Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Amendment 16, reference number 8222941, seeks to extend application of the Youth Criminal Justice Act to the citizenship process.
This amendment is problematic in this sense, as presented in a brief to the committee from the Justice for Children and Youth in which they said:
JFCY’s position is that the Citizenship Act should clearly prohibit the use and consideration of youth criminal justice records in any matter governed by the Citizenship Act, in particular for the purpose of granting or taking the oath of citizenship. Youth criminal justice records and ongoing proceedings before the youth criminal justice court cannot and should not be considered for the purpose of citizenship applications because to do so is contrary to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. It specifically violates the privacy protections afforded to minors by the Youth Criminal Justice Act and is inconsistent with the fundamental purpose of the YCJA .
I think this is a valid point, Mr. Chair. We want to ensure that the Citizenship Act and the citizenship process adheres to the principles and laws under the Youth Criminal Justice Act accordingly.
This amendment seeks to remedy that, Mr. Chair.