Thank you, Mark.
As Mark indicated, my name is Clark Goodman. I am the acting director of citizenship and immigration program delivery, and also the registrar of Canadian citizenship. My responsibilities including overseeing the operational activities related to Canadian citizenship.
As I mentioned, I also carry another title, that of registrar of Canadian citizenship. This authority is delegated to me by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. As registrar, I have the authority to determine who may function as a citizenship officer to grant citizenship on behalf of the minister and to approve citizenship applications in the case of a proof of citizenship. As well, I delegate people to administer the oath of Canadian citizenship. Furthermore, I am responsible for approving any forms used within the citizenship program.
I have been following your discussions on the issue of citizenship with interest. The issue has also received a fair amount of attention in the media in recent months.
As Mark suggested, I would like to give you a brief update of our department's response to this issue and an update on the volume of calls we have received and the number of confirmed cases of people who have learned that they do not have citizenship status.