iPOLITICS: Feds find no evidence of significant number of Canadians in citizenship limbo
iPOLITICS: Feds find no evidence of significant number of Canadians in citizenship limbo
Since 2010, 384 people have received a discretionary grant of citizenship under the Act, the memo says; 326 were Lost Canadian cases, with almost all involving people who “failed to take steps required by the previous law to retain citizenship.”
Amendments made to the Citizenship Act in the Harper government’s 2009 bill (C-37) and 2015 bill (C-24) were meant to give citizenship to people who lost it or never had it, and generally simplify citizenship rules.
But the memo acknowledges there are still examples of Lost Canadians “not fixed” by both pieces of legislation.
Critics have argued Bill C-37 added a new elements of discrimination that the Liberals chose not to touch in their Citizenship Act-amending legislation, Bill C-6, which received royal assent in June.
One was the creation of a first-generation limit by descent (FGL), whereby the children of Canadians born abroad became ineligible for citizenship.
Bill C-37 also eliminated requirements under the 1977 Citizenship Act that included submitting an application prior to turning 28, but some individuals continue to be affected by the old law.
Byrdie Funk is one. On July 1, Funk — born in Mexico to Canadian parents — regained her citizenship after having it stripped as a result of the now-repealed 1977 Act provision.
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NDP MP Jenny Kwan introduced a private member’s bill in December 2016 that would, among other things, “allow a person to acquire Canadian citizenship despite being born outside Canada to a Canadian parent who was born outside Canada if the person establishes that the parent has or had a substantial connection to Canada.”
The Kwan bill is also addressed in the memo, but Morgan’s comments are redacted under the Access to Information Act section that covers advice to a minister and consultations or deliberations with a minister or their staff.
Don Chapman, the most outspoken advocate for Lost Canadians, thinks the entire Citizenship Act needs to be scrapped.
When Funk regained her citizenship this past Canada Day, Chapman celebrated the victory but told The Canadian Press drastic changes were needed.
“The laws have become so convoluted,” he said. “We need to not just close the gaps, we need a new citizenship act.”
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MP Jenny Kwan Statement on Changes to Express Entry
The recent changes reflect the government’s elitist view that the people who make the most money are the most valuable immigrants. This offensive notion that a person’s worth is determined by their salary does not reflect the values of Canadians. Under this approach, workers who fall below the government’s high-wage threshold risk being left behind, including essential workers, caregivers, health-care workers and tradespeople whose contributions are indispensable to our communities and economy. Their value cannot be reduced to the size of a paycheque.
The government is also creating serious risks by offering up to 100 additional Express Entry points for qualifying high-wage job offers without requiring a Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA. The existing LMIA system has already been plagued by fraud, including the illicit buying and selling of assessments. Removing this requirement without demonstrating that equivalent safeguards are in place raises serious concerns about the integrity of the immigration system. Instead of the LMIA process, individual immigration officers will be responsible for verifying whether job offers are genuine and employers are legitimate businesses. This will place additional demands on an already stretched system, create opportunities for fraud and risk increasing processing times.
There is another fundamental concern: without the LMIA process, the government will no longer assess through that mechanism whether Canadians are available to fill these positions. This is an important tool to assess if there is a genuine need to go outside of Canada to fill these positions.
Canada needs an immigration system that values workers fairly, protects people from exploitation and responds to genuine labour-market needs—not one that privileges high earners while leaving essential workers behind.
The government must establish clear, stable pathways to permanent residency for people already in Canada, including international graduates and temporary workers who have contributed to their communities. Immigration selection should reflect the full range of Canada's labour needs, not simply prioritize higher-wage occupations.
We are seeing a pattern of policy lurching on immigration from the Carney government that is creating confusion and chaos for people navigating the system. International students, temporary workers and families make major decisions about education, employment and their futures based on government rules. When those rules repeatedly change, people are left wondering whether their investments and contributions will still count. The government cannot keep moving the goalposts and expect people to plan their lives with confidence. Canada needs a coherent, long-term immigration strategy with predictable pathways, clear objectives and fair transition measures. The immigration system has gone backwards under the Carney government. This government has directly caused chaos on the immigration file.
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