80: Citizenship Day

The Canadian Citizenship Act

80 years ago today (June 27, 1946) The Canadian Citizenship Act (French: Loi sur la citoyenneté Canadienne) was passed. It created Canadian Citizenship for the first time ever.

Brief Canadian Citizenship History:

From 1633-1763: Those living in the Colony of New France (Quebec) were “French Citizens.” They later automatically became “British Subjects.”

From 1583-1867: Those living in the Colony of British North America (Canada) were “British Subjects”, but not British Citizens.

From 1867- 1914: The British North American Act made those living in Canada “British Subjects with a Connection to the Dominion of Canada.”)

From 1876-2013: The 1876 Indian Act made Indians living in Canada “Wards of the State” subjected to the Federal Government and not the Provinces or Territories. The Federal Government had direct say over what they could and could not do.

It also created a separate “Status Indians” (those who lived on Reservations and are on the Indian Register) and “Non-Status Indians” (those not living on Reservations, not on the Indian Register and neither considered Indians nor Canadians.) Non-Status Indians was done away with in 2013.

From 1914-1946: Those living in Canada became “British Subjects and Canadian Nationals.” The order is important to note.

From 1946-1982: Those living in Canada became “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects.”

In 1953: a separate Canadian Monarchy was created with Queen Elizabeth II (Queen Elizabeth 1 in Canada) becoming the first Canadian Monarch and the First (and so far only) Canadian Queen.

King Charles III is the Current Canadian Monarch and the First (and so far only) Canadian King.

It also created the Canadian Royal Family.

From 1946-1967: Any Canadian Citizen living outside of Canada for 10 years or longer or who acquired Citizenship of another country automatically lost their Canadian Citizenship.

From 1960-1982: Status Indians could also become “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects” if they applied for. It.

From 1976- Present Day: Dual Citizenship is officially allowed in Canada.

From 1982-Present Day:  When Canada became a completely independent country due to Patriation those living in Canada (including Indigenous Peoples) are now “Canadian Citizens and Commonwealth Citizens.”

From 2009- Present Day: Re-instated Canadian Citizenship to those that had automatically lost it between 1946-1976 if they apply for it. Limited Citizenship to the Second Generation born outside of Canada.

In 2014: Gave Canadian Citizenship to “The Lost Canadians” (Those that should have received Canadian Citizenship since 1946, but were denied it by the Canadian Government despite their undeniable ties to Canada.)

Note: I am a dual Canadian and American Citizen as well as a Commonwealth Citizen (through my Canadian Citizenship.)

I am considered a Natural Born Canadian (not Naturalized) and a Natural-Born American (not Naturalized.)

This picture is a stamp that the Royal Mail Canada (today Canada Post) created in 1946 to honor (honour in Canada) the new Canadian Citizenship Law.

Camp Language

Language In Concentration, Labor and Death Camps

There were 44,000 Concentration Camps; 35,000 Forced Labor Camps and 6 Death Camps in German-Occupied Europe during World War 2.

German-Occupied Europe included: The British Channel Islands, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Austria, Czechoslovakia (Present Day: the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Italy, Norway, Denmark, Albania, Hungary, Romania, Poland, French Tunisia (Present Day: Tunisia), French Algeria (Present Day: Algeria), Greece, Yugoslavia (Present Day: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro), Monaco, Finland and the Soviet Union (Present Day: Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus – there are more Countries of the Former Soviet Union, but these are the only ones occupied by the Germans during the War.)

In every single one of the Concentration, Labor and Death Camps in German-Occupied Europe during World War 2 the “Official Language” was German.

There were a total of 15 Million Men, Women and Children held in German Concentration and Death Camps (this doesn’t include the Men, Women and Children who arrived at the Camp and were immediately gassed to death  - only those admitted and registered to the Camp.)

There were a total of 26 Million Men, Women and Children held in German Forced Labor Camps.

Prisoners knew approximately 40 Different Mother Languages other than German at any one Concentration or Death Camp.

It did not matter if the German Concentration Camp was in France, Norway, Yugoslavia or in Poland the German Language was the only means of Communication allowed.

If a Prisoner did not speak and understand German it could mean their death.

German was used by all the German Officials (the SS, Wehrmacht, etc.), the German Collaborator Guards (Russians, Ukrainians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Norwegians, Dutch, French, etc.) and the Kapos (Prisoners who ensured the Barracks were clean, the Other Prisoners behaved, Punishments were done and the Forced Labor was carried out) to give orders and punishments.

Many of the Non-German Collaborator Guards and the Prisoner Kapos did not understand German before entering the Camps and so they had to also learn  German in order to speak to the German Officials and to give their Orders to the Prisoners.

A Prisoner could only speak to a Camp Official in German.

All Prisoner Mail had to be written in German.

A Prisoner had to memorize their Camp Number in German and recite it to any Camp Official at any time (Morning Roll-Call, Afternoon Roll-Call, during a Selection, etc.)

In most Concentration, Labor and Death Camps a Pidgin German (called "Lagerszpracha”) was often used mixing German with whatever Language the Prisoner Spoke between the Prisoners themselves.

Jews in Eastern Europe (especially Poland) who spoke Yiddish as their Mother Language had better odds of surviving a Concentration Camp since Spoken Yiddish is close to Spoken German (but not Written Yiddish which using the Hebrew Alphabet whereas Written German uses the Latin Alphabet.)

13 Million Jewish Men, Women and Children spoke Yiddish as either their Mother Language or their Second Language in 1939.

Non-Jewish Prisoners (especially the Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, Belarussians, Italians, French and Greeks) rarely understood German before entering the Concentration, Labor or Death Camp and so had a much harder time understanding the Orders given to them and the whole Camp System leading to higher proportions of them killed (after being registered into the Camp.)

Jewish Prisoners (especially from France, Greece, Hungary and Italy) rarely understood German before entering the Concentration, Labor or Death Camp and so had a much harder time understanding the Orders given to them and the whole Camp System (after being registered into the Camp.)

You could be beaten, tortured or killed for not quickly carrying out an Order screamed at you in German (ie. “Hats Off!”, “Hats On!”, “Faster!”, etc.)

When a large Transport came from a certain Country to a German Death Camp the Germans oftentimes used Prisoner Interpreters who spoke both German and whatever Language of the arriving Transport to speed things up.

This was done in the 6 Death Camps of Chełmno, Bełżec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek and Auschwitz-Birkenau so that the newly Arrived Men, Women and Children would be reassured and quickly go from Selection to Undressing to Death in the Gas Chamber in an hour. Language In Concentration, Labor and Death Camps

After the War many Former Prisoners (including those whose Mother Language was German) refused to speak the German Language or listen to anything in German (Movies, TV Shows, Music, etc.) because it reminded them of the horrors they had experienced.

Canada And Commonwealth

Commonwealth Day is tomorrow (March 9^th.)

(The Canadian Throne in the Senate Chamber of the Federal Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.)

The Commonwealth of Nations is an Organization of 56 Member Countries with a combined Population of 2.7 Billion People across the World.

The Commonwealth of Nations was founded in 1926 under the name the British Commonwealth of Nations.

The Head of the Commonwealth of Nations is King Charles III.

The Chief Institutions of the Commonwealth of Nations are the: The Commonwealth Secretariat, focusing on Intergovernmental Relations, and the Commonwealth Foundation, focusing on Non-Governmental Relations between Member Nations.

The Commonwealth Charter defines their shared values of Democracy, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law.

There are no Embassies between one Commonwealth Country and another Commonwealth Country.

There are High Commissions instead (that function basically the same as Embassies.)

Every Citizen of the 56 Member Countries of the Commonwealth of Nations is also known as a Commonwealth Citizen.

Of the 56 Member Countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, 15 of them are Commonwealth Realms.

The 15 Commonwealth Realms are: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

Every Citizen of a Commonwealth Realm is also known as a Commonwealth Citizen and have Special Rights and Privileges when visiting any of the 56 Commonwealth of Nations Member Countries.

Each Commonwealth Realm has their own separate Monarchy.

For example:

Canada has the Canadian Monarchy (also know as the Maple Crown) which has King Charles III as the King of Canada (French: Roi du Canada.)

Technically it should be King Charles I since there was no Canadian King before him.

The first Canadian Monarch and first Queen was Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 (when the Canadian Monarchy was created so technically it should be Queen Elizabeth I since there was no Queen before her.

The Canadian Monarch only draws from Canadian Funds for support in the performance of their duties when in Canada or acting as King or Queen of Canada Abroad.

Canadians do not pay any money to the King or Queen or any other Member of the Royal Family, either towards Personal Income or to support Royal Residences outside of Canada.

That means that the Canadian Taxpayer does not pay for the King of the United Kingdom or the King of Australia.

The Canadian Monarch’s Line of Succession was updated last by the 2011 Perth Agreement when all the Commonwealth Realms (there were 16 at the time) agreed to end the Male Preference (meaning it now depended on who was born first: a Boy or a Girl and not just the first born Boy), ended the Rule that the Monarch could not marry a Catholic and kept the Rule that the Monarch had to be a Protestant of the Church of England.

The current Canadian Crown (French: Couronne royale) often called the Maple Crown (French: Couronne d’érable) was created in 2025 by the King of Canada, Charles III.

It replaced the Crosses and the Fleurs-de-Lis on the previous Canadian Crown used by the Queen of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II, who wore it from 1952-2022 with Maple Leaves.

The Canadian Monarch can only wear the Canadian Crown when they are representing Canada and not when they are the Monarch of another Commonwealth Realm (like the King of the United Kingdom or the King of the Bahamas.)

There is also a Federal Canadian Throne (French: Trône fédéral canadien) that the Canadian Monarch can only use when inside Canada as the Canadian King or Queen.

It is in the Senate Chamber of the Federal Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa.

The Governor-General of Canada can sit in the Throne when the Canadian Monarch is not in Canada when they give Royal Assent on behalf of the Canadian Monarch.  

There is also a Provincial Canadian Throne (French: Trône provincial canadien) in all 10 Provincial Parliament Buildings.

The Canadian Monarch sits on it when they are in that Province otherwise the Lieutenant-Governor of that Province uses it when given Royal Assent on behalf of the Canadian Monarch.

The Canadian Monarch’s and the Governor General of Canada’s Official Residences are Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario and the Citadelle in Quebec City, Quebec.

The Canadian Crown is represented by the Governor-General (French: gouverneure générale du Canada) who is the Canadian Monarch’s Federal Representative inside Canada since the Canadian Monarch usually lives in London, the United Kingdom.

The Governor-General is decided by the Canadian Monarch at the advice of the Canadian Prime Minister.

The Governor-General of Canada is higher in Power than the Canadian Prime Minister, but lower than the Canadian Monarch.

The Governor-General of Canada carries out both Constitutional Duties and Ceremonial Duties on behalf of the Canadian Monarch.

The Constitutional Duties include: Appointing Lieutenant Governors, Supreme Court Justices, and Senators; Signing Orders-In-Council; Summoning, Proroguing, and Dissolving the Federal Parliament; Granting Royal Assent to Bills; Calling Elections; and Signing Commissions for Officers of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The Ceremonial Duties include: Delivering the Speech from the Throne at the State Opening of Parliament; Accepting Letters of Credence from Incoming Ambassadors; and Distributing Honors, Decorations, and Medals.

The Current Governor-General of Canada is Mary Simon who is the 30^th Canadian Governor-General and the First Indigenous Governor-General. She was appointed in 2021.

When the Canadian Monarch is in Canada they then briefly take over the Duties of the Governor-General of Canada.

The first visit of the Queen of Canada (Queen Elizabeth II) to Canada was on.

The first International Trip made by the Queen of Canada (Queen Elizabeth II) was in October 1957 to the United States.

The first visit of the King of Canada (King Charles III) to Canada was in May 2022.

Before Patriation in 1982 every single Canadian Law (Provincial, Territorial or Federal) had to be first approved by the British Parliament in London, the United Kingdom and then given Royal Assent by the King or Queen or the United Kingdom before returning to Canada and being approved by either the Canadian Federal Parliament or one of the Provincial Parliaments and then given Royal Assent by the Canadian Queen (there was no Canadian King before 1982.)

Since 1982 all Canadian Laws (Provincial, Territorial or Federal) have to be approved by either the Provincial Parliaments (if it’s a Provincial Law) and given Royal Assent by the Lieutenant-Governor of that Province or the Federal Parliament and given Royal Assent by the Governor-General of Canada.

Each of the 10 Canadian Provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan) also has a Lieutenant-Governor (French Masculine: lieutenant-gouverneur, or French Feminine: lieutenante-gouverneure) who is the Canadian Monarch’s Provincial Representative inside Canada since the Canadian Monarch usually lives in London, the United Kingdom.

The 3 Canadian Territories (Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories) are governed directly by the Canadian Federal Government so the Governor-General covers them and they have no Lieutenant-Governors.

This example of Canada in the Commonwealth of Nations is similar to all the other 13 Commonwealth Realms - except for the United Kingdom.

Note: I am a Dual American and Canadian Citizen (by Birth and not Naturalization.)

 As a Canadian Citizen I am also a Commonwealth Citizen and since Canada is a Commonwealth Realm I can go to any of the 55 Other Commonwealth Member Countries and have Special Rights and Privileges while visiting or living there than I would if I entered on my American Passport.

Dual Citizen

Because Canadian Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I was asked why I celebrate it.

I am a Dual Citizen.

I am a Citizen of Canada (as well as a Commonwealth Citizen of the Member Countries of the British Commonwealth.)

I am a Citizen of the United States.

My Mother was born in Canada to a Canadian Father and an American Mother.

My Father was born in the United States to two American Parents.

In 1960 my Canadian Grandfather became an American Citizen and until 1877 Canada didn’t allow Dual Citizenship so he lost his Canadian Citizenship (as did my Mom who was under 18 years old at the time.)

In 2009 Canada passed a bill to give Canadian Citizenship back to those that had automatically lost it (when they became a Citizen of another Country or if they lived outside of Canada for 10 years.)

My Mom applied for and got her Canadian Citizenship back.

I then applied for Canadian Citizenship and received it.

I am considered a Native-Born Canadian Citizen (not a Naturalized Citizen.)

I am also considered a Native-Born American Citizen (not a Naturalized Citizen.

I have to use my Canadian Passport to enter Canada and my American Passport to enter the United States.

I can use either Passport to enter any other country although if I use my Canadian Passport to enter the United Kingdom or another Commonwealth Country I have more rights than if I enter the UK with my American Passport

Since 2009 we have had low-key celebrations for Canadian Thanksgiving in October and a bigger celebration for American Thanksgiving in November.

Russia Today

Since February 2022 (when Russia invaded, attacked and occupied part of Ukraine) I have closely watched what has and has not changed inside Putin’s Russia.

Of course I have not gone to Russia (no sane American or Westerner  - including Dual Citizens- would now unless they want to be arrested, have a Sham Trial and end up in a Forced Labor Penal Colony.)

What I have done instead is Write (through Social Media, E-Mails, DMs, etc.) to Russians I know throughout the country as well as to Russians who live outside of Russia (either because of Russia’s War or Not) as well as reading all the different Media Outlets inside Russia and those in the West.

Here is a generalized view of what life inside Russia is like for an Ordinary Russia:

Travel: 

Aviation: All Russian Airplanes are forbidden to use the following Counties’ Airspace so there are no Planes allowed (not even transiting through the Airspace to go to other Countries):

Albania, Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, North Macedonia, Norway, Saba, Saint Helena, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Switzerland (with exceptions for Diplomats and United Nations Representatives), the Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine (since 2015), the United Kingdom, the United States and the Member Countries of the European Union  (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.)

Aviation Parts: No Foreign (Western) parts are allowed to be imported into Russia and so while Domestic Travel continues inside Russia along with International Travel to some Countries there have been no new Planes or Plane Parts sent to Russia so when a Plane breaks down it has to be Gerry-Rigged with whatever is inside Russia (making flying on Planes inside or from/to Russia more dangerous than ever before.)

Acceptance of Russian Passports: Russian Citizens (Politicians, Businessmen/women, Students and Tourists) are refused entrance to the following places by land sea and air travel: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Poland.

Military-Aged Men: Russia has banned Russian Men eligible to be in the Military (which is every Man from 18-70 years old) from leaving Russia without Official Government Permission. Those who were already outside of Russia before the ban came into effect cannot renew their expired Russian Passports at a Russian Embassy anymore – they can only do so inside Russia.

Computers and Cell Phones: The FSB and Russian Immigration has the legal right to stop every person (Russian or not) entering or leaving Russia and confiscate their Cell Phones and their Computers/Laptops, etc.

The Individual is also required by law to give the Authorities all their Passwords. Failure to provide these Devices and/or Passwords results in either being arrested, not allowed to leave Russia or both.

Money:

Inside Russia: Western Credit Cards (Visa, Master Card, Visa Electron, Discover, etc.) or Payment Systems (PayPal, Meta Pay, etc.) to not work inside Russia anywhere including Stores, Hotels, Markets, Banks, ATMs, etc.

Only money in a Russian Bank can be used to have a Credit Card that is issued and only valid inside Russia (like the Mir Credit Card) can be used inside Russia. Russia is still a Cash Economy and so you have to carry Rubles everywhere.

Outside Russia: Russians outside of Russia can’t use their Mir Credit Card Internationally. They have to open a Western Bank Account if they want access to using Visa, Master Card, etc. around the World.

No Western Bank allows for transferring Dollars or Euros into Russia and Russia doesn’t allow transferring Rubles to “Non-Friendly Countries” like the US.

Shopping: Over 1,000 Western Companies have left Russia since 2022 and Russian Oligarchs have taken the Former Western Brands and Chains and made poorly rebranded Russian Versions. There is limited Health and Safety Checks (helping to lead to widespread Food Poisoning across many Regions of Russia.)

Food Markets: While there aren’t the same empty shelves that where widespread during Soviet Times or during Covid prices for even the Basics of a Russian Meal (potatoes, eggs, kasha, etc.) have risen by large percentages (such as a 160% increase to buy eggs, a 100% increase to buy potatoes, etc.

Internet: Russia has banned the use of Facebook, Instagram, etc. Russians can get around this ban by using different VPNs.

Cell Phones: No Western Cell Phones Carriers would inside Russia. Only the Russian Versions of these Carriers will work.

Accessing Western/Foreign Media: Reading, Posting, Liking a Post, etc. of many Non-Russian Media (TV, Social Media Sites, Newspapers, Radio, etc.) can get you sent to a Forced Labor Penal Colony for 10-12 years.

Education: Every Russian Elementary, Middle and High School as well as every Russian College, Vocational School and University have Mandatory Classes and Clubs that teach every Student how to fight, how to do Military Drills and how to inform the Authorities on your Teachers, your Friends, your Family and Strangers.

Failure to not inform on someone who is an “Enemy of the State” can also land you in a Forced Labor Penal Colony for 5 years.

Teachers and Professors that don’t incorporate praising Putin and the Russian Military are fired and can be arrested for “Hurting the Russian State.”

Health Care: The already crumbling (from years of lack of funding and then Covid) Russian Health Care System has only gotten much worse since the War.

No Western Medicines or Western Medical Equipment can be imported into Russia and the Russian Versions of these Medicines and Equipment are lower in quality.

Patients or their Families have to pay cash for many Medicines immediately before they are administered to them.

Personal Rights and Freedoms: Russia has arrested hundreds of thousands of Men and Women since 2022 for: listening to Non-Russian Media, calling Russia’s War in Ukraine a “War”, complaining about the increased cost of food, medicines, etc.

Military Service: Every Russian Man 18 to 25 years old has to serve in the Russian Military. Large numbers of Russian Man 25 to 70 years old are mobilized or threatened with violence against them or their Families if they don’t “Volunteer “to serve in the Military and fight in Ukraine.

Military Families: The Wives and Mothers of Russian Soldiers who question where their Wounded or Dead Fathers and Husbands are are classified as “Enemies of the State” and sent to Forced Labor Penal Colonies for 10-15 years.

The Russian Military has left over 1,031,620 dead and wounded Russian Soldiers inside Ukraine. Russian Families can pay over 2 years worth of their Salary to Groups that will go to Russian-Occupied Parts of Ukraine to locate the wounded and dead and bring them back to Russia.

Family: Russian Girls and Women are now being taught (at School, Universities, their Jobs, etc.) that it is Unpatriotic to not date or marry a Russian Man.

Russian Women who already have Non-Russian Husbands are encouraged to divorce them.

Russian Women are also being told to have 3-4 Kids (instead of their usual 1 or 2) as part of their Patriotic Duty – whether they are married or not.

Internal Resistance: There are many Ordinary Russians inside Russia who publicly praise Putin and his policies while privately do everything they can (from armed attacks on Russian Government and Military Installations to using Samizdat  - Self-Published things originally used during Soviet Times – to have their voices heard.

79: Canadian Citizenship

The Canadian Citizenship Act

79 years ago today (June 27, 1946) The Canadian Citizenship Act (French: Loi sur la citoyenneté Canadienne) was passed. It created Canadian Citizenship for the first time ever.

Brief Canadian Citizenship History:

From 1633-1763: Those living in the Colony of New France (Quebec) were “French Citizens.” They later automatically became “British Subjects.”

From 1583-1867: Those living in the Colony of British North America (Canada) were “British Subjects”, but not British Citizens.

From 1867- 1914: The British North American Act made those living in Canada “British Subjects with a Connection to the Dominion of Canada.”)

From 1876-2013: The 1876 Indian Act made Indians living in Canada “Wards of the State” subjected to the Federal Government and not the Provinces or Territories. The Federal Government had direct say over what they could and could not do.

It also created a separate “Status Indians” (those who lived on Reservations and are on the Indian Register) and “Non-Status Indians” (those not living on Reservations, not on the Indian Register and neither considered Indians nor Canadians.) Non-Status Indians was done away with in 2013.

From 1914-1946: Those living in Canada became “British Subjects and Canadian Nationals.” The order is important to note.

From 1946-1982: Those living in Canada became “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects.”

In 1953: a separate Canadian Monarchy was created with Queen Elizabeth II (Queen Elizabeth 1 in Canada) becoming the first Canadian Monarch and the First (and so far only) Canadian Queen.

King Charles III is the Current Canadian Monarch and the First (and so far only) Canadian King.

It also created the Canadian Royal Family.

From 1946-1967: Any Canadian Citizen living outside of Canada for 10 years or longer or who acquired Citizenship of another country automatically lost their Canadian Citizenship.

From 1960-1982: Status Indians could also become “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects” if they applied for. It.

From 1976- Present Day: Dual Citizenship is officially allowed in Canada.

From 1982-Present Day:  When Canada became a completely independent country due to Patriation those living in Canada (including Indigenous Peoples) are now “Canadian Citizens and Commonwealth Citizens.”

From 2009- Present Day: Re-instated Canadian Citizenship to those that had automatically lost it between 1946-1976 if they apply for it. Limited Citizenship to the Second Generation born outside of Canada.

In 2014: Gave Canadian Citizenship to “The Lost Canadians” (Those that should have received Canadian Citizenship since 1946, but were denied it by the Canadian Government despite their undeniable ties to Canada.)

Note: I am a dual Canadian and American Citizen as well as a Commonwealth Citizen (through my Canadian Citizenship.)

I am considered a Natural Born Canadian (not Naturalized) and a Natural-Born American (not Naturalized.)

This picture is a stamp that the Royal Mail Canada (today Canada Post) created in 1946 to honor (honour in Canada) the new Canadian Citizenship Law.

American Diaspora

 

Canada's Commonwealth

Canada In Commonwealth

Today is Commonwealth Day.

Out of the 56 Members of the Commonwealth of Nations there are 15 Commonwealth Realms.

Each Realm has its own Monarchy (ie the King of Australia, the King of Canada, etc.)

Example for Canada:

The French Monarchy ruled parts of Canada from 1534 to1763.

The British Monarchy ruled parts of Canada from 1497 to 1763 and then all of Canada from 1763-1982.

The Canadian Monarchy (also called the Maple Crown) was established in 1953 and ruled alongside the British Monarchy until 1982 when the Canadian Monarchy became the sole Monarchy over Canada.

Canadian Citizenship:

Canadian Citizenship wasn’t created until 1946.

From 1633-1763: Those living in the Colony of New France (Quebec) were “French Citizens.” They later automatically became “British Subjects.”

From 1583-1867: Those living in the Colony of British North America (Canada) were “British Subjects”, but not British Citizens.

From 1867- 1914: The British North American Act made those living in Canada “British Subjects with a Connection to the Dominion of Canada.”)

From 1876-2013: The 1876 Indian Act made Indians living in Canada “Wards of the State” subjected to the Federal Government and not the Provinces or Territories. The Federal Government had direct say over what they could and could not do.

It also created a separate “Status Indians” (those who lived on Reservations and are on the Indian Register) and “Non-Status Indians” (those not living on Reservations, not on the Indian Register and neither considered Indians nor Canadians.) Non-Status Indians was done away with in 2013.

From 1914-1946: Those living in Canada became “British Subjects and Canadian Nationals.” The order is important to note.

From 1946-1982: Those living in Canada became “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects.”

From 1946-1967: Any Canadian Citizen living outside of Canada for 10 years or longer or who acquired Citizenship of another country automatically lost their Canadian Citizenship.

From 1960-1982: Status Indians could also become “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects” if they applied for. It.

From 1976- Present Day: Dual Citizenship is officially allowed in Canada.

From 1982-Present Day: Canadians are known as Canadian Citizens as well as Commonwealth Citizens.

From 2009- Present Day: Re-instated Canadian Citizenship to those that had automatically lost it between 1946-1976 if they apply for it. Limited Citizenship to the Second Generation born outside of Canada.

In 2014: Gave Canadian Citizenship to “The Lost Canadians” (Those that should have received Canadian Citizenship since 1946, but were denied it by the Canadian Government despite their undeniable ties to Canada.)

2024: Limited Canadian Citizenship to the Second Generation born outside Canada is deemed Unconstitutional by the Canadian Supreme Court.

Personal:

I am a Dual American Citizen and, since 2009, a Canadian Citizen (as well as a Commonwealth Citizen through Canada.)

I am considered a Natural Born Canadian (not Naturalized) and a Natural-Born American (not Naturalized.)

Canadian Monarchy:

Queen Elizabeth II was the last British Monarch of Canada (from 1952 until 1953) and the First Canadian Monarch and the First Canadian Queen from 1953-2022.

Technically she should be known as Queen Elizabeth I in Canada (since we never had one before her.)

King Charles III is the 2nd Canadian Monarch and the First Canadian King.

Technically he should be known as King Charles I in Canada (since we never had one before him.)

Patriation:

Canada has only been independent since March 29, 1982 (Patriation.)

 Before 1982 every Canadian Law was made by the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa then had to be approved by the British Parliament in London, signed by the British Monarch in London and then sent back to the Canadian Parliament where it was signed by the Canadian Monarch (from 1953-1982.)

Since 1982, the Canadian Parliament makes its own laws and the Canadian Monarch signs them.

 Succession:

Unlike, the British Monarchy – which is Hereditary – the Canadian Monarchy is not. The Canadian Monarch is regulated by the Succession to the Throne Act of 2013.)

Like the British Monarchy (and the Monarchies of the 13 other Commonwealth Realms) the Canadian Monarch has to be a Protestant (there is no Separation of Church and State – the State is the Church.)

Commonwealth Citizen:

Every Citizen of a Commonwealth Member State is a Commonwealth Citizen, but the Citizens of the 15 Commonwealth Realms have more rights and privileges when visiting another Commonwealth Member Country.

Ie. A Canadian Citizen is also a Commonwealth Citizen.

The Commonwealth Realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

AFD Elections

Elections were held today in the eastern German States of Thuringia and Saxony.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) – A Far-Right Political Party which is often compared to Hitler’s Nazi Party won a historic vote for being the first Fascist Party in Germany to win a major lead in an Election since 1933.

AfD wants to bring back the Völkisch Nationalism used by Hitler’s Nazis to make German Society and Culture “Pure.”

Sounds just like 1933 Germany and has no place in 2024 Germany.

The AfD’s Leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, a Former History Teacher from western Germany, uses famous and illegal Nazi Slogans at his rallies: "Everything for our homeland, everything for Saxony-Anhalt, everything for Germany!" at the end of a speech he gave at an Election event for his Party in Merseburg on May 29, 2021.

The Slogan "Everything for Germany" ("Alles für Deutschland") was introduced by the Nazi SA’s and its public use is punishable by law in Germany.

Höcke claimed he did not know the origin of the saying, and argued he was "completely innocent.” Maybe he was just a very poor an unintelligent History Teacher too.

He was charged in September 2023 and convicted in May 2024. He was fined €13,000.

In December 2023 he used the same Slogan at another Rally and  on July 2024, Höcke was fined by a Court in Halle again for using the Nazi Slogan "Everything for Germany.”

AfD is also officially Anti-Muslim and not only wants to forbid new Muslim Immigrants into Germany, but also to remove the Muslims who have been living legally in Germany for Decades.

In January 2024, it was revealed that Senior Members of the AfD, including an Advisor to Party Co-Leader Alice Weidel, attended a meeting alongside neo-Nazi Influencers, where plans for the Deportation of Millions of "Asylum Seekers", "Non-Assimilated People", and those with "Non-German Backgrounds" were discussed, including those with German Citizenship and Residency Rights.

The event triggered the 2024 German Anti-Extremism Protests.

in 2023, Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism, stated that leading forces within the AfD relativize the Holocaust and that the Party condones Antisemitism.

Björn Höcke has also made several Speeches about Jews in Germany and about the Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Europe in Berlin saying that Germans "need to make a 180 degree change in their politics of commemoration.”

It also opposes Same-Sex Marriage in Germany and calls for a return to “Traditional German Family Values” (which is odd considering its Co-Leader, Alice Weidel, is a Lesbian and lives with her Partner, Sarah Bossard, and their 2 Children.)

In August 2023 a Journalist Investigation was published by “The Insider”, describing how money was funnelled from Moscow to AfD Politicians who initiated a constitutional complaint in Germany against the supplies of weapons for Ukraine.

AfD won 32.8% of the vote in Thuringia and CDC won 23.6% of the vote there.

The CDC won 31.9% of the vote in Saxony and AfD won 30.7% of the vote there.

Sadly, eastern Germans continue to openly support Authoritative Political Parties.

I guess living through the Nazi Dictatorship from 1933-1945 and the Soviet/East German Communist Dictatorship from 1945-1990 only brings back fond memories for most People living there and they want a return to the dark days of a Police State which forces its will on the People.

With German Federal Elections only a year away, the AfD is second in National Opinion Polls.

Without the support of other Parties, the AfD cannot govern in Thuringia, and the CDU has made clear it will not consider ruling with the Far-Right.

Mathematically, the Conservatives will need support from Parties on the Left to form a Majority.

It should be noted that 85 years ago today Nazi Germany invaded Poland and started World War 2 which resulted in the Germans murdering an estimated 50 Million Men, Women and Children throughout Germany, Europe and North Africa from 1939-1945 (that doesn’t include the number of Victims the Japanese killed.)

They say those that don't learn from History are doomed to repeat it and sadly, it looks like Germany is starting to repeat their mistakes from 1933-1945.

 

Walter Ciszek

 Walter Ciszek

Walter Ciszek was born on November 4, 1904 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA.

He became a Jesuit Priest in 1928 and later Volunteered to become a Missionary in the Soviet Union.

Since the October 1917 Communist Revolution Christians were being openly persecuted there, and few Believers had access to a Priest.

 Pope Pius XI made an appeal to Priests from around the world to go to Russia as Missionaries.

In 1934, Ciszek was sent to Rome to study Theology, Russian, the History of Russia and Liturgy at the Pontifical Russian College (or 'Russicum'), a Jesuit-run Seminary established to train Priests of the Russian Greek Catholic Church for Missionary work in the Soviet Union and the Russian Diaspora.

In 1937, Ciszek was ordained a Priest in the Byzantine Rite in Rome and took the name Vladimir.

In 1938, Ciszek was sent to the Jesuit Mission in Albertyn in eastern Poland.

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the Soviet Union occupied eastern Poland and forced him to close his Mission.

Arriving in Lviv, he realized that it would be easy for a Priest to enter the Soviet Union amid the streams of Exiles going east.

After securing the permission of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky, he crossed the border in 1940 under the assumed identity of Władymyr Łypynski. With two of his fellow Jesuits, he traveled 1,500 miles by train to the logging town of Chusovoy, in the Ural Mountains.

For one year, he worked as an unskilled Logger while discreetly performing Religious Ministry.

Ciszek was arrested in 1941 under false accusations of Espionage for Nazi Germany and the Vatican.

To his shock, the NKVD (the USSR's Secret Police) already knew his Real Name and that he was an American Citizen and a Catholic Priest.

He was then sent to Lubyanka Prison in Moscow, the NKVD's National Headquarters.

In 1942 he was sentenced to 15 years of Hard Labor in a Gulag.

Ciszek was to remain in Lubyanka for 4 more years.

In 1946, he was sent by train to Krasnoyarsk then 20 days by boat north on the Yenisei River until reaching 300 miles above the Arctic Circle at the city of Norilsk, the center of the Labor Camp Complex known as Norillag.

There, Ciszek was forced to load coal onto freighter vessels and later transferred to working in coal mines located in the permafrost.

 A year later, he was sent to work on the construction of a nickel, copper, cobalt, platinum, and palladium ore refinery.

From 1953 to 1955, he worked in mines.

Throughout his lengthy imprisonment, Ciszek continued to pray, to offer both the Tridentine Mass and the Byzantine Rite Divine Liturgy, to hear Confessions, conduct retreats and perform secret and illegal Parish Ministry.

On April 22, 1955, Ciszek's sentence was complete, and he was released with the restriction to live only in the city of Norilsk.

Until he was allowed to write to the US in 1955, he was presumed dead by both his Family and the Society of Jesus.

After setting up a Catholic Parish in Norilsk, Ciszek was ordered by the KGB in 1958 to move to Krasnoyarsk, where he secretly established several nearby Mission Parishes.

After the KGB learned of this, he was forcibly transferred to Abakan, 99 miles to the south, where he worked as an Automobile Mechanic for four more years.

In 1963, he received a letter from his Sisters in the US.

(Fr. Ciszek’s arrival in New York in 1963.)

After nearly 23 years of Imprisonment, Ciszek was released with American Student Marvin Makinen on October 12, 1963. In exchange, the Soviets received GRU Agents Ivan Dmitrievich Egorov and his Wife Alexandra Egorova, whom the FBI had arrested for Espionage in July 1963.

Ciszek was not aware that two US Presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, had both been demanding his repatriation since the arrival of his first letter to his Sisters in 1955.

In 1965, Ciszek began working and Lecturing at the John XXIII Center at Fordham University (now the Center for Eastern Christian Studies at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

He published two Memoirs: “With God in Russia” (1964) and “He Leadeth Me” (1973.)

On December 8, 1984, Ciszek died after many years of declining health and was buried at the Jesuit Cemetery in Wernersville, Pennsylvania. He was 80 years old.

At least 5,000 American Citizens found themselves in Soviet-Occupied or Controlled Territory at the end of World War 2 (in the USSR, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Bulgaria, parts of Austria and Yugoslavia.)

2,000 of these American Citizens were held in Soviet Gulags and Prisons until the USSR collapsed in 1991.

Prisoner Swap

 

Today (August 1, 2024) the largest Prisoner Exchange since the end of the Cold War occurred, involving the release of 26 individuals.

Russia and Belarus released 16 Detainees while the United States, Turkey, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway collectively released 10 Detainees.

U.S. Residents Released By Russia:

Evan Gershkovich: American-Born Journalist arrested by Russia in March 2023 and sentenced to 16 years in jail for Spying.

Paul Whelan: Canadian-Born Former US Marine, who received a Bad Conduct Discharge for Larceny, arrested by Russia in December 2018 and sentenced to 16 years for Spying. He is also a Canadian, American, British and Irish Citizen.

Alsu Kurmasheva: Soviet-Born Journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir Service arrested by Russia in October 2023 and sentenced to 6.5 years for “Failure to Register as a Foreign Agent” under Putin’s Anti-Western Foreign Agent Law. She is a Citizen of the US and of Russia.

Vladimir Kara-Murza; Is a Soviet-Born Journalist, Political Activist, Author and Filmmaker who was arrested by Russia in April 2022 and sentenced to 25 years for “Discrediting the Russian Army.” He is a British Citizen and a Russian Citizen.

 

German Nationals Released by Russia:

Demuri Voronin: Political Scientist convicted on charges of Treason, a Citizen of Russia and Germany

Kevin Lik: 19-year-old Russian and German c=Citizen convicted of Espionage.

Rico Krieger: German Citizen sentenced to Death (later Pardoned) in Belarus on charges of Terrorism.

Patrick Schoebel: German Citizen accused of Drug Smuggling.

German Moyzhes: Citizen of Russia and Germany, accused of Treason.

 

Russian Political Prisoners Released by Russia:

Ilya Yashin: Russian Opposition Politician who led the People's Freedom Party (PARNAS) from 2012 to 2016, and then its Moscow Branch. He was also head of the Moscow Municipal District of Krasnoselsky and former Chairman of the Council of Deputies of the Krasnoselsky District from 2017 to 2021. He was arrested by the Russians in June 2022 and sentenced to 8 ½ years for “Discrediting The Russian Army.”

Lilia Chanysheva: Russian Auditor, Opposition Politician and former leading Associate of Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny. She was arrested by the Russians in June 2023 and sentenced to 7 ½ years.

Ksenia Fadeeva: Russian Politician, Head of Navalny's Headquarters in Tomsk

Vadim Ostanin: Russian Politician, Head of Navalny's Headquarters in Barnaul.

Andrei Pivovarov: A Russian Political Activist who formerly served as Director of Open Russia and was a Member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council. He was arrested in March 2021 and sentenced to 4 years.

Oleg Orlov: A Russian Human Rights Activist who has participated in post-Soviet Union Human Rights Movements. He serves as the chairman of the Board of Human Rights Center “Memorial,” and is an Executive Board Member of the Center's International, Historic-Educational Society. From 2004 until 2006, Orlov was in the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights of the Russian Federation. Through his work with Memorial, Orlov was a laureate of the 2009 Sakharov Prize in recognition of his human rights work. He is a member of the Federal Political Council Movement Solidarnost. He was arrested by the Russia in March 2023 and sentenced for “Discrediting the Russian Army.”

Sasha Skochilenko: Russian Artist, Musician, Poet, The Paper's former Author, and Political Prisoner. She was arrested by Russia in April 2022 for distributing Anti-War Leaflets in a Grocery Store and sentenced to 7 years.

 

Russians Released By the West:

Artem Dultsev: Former Scientist and Russian Intelligence Agent, who was arrested in October 2022 in Norway. He was charged with Espionage against Norway.

Anna Dultseva: Convicted in Slovenia on charges of Espionage as a GRU Agent.

Mikhail Mikushin: Arrested in Norway on charges of Espionage as a GRU Agent.

Pavel Rubtsov: Russian-Spanish Journalist arrested by the Poles on February 27, 2022 as a a Russian Spy and GRU Agent.

Roman Seleznev: Russian Computer Hacker indicted in the United States in 2011, and was convicted of hacking into servers to steal credit-card data. His activities are estimated to have caused more than US $169 Million in damages to Businesses and Financial Institutions.

Vladislav Klyushin: Russian Businessman and Founder and CEO of M-13, a Russian Company that offers Media Monitoring and Cybersecurity Services. Convicted in the US of Conspiracy, Wire Fraud and Securities Fraud on February 14, 2023

Vadim Konoshchenock: Smuggler who illegally supplied American High-Tech equipment to Russian Government Agencies as an FSB Colonel.

Vadim Krasikov: Russian Entrepreneur convicted in the United States of Insider Trading.

Note: Marc Fogel, Gordon Black and Ksenia Karelina were not part of this Prisoner Exchange and remain in Russian Jails.

Hungary Supporting Russia

Since early July 2024 Hungary has issued “National Cards” (Hungarian: Nemzeti Kártya) that allow Russians and Belarussians to live and work inside Hungary with little to no vetting including no Security Checks.

These “National Cards” also allow the Russians and Belarussians to go to other Schengen Area Member Countries without an official Schengen Visa for up to 90 days for Tourism (whereas Ordinary Russians and Belarussians require a Schengen Visa for both Tourism and Business.)

Hungary’s President Orban is a major “Fan-Boy” of Russian President Putin and has long praised Putin and Russia while at the same time hindering the EU and NATO’s efforts to help Ukraine.

Orban is willing to give up both European Union and Hungarian Security and Safety to appease Putin and allow Non-Vetted Russians into Hungary as well as well as to 28 Other Countries inside Europe.

These Non-Vetted Russian Citizens can then easily manipulate the European Union from the inside including more Russian State Sponsored Spying, Hacking, Murder, etc.

Hungary under Oban is dangerous to both the European Union and NATO (which the United States is part of) and Orban’s Pro-Russia Actions need to be checked by the EU and by NATO – even if that means Suspending Hungary’s Participation in the EU, the Schengen Area and in NATO until it returns to a more Pro-EU and Pro-US stance.

Note: The Schengen Area consists of 29 Countries (24 European Union Member Countries – minus Ireland and Cyprus and with only Air Travel allowed for Bulgaria and Romania – and the 4 Non-EU Member Countries of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland.)

According to the European Commission, 520,000 Russian Nationals applied for a Schengen Visa in 2023 with 10% of those being rejected on Security Concerns and International Sanctions against Russia due to its War in Ukraine.

8 Million Schengen Visas were issued in total for 2023.

78: Canadian Citizenship

 The Canadian Citizenship Act

78 years ago today (June 27, 1946) The Canadian Citizenship Act (French: Loi sur la citoyenneté Canadienne) was passed. It created Canadian Citizenship for the first time ever.

Brief Canadian Citizenship History:

From 1633-1763: Those living in the Colony of New France (Quebec) were “French Citizens.” They later automatically became “British Subjects.”

From 1583-1867: Those living in the Colony of British North America (Canada) were “British Subjects”, but not British Citizens.

From 1867- 1914: The British North American Act made those living in Canada “British Subjects with a Connection to the Dominion of Canada.”)

From 1876-2013: The 1876 Indian Act made Indians living in Canada “Wards of the State” subjected to the Federal Government and not the Provinces or Territories. The Federal Government had direct say over what they could and could not do.

It also created a separate “Status Indians” (those who lived on Reservations and are on the Indian Register) and “Non-Status Indians” (those not living on Reservations, not on the Indian Register and neither considered Indians nor Canadians.) Non-Status Indians was done away with in 2013.

From 1914-1946: Those living in Canada became “British Subjects and Canadian Nationals.” The order is important to note.

From 1946-1982: Those living in Canada became “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects.”

In 1953: a separate Canadian Monarchy was created with Queen Elizabeth II (Queen Elizabeth 1 in Canada) becoming the first Canadian Monarch and the First (and so far only) Canadian Queen.

King Charles III is the Current Canadian Monarch and the First (and so far only) Canadian King.

It also created the Canadian Royal Family.

From 1946-1967: Any Canadian Citizen living outside of Canada for 10 years or longer or who acquired Citizenship of another country automatically lost their Canadian Citizenship.

From 1960-1982: Status Indians could also become “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects” if they applied for. It.

From 1976- Present Day: Dual Citizenship is officially allowed in Canada.

From 1982-Present Day:  When Canada became a completely independent country due to Patriation those living in Canada (including Indigenous Peoples) are now “Canadian Citizens and Commonwealth Citizens.”

 

From 2009- Present Day: Re-instated Canadian Citizenship to those that had automatically lost it between 1946-1976 if they apply for it. Limited Citizenship to the Second Generation born outside of Canada.

In 2014: Gave Canadian Citizenship to “The Lost Canadians” (Those that should have received Canadian Citizenship since 1946, but were denied it by the Canadian Government despite their undeniable ties to Canada.)

Note: I am a dual Canadian and American Citizen as well as a Commonwealth Citizen (through my Canadian Citizenship.)

I am considered a Natural Born Canadian (not Naturalized) and a Natural-Born American (not Naturalized.)

This picture is a stamp that the Royal Mail Canada (today Canada Post) created in 1946 to honor (honour in Canada) the new Canadian Citizenship Law.

100: ICA

^ 100 years ago today (June 2, 1924.) ^

Canada In Commonwealth

Today is Commonwealth Day.

Out of the 56 Members of the Commonwealth of Nations there are 15 Commonwealth Realms.

Each Realm has its own Monarchy (ie the King of Australia, the King of Canada, etc.)

 

Example for Canada:

The French Monarchy ruled parts of Canada from 1534 to1763.

The British Monarchy ruled parts of Canada from 1497 to 1763 and then all of Canada from 1763-1982.

The Canadian Monarchy (also called the Maple Crown) was established in 1953 and ruled alongside the British Monarchy until 1982 when the Canadian Monarchy became the sole Monarchy over Canada. 

 

Canadian Citizenship:

Canadian Citizenship wasn’t created until 1946.

From 1633-1763: Those living in the Colony of New France (Quebec) were “French Citizens.” They later automatically became “British Subjects.”

From 1583-1867: Those living in the Colony of British North America (Canada) were “British Subjects”, but not British Citizens.

From 1867- 1914: The British North American Act made those living in Canada “British Subjects with a Connection to the Dominion of Canada.”)

From 1876-2013: The 1876 Indian Act made Indians living in Canada “Wards of the State” subjected to the Federal Government and not the Provinces or Territories. The Federal Government had direct say over what they could and could not do.

It also created a separate “Status Indians” (those who lived on Reservations and are on the Indian Register) and “Non-Status Indians” (those not living on Reservations, not on the Indian Register and neither considered Indians nor Canadians.) Non-Status Indians was done away with in 2013.

From 1914-1946: Those living in Canada became “British Subjects and Canadian Nationals.” The order is important to note.

From 1946-1982: Those living in Canada became “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects.”

From 1946-1967: Any Canadian Citizen living outside of Canada for 10 years or longer or who acquired Citizenship of another country automatically lost their Canadian Citizenship.

From 1960-1982: Status Indians could also become “Canadian Citizens and British Subjects” if they applied for. It.

From 1976- Present Day: Dual Citizenship is officially allowed in Canada.

From 1982-Present Day: Canadians are known as Canadian Citizens as well as Commonwealth Citizens.

From 2009- Present Day: Re-instated Canadian Citizenship to those that had automatically lost it between 1946-1976 if they apply for it. Limited Citizenship to the Second Generation born outside of Canada.

In 2014: Gave Canadian Citizenship to “The Lost Canadians” (Those that should have received Canadian Citizenship since 1946, but were denied it by the Canadian Government despite their undeniable ties to Canada.)

2024: Limited Canadian Citizenship to the Second Generation born outside Canada is deemed Unconstitutional by the Canadian Supreme Court.

 

Personal:

I am a Dual American Citizen and, since 2009, a Canadian Citizen (as well as a Commonwealth Citizen through Canada.)

I am considered a Natural Born Canadian (not Naturalized) and a Natural-Born American (not Naturalized.)

 

Canadian Monarchy:

Queen Elizabeth II was the last British Monarch of Canada (from 1952 until 1953) and the First Canadian Monarch and the First Canadian Queen from 1953-2022.

Technically she should be known as Queen Elizabeth I in Canada (since we never had one before her.)

King Charles III is the 2^nd Canadian Monarch and the First Canadian King.

Technically he should be known as King Charles I in Canada (since we never had one before him.)

 

Patriation:

Canada has only been independent since March 29, 1982 (Patriation.)

 Before 1982 every Canadian Law was made by the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa then had to be approved by the British Parliament in London, signed by the British Monarch in London and then sent back to the Canadian Parliament where it was signed by the Canadian Monarch (from 1953-1982.)

Since 1982, the Canadian Parliament makes its own laws and the Canadian Monarch signs them.

 

Succession:

Unlike, the British Monarchy – which is Hereditary – the Canadian Monarchy is not. The Canadian Monarch is regulated by the Succession to the Throne Act of 2013.)

Like the British Monarchy (and the Monarchies of the 13 other Commonwealth Realms) the Canadian Monarch has to be a Protestant (there is no Separation of Church and State – the State is the Church.)

 

Commonwealth Citizen:

Every Citizen of a Commonwealth Member State is a Commonwealth Citizen, but the Citizens of the 15 Commonwealth Realms have more rights and privileges when visiting another Commonwealth Member Country.

Ie. A Canadian Citizen is also a Commonwealth Citizen.

The Commonwealth Realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.