Bill C-3

An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025)

Sponsor

Status

In committee (Senate), as of Nov. 6, 2025

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Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

This enactment amends the Citizenship Act to, among other things,
(a) ensure that citizenship by descent is conferred on all persons who were born outside Canada before the coming into force of this enactment to a parent who was a citizen;
(b) confer citizenship by descent on persons born outside Canada after the first generation, on or after the coming into force of this enactment, to a parent who is a citizen and who had a substantial connection to Canada before the person’s birth;
(c) allow citizenship to be granted under section 5.1 of that Act to all persons born outside Canada who were adopted before the coming into force of this enactment by a parent who was a citizen;
(d) allow citizenship to be granted under section 5.1 of that Act to persons born outside Canada who are adopted on or after the coming into force of this enactment by a parent who is a citizen and who had a substantial connection to Canada before the person’s adoption;
(e) restore citizenship to persons who lost their citizenship because they did not make an application to retain it under the former section 8 of that Act or because they made an application under that section that was not approved; and
(f) allow certain persons who become citizens as a result of the coming into force of this enactment to access a simplified process to renounce their citizenship.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-3s:

C-3 (2021) Law An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canada Labour Code

C-3 (2020) Law An Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code

C-3 (2020) An Act to amend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act and the Canada Border Services Agency Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

C-3 (2015) Law Appropriation Act No. 4, 2015-16

Votes

Nov. 5, 2025 Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025)

Nov. 3, 2025 Passed Concurrence at report stage of Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025)

Nov. 3, 2025 Passed Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025) (report stage amendment)

Sept. 22, 2025 Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025)

Debate Summary

This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-3 amends the Citizenship Act to address inconsistencies regarding citizenship by descent for Canadians born abroad, requiring a substantial connection to Canada.

Liberal

Responds to court ruling on citizenship: The bill directly addresses the Ontario Superior Court's December 2023 ruling, which found Canada's citizenship law inconsistent and two-tiered, and aims to rectify this by the November 20 deadline.
Extends citizenship by descent: Bill C-3 extends automatic citizenship to children born abroad to Canadian parents, including "lost Canadians" and their descendants, ensuring fairness and upholding charter mobility and equality rights.
Requires substantial connection to Canada: It requires Canadian parents born abroad to demonstrate a cumulative 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before their child's birth or adoption to pass on citizenship by descent.
Upholds value of citizenship: The bill protects the value of Canadian citizenship by requiring a meaningful connection to the country for those passing on citizenship, without creating new immigration routes or perpetual citizenship abroad.

Conservative

Devalues Canadian citizenship: The Conservative party asserts that Bill C-3 devalues Canadian citizenship, turning it into a mere formality and creating "citizens of convenience" with weak or no real connection to the country.
Rejects common-sense amendments: The party criticizes the government for gutting common-sense amendments, supported by Conservatives and Bloc, which would have required language proficiency, cumulative residency, and security checks for new citizens.
Erodes Canadian national identity: Conservatives view the bill as part of a Liberal postnational agenda that erodes Canada's national identity, leading to a broken immigration system and societal challenges like housing and healthcare strain.
Fails to appeal court ruling: The party notes the bill's origin in the government's choice not to appeal a lower court ruling, which allowed unfettered citizenship by descent and expanded the scope of citizenship.

Bloc

Criticizes undermining of committee work: The Bloc criticizes the government for using parliamentary tools to undo the amendments adopted by the committee, undermining democratic institutions and the collaborative work of MPs.
Advocates for stricter criteria: The party proposes amendments requiring language proficiency, a citizenship knowledge test, a security assessment, and 1,095 days of residence within a five-year period.
Concerned about bill's scope: The Bloc expresses concern over the bill's potential impact on 150,000 to 300,000 individuals, a number significantly higher than the government's initial estimate.
Opposes bill in current form: The Bloc Québécois will not support the bill in its current form, as the government rejected their proposed amendments and disregarded the committee's work.

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(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #47

Citizenship ActGovernment Orders

November 5th, 2025 / 3:30 p.m.

The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

Citizenship ActGovernment Orders

November 5th, 2025 / 3:30 p.m.

The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia

I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded division, the time provided for Government Orders will be extended by 11 minutes.