Canada Day will have a special meaning this year for the people known as Lost Canadians, who now have a chance to regain their citizenship.
Don Chapman, who has homes in both Gibsons and Arizona, coined the term "Lost Canadians" to describe people who lost their Canadian citizenship when one or both of their parents became citizens of another country. He described citizenship as "an affair of the heart."
"It's who you are. It's things like the B.C. plaque I have next to my bed," said Chapman, who was born in Vancouver and immigrated to the U.S. with his family while he was still a minor. "When I cross the border, I'm home."
Chapman has been fighting the cause of the Lost Canadians for years. After a long political battle, spearheaded by MP John Reynolds and Senator Warren Kinsella, two months ago Parliament passed a law, Bill S-2, which corrects that historic injustice.
Today, during Canada Day celebrations, the town of Gibsons will dedicate a water fountain in Winegarden Park to the Lost Canadians. Andrew Telegdi, MP for Kitchener-Waterloo and chair of the standing committee on citizenship and immigration, is flying out from Ottawa for the dedication, scheduled for 5 p.m. This evening, at the Heritage Playhouse at 8 p.m., the Driftwood Players will present readings from Lost Canadians, a dramatic work in progress by Gibsons writer Heather Jeal.Jeal said she has been working on the Lost Canadians play for more than five years, and hopes to mount a full production in the spring of 2006. Her source material is the testimony of Lost Canadians to various government committees, describing the injustice of their situations.
"They are very moving stories," said Jeal.
One of the Lost Canadians who will attend the Canada Day ceremony in Gibsons is Barry Haynes, who hopes to bring his family to Canada to live. Haynes was born in St. Catherines, Ont., and at the age of six moved with his family to California. When he was 14, his parents became U.S. citizens, and so did he.
"I just went along with the game plan," Haynes said. "Because of Canadian law at that point, I lost my Canadian citizenship."
He retained an affection for Canada, and four years ago, "frustrated with the direction the U.S. was going," Haynes looked into returning to the country of his birth. He said while there are many good people in America, he is disturbed by the prevalence of guns, crime and war in American culture. He sees Canadians as more willing to work together for the common good, as illustrated by the national health care system.
"It seemed every couple of years America is sending troops somewhere I have a nine-year-old son. I'm thinking, do I want him to grow up an American?" explained Haynes. "Every time I come [to Gibsons] I feel more at home."
Chapman said the passage of Bill S-2 was " a great victory," but his fight against the government of Canada is not over yet.
"My children are not allowed to come back," he said. "What do I do? Leave my 14-year-old daughter at the border?"
