Canadian...er...eh.

I am not Canadian. I was born in England, to a British father and a Canadian mother. We came to Canada long ago enough, that save my penchant for Monty Python and a good cup of tea, you would likely never know.
However, it wasn't because I didn't give it the ol' college try.
During my teen and early adult years, it was a subject of non-issue. I paid taxes like the next person. Travelling abroad simply meant a confident and non accent toned" Halifax, sir!" when asked at the border where I was from. Rarely was proper I.D. ever asked for. And, back then, proper I.D. was a drivers' licence.
I was registered as a Landed Immigrant, got a S.I.N., and Bob's yer uncle. Or so I thought.
Then came 9/11. The Canadian government quietly changed the rules around becoming a citizen sometime around 2002. Prior to then, there was, in effect, a grandfather clause that made it not much more than a formality to get your citizenship, if one of your parents was Canadian.
You see, it is now more difficult , costly and time consuming to become a Canadian citizen if you are a landed, long term resident of the country, then if you just landed at Pearson Airport and staggered off a flight ,with all your worldly possessions, from Godknowswhereikstan. Even had a government employee in citizenship office tell me so.( He didn't say Godknowswhereikstan; I made that up).
The current waiting period for people in this situation is 24 months from time of application, to granting of citizenship. If you need to get a passport( which would be a further wait) to travel...well thats' just not good.
A few years ago, I had to get a passport for work travel, and found myself in this difficult situation.

So, in desperation, I contacted the U.K. citizenship office, in what I thought was an outside chance of getting an alternative in place. I assumed that my long term status as a tax paying, hockey loving landed immigrant in Canada would make this impossible. Not so.The cost? $250, ( yikes!)- But a passport was couriered to my house exactly 21 days after application. Sweet.

Now, when travelling to the U.S., I answer a few more questions than a Canadian does, and have my retina scanned and fingerprints taken EVERY time I cross. other than that...it is clear sailing.

I feel for the most part wholly Canadian, and a little miffed that, while the government is delighted to take my taxes, I cannot vote, join the RCMP( not THAT big a deal), or run for parliment;like that would happen.
The final insult?- I got a letter in the mail today, telling me that I am the registered voter in this household. Does the Rhinoceros Party have a candidate running here?