Te despertaste hoy canadiense?

Un new Canadian citizenship law entró en vigor el abril 17, 2009 que pueden grant Canadian citizenship to thousands of people, muchos de los cuales son estadounidenses.

To promote this new law, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has released a YouTube video, “El despertar de Canadá.” Corny, sí, but the law is a serious change.

According to the government’s comunicado de prensa 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. Otros, 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.

¿Te despiertas canadiense? Go to the CIC’s website “Am I a Canadian citizen under the new law?” to find out.