Evidence of meeting #12 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was karygiannis.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Clause 1? There's an awful lot of reading here.
Clause 1 reads as follows:
1. The definition “certificate of renunciation” in subsection 2(1) of the Citizenship Act is replaced by the following:
“certificate of renunciation” means, unless a contrary intention appears, a certificate of renunciation issued under this Act;
(Clause 1 agreed to)
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Do we want to proceed in that way? No?
We have an intervention there. We will have to call clause by clause.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
I'm not so sure we need to go clause by clause, but I just want to point out that in clause 13.... You were going clauses 1 to 14; in clause 13--
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Do we need to go ahead to clause 13? Can't we just proceed from clause 1 to clause 14, and then when we get to clause 13...?
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
I think we probably could go to clause 12, because clause 13 needs to have a word added in.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
I don't think there's agreement from Mr. St-Cyr to proceed in that way.
(On clause 2)
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
On proposed paragraph 3(3)(a) under clause 2, Mr. Chair--
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Just one moment, Mr. Karygiannis. Say that again.
It's clause 2, proposed paragraph 3(3)(a). Okay.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Can we read that and get an explanation as to what that means from the department?
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
No, it's subclause 2(2), proposed paragraph 3(3)(a), subsection 3(3), page 8.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Page 8, subclause 2(2), says, “Despite anything in this Act...a person shall not be granted”—
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Page 8, subsection 3(3)...?
That's not clause 2, by the way. That's why you had us all—
4 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
It says “Clause 2(2)” and “Paragraph 3(3)(a)”, “Subsection 3(3)”.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan, ON
Mr. Chairman, it's better to look through the book that he has.
4 p.m.
Director, Legislation and Program Policy, Citizenship Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Chairman, I suspect the confusion may be that when Mr. Karygiannis is talking about a page number, I presume he's referring to the clause-by-clause page number.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Oh, okay.
Subsection 3(3)? Is it this one here?
What is your concern about it?
4 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Can the department tell us exactly what it means regarding adopted children? Does it mean that if somebody adopts a child and that child becomes a citizen, their children, if they were born abroad...? That doesn't seem to me the first generation born abroad.
4 p.m.
Director, Legislation and Program Policy, Citizenship Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Chair, this clause is the clause that has the effect of limiting citizenship by descent and citizenship by adoption to the first generation. As the minister announced in May, and as the committee agreed in December, citizenship by descent would be limited to the first generation, and that is the effect of this clause.
It also has the effect, in the context of adopted children, of indicating.... You will recall Bill C-14, in which the Citizenship Act was amended in order to limit the distinctions between adopted children and natural-born children. This provision also indicates that children who have been adopted abroad will be treated in the same manner as if they had been natural children born abroad.
If a Canadian citizen born in Canada has a child born outside of Canada, that natural-born child would be considered in the first generation. Likewise, if they have an adopted child outside of Canada, that adopted child would be treated the same as their natural-born sibling. That is the effect of this clause.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
If I understand it right, Mr. Chair, especially in the South Asian Punjabi community, where there are a lot of adoptions...I believe you go to a gurdwara, and it's called the give-and-take ceremony, whereby you can adopt somebody. If a child is adopted, will that child not be able to adopt anybody else, or will that child not be able to have any children born abroad?