View this post on Instagram
Erin Brooks was once Canada’s greatest hope for Olympic surfing gold. Then it was discovered that she was not legally Canadian and shortly afterwards, her application for citizenship was officially rejected. Now, a member of the Canadian government has taken up the ongoing fight to get Brooks citizenship in time to qualify for Paris.
Jenny Kwan, a Member of Parliament affiliated with the New Democratic Party, called on Marc Miller, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, to step in and grant Brooks citizenship. Furthermore, Kwan accused the Conservative opposition in Ottawa of stalling Bill S-245, an amendment to the Citizenship Act that would allow second-generation people born abroad to be granted citizenship, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Erin Brooks was born in Texas and Grew up in Hawaii, but her father is an American-born Canadian citizen. Brooks’ citizenship first came into question when a CBC report revealed that she was competing under the Canadian flag based on a pending citizenship application. Afterwards, the ISA suspended her right to compete. Then, the Canadian government officially denied her request for citizenship. However, Brooks’ father has vowed to continue his efforts to earn Erin citizenship in time for the games.
For Erin to be able to qualify, she would have to become a citizen in time to compete in the ISA World Championships in Puerto Rico in February.
