When Canada spent $100 million to rescue Lebanese-Canadians from the war between Israel and Hizbullah last year, some Canadians reacted by accusing these people of being fair weather�or, rather, ill weather�Canadians. As former Immigration Minister Montel Solberg put it, �Canadians want to know that citizenship means something, that we are not just a port in the storm.�

Well, Jack Jedwab, director of the Association for Canadian Studies, provided an analysis of 2001 Statistics Canada data addressing the issue. He said that the data show that 80% of dual citizens felt a strong or very strong sense of belonging to Canada, compared to 84% who held only Canadian citizenship. And for French-speaking dual citizens, 68% had a strong or very strong sense of belonging to Canada, compared to only 57% for those with only Canadian citizenship. Many French-speakers identify with Quebec rather than Canada as a whole.

The issue of dual citizenship is currently being reviewed by the government.