Question: do you need a birth certificate to get into canada

Answer: No, Canadian law requires that all persons entering Canada must carry proof of both citizenship and identity. A valid U.S. passport or passport card is preferred, although a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, citizenship certificate, or another document proving U.S. nationality, together with a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license) are acceptable to establish identity and nationality. However, the documents required to return to the United States can be more restrictive (for example, a birth certificate and photo ID are insufficient) -- see the section below on Return entry into the U.S.