Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been a Canadian citizen since he was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1970. Cruz says he wasn't aware of this until this week, and still might not be aware.
Cruz is supposed to be a smart guy (he has argued before the Supreme Court of the United States), but his lack of understanding speaks volumes not so much to his knowledge about Canada, but his adopted country, the United States.
Certainly Cruz is aware of immigration issues where people who are born in the United States are American citizens, but they are born to people from other countries.
We know many "Americans" are ignorant of Canada, assuming that what applies in the United States also applies elsewhere. Here, Cruz does the complete opposite, assuming Canada would be different than the United States, but doesn't say how.
"Now the Dallas Morning News says that I may technically have dual citizenship," Cruz said in a statement Monday night. "Assuming that is true, then sure, I will renounce any Canadian citizenship. Nothing against Canada, but I'm an American by birth and as a U.S. senator; I believe I should be only an American."
Well, it is true, Sen. Cruz. And has been true all along.
Cruz is suddenly anxious to give up his Canadian citizenship that he has had for the last 43 years because he sees the move as politically expedient and Cruz wants to have the option of running for U.S. president in 2016. But citizens in either country can't simply renounce; they have to go through a process (or as they say in Canada, PRO-cess).
Previous coverage:
Is Canadian-born Ted Cruz eligible to be U.S. president?
Ted Cruz, Dan Senor are prominent in GOP circles ... with Canadian ties
Cruz will have some time to reflect on giving up being Canadian since he will likely have to wait 8 months to complete the task. Cruz has to fill out a 4-page form and pay $100 Canadian, but also have to go through security clearance from Canada's spy agency.
Anyone in Cruz's situation has to be Canadian (yes), prove they are or will become a citizen of another country (yes), not live in Canada (yes), and be at least 18 years old (yes). The person can't be a security threat or part of a pattern of criminal activity: being a U.S. senator increases the likelihood of not being a security threat, but the criminal activity may be a different story (joking about politicians, not just Cruz).
The person would also have to explain in writing why they don't want to be a Canadian. Here is where Cruz can show off his knowledge about Canada to show why he doesn't want to be a Canadian.
In previous interviews, Cruz said his memory of Canada had more to do with temperature: "it was cold." Sounds like he needs to do some research.
Where we are born is a matter of where our parents were living when we were born. So Canada is not only a part of his background, but also his parents' lives. Cruz can ask why his parents why they were living in Canada, and what drew them to live there. After all, Cruz spent the first 4 years of his life in Canada, so his parents were there for some time.
#TedCruz says he'll renounce #Canadian citizenship. I'll gladly take it off his hands. http://t.co/qmkqLeRcn8
August 20, 2013
I joked on Twitter that Cruz should give me his Canadian citizenship since he isn't using his. But since Cruz is stuck with his Canadian citizenship, he should learn something about his native country before he throws away something that millions consider valuable.
Cruz could really look into Canadian health care, Elections Canada that protects people's right to vote instead of taking it away, like some many of his fellow Republicans want to do, the CBC — independent but also within the structure of the government. Cruz can learn how stable the banking system is in Canada, and how their banking system hasn't suffered through the tidal waves of the system in the United States.
Cruz should also know that the U.S. gets more oil from Canada than any other country (oil drove his parents to work in Calgary), and Canada is the largest trading partner with the United States. As a U.S. senator, if he doesn't already know those two facts, he's already behind the rest of the class.
The one thing that might appeal to Cruz personally is that Canadians can visit Cuba anytime they want. They don't need permission from their government to visit the island, nor look over their shoulder in fear of reprisal to spend currency and visit for a few days.
You see, Cruz's dad is from Cuba, and fought with Fidel Castro. That's right — fought with Fidel Castro. So Cruz can visit one of his homelands, Cuba, with his Canadian passport, and not get in trouble in the United States for visiting where his father is from.
Cruz can learn a lot about Canada from CanadianCrossing.com. He can learn about food, film, sports, travel, border crossings, Canadian politics (he might really like learning about Stephen Harper), and health care.
A future U.S. president, if Cruz is eligible, needs to learn about Canada. Most U.S. politicians make a lame attempt, but for Cruz, this is literally homework. But the best way to get something out of the homework is to want to do it. Cruz should see this as a chance to learn about the country where he was born and lived for the first 4 years of his life. Hopefully, Cruz is smart enough to know the wonderful opportunity he has.
photo illustration by: Gage Skidmore / Todd Wiseman via Texas Tribune
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