I was recently featured in a Hong Kong newspaper with another Hong Kong-born MP, Arnold Chan.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by Jenny Kwan on Lost Canadians Suspension of Citizenship Certificates
The federal government's sudden reversal on the suspension of citizenship certificates issued under the new citizenship-by-descent provisions raises more questions on how IRCC is carrying out its mandate under the current Minister.
Just days after some newly recognized Canadians were suddenly, without warning, ordered to surrender their citizenship certificates and informed that their status was under review, IRCC has now begun notifying many of those same individuals that their citizenship claims are valid after all.
According to those affected, no new evidence was requested and no additional documentation was provided between the decision to revoke their certificates and the decision to reinstate them.
Canadians deserve to know: what happened?
For families who had finally received recognition of their Canadian citizenship after years of waiting, these letters caused enormous distress. Some were told that their citizenship certificates were no longer valid. Others were warned that any passport issued on the basis of those certificates could be invalidated. Families were left wondering whether they could trust the very documents the government had issued to them.
The Minister has acknowledged that an internal review is underway. That review must be accompanied by a full public explanation.
I am calling on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to answer the following questions:
- Why were these citizenship certificates suspended in the first place?
- What changed between the original surrender notices and the subsequent revalidation letters?
- How many people were affected by these actions?
- Why were applicants not given an opportunity to provide clarification or additional evidence before being ordered to surrender their citizenship certificates?
- What measures are being put in place to ensure this does not happen again?
The fact that some files were apparently reinstated without any new evidence raises serious concerns about the consistency of the department's decision-making process.
This issue extends beyond the individuals who received surrender letters. More than 4,000 people have obtained citizenship under the amended citizenship-by-descent provisions, and many are now wondering whether their own status could be called into question without warning.
Citizenship is a fundamental legal status that shapes a person's future, family plans, mobility, and sense of belonging. Canadians should be able to have confidence that when the government grants citizenship, that decision has been properly reviewed, verified and can be relied upon.
The Minister owes affected families a clear explanation of what went wrong and what safeguards will be put in place to prevent this from happening again.
Two years and one general election later, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says the long-awaited foreign influence registry is “weeks” away from being operational. Yet, as his department is confident it is “very close to the finish line” after repeated missed deadlines and delays, critics say combatting foreign interference and transnational repression is “clearly not a priority” for the current Liberal government.
During a press conference in the West Block foyer on June 17, NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s public safety and national security critic, also criticized Anandasangaree for repeatedly failing to deliver on his previously promised timelines.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan says continued delays are signaling it is ‘open season’ in Canada for malign foreign actors. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Kwan said Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) has “dropped the ball,” but that “Canadians are still subject to foreign interference attacks” from countries like China, Russia, and India, and, in the case of the upcoming referendum on Alberta separatism, from the United States, as well.
In an interview with CBC’s The House in early May, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director Dan Rogers said that the referendum “is rife for amplification or for the sort of disinformation or foreign interference that we’ve seen from players like Russia in the past.”
A May 6 report authored by DisinfoWatch, the Canadian Digital Media Research Network, and CASiLabs also warned that Russian and pro-Trump U.S. actors are amplifying and spreading disinformation to “normalize” Alberta separatism, “amplify distrust, portray Canada as internally divided and politically unstable, and create uncertainty that could deter international investment.”
“This cannot be acceptable,” Kwan said, adding that, to protect Canada’s sovereignty, “our democratic institutions and our democratic rights need to be protected from foreign interference actors.”
In a follow-up interview, Kwan said that despite the concerns raised by CSIS and diaspora communities under direct threat from transnational repression and interference, she believes that Carney has been “slow walking” the registry.
Now, she said, alongside her suspicion that the delay is intended to avoid upsetting trade negotiations with China or India, she has to question whether the same considerations are being applied to the Americans.
Whatever the reason for the delay, Kwan said the excuses have not diminished the threats Canadians or the country’s democratic institutions face, but are instead sending “a clear message to foreign interference actors that Canada is open season.”
“Alberta’s voter list has already been compromised,” Kwan said. “Is that not serious enough for the Carney government to take this seriously and get a move on?”
“This was the will of the previous Parliament, and Carney talked about how important this is during the campaign, but afterwards, he’s forgotten all about it,” Kwan said. “It clearly is not a priority.”
In response to questions from The Hill Times, Anandasangaree’s office said the final regulations “should be gazetted soon,” and that the registry “will be up and running later this summer.”
*Click image or link to read the full news story - https://www.hilltimes.com/2026/06/23/critics-say-liberals-slow-walking-foreign-influence-registry-leaves-canada-vulnerable-ahead-of-referendum/508941/?utm_source=The+Hill+Times&utm_campaign=f9702a0d0c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_06_22_07_19&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_251d35861a-f9702a0d0c-94024765&mc_cid=f9702a0d0c&mc_eid=4520aaba21