Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Dec. 13th, 2010

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Yes. I'm sorry.

I don't know whether the legislative clerk can answer the question, or maybe you can. If we were to amend Bill C-467 in a way that would make the wording work not just for the folks who serve in the army or in the embassies but also for the 800 kids who are citizens when Canadian parents adopt them to come to Canada, would that be in the scope of the bill? Is that possible?

Mr. Chair, I don't know whether it's a question for you to....

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I honestly don't think these people are—

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

It would be the clerk who could answer that, right?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Well, let's say that a legislative clerk might be more appropriate. I know I'm not prepared to answer at this time, and I don't think it's a fair question of these people.

Perhaps you could approach the clerk privately with this question.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Yes, okay.

Let me ask another question, then. Is there a plan to try to fix this problem?

Maybe there's a political question also. Given the difference in treatment between adopted kids who are naturalized versus those who come to Canada as citizens, is there any discussion, any possibility, that a separate bill can come forward to deal with that problem? Obviously the department understands that this is an issue. I'm sure these Canadian parents are telling you it's a problem.

[Nicole Girard]

I don't think I can really comment, other than to point out again that under the current structure of the legislation, the comparator groups are those born and naturalized in Canada versus those born abroad and adopted abroad. Currently, those are the comparator groups.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

You mean rather than, say, adopted kids?

[Nicole Girard]

It's rather than something else. Right.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Has the department had a round table discussion with all the big agencies that help Canadian parents adopt kids overseas? There are different agencies that do a lot of adoptions, and they're very reputable groups. There are some small ones, but there are the big ones, right? There are any number of them. I know this is an issue that really troubles them. Has there been a discussion, a round table, a sharing of minds with them?

[Nicole Girard]

There has not been one on our part recently. Certainly there were discussions with some of these groups when Bill C-14 and Bill C-37 were going through Parliament. These groups were in contact with us and may have been witnesses before committee as well, but not recently.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

The adoption groups didn't realize that Bill C-37 impacted on them. In fact, some of us are not clear that it did, because we didn't put two and two together. We didn't put Bill C-14 together with Bill C-37. We didn't realize that Bill C-37 actually had an impact on adopted kids because of Bill C-14. That was approved two years ago, so I don't think these adoption non-profit organizations had any input at all.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Well, Bill C-37 isn't even before the House, unless these were consultations prior to the creation of Bill C-37.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

No, I don't think there had been any.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Well, I don't know. Maybe they don't either. You're speculating, really.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Are you familiar with...?

[Nicole Girard]

Well, when Bill C-14 and the first Bill C-37 were going through the process, the department was certainly in contact with different stakeholders, including groups such as the Adoption Council of Canada, to indicate that these pieces of legislation were being put forward for Parliament's consideration and to indicate what the provisions were. Certainly our records indicate that.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Okay.

Thank you, Ms. Chow.

Madame Beaudin is next.

[Josée Beaudin, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I would like to ask two brief questions to make sure I understand. If I am not mistaken, if I were a Crown servant, for instance, and I adopted a child, my child could also pass his or her citizenship on to his or her children, right?

[Nicole Girard]

No, that is not the case.

[Josée Beaudin, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

So that is not the case. So, for public servants, it applies only to the first generation.

[Nicole Girard]

That's right.

[Josée Beaudin, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Now, if I adopt and go through the normal citizenship process, my children would be able to pass their citizenship on to their children.

[Nicole Girard]

I'm sorry, you mean through the immigration process?

[Josée Beaudin, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

I am talking about the normal process for obtaining citizenship.

Your document states,“Those who go through the immigration route and then obtain a regular grant of citizenship will be able to pass on citizenship to any children they may have...”

[Nicole Girard]

That's right.