Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What if you woke up one day and every authority in your world had a different colored skin than you. You've been raised to value diversity, and now you are the minority ... like Kafka and his metamorphosis?
I understand that USA has a rule that a foreign born persons cannot be President? Are there any countries in the world where a foreign born person can be elected to lead the country?
England, Canada, Australia, British Commonwealth countries, Americas ... are there any countries where a foreigner can become leader?
What if you woke up one day and every authority in your world had a different colored skin than you. You've been raised to value diversity, and now you are the minority ... like Kafka and his metamorphosis?
I understand that USA has a rule that a foreign born persons cannot be President? Are there any countries in the world where a foreign born person can be elected to lead the country?
England, Canada, Australia, British Commonwealth countries, Americas ... are there any countries where a foreigner can become leader?
Many people here are a minority. So it really isn't a " what if ? "
Several of Canada's Prime Ministers (and most of Canada's Governors General) have been foreign born. There are other countries with foreign born leaders. There's at least 16 monarchies at this time that have chosen a foreign born monarch as their head of state.
USA's prohibition against foreign born elected leaders is an exception, not the rule. Perhaps because it is an exception is the reason why it's the only nation you could think of that has that prohibition against foreign borns.
I don't understand what foreign born leaders has to do with different coloured skin or with people being minorities - what's the connection and what is this question really about? Race and origin or government?
Lieneke, I've seen posts from you in which you have written about the importance of immigrants maintaining Canadian values. But you yourself are an immigrant and diversity is a Canadian value. So I'm not understanding how your position wouldn't be the outlier against the official Canadian values position.
My people came here because, although framed in different words and often practised in a discriminatory way, their understanding from so many years back, was that Canada was 'diverse' and in a country made up of many peoples, some familiar to them and some not, was safety.
In other words the colour of skin of authority figures isn't what bothers me. And there are many other countries that allow foreign-born heads of State. Two that come immediately to mind are Israel (Golda Meir) and Australia (Julia Gillard who was born in Wales.)
What if you woke up one day and every authority in your world had a different colored skin than you. You've been raised to value diversity, and now you are the minority ... like Kafka and his metamorphosis?
Now you would understand what it is like to be a minority.
I understand that USA has a rule that a foreign born persons cannot be President?
Yes. See Article II, s. 5 of the US Constitution for that stipulation. However, in the runup to the last Presidential election, there was some debate about what that section meant exactly--Republican prospect Ted Cruz was born in Calgary of an American parent, so being both Canadian (by birth) and American (by parentage), was he eligible to be President? In the end, Cruz formally renounced his Canadian citizenship, but did not get the Republican nomination, so the point became moot. In the end, it's a question for another day.
Quote:
Are there any countries in the world where a foreign born person can be elected to lead the country?
England, Canada, Australia, British Commonwealth countries, Americas ... are there any countries where a foreigner can become leader?
I cannot speak for any place other than Canada, but in Canada's case, yes. Why? Because our Constitution does not expressly disallow it, unlike the US Constitution. Logically, it follows that if it is not disallowed, then it is allowed.
In fact, our Constitution makes no mention of a Prime Minister, or his or her qualifications, or the method of that person's election at all. It makes no mention of political parties. All it does is to constitute a government "similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom." (Constitution Act 1867, preamble.) It further refines how that government would work in a federated system (ibid., ss. 91-95), but it was designed to work, as closely as possible, like the UK's system. Like the US, we have a single written Constitution, but like the UK, we also have many unwritten traditions that have the force of Constitutional law. How a person becomes Head of Government (i.e. Prime Minister) is one of them.
Last edited by ChevySpoons; 12-28-2017 at 10:47 PM..
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,032,639 times
Reputation: 28903
Fine. I'll do it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
