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I cannot speak for the others but I was born and raised in Canada. I immigrated to the the US by myself when I was 19. I am not a Canadian citizen as I lost that when I became a US citizen several years ago as there was no dual citizenship then....
The law changed in 2009. So, if you were born in Canada after 1947 (I'm assuming that you were not born before 1947, John), regardless if you "lost it" by becoming a US citizen, Canadian law states that you are still a citizen. See here:
I kind of wish we could do away with the "kinder and gentler and not-American" identity, as it does two things: first, it is misleading (it implies that it's all sunshine and rainbows; when in fact, Canadians can be just as cruel, violent, and rude as anybody else); and secondly, it is comparative. I don't see other nationalities identifying themselves by what they're not; I see them identifying themselves by what they are. Perhaps we should start looking at ourselves as Canadians, not as "non-Americans."
The law changed in 2009. So, if you were born in Canada after 1947 (I'm assuming that you were not born before 1947, John), regardless if you "lost it" by becoming a US citizen, Canadian law states that you are still a citizen. See here:
Wrong assumption, I was born in 1940. Thanks for the offer to help but it really doesn't matter as I have no intention of returning to Canada.
Sorry about the assumption. Regardless, no problem. If you're happy as you are, that's fine.
Do note that (by my quick reading of the statute just now) you're still a Canadian citizen, in spite of being born before 1947. But it is extremely unlikely that Canada will impose any impositions on you, now or in the future--like income tax, for example. The only benefit to you might come by way of entering Canada for a visit (easier and expedited entry, especially if you present a Canadian passport), or if you find yourself in a jam in an overseas country--in that case, you could ask for help from the Canadian embassy or consulate.
But if you're happy with the way things are, there's really no reason to seek formal recognition of your Canadian citizenship.
Sorry about the assumption. Regardless, no problem. If you're happy as you are, that's fine.
Do note that (by my quick reading of the statute just now) you're still a Canadian citizen, in spite of being born before 1947. But it is extremely unlikely that Canada will impose any impositions on you, now or in the future--like income tax, for example. The only benefit to you might come by way of entering Canada for a visit (easier and expedited entry, especially if you present a Canadian passport), or if you find yourself in a jam in an overseas country--in that case, you could ask for help from the Canadian embassy or consulate.
But if you're happy with the way things are, there's really no reason to seek formal recognition of your Canadian citizenship.
I notice that you live in Alberta. Do you live in Calgary? I have 2 nieces that live there. I was in Calgary a couple years ago for a few weeks for my nieces wedding. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in downtown.
I notice that you live in Alberta. Do you live in Calgary? I have 2 nieces that live there. I was in Calgary a couple years ago for a few weeks for my nieces wedding. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in downtown.
No, I'm in Lethbridge. Regardless, John, if you're coming in, let me know--it's easy enough to get to Calgary to meet up. I'd be happy to introduce you to the fine beers we can produce in Alberta.
Edit: I did live in Calgary for a number of years before moving down here, so I know Calgary quite well. Prior to that, I lived in Toronto (educated there at U of T and worked there subsequently), so I know that city pretty well too.
Still, John, I think we'd have a good conversation, if we sat down over a beer. Let me know when you'll be in the area next. The first round will be on me.
Last edited by ChevySpoons; 08-26-2014 at 02:07 AM..
I kind of wish we could do away with the "kinder and gentler and not-American" identity, as it does two things: first, it is misleading (it implies that it's all sunshine and rainbows; when in fact, Canadians can be just as cruel, violent, and rude as anybody else); and secondly, it is comparative. I don't see other nationalities identifying themselves by what they're not; I see them identifying themselves by what they are. Perhaps we should start looking at ourselves as Canadians, not as "non-Americans."
I don't rep often on here but will rep this one! Excellent post. Sums up my feelings better than I did in my earlier post.
I don't care about lack of cultural differences, at the end of the day I think Canada is just generally the more civilized part of the Americas..
But what happens if we stop being civil? Or nice? What happens if all of us aren't?
Being the devil's advocate here a bit, but to me "civility" is as much of an intangible as "niceness" is.
I mean, keeping our civility depends on the maintenance of a series of factors, most of them economic.
How would the legendary Canadian civility fare if all of a sudden everything we get on the land or under it (oil, gas, minerals, lumber) all of sudden was of lesser value on global markets?
Once again, intangibles like these are odd things to hitch a national identity and culture to.
There are plenty of places in the world that are not very civil (or even nice) but that have very strong national identities and cultures.
The problem with trying to compare the US and Canada is that if you ask 50 different people what American or Canadian culture is you will get 20 different answers. Montana and New York are as different as Montana and Vancouver. There are probably more similarities between Winnipeg and Minneapolis, then Minneapolis and San Francisco. The 2 countries are very diverse and share many of the same cultures. I'm American and I would refuse to fight against Canada. I would be perfectly fine with the US and Canada merging someday into one country, but I don't think that's realistic at all.
Not very comparable at all. There seems to be less disconnect and alienation between the population across the country, many things are generally agreed upon by the vast majority of people here that would otherwise cause great debate down South. That's basically what I was referring to.
Totally comparable.
You are basing your superiority on something totally intangible. Being "Civilized" is entirely in the eye of the beholder. Your version of what makes someone superior is being more like you and sharing your values. What you find to be civilized is entirely different from an Hindustani Muslim. And what he finds to be "civilized" is totally different from what a Tibetan Buddhist would find it to be. But none of you are right, because the concept of being "civilized" isn't real. This is the kind of thinking that has been employed by bigots since the dawn of time, and it even fuels conflict.
I recently participated in research for an article commemorating the outbreak of World War I. It was interesting to read the thoughts of people from the combatant countries. The Germans were more productive than the French, more efficient than the French, and more scientifically innovative than the French, yet the French considered them barbarians because they weren't "civilized". What constituted being "civilized"? Being more like the French of course! It didn't matter how much technology the Germans invented, how many times they whooped the French, or how much more efficient they were. To many bigoted Frenchman they would never be equal because the Germans would never have French culture. Only by adopting the intangible French culture could they become "civilized". The same bigoted thinking is employed over and over again from the ancient Greeks to the Romans, and to the colonial French and the British. Bigotry at it's finest.
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