Just when you think you have everything under control they shift the government. We now have a new CIC minister. This could easily slow down the process for brats in the citizenship snafu. Below is a letter I sent out to all MP's and MLA's with the exception of Quebec. I will do so this weekend once I get a translation. I would ask you to call your MP and MLA and tell them you agree with putting this issue in their newsletters. This way we will get the message out to as many people as possible because, frankly. CIC will not make any public announcement that this situation exists. Plus I would ask you to email the new minister and ask her to address making a public announcement that those with the RBA need to apply for a citizenship card. You may send comments to the Honourable Diane Finley at Minister@cic.gc.ca.  Christine

*****************************************************
Many of you are unaware that there are over 2 million Canadians who were born overseas that were registered using the RBA Registration of Birth Abroad. In 1977 the Citizenship Act was amended requiring those RBA's to be turned in and an application for a Canadian Citizenship card made. No announcement was made to the general public making them aware of this need and now many are finding it very difficult to resolve this issue. Further, only a very small number are aware and the remaining  will discover this when they try to apply for a passport renewal, driver's licence or any application that requires a birth certificate. As the RBA is in the system, only, in order for them to apply for the Canadian citizenship card, this will slow down any applications causing huge hardships. However, many will not understand the problem and will go through the process of applying to the host country of their birth for a birth certificate only to find that this is not accepted.  As chairperson for the Adult Children of Canadian Military's Citizenship Status Committee, I have worked with MP Russ Heibert, Secretary to the Minister of National Defence in order to find resolution for my fellow adult military children. In September 2006 a fact finding meeting was held with reps for DND and CIC and they quickly determined that there was indeed an issue and they took steps to put the RBA back into the system to enable us to apply for an receive the citizenship card. CIC put the following announcement on their web site http://www.chic.go.ca/English/facts/proof.html
 
We desperately need some kind of announcement to the public. An application is being presented to the Speaker of the House I order for the govenerment to address this. However, it was brought to my attention that all MPs/MLAs send out monthly newsletters to their constituents. Since this situation affects many of your constituents on a provincial level, who, for example will not be able to get a new driver's licence or medical insurance  upon moving to your province, because, as you know a birth certificate is required and motor vehicles does not accept the RBA. If all of you were to put a short message in there advising those in possession of the RBA that they need to apply for proof of citizenship using Application for a Citizenship Certificate from Inside Canada [Form CIT 0001]  and explaining that this citizenship card is actually their proof of Canadian foreign birth then this would alleviate the stress and help those who are unaware take the steps to get their documentation in order.

You have my permission to print my name, phone number and email address for further information. 604 541 9846
 
Thank you.
Christine Eden
Chairperson for  Adult children of Canadian Military's Citizenship Status Committee

Good grief!!!!!!!!!!   

I read another article yesterday about people who were out of the country on the day after their 24th birthday or something.....losing citizenship.  I'll try to find it again.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/23/citizenship-passports.html

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Passport applicants find they're not Canadian
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 | 6:04 PM ET
CBC News
Hundreds of people are suddenly discovering that they are not Canadians as new laws requiring travellers to have a passport to fly to the U.S. go into effect Tuesday, CBC's investigative unit has learned.

Many applying for a Canadian passport have been informed their chance to remain a citizen expired years ago because of an obscure provision in the Citizenship Act, a little-known law that applied between 1947 and 1977.

The law states that if you lived outside Canada on your 24th birthday and failed to sign the right form, you automatically lost your citizenship.

Barbara Porteous applied for a passport last year and was told in a letter from Citizenship and Immigration that she would have to apply to become a landed immigrant after spending most of her 70 years in Canada.

"These documents confirm you were a Canadian citizen, but you ceased being a Canadian citizen on June 14, 1960, the day following your 24th birthday," the letter read.

A Canadian born in the U.S. to a Canadian father, Porteous has lived in Osoyoos, B.C., for the last 46 years and even worked as a returning officer for Elections Canada.


"I cried for a couple of hours," Porteous told CBC News. "I mean, the hollowness you get inside when you find out that everything you live for is gone."

Porteous is part of a group known as the Lost Canadians. According to Canadian census data, there are an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people in Canada who could find out they've lost their citizenship if they apply for a passport.

Porteous said her life could be ruined by a technicality she was never told about.

"Well, this is my fear, because I've been getting my pension for five years. Do they want it back with interest? Does my medical go out the window, too? I'm 70 years old."

'They took my birthright away'
Don Chapman of Gibsons, B.C., recently joined a line of people shuffling through security at a federal building in Ottawa to lobby politicians on behalf of people who have lost their Canadian citizenship.

Chapman was born in Canada to Canadian parents, but 34 years ago, he was told he is not Canadian.

"I was born in Canada," he told CBC News. "My father, when I was a child, took out American citizenship. So, they took my birthright away."

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley acknowledged the provisions are unfair and said the government would shift its policy to fast-track the process of becoming a citizen for these people.

Prior to this week, Canadians without status would have to apply to become landed immigrants — a process that takes three years or more.

Now, they will be able to apply for a grant of citizenship in just eight months.

"We're trying to right the wrongs of the past and do the reasonable thing, the right thing, for what are essentially Canadians in all but name," Finley told CBC News in an exclusive interview.

But critics say that still leaves people like Porteous in limbo for too long.

Liberal MP Andrew Telegdi, vice-chair of the citizenship and immigration committee, called for Parliament to pass a new law for the Canadians who should never have lost their citizenship in the first place.

"I mean, it just defies logic," Telegdi told CBC News. "The system doesn't make any sense, so it's critical that we have a citizenship act that is in compliance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the generosity of what Canadians believe

Some good news for a change....I am a brat that was born in Germany and was told that my Born Abroad Certificate was not proper ID.  I went to get my passport yesterday and had no problems using that certificate as documentation.  I spoke with the person there and they said that there were problems previously but that DND and CIC have worked everything out and that the Born Abroad Certificate is valid.

 

I just thought I would share my good news story (at least so far) about Citizenship issues.  My husband, who was born in Baden in 1960 to military parents, decided back in November to figure out how to get his passport.  I'd been warning him that there was a lot of discussion about this on the Lahr Revisited site and that he could expect to have a lot of problems.  Long story short -- he contacted the Passport Office and was told that he would need to get a Citizenship Card first, this would ease the process for getting his passport, but that it would take 5 to 7 months.  Well, after three months, he got his card in the mail this week.  We're now working on passports.   

At least we're half way there ... I'm optimistic that if we could get the Citizenship Card worked out, the passport shouldn't be a problem for him!

Let's see ...
Kelly

The government is finally coming to their senses and making the process easier for people.  There are many "border babies" in this area - folk from rural communities where the nearest hospital was across the border in the US and they were sent there for birthing.  Bingo!  They now discover they are not Cdns in the true sense.  That problems seems to be getting sorted out.  The government really messed up not making the process seamless and apparent to those concerned.  Thankfully at 13 and posted to Lahr, my parents were advised that I should take out citizenship just to be on the safe side (that was '71) so that I would not be "claimed" by France.  Yikes!  Anyway, I'm about to renew my passport so I'm thankful to have that citizenship card as proof.

That being said, I've been kept up to speed by a lady that has taken it upon herself to get involved in the citizenship battle for us Brats and she is appearing at a committee hearding on Mon if anyone is interested, details below.

From: Christina Eden (christina2031@shaw.ca)
Date: 2/22/2007 9:20:50 PM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:,
Subject: Change in time for Standing Committee Hearing on Citizenship and Immigration
     

The meeting was changed to Monday, February 26, 2007 (11am --1:30pm) will be held in ROOM 269 - WEST BLOCK. The meeting will still be televised.

You will be able to see the notice of the meeting by clicking on:  http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteeList.aspx?Lang=1&PARLSES=391&JNT=0&SELID=e21_&COM=10469

This meeting was changed to Feb 26 and for this a I am glad as many are coming forward with information that I did not have. For example, there are 7 more bases I was unaware of.  This brings the numbers way up. Plus there are some scenarios that need to be addressed. For this I need to have a general idea if any more are out there.
 
Several Brats are in a care facility due to birth defects etc. I have sent a request for clarification as to who applies for their status verification? The family or the government? And I suppose there are probably a few who have been incarcerated for bad behaviour. Who is addressing their issues? Those who are in the military and have a military issued passport and most important a military issued Social Insurance Number? I am being told that those end with the time the military and without the citizenship card they will be issued a new one. These are all good points I am being asked about. Before I put it on the list I need to know how many are in any of these scenarios.
 
Now if any of you have any idea where on the internet I can locate the list of army and naval overseas bases this would help. I am drawing a blank here. Christine

Further update to my previous post.  I now hold my passport in my hands!!!   
My Born Abroad certificate was what I used as proof of citizenship and I had no problems at all.  I considered getting a Citizenship card but I refuse to pay the government more money to prove something that shouldn't even be an issue.  Hopefully other brats have the same experience I did when getting their passports.

L13

Monday, February 26th, 2007
Children of soldiers and diplomats swell ranks of 'Lost Canadians'
Canadian Press

OTTAWA (CP) - At least 110,000 "Lost Canadians," who risk being stripped of their citizenship under an arcane law, are the children of soldiers and diplomats who served overseas, a parliamentary committee heard Monday. Don Chapman, who has been leading the charge to change Canada's Citizenship Act, said veterans who fought and died for the country would be ashamed of the government.

"It is totally against what they fought for," he told the House of Commons citizenship and immigration committee. "They fought for a Canada that was accepting, compassionate, and fair, and they fought for their own children. Those children are being victimized today."

Between 1947 and 1977, Canada's Citizenship Act said children born out of wedlock or to a father who took a second citizenship would be disqualified as Canadians. Those two scenarios are the ones that apply most often. The issue has left many Canadians, including four MPs, scrambling to find out if they or their children are citizens. Chapman wants the current law changed to restore citizenship to those who had it revoked, and to protect those born between 1947 and 1977. He estimates that 700,000 Canadians have either lost their citizenship or are at risk of having it stripped.

Christine Eden, chair of a special Air Force committee on Lost Canadians in the military, said 110,000 is a conservative estimate for the number of military and diplomat kids affected. "It's a big problem because if we're not Canadian, then we're citizens of the country of our birth - and I'm already hearing about some men who have been served draft notices by those countries," Eden said. Eden added that at least two active soldiers have lost their citizenship.

Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the government has had just 881 calls on potential loss of citizenship. "I am treating these cases as a priority," she said in a statement. "I have directed the department to resolve these questions as quickly as possible. I think it's also important to keep the scale of the issue in perspective."

But Chapman, Eden and many MPs agreed that's not a reliable number because many people either don't know they're Lost Canadians or they don't want to come forward in case they have their citizenship stripped. Committee members shook their heads as they listened to testimony from Lost Canadians, including Joe Taylor, the son of a survivor of the Normandy invasion of 1944.

"To our soldiers, and their descendants, whenever I hear your story, I have to apologize," said Liberal MP Andrew Telegdi. "This is terrible and I feel awfully bad for each and every one of you."

Eden said the government's failure to tell military staff about changing citizenship rules constitutes a definite lack of respect for the families of those willing to die for their country. Just ask Sheila Walshe. Her father, a Canadian soldier in England during the Second World War, had her out of wedlock because Allied soldiers were barred from marrying during the war.

"They were expected to die in battle," she explained. Afterward, Walshe was raised in Canada for nine years. Then her homesick mother abducted her, taking her back to England. Walshe was told her father had died a few months later, but in 1990, she found her estranged father and decided to move her family back to Canada. In 1991 she tried to do just that - and found out she wasn't Canadian. Fighting back tears, Walshe explained that her father was a patriot and his dying wish was to see his daughter's citizenship recognized by the government. He never did.

"I've always been Canadian," said Walshe. "I wasn't English, that's for sure, because they kept telling me I was a Canadian bit of dirt." She said the government isn't living up to her idea of Canada. "Canada is just and honourable and fair, and I know because my father told me so when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. None of this seems very Canadian."