Did you wake up Canadian today?

A new Canadian citizenship law took effect on April 17, 2009 that may grant Canadian citizenship to thousands of people, many of whom are Americans.

To promote this new law, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has released a YouTube video, “Waking up Canadian.” Corny, yes, but the law is a serious change.

According to the government’s news release announcing the new law:

The changes implemented today mean that certain people who became Canadian citizens on or after January 1, 1947, when the first citizenship act took effect, and who then lost citizenship, will have their status restored back to the date they lost it. Some may have lost it when they left the country. Others, born outside Canada, may have ceased to be Canadian by not taking steps to retain their citizenship.

The changes will also grant citizenship to those who have never been Canadian, but who are part of the first generation born outside Canada on or after January 1, 1947, to a Canadian parent. Their citizenship will be retroactive to their date of birth.

Did you wake up Canadian? Go to the CIC’s website “Am I a Canadian citizen under the new law?” to find out.