How can I learn if my parent is Canadian?

[Xle1156]

I am trying to find out if my mother was a Canadian citizen at the time of my birth. My mother was born in the U.S. in 1968 to one Canadian parent. My understanding is that she had until 2004 to register her birth and obtain proof of citizenship. Unfortunately, I lost contact with my mother 10 years ago and I am not able to ask or obtain her permission to search for any Canadian records. I grew up hearing that she was a dual US/Canadian citizen but the exact topic of registering never came up.

I used the "Am I a Canadian?" tool on the government website and it says that I might be a Canadian if her birth was registered. I know the simplest way to find out is to apply for a certificate of citizenship but it asks for evidence that she was a Canadian in the year I was born- I'm not sure if that even exists. My understanding is that Canada has stricter privacy laws regarding these records than the U.S so unlike her American birth certificate, it seems like I can't just get it for being her son.

So I guess my two questions are:

-Is there a way for me to legally find out if my mother's birth was registered without requiring her consent?
-If not, could the application and just explain the reason why I don't have it?

 

[Xle1156]

Answer is simple. You are Canadian , If you born outside of canada, but one of your parent born in canada or neutralized before you born. Since your mom didn't born here or neutralized so you are not a citizen.

This is the quiz I was referring to that says I might be a Canadian if my mother's birth was registered before 2004: https://na1se.voxco.com/SE/default.aspx

 

[scylla]

-Is there a way for me to legally find out if my mother's birth was registered without requiring her consent?
-If not, could the application and just explain the reason why I don't have it?

- Provided she is still alive, you require her consent. I don't believe there's a way around this. However I'm sure others will comment. Maybe someone has found a loophole.
- I don't believe you can apply without her involvement since the application requires information that only she can provide. If she registered her birth by 2004, this would be on record. The issue is that you need her consent to obtain this information.

 

[Xle1156]

Please avoid any sort of information online rather than anything from IRCC. Even this forum shouldn't be believe blindly. This info is from Canada.ca. best you can seek for a legal advice from a good lawyer if you are not sure or call IRCC or you can even send am application. Only gonna hurt application fees.
You likely are a Canadian citizen if you…

• were born in Canada
• became a citizen because of changes to the Citizenship Act
• applied for and received your Canadian citizenship (became a naturalized citizen)
• received Canadian citizenship as a minor when a parent or legal guardian naturalized you by applying for your citizenship
• were born outside Canada and at least one of your parents was:
  • born in Canada
  • naturalized in Canada before your birth

That quiz is from the IRCC. You can find the link to it on this page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen/eligibility/already-citizen.html

 

[alphazip]

That quiz is from the IRCC. You can find the link to it on this page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen/eligibility/already-citizen.html

While it's unlikely that your mother registered her birth (most people wouldn't have even known it was possible), she could have done so. I did.
However, as Scylla pointed out, you require her consent to find out and to get her birth certificate. I can only suggest that you write to IRCC to see what can be done.