Study shows dual citizens no less Canadian

[Leafless]

Slamming Canada's "phoney" debate over dual citizenship, one of the country's leading cultural researchers has released a study to CanWest News Service suggesting there's no evidence that membership with two nations diminishes a person's attachment to Canada.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...e09&k=95800

Excuse me!

So, Jack Jedwab, director of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies says dual citizenship is a phoney debate and that there is no evidence that membership with two nations diminishes a person's attachment to Canada.

"That tells us there's a phoney quality about the debate," says Jedwab, dismissing arguments that holding two sets of citizenship papers contributes to "divided loyalties" or "dilutes" the meaning of citizenship.

When I look at an issue like dual citizenship, I look at that issue from the standpoint, 'including all Canadians'.

I then ask myself the question 'what if all Canadians were dual citizens', would the the response from government be supportive.

I should guess not and their reply would be something along the lines 'dual citizenship would NOT be in the interest of Canada and could leave the country in a dangerous awkward position.

So why can't the federal government stand in defense of a single Canadian citizenship, instead of allowing the luxury of easily escaping the confines of Canada and possibly neglecting their social obligations to a select few. For example, relating to crime, social upheaval, disease, risky political actions relating to a politician, large increase in taxes, climate change. But more important than ever is the responsibility or commitment to a single country, like in a marriage, it just isn't there being a dual citizen and is like having two wives with the option of running to the other whenever one chooses, for whatever reason.

What's your take?

[M.Dancer]

My father was a dual citizen. Actually, he was a natualized Canadian. He helped liberate Italy, France and the Netherlands.

[M.Dancer]

My uncle had three citizenships. Britain, Canada and the US. His wife also had 3. France, Canada and the US.

[Borg]

I am not in favour of dual citizenship - although many will disagree. In the end, it becomes citizenship of convenience.

Run into trouble in a country - claim Canuck citizenship. Even if traveling under "the other" passport.

No time for it. You either ARE or ARE NOT a Canadian. Come here - fine. You can leave your other passport at your old home.

Borg

[Bonam]

I agree with the right to have dual citizenship. You can absolutely be Canadian while also being something else. The one does not have to conflict with the other. In the case of countries we are at war with or have severe strain with, I can see the issue. But for countries that are our allies or that we are on otherwise good terms with, why would it be conflicting?

[mikedavid00]

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...e09&k=95800

Excuse me!

Yes.

His 'study' means nothing. I can take my own study where the majority of second gen Canadians polled do NOT consider themselves Canadian. I can come to any conclusion I want the outcome to be.

If someone has dual citizenship and is not paying taxes in Canada (working here), they are are certainly less Canadian.

If someone does not speak English or French at their home, then they are less Canadian also.

If someone who was born in Canada identifies stronger ties with their native stoneage cultures, then they are less Canadian.

Maybe I should make a report up to prove it and get a publisher from the Citizen who is in bed with me to publish it so I can try to brain wash the masses into sharing my personal point of view.

[mikedavid00]

I am not in favour of dual citizenship - although many will disagree. In the end, it becomes citizenship of convenience.

Don't forget about the medical trouble you can have in another country also. Then all of a sudden they're coming here to get treatment when it's convenient.

Hey might as well collect old age benefits too while you are living in another country and the checks are being sent home.

Canada is in a crisis state.

[mikedavid00]

My uncle had three citizenships. Britain, Canada and the US. His wife also had 3. France, Canada and the US.

Really I thought the US never used to allow dual citizenship until very recently?

[marcinmoka]

In the end, it becomes citizenship of convenience.

Quite a bold, unfounded assumption. I for one, have dual citizenship as do many others. But it is my E.U passport which is a citizenship of convinience, bypassing the Kafka-esque bureaucracies one has to deal with abroad. When you study aboard, you can either wait either 2 weeks or 7 months (in a 10 month academic year) for residence bursaries. That is what I call convenient. As with most people in my situation, if we were forced to give up our secondary passports to retain our Canadian ones, it would be a non issue. There is a reason we came here and why we stay here, and it wasn't solely for convenience.

Edited August 14, 2007 by marcinmoka

[Canuck E Stan]

His 'study' means nothing.

Jack Jedwab, director of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies, says data pulled from a landmark 2001 StatsCan survey refutes the notion that dual citizens are more prone to divided loyalties or a weakened commitment to Canada -- key claims among critics who prompted a review of federal policies last year after Canada's $100-million rescue of 15,000 Lebanese-Canadians from Beirut during Israeli attacks on Hezbollah.

You're right this study does means nothing, and probably highly invalid by trying to attribute to incidents that happened years after the study was done.

This study was done in 2001,before 9-11,before Iraq, before Afghanistan,before terrorists bombing around the world,before SARS,before the $100 million Lebanese incident,,before massive gun crimes.It's not the same world.

Give me a study with today's people answering the same questions.

I think the answers would be very different.

[M.Dancer]

Really I thought the US never used to allow dual citizenship until very recently?

Then you thought wrong.