Thank you, Madam Chair.
I think people would continue to think of Canada as what it already is, a heaven on earth.
Ms. Basnicki, thank you so much for being here. You obviously personify the pain and the tragedy of that horrific act in 9/11, but you have really applied yourself in so many constructive ways to help Canadians, and in fact people all over the world, understand what occurred and to be vigilant and to guard against future instances of this. That's one of the reasons clearly you're here talking to a parliamentary committee, and I applaud that.
Ms. Saperia, I like your idea about the passport application rider. I think that makes infinite sense, and I think we'll talk about that further.
My parents came here almost 70 years ago, and they had a very challenging time becoming Canadian citizens. They had two-year contracts. They had to work hard. They raised a family, and I'll tell you 70 years on in their late eighties and mid-nineties they wave the Canadian flag as high and as proudly as anyone.
So we're working on that, and we don't ask much of people coming to this country. We ask them to obey the law and that includes no terrorism. We ask them to respect their fellow citizens and that all the old prejudices and practices should remain in the old country. And pay your taxes.
I see nothing cruel or unusual about getting rid of terrorists and traitors to my country. Especially as a former soldier, I would be really upset if anybody who had committed a terrorist act against me in the field retained a Canadian citizenship.
I'll give you a couple of examples of where they do revoke citizenship with good reason. In Britain they have revoked citizenship if it's deemed to be conducive to the public good, and there are several examples of that. In Switzerland they can revoke citizenship if an act in that way causes serious prejudice to the national interest of the country. In Australia they have done it, and in the United States they can pursue revocation for high treason or for being a member of an armed force at war with the United States. These are all good reasons and good examples of these countries.
Ms. Basnicki, I'll start with you. In the current Citizenship Act those convicted or charged with an indictable offence in Canada are barred from obtaining citizenship. The first part of this question is: do you think that goes far enough?