Conrad Black - what a guy

[notyoueither]

Can you have a dual citizen US Senator?

Dual citizenship is not and was not the issue.

We've had dual citizen GGs. I don't think there would be a legal problem with having a dual citizen PM. (politics would be another matter).

[notyoueither]

It was a political whim with a shady reason. That's why it went to the Supreme Court, who basically said the Prime Minister has the power to have such whims.

Yes, he does. It is his function to advise the sovereign on political questions when she uses her powers.

However, it has also been a long-standing policy of various Canadian governments to request that the sovereign not grant honours to Canadian citizens. Thus it was not simply a whim. There was a basis in policy for it.

The whim would be to excercise the policy in this case and not others.

[Dauphin]

It's a prohibition on holding foreign honours. It's a long-standing policy, and not a political whim as Asher seems to suggest. However, it does seem to be selectively adhered to.

I imagine the resoning is divided loyalties and such. wiki says "inconsistent with democratic values."

Being a Lord is inconsistent with democratic values. Nay one Lord was ever elected to that post.

[notyoueither]

Being a Lord is inconsistent with democratic values. Nay one Lord was ever elected to that post.

The inconsistency with democratic values was a stated reason for the policy way back when and it applied to all foreign honours. It was something that happened in the process of coming out from under the skirts of Westminster.

I really don't think it had jack to do with Canadian democracy when Black was not living in the country. It was political payback by a Liberal PM to a high-profile conservative media owner.

Edit: Harr harr.

[Ben Kenobi]

Chretien didn't strip him of it. He renounced it because Chretien said a Canadian citizen can't be a Lord.

So Chretien did strip him for political reasons. Thank you.

I don't see why Canadians should be threatened by a Canadian citizen being elevated to the Lordship.

[Ben Kenobi]

It came about during the gradual process of Canada gaining national sovereignty.

Then why wasn't Beaverbrook stripped?

[Asher]

So Chretien did strip him for political reasons. Thank you.

No. Black renounced it because he preferred being a Lord than a Canadian.

[Ben Kenobi]

It was political payback by a Liberal PM to a high-profile conservative media owner.

Exactly so. If Conrad Black wants his citizenship back, Harper should restore it.

[notyoueither]

No one was stripped. Black had the option of renouncing his citizenship as he had another. Thus he chose to get out from under Chretien's ability to stop him gaining a peerage.

My feeling is he can have his citizenship back any time he wants it. I feel that anyone born in Canada has a right to citizenship.

[Ben Kenobi]

No. Black renounced it because he preferred being a Lord than a Canadian.

Then why didn't Mackenzie King do the same to Beaverbrook when he was elevated to the Lordship? Again, it was 100 percent political. Had one of Chretien's allies been elevated, he would have turned a blind eye to the whole process. It's happened, what, twice in the last century? I sincerely doubt that it's a 'major threat' to Canadian democracy.

[regexcellent]

Can you have a dual citizen US Senator?

Yes. Though US senators are not the same as lords.

Are lords still hereditary at all?

While Conrad Black doesn't seem to be in competition for Canadian of the Year award or indeed anything of the year award as far as I can tell, insisting he renounce citizenship to accept a position in the British government for purely political reasons seems very sleazy.

[Wezil]

Sleazy or not he made his call.

It's kind of like Ben, we're glad to be rid of him.

[regexcellent]

Fair enough. At least unlike Ben he went to Britain.

[Wezil]

Black also had the balls to renounce his citizenship.

[Ben Kenobi]

Black also had the balls to renounce his citizenship.

Not because he wanted to.