Mr. Speaker, the issue of citizenship is one I have heard about on more than one occasion from constituents concerned with how our laws impact their status. It is one about which we as parliamentarians are called upon to make decisions and establish rules that will, by their nature, exclude some people.
Canada, like all countries, has regulations surrounding who is automatically granted citizenship. At present, while citizenship is granted to children born outside Canada to Canadian citizens, those children do not have the right to pass on their citizenship to their children if those children are born outside Canada.
This amendment to the Citizenship Act would address that issue. Specifically, this bill would amend the Citizenship Act to do the following:
(a) ensure that citizenship by descent is conferred on all persons who were born outside Canada before the coming into force of this enactment to a parent who was a citizen;
(b) confer citizenship by descent on persons born outside Canada after the first generation, on or after the coming into force of this enactment, to a parent who is a citizen and who had a substantial connection to Canada before the person's birth;
(c) allow citizenship to be granted under section 5.1 of that Act to all persons born outside Canada who were adopted before the coming into force of this enactment by a parent who was a citizen;
(d) allow citizenship to be granted under section 5.1 of that Act to persons born outside Canada who are adopted on or after the coming into force of this enactment by a parent who is a citizen and who had a substantial connection to Canada before the person's adoption;
(e) restore citizenship to persons who lost their citizenship because they did not make an application to retain it under the former section 8 of that Act or because they made an application under that section that was not approved; and
(f) allow certain persons who become citizens as a result of the coming into force of this enactment to access a simplified process to renounce their citizenship.
Like many members of this House, I have been present at ceremonies when new citizens have pledged their allegiance to Canada. It is always an exciting occasion, one filled with smiles and joy. I am always reminded of the time, decades ago, when I was taking the oath.
I am a proud Canadian. I chose to come here. I chose to become a Canadian citizen and embrace Canadian values. I have no regrets. It is a privilege to be a citizen of the greatest country in the world. It is a privilege to have been asked by the people of Edmonton Manning to represent them in this House.
For most of those not born here, Canadian citizenship is not a right, nor should it be. When it comes to citizenship, each country makes its own rules. Canada grants citizenship automatically to anyone born in this country. That is not the case in a number of countries, which expect children born in their territory to be citizens of whatever country their parents are from.
Whether one system is better than another is a matter of preference, but the fact remains that countries have to make choices and establish laws surrounding who is and who is not a citizen. Do we want to grant citizenship generation after generation to those who have no real connection to this country and for whom a Canadian passport is a matter of convenience? This legislation would allow that. We would have Canadian citizens who have never set foot in Canada. Is that what we want?
In 2009, Canada established a first-generation limit on citizenship. Those born abroad to Canadian citizens would automatically be granted citizenship. The next generation, though, if also born outside Canada, would not automatically be citizens. That system worked well, balancing the granting of citizenship with a true connection to the country. I do not see a need to change that. Perhaps we in this House need a history lesson to help us understand why we have the citizenship rules we have today.
In the mid-2000s, the crisis in Lebanon caused many Lebanese Canadians to pass citizenship on to their children for the purpose of relocating to Canada, even though these individuals have little to no connection to Canada. Then, in 2006, the Canadian government spent $94 million on the evacuation of 15,000 Lebanese Canadians. These people who benefited from Canadian citizenship with minimal connection to Canada became known as “Canadians of convenience”. We know that $94 million is a lot of money.
In 2009, the government, led by former prime minister Stephen Harper, addressed concerns about Canadians of convenience, those who hold Canadian citizenship but live abroad and do not participate in Canadian society. This led to the enactment of Bill C-37, which amended the Citizenship Act to restrict the transmission of Canadian citizenship to only one generation born outside Canada. Since then, a Canadian citizen born outside of Canada could pass citizenship on to their children who were born abroad, but the grandchildren, if also born abroad, would not automatically inherit Canadian citizenship unless their parents were abroad in service to the Crown. To me, that makes sense.
I value my citizenship. Being a Canadian should be more than holding just a passport. It should be taking part in the life of the community. I believe that, with rights, we should also have responsibilities. Bill C-3 does not acknowledge that. It would allow parents to pass citizenship on to their children, for generation after generation, as long as one parent spent 1,095 non-consecutive days in Canada prior to the birth of the child. There are no criminal checks, which is required for immigrants. This is a multi-generational flow-through citizenship for people who did not live nor are required to live in Canada. No real ties to Canada would be required for citizenship if this legislation were to pass. The vague substantial connection test allows multi-generational foreign residents to claim citizenship with minimal presence in Canada. Is that what we want?
We all are anxiously awaiting the federal budget next month. We already know that the Liberals have changed the bookkeeping procedures in an effort to confuse Canadians and hide what is sure to be a record deficit.
In 2024, the then minister of finance resigned rather than present a fiscally irresponsible statement to the House featuring an astronomical deficit. Given the Liberals' spending since then, this year's deficit may make last year's numbers fiscally prudent, which may explain why they have shown no interest in figuring out how much this bill would cost Canadians. The government has not done a cost analysis as its own officials told MPs during the technical briefing. The government has not told Canadians how many new citizens this bill would create or the cost to taxpayers, especially in health care and in pensions.
We are facing a fiscal crisis and the Liberal response is to pretend it is not happening and to spend more money. Bill C-3 is a reminder of that.
Conservatives believe in strong, fair and meaningful Canadian citizenship. We will continue to oppose giveaways and stand up for integrity, security and a responsible immigration policy for Canada.