你醒来，加拿大今日?

一 new Canadian citizenship law 已于4月 17, 2009 这可能 grant Canadian citizenship to thousands of people, 其中许多人是美国人.

To promote this new law, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has released a YouTube video, “加拿大醒来.” Corny, 是的, but the law is a serious change.

According to the government’s 新闻发布 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. 他人, 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.

你醒来加拿大? Go to the CIC’s website “Am I a Canadian citizen under the new law?” to find out.