed at so-called "Lost Canadians" — people who, as of Friday, are finally citizens of the country they always thought they belonged to.

The good news comes thanks to an amendment to the Citizenship Act that will help thousands of disenfranchised residents who were stripped of their citizenship or were told they weren't eligible. Among them are war brides who married Canadian soldiers after 1947 and children of Canadians born abroad who lost citizenship after not registering with the government.

...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/04/16/lost-canadians.html

[lostnfound]

11. Awesome. I think it applies, even if your parent became a US citizen.

I wondered if when my dad naturalized he renounced Canadian citizenship as was normally the requirement on the US side. I read on a website that just because the US requires renunciation doesn't mean that Canada recognizes the renunciation. Yay. This is too cool. I like Canada and have thought it would be nice to have a bit of property there..

[Althaia]

13. I have several family members this applies to

My husband was born in Canada, and naturalized as a U.S. citizen as a child. According to the article, he and our son now have dual citizenship. Also, my dad is the son of immigrants from Canada. I'm not sure where my mom's parents were born, but I think my maternal grandfather was born in Canada. I'm feeling rather left out of the dual-citizenship party :party:

[dcindian]

14. I wonder if my family will be

My dad is Canadian Aboriginal he and all his sisters came to America in early 60's late 50's to get away from the country who forced them into the Mohawk Institute and I am working on getting band cards for myself and my children. I understand that once they approve the band cards we will have dual citizenship.

[WriteDown]

22. Akwesanse?

Are we the same tribe?

[groundloop]

15. So, changing the subject slightly...

How hard would it be for a US citizen to become a Canadian citizen, just in case something unthinkable happened (like for instance, God forbid, anyone named Palin, Gingrich, Jindal, or Delay occupying the White House)?

[Nay]

16. My bro and I were born in US to a Canadian mother, US father, and

we got our Canadian citizenships about 5 years ago under a quirky little law that allowed us to apply if we could produce our birth certificates, her birth certificate, etc. Being born to a Canadian FATHER did not count--only the mom counted, and only if you were born outside the US in a certain time period. My mom was an immigrant and never gave up her Canadian citizenship. Now, it seems they have broadened this same law a bit, so anyone who thinks the new law may apply to them should go to:

www.cic.gc.ca (Canadian immigration site--you can also see the ad there)

Those who were not born to a Canadian can also check the site for the requirements for immigration and figure their "points" to see if they are good candidates for admission.


Some other misconceptions: even though I am a Canadian, I have to be a RESIDENT of Canada and have a social services card to get my free health care. I live in the US (more's the pity) and do not have a card, so....out of luck there.

Also, you no longer have to renounce your US citizenship if you become a Canadian; that was stopped many years ago. My brother and I hold dual citizenships.

[bitchkitty]

17. How cool!

My nephew is now a Canadian! :)

[XemaSab]

18. Here's the ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDeDQpIQFD0

:)

[gauguin57]

19. Hey, Canada! Make me a citizen! I'm tired of paying as much for health insurance as I do for housing

I can be up there in a few hours.

[AlphaCentauri]

20. how dare canadians do it in the current economic climate

that's amnesty

:sarcasm:

[PassingFair]

23. My husband became Canadian yesterday!

:party:

Unfortunately, the way I read it,
he would have to arrange "sponsorship"
for me (his wife) and our two minor
children if we wanted to move.

He was born in the US to a Canadian
citizen who became an American citizen
AFTER my husband was born.

I feel left out, too... :cry:

My maternal grandparents were both
from Canada (Newfoundland and Nova Scotia),
but they became citizens before my mother
was born here in the US.....


I have lived near the border for
almost all of my life.

[3waygeek]

24. On Thursday or Friday night, Rachel Maddow ran

a PSA the Canadian government produced to publicize the amendment. It was quite funny for a PSA.

On edit, I see that XemaSab provided a link to the PSA.

[TankLV]

25. "...in which a man awakens...met by a welcoming committee consisting of ...a hockey player..."t

I've enjoyed those kind of dreams too...!!!