My monthly Christian Courier column is titled Subject or citizen? Byline: "Citizenship is a gift from God that we can use to improve our communities." An excerpt:
The notion of being a subject sounds archaic to our ears. If I am the subject of a particular monarch, I am bound by personal – almost feudal – ties to him or her. And if that’s the case, my responsibilities would seem to begin and end with obedience to the ruler’s will. Prior to 1947, Canadians were not even citizens of their own country; they were merely British subjects, a status shared with those born not only in the United Kingdom, but in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and many other territories of the former Empire.
But one by one, beginning with Canada, each of these Commonwealth realms established its own citizenship. The UK enacted its citizenship law in 1949, setting up several categories of citizens, each of which had varying rights of residence within the country. Canadians remained British subjects until 1977 when Ottawa decided to end this ambiguous dual status.
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