Earlier this year, the federal government introduced Bill C-71, proposing significant amendments to the country’s Citizenship Act. The bill aims to allow Canadian citizenship to be passed down indefinitely to children born abroad, provided certain conditions are met.
Under the current law, there is a first-generation limit on passing citizenship to children born outside Canada. The proposed bill would eliminate this restriction, allowing citizenship to be continuously passed down through generations, as long as the parent has spent at least 1,095 days (equivalent to three years) in Canada cumulatively in their lifetime.
“There’s no doubt that Canadian citizenship is highly valued and recognized around the world. Not everyone is entitled to it. But for those who are, it needs to be fair,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said at the time.
But the proposal has not been without its critics, especially at a time when the Liberal government’s immigration policies are under intense scrutiny. Andrew Griffith, a former director general for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, expressed concerns about the potential for continuous generational citizenship transmission and the challenges in tracking citizenship acquisition.
“It will be challenging or impossible for the federal government to accurately predict citizenship acquisition year over year,” Griffith warned. He also noted that the bill “moves Canada closer to a hybrid jus sanguinis/jus soli regime,” potentially allowing families to maintain intergenerational Canadian citizenship through various scenarios.
Some experts have also voiced concerns about potential national security risks. Michel Juneau-Katsuya, former chief of Asia-Pacific for CSIS, previously suggested that countries like China could exploit this system for long-term foreign interference efforts.
Griffith echoed these concerns, stating, “It may also provide opportunities for longer-term sophisticated foreign-interference efforts by countries like China and India by exploiting descendants who can acquire Canadian citizenship in their recruitment strategies.”
Supporters of the bill, including the Liberal government, New Democrats, and Bloc Quebecois, argue that it addresses gender discrimination and expands rights for Canadians living abroad. Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan noted that the current rules particularly impact women, forcing them to choose between opportunities abroad and passing citizenship to their children.
The bill still has a long way to go. It’s currently being debated in the House of Commons and is expected to head to committee for further review.
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One Response
You fail to mention that the first generation limit, only in place sine 2009, has been deemed unconstitutional by the courts which have given the government until December 19th to fix it. This isn’t being done on some political whim.