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We’re doing the Tod’s Nanaimo Infusion event again this year [▶️ watch video] — April 24-26. It’s an invitation for anyone (you do not have to be American or work in healthcare) to come to Vancouver Island and take in the beauty, quirkiness, and friendly people of our area. [get more info]
by Tod Maffin
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Imagine if I told you that the United States, overnight, had passed a law that said any American woman who married a foreigner automatically lost her U.S. citizenship.
Sound ridiculous?
It happened.
In 1907, the United States passed the Expatriation Act. Tens of thousands of women woke up as strangers in their own country because their government decided their identity could be rewritten with a single sentence in a statute book. No hearing, no warning.
T O D B I T
This happened in Canada too. In early-20th-century Canada, marrying a foreign man could automatically strip women of British subject status. During WW1, some women who married men from enemy countries lost voting rights, faced travel restrictions, or were treated as enemy aliens inside Canada.
With all the chaos happening in the U.S. right now, I think it’s easy to forget that laws, as bizarre as they might sound at first, do get passed. And often without the attention of the media.
A couple of months ago, a U.S. senator advanced a bill that would ban Americans from holding dual citizenship. The bill would force people to choose one passport and give them one year to renounce every other tie they have.
A long shot? Not necessarily.
Bills in the U.S. far worse than this have already cleared committees, legislatures, and courts. We’ve seen how fast a fringe idea, one based on fear or ignorance, becomes a headline, then a platform, then a law.
I watched American cable news the day that dual citizen bill was introduced. I watched hours of cable news. You know what the big topic was that day? Donald Trump nodding off in a meeting.
When a government starts debating whether you should be allowed more than one identity, and when the media ignores it, you aren’t seeing patriotism, you are seeing control.
The path to Canada
If you live in the United States, take a moment and look at your own family tree. You might have options you didn’t know you had. Canada recently expanded who can pass down Canadian citizenship.
If your parents were Canadian, lived here much of their lives, but were born abroad, you might now qualify for citizenship.
If you are a healthcare worker, our doors are open. We will fast-track your licensing, help you move your family, and put you on the path to citizenship here. To safety.
We're not perfect here, but we try to practice relentless decency.
And we will keep having the backs of ordinary Americans.
Even in the years when America forgets to have ours.
Trivia
Which country is widely known for formally permitting dual (and even multiple) citizenship without restriction?
— 30 —
Join the discussion about this issue in my Discord community
The Weekly Poll
Where do you stand on a law that requires American citizens to give up other citizenships in order to remain U.S. citizens?
Last Week:
What You Missed This Week
The Good News ♥️
Brian Reeve, who was given treatment for his OCD at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital, has donated $10 million to help other patients.
Chilly Charity - People across Canada are banding together for the 21 annual Coldest Night of the Year to raise funds for local charities supporting those facing hunger and houselessness.
Two women in Central Saanich were brought together by a decades old note found during kitchen renovations.
Lucky Penny - Newtonville Ontario will now be known as the home of a champion in honour of Penny, this year’s Best in Show winner at the Westminster dog show.
A nursing student is using her final year at the University of Saskatchewan to lead and advocate for Black nursing students.
Para hockey captain Tyler McGregor and Para nordic skiing star Natalie Wilkie will be Canada’s opening ceremony flag bearers for the Paralympic Winter Games.
SCIENCE!!!!!! 🔭
Hidden Potential - Researchers at Western University are capturing international attention after unlocking the potential hidden in certain forms of algae.
Night owls across Canada will be able to see a blood moon eclipse on Tuesday March 3.
Durham police are testing remotely-piloted drones to assist in unknown‑risk or high‑risk calls.
Toronto General Hospital was ranked second in the world by Newsweek marking the highest position ever achieved by a Canadian hospital.
The First Peoples 🪶
Construction has begun on an Indigenous-led healing space at HSC Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders have a number of priorities for the federal government, including the introduction of bills on self-government and clean drinking water.
Celebrating a Centenarian - Don Smoke, Alderville First Nation’s last surviving World War 2 veteran, celebrated his 100th birthday.
The only grocery store in the Atikamekw community of Wemotaci, QC., is being stocked with food again, after residents faced empty shelves last week.
Wild Things 🐻❄️
Big Baby - A Masai giraffe was born at the Toronto zoo on February 22. The bundle of joy measures 6 feet 4 Inches tall, both mother and baby are doing well.
Whale researchers in BC have discovered that co-ordinated 'bubble-net' feeding is on rise among humpbacks.
Heavy snowfall in Nova Scotia this winter is pushing some of the province’s smallest owls into more human-populated areas to seek food.
Turkey Trot - An Ottawa man was caught on video being chased by two wild turkeys. (He is safe, thank you for asking.)
A couple in Kamloops BC has 3D-printed a feeding stand to help a foster kitten that has a unique medical condition.
Trade Tea 🫖
New statistics from the U.S. U.S. government show a sharp drop in Canadian travel to the U.S.
An Eastern Townships coffee roaster is bringing its production back to Quebec following a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is now on a 10-day visit to India, Australia, and Japan.
Across Canada 📍
The Winnipeg Folk Festival is continuing its Young Performers program, highlighting talented musicians aged 14-24.
Saint John NB will erect a statue of Stompin’ Tom Connors in the city.
Cowtown meets Flavortown - A Calgary café was visited by the mayor of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri, as part of the latest season of his TV show.
Starting March 12, non-sufficient funds fees will be capped at $10.
Canada’s Market This Week
Royal Bank | |
TD Bank | |
Enbridge | |
ScotiaBank | |
Bank of Montreal | |
CP Rail | |
Shopify | |
Canadian Tire | |
Loblaws | |
Tim Hortons (RBI) | |
Dollarama | |
Rogers |