Bollywood actor who campaigned for PM Harper was granted Canadian citizenship by Conservative gov

Bollywood actor who campaigned for Stephen Harper was granted Canadian citizenship by Conservative government

BY TOM BLACKWELL at the Citizen

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/bollywood-actor-who-campaigned-for-stephen-harper-was-granted-canadian-citizenship-by-conservative-government/wcm/1d6f9416-7ad8-471a-b690-2b232a273957/amp?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&__twitter_impression=true

"SNIP......


In the thick of the 2011 federal election, Stephen Harper appeared in the Indo-Canadian heartland of Ontario with a ringer.

At a campaign stop in Brampton, Bollywood mega-star Akshay Kumar praised the then prime minister, danced on stage with his wife, Laureen Harper, and thrilled the audience.

It’s unclear if Kumar’s stumping had any impact on voters, but a few weeks later the Conservatives swept every riding in Brampton and nearby Mississauga that has a large south Asian population.

And at some point, the Harper government invoked a little-known law to grant the actor Canadian citizenship, circumventing the usual, stringent residency requirements for would-be Canadians, says a former Conservative cabinet minister.


......SNIP"