Evidence of meeting #54 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was lost.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
I was indicating that the time was up. We will have to go the next member.
Mr. Maguire, you will have five minutes.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Thanks.
Jenny, I will give you time to finish your question.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you.
One way to address this situation as comprehensively as possible is to rescind the provision that came in to say that those who are second-generation born would not have their citizenship conferred to them. That would be an easy way to actually deal with it. Is that something the department thinks is advisable?
Director General, Citizenship Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I'm not sure I can advise or comment on that, but another way to come at it would be to leave the first-generation limit as is and have a mechanism that's equitable for those who were born abroad, second generation or beyond, to access with the demonstrating a connection test.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
What we're talking about then is an application process, which already exists by the way. People can apply in this onerous and ineffective process, but people are saying, don't go down that route.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
I would think that we don't want to repeat history and do want learn from that experience. Maybe it's a safe way to do it, but I don't think so.
Conservative
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Madam Chair, in regard to Mr. Kmiec's question earlier about the number of lost Canadians in this, I wonder if the witnesses could table an analysis of the total number of lost Canadians or a projection of the total number of lost Canadians that are involved here. Is there an analysis they can table with the committee, please?
Director General, Citizenship Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
As I think I've mentioned, the cohort impacted by the former section 8 is in the range of 25 to 30 such persons who come forward to the department every year. There are those who lost their citizenship automatically at age 28 before 2009. It's a limited cohort, likely in the range of those kinds of numbers, that we would see come forward. Depending on what the committee may wish to do with the provision that deputy Kwan was just mentioning, that particular provision of moving the first-generation limit would have an impact on untold numbers of persons born abroad—in the tens of thousands or more.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Okay. Thank you for that.
I was just wondering: On average, and this is maybe similar, how many people a year are shocked to find they aren't Canadian citizens when applying for a passport?
Director General, Citizenship Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
As I mentioned, we had 130 such persons who came forward and received that discretionary grant because they had lost their citizenship automatically due to section 8. It's a limited cohort as I mentioned. It's not a significant number.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
That was the number in that 50-month window between February 15, 1977, and April 16, 1981. Is what you're referring to?
Director General, Citizenship Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
That's correct.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
The previous government streamlined a process for people receiving citizenship through ministerial discretion by eliminating the necessity of going through the Treasury Board cabinet committee's approval. Did that help at all in speeding up the process?
Director General, Citizenship Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I can't comment on the timelines for that process because they may vary from one case to the next, but my understanding is that it's a timely process for those going through—
Conservative
Director General, Citizenship Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
—the subsection 5(4) process for the reasons the member mentioned. It's not a cabinet process. It's done in the department.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
We've heard reports that some of the lost Canadians received their subsection 5(4) ministerial grants in their favour after many years of waiting. How long on average does that process take?
Director General, Citizenship Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I don't have those statistics today, but we can follow up with the committee and determine what is feasible to provide and provide it in a timely fashion.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Thank you.
Will having this legislation passed make the situation of lost Canadians impacted by this legislation more efficient for the IRCC's functions? I'm assuming that the bill would reduce the number of inquiries and streamline the process in some cases.