National Post

Two passports? No problem
If we accept that dual citizenship isn’t evidence of treachery any more than single citizenship is proof of loyalty, then there is an interesting symbolic discussion to be had about banning dual citizenship. Or maybe we ought to move policy in the other direction. People like Mr. Mulcair and Michael Ignatieff often argue that dual citizenships and multiple loyalties are intrinsically Canadian. “For us, it’s just a symbol of the richness of Canada,” Mr. Mulcair said this week. And yet, we cut off voting rights for Canadians living abroad after five years. We demand no income tax from them. If transnationalism is such a core Canadian value, shouldn’t this be reflected in policy? Shouldn’t Ottawa clutch its diaspora more tightly to its bosom, as other countries do?

It would certainly be nice if this perennial debate eventually led somewhere. As for Mr. Mulcair, it seems he treats his French passport with about as much reverence as Canadians treat their Nexus cards. I would say that’s between him and Paris.