Converging Citizenship

Last night, as a US taxpayer for the very first time, I heard how my tax dollars will be spent... among one of my favorites was reinforcing border security...

Now I'm not sure if Georgie was talking about the largest unprotected border in the world between the largest trading partners in the world... or rather the border to the South of land of the free... but it got me thinking about all of these arbitrary citizenship rules that keep rearing their ugly heads as Canadians go to apply for passports for the first time and find out that after 70 years in the true north, they aren't actually Canadian... how depressing... sort of throws a wrench in the whole questioning the loyalty of politicians with dual citizenship thing, doesn't it? Turns out there are a whole whack of laws that applied only for certain periods of time and under certain conditions that allow for Canadian citizenship...

Now, I have a confession to make: I am a dual citizen... not by choice - by total accident... My parents are Canadian, I have lived (with the exception of the present) my whole life in Canada, my sister is Canadian. But I was born in the States, while my parents were studying there. Six months later, they moved back to Canada with me in tow.

I've never felt conflicted about my loyalty or my citizenship - to quote a great Molson beer ad: I am Canadian.

Contrary to what Andrew Coyne said in his blog about how dual citizens never really say who they hope for when "their countries" are playing against each other in a sport match - I've never had that dilemma, I always hope for Canada. I was raise here, my family is Canada. It's a total fluke that I have American citizenship too. Just like how I have brown hair, or who my parents are - or that I am an anglo Quebecer... all things that I don't really have control over (well, I suppose I could become a bottle blond, or speak French to my parents at home, or renounce my US citizenship... but these are just random things you just happen to be born with and they sort of make up who you are...)

...I'm kind of sad that we started getting into this whole citizenship/loyalty discussion with regard to our politicians. That's the great thing about Canada - is that we are secure enough in our citizenship, in knowing what's great about our country - that we have room for more than one identity. We recognize that Canada derives strength from our mosaic - not weakness - we are enriched by diversity... That's what makes us all proud to be Canadian (dual citizens or not).