His citizenship hasn't been revoked, Alan. In a moment of pique, he renounced it. Now, that he's facing criminal charges, he's finding out that we don't like crooks. Visitors get turned around at the border all the time when a criminal record is turned up, why should a failed media baron be any different?

I believe our current Governor General also revoked her French citizenship over claims of dis-(or at least dual)loyalty.

I understand she was born in Haiti. It is that inherent citizenship that is one has a right to as a matter of birth that I am concerned with. If we have the inherent right to being a citizen of where we were born can we ourselves renounce it? If so, are there non-citizens in the world?

See Article 15 of the UN Declaration of human rights.

IANAL, but I would think that one can't just renounce ALL citizenships. Just spit on one in favour of another.

"If we have the inherent right to being a citizen of where we were born can we ourselves renounce it?"

Alan, if your question concerns Canadian citizenship the answer is "yes".

You failed to provide authority for the statement, Dr. Flea. We do have standards as easy to honour as H-T-M-L and I would expect you would understand that statutes and regulations are subject to the Charter and possibly international law as well. Accordingly, please finish your comment with substance as compelling as your opening statement.

Excellent question about being an inherent citizen Al. As I see it: yes, one has the inherent right to be a citizen of the country one was born in. I believe this should become a matter of international law (whatever that is) even though it will upset the Japenese, Chinese, Germans and gods know how many other countries.

However, one should be able to renounce that citizenship (and have that renouncement be binding in some sort of international law sense) if you voluntarily become a citizen of another country. Why not? That country accepts you, you accept it and you have someone that to some degree is responsible to you and visa-versa.

Note that renouncing citizenship is an important act relating to "freedom of association" (which I believe to be universal and natural). If you don't want to be a Syrian, or an Israeli, or an American, or a Canadian anymore -- who are they to force you?

I have been lazy and not provided the legelese. Here is the section on renunciation in the Federal <i>Citizenship Act</i>:<blockquote class="smalltext">9. (1) A citizen may, on application, renounce his citizenship if he:<blockquote>

(a) is a citizen of a country other than Canada or, if his application is accepted, will become a citizen of a country other than Canada;<br>
(b) is not the subject of a declaration by the Governor in Council made pursuant to section 20 [Ed.: <i>this is the security provision.</i>];<br>
(c) is not a minor;<br>
(d) is not prevented from understanding the significance of renouncing citizenship by reason of the person having a mental disability; <b>and</b><br>
(e) does not reside in Canada.</blockquote></blockquote>So you cannot become a non-citizen and you cannot renounce if you reside in Canada. Interestingly in section 9(2) it stated that the "Minister may, in the Minister’s discretion, waive on compassionate grounds the requirements of paragraph (1)(d) or (e)." What would be the compassionate ground whereby a resident could have this right waived?<p>The flitting back and forth of citizen/non-citizen is clearly anticipated by the provisions of "PART III RESUMPTION OF CITIZENSHIP" starting at section 11 but you only get to section 11 through section 9.

If there are Tim Horton's in Buffalo, do we give them working visas or say that they were born in the US, of Canadian parents, therefore citizens?

I am very fond of Tims in South Portland Maine. Oddly, the cups are the same size but in the US they are XS-S-M-L while in Canada they are S-M-L-XL.

<a href="">Application to Renounce Canadian Citizenship</a>.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/applications/renounce.html

Somehow I don't think the architects of the UNDHR were imagining Poor Lord Black when they were hoping to eliminate statelessness. :)

That is hilarious - you can renounce but you have to pay 100 bucks to do so. I still can't see what is mean by compasionate grounds or a means to explain what those grounds might be.

Actually backk in 1947 or so when this would be discussed I would think it would likely have been mainly Lord Blacks or their university classmates sitting around making up their minds for us all, echoing the discussion of clique from yesterday.

I am still quite happy to make all the decisions, thank you. No need to go to any trouble.

Would you be a man with a t-shirt with "clique of one" on its front?

Well... if you can't renounce in Canada nor unless you are (or will become) a citizen elsewhere upon renunciation, then compassionate grounds would have to be something like the state of the Dutch royal family in 1943. The Netherlands were of course Nazi-occupied, the Dutch royals were resident in Canada, and the maternity ward of their Ottawa hospital had to be temporarily ceded to the Netherlands so that the newborn infant could be born a Dutch citizen rather than a subject of the British Crown.

If some future Canadian government is unwilling to go that extra mile for locally-stranded royals, the royals could appeal to the minister to permit renunciation so that their own country's citizenship takes precedence in spite of their Canadian residency.

ye gods Alan. The man ia a FREEDOM FIGHTER.. cut him some slack.

I for one propose we allow him to return a a citizen so long as the rest of his life is devoted to being the indebted servant of each household of each living canadian for one hour (each). He can clean my fridge out.

If he disagrees then we shall install a red glowing gem in his hand at the next decadal birth year and he shall ascend with the chosen to the ceiling of the local sleepshop.

Sorry, been fantisizing about logans run lately...

I think it is very important to be able to revoke your citizenship of birth. Syria refuses this right, and that was a big part of Maher Arar's problem. If he had been able to revoke his citizenship, he might never have ended up in a Syrian jail.

As for Conrad, let him eat cake. He wanted his lordship so badly, that's where his priority is.

Good point on Arar.

I've been researching this point, and it turns out that it is not impossible to revoke Syrian citizenship, just wildly difficult. And family members left in Syria could be persecuted. Practically, it comes to the same thing.