His Lordship likes us, he really, really likes us!

Well as a nation, we’ve apparently come a long way from being "a one-party federal state with no deliverance in sight." Those words were made famous when Conrad Black renounced his citizenship in order to join the British House of Lords.

Now it seems that Lord Black of Crossharbour, has had a change of mind about the nation’s status and by the way might like to have his citizenship back as well!

His Lordship appeared in front of the moneyed members of the Empire Club in Toronto last week and spoke eloquently about the land he grew up in, claiming that Canada is now a great world power.

Lord Black of Crossharbour, painted Canada as one of the ten most influential countries at the United Nations, thanks in large part to our bounty of natural resources. As he put things “We must not let it go to our heads, but Canada is by many measurements and by imminent potential, one of the world's great powers and I think we should get used to it”

Not bad for a country that the former Newspaper Baron and current House of Lords resident once wrote off completely, claiming that it represented "an impediment to my progress in another more amenable jurisdiction (Britain.)."

The speech also praised the current Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who no doubt is not anywhere close to the same mindset as former Prime Minister Chrétien was when it came to Black. While Harper has not made any public comments on the Black citizenship issue, one would imagine that he's got a lot more in common with him than Chretien did.

Chrétien and Black seemed to carry a feud for the ages in the nineties and into the turn of the century, culminating with Chrétien trying to scuttle Blacks chances of joining the House of Lords, by dredging up some ancient legislation called the nickle act resolution.

At that point Black turned in his citizenship and became a man without a birth nation, wandering the halls of London’s House of Lords whistling the Maple Leaf forever, but no longer part of the Maple Leaf club.

Having returned to North American soil to face charges in a Chicago court room, Black has been taking a second look at his old homeland. Ever since his return he’s had nothing but praise for the nation and seems to be re-introducing himself into the national debate on many issues. He even managed to wade into the current Liberal leadership debate by suggesting that Michael Ignatieff would make the best leader for the party that caused him so much misery. (An endorsement that could be more problematic for Iggy than beneficial and a boon to the Bob Rae camp!)

All of his very public events of late suggest that he now figures the time is right to regain his citizenship and stand by for the great years to come (no doubt from outside of any American jail cells).

His quest is becoming a rather fascinating topic, with much contribution from constitutional law makers and scholars.

And while we think of the House of Lords sideshow was always a bit of a goofy desire, we also suspect that it was more vindictiveness than any sense of patriotism that sent the Chrétien wheels in motion, leading to Black’s renouncement of his national ethos.

In the end we’re rather sure he’ll be given his now much valued citizenship back, absence after all does make the heart grow fonder.

But even better, as Rick Mercer said on his show two weeks ago, once we give it back we can Lord it over the Lord forever. Check out his Rant from October 3rd, he handles the controversy in a typically Canadian way!