Thousands of Americans 'Wake Up Canadian'

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 17, 2009 8:10 PM CDT

(Newser) – Thousands of foreigners living in Canada, most of them Americans, woke up this morning to discover they were Canadians, the Toronto Star reports. A new law is granting citizenship to the sons and daughters of Canucks who lost their native status by leaving the country. "It's a strange thing to all of a sudden one day gain a citizenship to a new country," a journalist from Iowa said.

A TV ad running in Canada depicts a man who wakes up surrounded by Canadian flags and is welcomed by two stuffed moose, a Mountie, and a hockey player, the Wall Street Journal reports. But critics are not amused. They say the law fails to grant citizenship to the children of kids born abroad. "We're putting the cost of our concern about overseas Canadians on kids who aren't even born yet," an economist said.

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In an advertisement, a man wakes up to discover he is Canadian thanks to an immigration law that takes effect today. (YouTube)

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A man wakes up to discover he is a Canadian citizen in the ad, "Waking Up Canadian." (YouTube)

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