Bill S-245 would change the law so if a Canadian parent could demonstrate a “substantial connection” to Canada, their child would again qualify for a passport.
It would also reinstate citizenship for a group of people born between 1977 and 1981, classified as “second generation born abroad,” who failed to reaffirm their citizenship by the age of 28.
The bill has passed through the Senate and most of its Commons stages, including in committee.
“We support the bill and encourage all parties to do so as well,” said Bahoz Dara Aziz, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
But the NDP’s immigration critic Jenny Kwan accused the Conservatives of stalling its progress and “playing petty political games,” including filibustering debate at committee, to reduce its chances of becoming law.
She accused the sponsor of the Senate bill in the Commons, Conservative MP Jasraj Singh Hallan, of slowing the bill’s passage in the House by twice switching its scheduled third reading debate with another bill. Mr. Hallan and Tom Kmiec, the Conservative immigration critic, would not comment.
“Canada needs to fix the lost Canadians issue once and for all. The Conservatives were wrong to strip the right of parents to pass on their Canadian citizenship to their second-generation-born-abroad children 14 years ago,” she said. “In the case of William and Jack Cowling, it means they do not have the legal status to work in Canada and the family farm that has been in their family for six generations is now in jeopardy.”
OTTAWA—The Carney government is set to tweak some parts of its controversial reforms to police search powers, as it tries to push the bill through Parliament in the face of widespread opposition.
The Star has learned the Liberals are preparing to halve the time electronic service providers would have to retain Canadians’ metadata from one year to six months, according to two sources with knowledge of the changes who requested anonymity to speak freely.
A two-year expiry to potential ministerial orders requiring a company to upgrade their systems to make it easier for police to intercept private communications will also be added to the legislation, according to the sources.
The Carney government is also expected to add “protections for encrypted communications,” as Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree promised this week, after critics warned that wording in the legislation — which gives providers the option to refuse compliance if it would introduce a “systemic vulnerability” — was too vague. It’s not yet clear what exactly that will look like.
Those concessions and other proposals from opposition parties are expected to be presented at a committee meeting Thursday, a final marathon hearing in the House of Commons after the Liberals moved to shut down debate and accelerate the legislation while accusing the Conservatives of obstructing Parliament.
Bill C-22, the lawful access legislation long-sought by Canadian police and spy agencies who say it’s a necessary modernization, still has to pass through the Senate before becoming law.
