Layton on Dion's dual citizenship

[zero]

Layton

I found these remarks to do with this article on Stillepost and found them right on.

whatever dwindling respect I had for the parliament hill polemic has been thoroughly eroded by jacks comments on the issue of Dion's dual citizenship. For a guy who so fervently barks his own ostensible position as social crusader, his remarks in todays star are totally unacceptable. Also considering his veneration of canadian immigration, his insistence on an even more inclusive system, and our "cultural mosaic" style of integration, his comments can only logically be considered nothing more than partisan pap....somebody muzzle this guy.

[Velvet]

Dual citizenship is an asset, methinks.

[zero]

I really get the logic that how can Layton spout about the multicultural mosaic and you have a guy who happens to have been born in Europe and is staunchly devoted to his self-identified Canadian (and Quebecois) citizenship - how can you slag him.

[AdamH]

Olivia has dual Chinese and Canadian Citizenship. Maybe she should also be told to get right the fuck out of politics?

[bradm]

I found

"If nobody is questioning my loyalty, what is the point?" he said, adding that anyone who doubts his commitment to Canada should keep their "opinions to themselves."

to be supremely arrogant. It's equivalent to telling critics to shut up, and then proclaiming that everything's OK because nobody's critizing him.

Note that I don't doubt Dion's commitment to Canada, and don't have a problem with his dual citizenship (though I think it'd be a nice gesture for him to drop his French citizenship), it's just that I'd rather he answered his critics, rather than telling them to be quiet (and then claiming that nobody's questioning him).

Aloha,

Brad

[Freak By Night]

..... you have a guy who happens to have been born in Europe .....

I hate to nit-pick but Dion was born in Canada.

He holds French citizenship because his mother was born in France.

[AdamH]

That's like me and my American citizenship. If anything though it makes me look like a bad American in that I've never exploited that citizenship in any way except as a travel document going into the States.

[paisley]

for some reason I thought "Irving" when I read "Layton" and sadly realized that would be some feat

now there was a Canadian (slash Romanian)

the whole dual citizenship argument stinks of fascism

Edited December 12, 2006 by Guest
brought to you by the nazi party of Canada

[d_rawk]

I'm disapointed in Layton's public stance on this issue. FWIW, here is the NDP's position on dual citizenship in general, from October of this year: Dual Citizenship a Bonus for Canada. Somehow Jack's personal position has landed him on the same side as Levant and the National Post crowd.

I think he's gotten himself confused and fallen into the trap of thinking that the office of the Prime Minister (it's clearly the potential that Dion may become Prime Minister that has made an issue of all of this) is something that it isn't. The PM is an MP who is also leader of the governing party. It doesn't make sense to add extra criteria to hold that office over and above what is required to sit as a general member of Parliament.

It made a certain amount of sense for Michaëlle Jean to give up her French citizenship as there is an expectation that the Governor General be above political conflict, and a niggling question of whether there is something inappropriate from a technical perspective for the commander in chief of the armed forces having pledged loyalty to another country. But a leader of the opposition or the Prime Minister aren't that, and even in Jean's case, Layton and the NDP never once (to my recollection) suggested that it was something she needed to do.

I could see this being an issue in the US, where the president is actually the head of state, and where the political culture favours isolationism. But our own head of state is already the sovereign Queen of like ... what ... 10, maybe 15 other countries?

"Narrow-minded members of the government should open their eyes and get a grip on the essence of Canada’s advantage in the world. We should celebrate our international bonds, not discourage them. Canada is well respected around the world, and dual citizens are among our most passionate ambassadors"

Layton needs to remember who he is supposed to be speaking for.

[Hux]

How come when I post a thread about politics in the Cavern it gets moved outta here immediately....probably because I don't felate the slip figuratively and/or literaly. :crazy:

[MoMack]

Not that anyone cares - but I think that a PM of the country should be a single citizen of Canada only. For all intents and purposes the PM is the head of state - sure not when it comes to the BS, but for the real stuff no question.

Now - to have a PM that is dual is, in my opinion, always to allow for a spectre (spectar?) of bias. A reasonable apprehension of bias.

If you look to our courts - its not important if a judge is or is not biased. Whats important is that there is no way to see bias. An example being that if a Judge is appointed from a law firm they don't hear matters that originate from that firm. The judge is sworn to do right, fair, blah blah blah. And they do. But you don't want someone who is decided against to be able to say "well it was the judge's old firm and thats why I lost."

Similarly - what would have happened when Chretien, honourbably, took a stand against Iraq. If this was Dion then the implications could have been huge. ie. freedom fries etc. Great, so because he has dual citizenship it could be perceived that he is following France and our relations with our most important ally are strained. (admittedly they were strained in that instance, but it could have been worse).

Whats the difference between Dion giving up his French citizenship and Martin giving up his holdings in Steamship Inc. or whatever. It would be done on the same principle - being a desire to prevent the reasonable apprehension of bias in the hands of one of the most influential/powerful people in the county.

And it is different then a normal MP. A normal MP is representing constituents and Canada. Olivia Chow (if she is even dual) is in a riding with A LOT of asian passport holding voters. The prime minister should be held to a greater standard - they're more important.

[\/\/illy]

How come when I post a thread about politics in the Cavern it gets moved outta here immediately....probably because I don't felate the slip figuratively and/or literaly. :crazy:

Or maybe you don't felate bouche... often enough.

[tangerineman]

Folks, John Turner had dual citizenship; Canadian and British.

For those with longish memories, he was actually Prime Minister of this country for a while.

So why is France/Canada dual citizenship an issue but Britain/Canada d.c. wasn't/isn't?

[d_rawk]

So why is France/Canada dual citizenship an issue but Britain/Canada d.c. wasn't/isn't?

I'd guess nobody was concerned about Turner because Canada is a part of the British Commonwealth and our head of state is the Queen of England.

I do wonder what the reactions would have been if say, Harper were a citizen of the United States ...

Edited December 13, 2006 by Guest
too early to write coherent sentences ...

[MarcO]

is this in the right section???

[d_rawk]

Nope.

*shrug*

[edger]

I find MoMack and d_rawk's arguments persuasive...

Damn you for making me question my own assumptions!

[The Chameleon]

Layton only said he would "prefer" a PM with single citizenship.

That's pretty laissie fair to me. What is the big deal. It's not like he's crusading for this.

[paisley]

in his words and actions, Harper IS half Canadian/half American... Mulroney acted only a quarter Canadian/the rest American

to me the only issue is where is their loyalty... if I thought Dion was going to try and sell off the country to France I simply wouldn't vote for him... that said, I don't see Dion selling off the country to France... he speaks proudly and intelligently about Canada... I don't care what color his underwear are

though I condede it allows fearmongers a little leverage... "Do you want a prime minister who eats Freedom Fries or do you want a prime minister who eats French Fries." "Boo" "Hisss"

I guess if it comes down to is the dual citizenship going to cost him the election. If it was and he wasn't willing to cancel the French citizenship then that pretty much speaks for itself. At the same time, I would think he could bring the multi-culturalism of Canada into play and declare that we all come from somewhere and the world isn't as big as it used to be. Do we all have to fully turn our backs on our blood to pledge allegiance to a country we love.

If you think about it, until we have a full blooded first nations prime minister, its all a compromise.

Edited December 13, 2006 by Guest
yes