1) The Right Honourable John Turner was born in Richmond, Surrey, England in 1929 to Leonard Turner and Phyllis Gregory, and emigrated to Canada as a baby in 1932.
2) A child born in the UK to a parent who is a British citizen or 'settled' in the UK is automatically a British citizen by birth.
Therefore,
3) John Turner was a U.K./Canadian Citizen when he served as PM from June 30, 1984 to September 17, 1984.
HE NEVER RENOUNCED HIS U.K. CITIZENSHIP!!! THE HORROR!!! THE HORROR!!! etc.
Except that the Ezra Levants of the time never complained. How come? Is it due to the fact that Turner was English and Dion French? In other words, is this whole mini-scandal "about" nothing other than anti-French bigotry?
Wow. I didn't know that.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
Canada's 1st Prime Minister, John Alexander Macdonald was born on January 11, 1815 in Glasgow, Scotland
ReplyDeleteCanada's 2nd Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie He was born in Logierait, Perth and Kinross, Scotland in 1822 and he emigrated to Canada in 1842
Canada's 5th Prime Minister Mackenzie Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, England in 1923.
Canada 17th Prime Minister John Napier Turner was born in Richmond, Surrey, England in 1929.
I guess for Ezra, Pat Martin and Jack Layton all these dudes are fuckin' traitors to Canada too eh!
Oh yeah, Sir John A. Macdonald once famously said, "A British subject I was born, a British subject I will die".
ReplyDeleteAnd I mean really ... what the fuck did he ever do for Canada!
Up till the mid-1950s, we were all "British subjects" so the issue of UK-Canadian citizenship was never an issue. Brits living here could vote in Canadian elections.
ReplyDeleteNeale,
ReplyDeleteI know that. That is not relevant to whether Turner should have renounced his British connections when he ran for PM in the 1980s. Remember, Dion is being asked for a symbolic display of loyalty to Canada.
Does anybody know whether Ted Morton in Alberta renounced his American citizenship? Surely, Ezra must be good buds with him, non? And who knew xenophobia ran so rampant in the NDP!
ReplyDeleteNo, anon, Ted did not.
ReplyDeleteI pointed this out to Ezra in an email exchange. Of course, it didn't phase him. I also pointed out that Iggy hadn't lived in the US for 30 years as he claimed. His response was basically that he was too busy to research it and respond to someone like me. You know, someone who actually cares about well-researched arguments.
ReplyDeletePeter,
ReplyDeleteCut Ezra some slack. He's very busy trying to keep the Western Standard afloat. They claim a readership of 320,000 but only 40,000 are actually paying readers.
BigCityLib
ReplyDelete3) John Turner was a U.K./Canadian Citizen when he served as PM from June 30, 1984 to September 17, 1984.
HE NEVER RENOUNCED HIS U.K. CITIZENSHIP!!! THE HORROR!!! THE HORROR!!! etc.
Except that the Ezra Levants of the time never complained. How come? Is it due to the fact that Turner was English and Dion French?
The difference is probably due to the fact that Turner's dual citizenship was not public knowledge; just as Dion's dual citizenship was not public knowledge, and therefore a non-issue, before the convention vote.
I would have preferred than John Turner renounced his British citizenship, but so long as his loyalty was to Canada and no one else, it is not a big issue. It is only an issue if someone has double loyalties which is fine is an average citizen, but I don't think you can have as a PM since when it comes to foreign policy, trade, or any matters on international relations, Canada's interests must always come first. In the case of Dion I know he would put Canada first even if the dispute were with France.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I am disturbed about Stephen Harper's dual loyalties since I believe he has greater loyalty to the United States than Canada and this is something that should bother Canadians.