Citizenship and Immigration committee  Under the legislation, it reads under paragraph 9(1)(d), “is not prevented from understanding the significance of renouncing citizenship by reason of the person having a mental disability”.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, that's correct. Currently, someone has to apply to renounce their citizenship.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  They may vary, but one of the circumstances we're aware of and that I mentioned previously is when someone is working abroad in a profession where they may not be permitted to hold another citizenship, whether they're a legislator or another holder of high office. It's not uniquely that circumstance, but that is one example discussed in the media on a number of occasions in recent years.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I don't have those statistics in front of me, but we do have them. I believe we were to provide them to the committee. We may have done so recently, or perhaps we were close to doing so. Certainly, if we have not recently provided them, we will follow up and ensure that's done.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  In response to the member's question—because I didn't have it in my own binder, but a colleague has passed it—between 2018 and 2022, the department processed a total of 1,362 applications to renounce Canadian citizenship. Between the years of 2018 and 2022, I see between 99 and 393 such renunciation applications processed.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes. There were 1,362 applications to renounce citizenship processed in total—that's decisions—and in any one of those five years, there was a range of between 99 renunciation applications processed in 2020 as compared to 393 applications processed in 2022.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  We don't have any information to that effect. It may vary depending on individual circumstances and the desire to come forward to pursue an application and so on and so forth. Thank you.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  This is a necessary provision and safety valve to address the circumstances of those who this bill would automatically make citizens, and for whatever legal, professional or personal reasons, it may be problematic. The proposed provision is crafted in such a way that it would....

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Even if the bill had not been amended, a provision like this is helpful with regard to the section 8 persons who are being remedied by the bill, as was proposed by the bill's sponsor. That's because there could be circumstances in which some of the people who never came forward for the original remedy may find themselves in situations where they don't wish to be a Canadian citizen automatically.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Some safety valve is always necessary whenever citizenship is being accorded automatically and retroactively. That was the case with the previous legislative amendments. I would say that's the general answer to the member's question. My recollection is that, in the discussion with this committee, there was particular consideration for those benefiting from the connection test.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Madam Chair, my colleague has helpfully reminded me that it's the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. In response to the first part of the member's question, generally, the obligation we have and take very seriously is not to render our own citizens stateless. Hence, there is the subsection 5(5) grant and safety valve available to a stateless child of a Canadian, as we discussed.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'm sorry, Madam Chair. I was referring to the 1961 convention on statelessness. It's not so much a conference as an international legal instrument. Thank you.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Madam Chair, there is one other I'm aware of, but I forget the year for that one. My colleague here tells me that it's the 1954 convention, but Canada is not a signatory to that one, as far as I'm aware. Thank you.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'm not aware of any at this time. As we've only had this amendment tabled during this session, we haven't had the opportunity for a deeper study. Thank you.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Without trying to hold myself out as an expert on other countries' citizenship legislation, because I wouldn't want to do that or mislead this committee, I can for the committee's consideration agree with the member that the kinds of circumstances where statelessness may arise would more likely relate to a birth abroad where the country does not have citizenship by birth on soil, which tends to be less common outside of North America to begin with.