MP Jenny Kwan tells feds to help Erin Brooks surf for Canada at Paris Olympics
Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan is calling on the federal government to help surfer Erin Brooks compete for Canada in next summer's Olympic Games.
The NDP critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has asked Minister Marc Miller to step in and grant Brooks citizenship.
Kwan accuses the Conservative opposition in Ottawa of stalling an amendment to the Citizenship Act, Bill S-245, that restores citizenship rights for second-generation people born abroad. Bill C-37 in 2009 ended those rights.
The 16-year-old Brooks has competed under Canada's flag and won a silver medal at this year's World Surfing Games. She's also the reigning world junior women's champion.
Her bid for Canadian citizenship was recently denied, which made her ineligible to surf for Canada at the recent Pan American Games and also makes her ineligible to defend her world junior title next week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.