Citizenship and Immigration committee  My immediate response would be that I think Quebec citizens have faced the same problems with the 1947 act and earlier situations as the rest of Canada. It's a problem about citizenship being automatically removed if certain criteria are met. I think it applies across the board, from coast to coast to coast.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think there is a fix. I would much rather it be correct than fast. One of the things we've done in the past is act quite quickly to solve the problems that are visible. I think we have to think about all the invisible problems that have existed in relation to individuals we don't know about.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Part of the thrust of my talk is that I think this government has a lot of responsibility that it has been perhaps not shirking but overlooking in relation to promoting the interests of its citizenry.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Could I just add to that?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think the apt analogy is with permanent residents who lose their status. They appear before the immigration division of the IRB. Then, in most circumstances, they have a right to appeal to another division in the IRB, and we are dealing at that level with quasi-judicial decision-makers.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  The answer is yes, of course. We are in a situation where, as I think as Mr. Bosdet said this morning, we have a major rule-of-law issue here. How do you get the most important aspect of your Canadian status and how do you lose it? Is this going to be governed by law, or is it going to be governed by discretion?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would also like to thank you for inviting me here. My name is Donald Galloway. I'm a professor of law at the University of Victoria. I specialize in immigration and refugee law. I have published some articles on Canadian citizenship law, which is a very obscure area, believe it or not.