But when he lost he chose to renounce his Canadian citizenship and accept the peerage, becoming Lord Black of Crossharbour. In Canada, the Jean Chrétien government raised objections, and pointed to a 1917 resolution that said Canadians should not be given titles.

Black renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2001 in order to accept a peer and become Lord Black of Crossharbour. For 2012, the number of Canadian renouncers increased to 192.Ĭonrad Black, right, stands in Britain's House of Lords. Nevertheless, the number of Americans who renounced their citizenship is proportionately similar to the number for Canadians - in 2011, 1,781 Americans and 183 Canadians did so. A big one is that some countries do not accept dual citizenship and make it a requirement that applicants renounce citizenships elsewhere if they want to be a citizen of these nations.įor Americans, especially, there are financial and tax reasons to renounce their citizenship. presidency that lead people to renounce their citizenship. There are reasons besides a run for the U.S. Read CBC's investigation into 'The Lost Canadians.'īoth Canadian and American laws permit someone to hold dual American and Canadian citizenship, so that's not a problem for Cruz.īut if he does go through with renouncing his Canadian citizenship, he will be one of about 200 Canadians who do so each year, based on the annual average over the past three years.If before 1947, there are more significant exceptions, but that's another story. Cruz a Canadian citizenĬanada considers anyone born in Canada since 1947 a Canadian citizen, with minor exceptions, like children of foreign diplomats. Some Americans, it seems, are already gearing up for another 'birther' controversy like the kind that dogged President Barack Obama from time to time because of his Kenyan father. (now Rexton) in 1858 and that's where he grew up, until he was 12, when he was sent to live with relatives in Scotland. Should Cruz become president, he will - from a Canadian perspective at least - be following in the footsteps of Andrew Bonar Law, who was British prime minister in 1922-23. naval air station in the Panama Canal zone. 'Nothing against Canada,' he added.Ģ008 presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain both had to contend with questions about their birth, Obama because his father was born in Kenya and McCain because he was born on a U.S.

On his Senate website, Cruz's biography mentions where his parents were born but not his own birthplace.īecause the issue of his Canadian citizenship may be a political, rather than a legal, obstacle on his road to the White House, Cruz said on Monday that he would renounce his Canadian citizenship. The family returned to the States from Calgary when Ted was four. His father was born in Matanzas, Cuba, and moved to the U.S. law.Ĭruz's mother was born in Wilmington, Delaware. if he or she has at least one American parent, according to U.S. Constitution stipulates one must be 'a natural born citizen,' but that designation applies to someone born outside the U.S. And while he was born in Calgary in 1970, that does not make him ineligible for the White House job. That the Texas senator is considering seeking the Republican nomination in 2016 is an open secret in Washington. While some Americans have expressed concern that Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a potential presidential candidate, is a citizen of both Canada and the U.S., Canadians are probably more sanguine about the prospect of a fellow countryman living in the White House.Īlas, Cruz says he plans to renounce his Canadian citizenship, so his northern neighbours may have to settle for all those references to 'a Canadian-born contender,' should the time come.

Texas senator ted cruz