NDP-2 is an amendment to deal with statelessness as it pertains to second-generation Canadians born abroad.
Committee members will recall that a number of organizations and individuals came forward and presented to us on why this needs to change. These organizations include the Canadian Expat Association in a written submission, the Canadian Centre on Statelessness, the Canadian Council for Refugees, the Canadian Bar Association, the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, and the Ontario legal clinic.
There are in fact two amendments related to this. The goal here is to address the issue of what's known as “lost Canadians”. In the case of those lost Canadians who remain after the previous government's changes to the Citizenship Act, their citizenship has not yet been restored. While the previous government did address some aspects of these stateless Canadians, without changes in the legislation, second-generation Canadians born abroad would not be considered Canadians, potentially leaving them stateless.
There are implications for individuals who are impacted, particularly those who may have work obligations abroad. I can think of the many diplomats and officials who are particularly impacted, for example, with their children. I won't reiterate all of the comments that have been made by the various witnesses who raised this issue.
That being said, I move amendment NDP-2, which is in my name. The reference number is 8213672.