Yes, actually, we see it all the time, particularly in certain immigrant groups. It's just an assumption that if you come into the country, and you live here a certain period of time, then you automatically become a citizen. What we try to do is educate people on the difference between permanent residency and citizenship, but even with that, I don't think there's enough awareness.
Another issue is that a lot of folks we deal with are crown wards, meaning they are oftentimes in the custody of CAS, and their citizenship application is never filed because there are so many other issues that are happening. We see relatively young kids who come into contact with the criminal justice system because they have an undiagnosed mental illness, and they are not able to receive supports. They accumulate a number of small crimes, get to the point where they spend months in jail, often on remand awaiting trial, and then they're up for a deportation order. It really comes as huge shock to them, because they never see it happening.
I didn't get a chance to explain thoroughly, but this legislation is going to impact those who are really vulnerable in our society. They need our protection.
Citing those sensationalized cases is useful if you're going to focus on just those. Our concern is we're casting the net too wide, and a lot of people—I speak from personal experience—are going to hurt. A lot of people are going to die because of the changes in this legislation, particularly in the communities and constituencies that my organization represents.
As opposed to my colleague here, I'm quite concerned about the proposed changes, and I would ask that the humanitarian and compassionate provision under clause 24 stay as it currently is under IRPA, without changing it down to six months.