blevkog

Perception is everything. The harder Dion fights to keep his 'other' citizenship, the less committed to Canada he 'appears'.

Other than Quebecers, will the ROC be comfortable with Dion's policies 'seeming' to follow France's lead?

Jack is right.

Jack is running scared at the moment and he will continue to follow the pattern the con's set, to paint Dion in a bad light whenever possible.

Like wilson here, he's dead wrong. He has become nothing more than a political opportunist, going completely against what he says his party stands for. I'll never vote NDP as long as he is there.

This issue will not be the citizenship, it will be what some Liberals will call people who question it. I've seen it on the Lib-Blogs already.....douchebag..scumbag etc.
For the average Canadian it probably wont mean much and in a week will be a non-issue, but the name calling will get average Canadains to think "nothing's changed" with the Liberal Party, question something and you somehow become un-Canadian. Just a thought.

I was born a British Subject, like all Canadians of my and Mr. Dion's generation. Do we have to renounce our loyalty to Her Majesty to satisfy this little republican?

I agree with you; complaints against Dion's dual citizenship represents a double standard that we apply to elected officials, and one of dubious merit at that.

Lorraine,
Of course not - the British are allies in the Global War on Reality.

Seriously, though, am I to believe that Canadians actually would think that Dion's policies would spring from France, wilson? I have to think that this is just a smear campaign that either Ezra Levant pulled out of his ass or the CP initiated. It's a damn shame that Jack is falling for it. I am not prepared yet to write Jack off totally, but he's definitely making future vote choices for me more "interesting".

What Layton has done is essentially saying is that dual citizens are second-class citizens who shouldn't be party leaders.

Question: I know John Turner was born in the UK. Did he hold dual citizenship when he became PM?

That's a really good question, Loraine. Does anyone know?

Wow, Jack basically contradicts the NDP's position on dual citizenship, if he questions Dion for holding French-Canadian duality. Unbelievable. I can understand Ezra holding such neanderthal views, but Jack echoing Ezra is just stupid (even if he is limiting the suggestion to Dion alone). Leave this unpalatable can of worms to the Conservative racist wing, please.

Dual citizenship a bonus for Canada, says NDP

"Narrow-minded members of the government should open their eyes and get a grip on the essence of Canada’s advantage in the world," MP Peter Julian concludes. "We should celebrate our international bonds, not discourage them. Canada is well respected around the world, and dual citizens are among our most passionate ambassadors when they travel in other countries."

Had this come from anyone but Ezra Levant, I'd probably care less. But Layton is giving power to the least progressive, most divisive, *most mindless* forces in this country and it's just not the kind of politics people are all that interested in anymore.

Criticize the Liberals on substance, Jack...not this type of innanity.

Just curious - does Ted Morton hold dual citizenship?

Great move on Laytons Part.

Does he realize there is a part of Canada that until 1949 was not part of Canada but Britain? Both my parents have UK citizenship and so does my grandma since they were born pre-confederation and fought hard to keep it.

How many people in all parties have dual citizenship? Jack Layton is asking Mr. Dion to give up a part of his heritage and at the same time making all Canadians with dual citizenships look second rate.

Great move, I am sure this will knock you down below the Greens which from what I've seen is within an earshot.

How about Olivia, I've heard shes got duel. She may sell Canada out to the Chinese if her husband becomes leader.

Please grow up the lot of you.

I just knew my Grandmother, between writing cheques for $15 for my birthday, was using well-hidden radio equipment to signal her American brethren in preparation for the invasion. Damn her dual-citizenship 'mercan hide!

Just kidding, Gran. Luvya. Keep sending money.

I love Jon Stewart's impression of the American invasion of Canada, should it happen:

(knock, knock)
Canadian: Yes?
American: Hi. Um, well......GET OUT.

Stephen Harper is the first prime minister of Canada to have been born a Canadian citizen. In 1947, MacKenzie King became the first Canadian citizen so anyone born before that year was in fact born a British subject. You could say Harper is an aberration in Canadian history!

What about Trudeau, Clarke, and Chretien?

Re: Trudeau, Chrétien, Clark - again anyone born in Canada before January 1st, 1947 was born a British subject. The first person to be bestowed a Canadian citizenship was W.L.M-King, On Jan. 1/1947. Trudeau did his youth travel on a British passport...The first passport I ever had (1970) was a Canadian one which stated that as a Canadian citizen I was a British subject.I still have it and checked it out last night! At the time, a Canadian citizen did not need a passport for travel to Commonwealth countries.

Lorraine,
That's really interesting - I never knew that! Thanks.

Kevvyd: Not to bother you too much, but if one follows the rationale (?) of Ezra Levant, a Jew would have to renounce Judaism in order to become PM. Like France, Israel confers rights of citizenship jus sanguinis. See the explanation here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis

Should we test Levant's loyalty to Canada by asking him to renounce his rights as a Jew to Israeli citizenship?

After arguing with some die-hard NDP cheerleaders on Babble (yes: me calling other people die-hard NDP cheerleaders), I've come up with a solution:

The Conservatives (or Jack Layton, if he really thinks this has legs) should put forward a bill making it illegal for high office-holders to maintain dual citizenship. I'd like to see 1) how such a bill could be written such that it doesn't violate a bunch of human rights laws on our books and 2) who would actually support it when push came to shove (whipped or unwhipped). Put your money where your mouth is, brave parliamentarians!

Bri,
You'd have to be awfully careful about not only how you word such a bill, but how you promote it. If it loses, and I believe it would, you don't want to be seen as the anti-immigrant dick trying to run a country made up largely of children and grandchildren of immigrants. This might float among some of the hard-core conservatives, but even they might not like it. It could be something symbolic like this that unites the Left, and I think Harper is smart enough to stay the hell away from it. However, he could authorize one of his back-benchers to offer it as a private-members bill.

Besides, there is no way, aside from using the notwhithstanding clause that such a thing would survive court challenge. For that reason alone it would be viewed as a purely political manouver. This is the bread and butter of the Conservative wedge machinery, but I can't see any motivation for Layton to do it.

Layton might be able to make a point, but he would lose a huge part of his own constituency in the backlash.