Am I Canadian?

[Lance Mendell]

I am British, born in South Africa but British, even though I lived in Canada most of my life. Maybe you remember me...

Anyway, I might be a Canadian citizen too. My parents always told me we weren't. They didn't have their citizenship, at least they thought so. But my mother's parents were actually Canadian, apparently, before they moved to SA. Does this mean I can claim citizenship without applying as a new citizen? (I have been putting that off for decades really...)

 

[Riley Haas]

Hi Lance,
A lot of what you are asking depends on when you were born and when your mother was born. Canada's citizenship laws have changed at least 7 times in the last 100 years, so there is no clear answer to your question without knowing birth dates and probably even the marriage date of your parents. (Also, did South Africa allow dual citizenship when your parents moved there?)
That being said, if you can show that your mother's parents were Canadian citizens at the time of her birth, and you can further show that your mother never relinquished her Canadian citizenship (by becoming South African) then you may indeed be a Canadian citizen. It will be tough to prove, especially since you will require proofs of at least two people's Canadian citizenship (old passports, birth certificates).
Does this help?