Madam Speaker, this is an interesting motion. It raises interesting points for debate. I like private members' business and initiatives that allow an exchange of ideas. It gives us a chance to point out different ways in which people look at issues before the House.
The member who just spoke referred to the certificate of citizenship as “that piece of paper”. It is much more than a piece of paper. That so-called piece of paper means a person is entitled to hold a passport that is respected around the world because Canadians have earned a reputation that is respected around the world. It is not just a piece of paper.
A person who is not a Canadian citizen and has committed a criminal offence is subject to deportation under the laws of Canada. Citizenship is a declaration of commitment to Canada. To get that piece of paper people must demonstrate they can speak and read functionally one of our official languages. They must study an introductory book about Canada and be able to demonstrate a knowledge of our country. People under the age of 18 and over the age of 59 do not have to take the test. They are exempt. However those between the ages of 19 to 59 are subject to a written or oral test of their knowledge of Canada.
Citizenship is not just a piece of paper. It is something we have earned. It is something we cherish. It is something that gives us benefits and rights.
Most of the hon. member's motion deals with voting rights. It would allow immigrants to vote because they pay taxes and participate in society in other ways. The premise is that this would somehow fix voter turnout rates. The reality is different. Voter turnouts in various political jurisdictions can go higher or lower depending on the circumstances.
For example, in the city of Mississauga we have nine councillors and a mayor. An election comes up every three years. We have a popular and long serving mayor, Hazel McCallion, who is over 80 years old. During the last municipal election she was on a trade mission to China. She was running for election but was out of the country. She won because she had already earned enough support. The voter turnout was less than 30%. It was around 22%. I am a longtime resident of Mississauga. When there have been contested mayoralty races the turnout has been 60%, three times higher, because the principal position in the municipality has been contested by at least one credible opposition candidate.
In recent elections Canada has shown a slight decline in the number of voters who have turned out to exercise their right and, I believe, their responsibility to vote for the people who represent them in their various jurisdictions. However there have been varying circumstances during this period. One of them, and the hon. member will not like this, is the fact that in 1993 the Conservative Party had so turned off the people of Canada that it was reduced to two seats after being a majority government. There was a big negative vote against the party. At the same time a new party was created but it was an unproven party. Canadians will only elect a party if it demonstrates that it is a government in waiting.
We had a situation where one party was being thrown out for its bad government and a new party was coming in that had not had an opportunity to demonstrate its ability to lead the country. The electorate did not have a choice. It had to make sure we had a stable government in place.
Quite frankly, these have been the circumstances in the 1993, 1997 and 2000 elections. The opposition parties have not demonstrated that they are governments in waiting. For that reason I have had people tell me we would win automatically. They have told me it was obvious because of all the seats we had in Ontario and elsewhere. This may be oversimplifying but circumstances in Canada have demonstrated it.
There is another aspect I thought was interesting. Over the years we have had a significant increase in the number of new Canadians because of the aging of our society. Many new Canadians come here and take out citizenship after their four year waiting period. Sometimes they do not vote. People have told me they are citizens and are on the voters list but do not vote. Many new Canadians come from countries where the political process is corrupt, jaundiced and vicious. Let us look at what is happening in Zimbabwe and other countries. There is a fear of politics. There is a fear of voting. This is a reality.
We must earn the respect of new Canadians by demonstrating that the democracy we enjoy in Canada is a friendly democracy. We must show them it is not only a privilege but a right and a responsibility to participate in the electoral process. We must show them that as citizens they can be elected representatives in our country.
Many hon. members in this place were not born Canadians. They emigrated here. There are many examples. On the parliamentary website there is a special section with a list of all of members of parliament who were not born in Canada.
Allowing immigrants to vote may increase the number of voters but I doubt it would increase voter turnout. I suggest it would decrease average voter turnout because many immigrants come from places where the electoral process is a negative for them. They have lived in fear. They have lived in repressive regimes. They have lived in dictatorships. They have lived in places like Zimbabwe where police chase them away from voting stations. They have lived in places like Romania which has had a dictatorial system. They have lived in other countries with longstanding practices of suppressing the democratic process and punishing people who speak out.
Considering the circumstances some new Canadians come from we can imagine their shock when they come here. They realized they were coming to a free, peaceful and democratic country but are amazed at what a beautiful country this is because of the rights and freedoms we all enjoy.
We welcome all Canadians regardless of whether they take out citizenship. People coming to our shores enjoy the protection of our charter of rights and freedoms. It is part of our value system that we extend the rights and privileges of Canadian citizens to all who come to our shores.
However we have rules for becoming a citizen. There is an important reason for this. We need to hold on to our value system. Canada is a sovereign country. It is a place that gives hope to people seeking a better life. We changed the coat of arms of Canada. We added a ribbon and put in the phrase “they seek a better life”. We did so because Canada has grown and prospered because of new Canadians. We have embraced them. We have demonstrated to them that we are not only everything they thought we were. We are much more. That is why citizenship must be encouraged. It should carry rights and privileges as well.
I want people to become citizens of Canada. I want them to participate in the electoral process. Unfortunately we cannot legislate that. It has to be earned. I am delighted at how that works.
I encourage all members to look at a booklet that is available from the House that can be used to inform people in our communities who have not taken out citizenship but who are eligible, on how to become a citizen so we will have more citizens on the electoral roles.