Thanks for being here today. I’m honoured to be here, on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada, to unveil significant improvements to the Citizenship Act.
These improvements are a long time coming. Canadians are justifiably proud of the traditions and values that guide our way of life, and our immigration system needs to reflect that. Citizenship is a pledge of mutual responsibility, and a shared commitment to values rooted in our history. And as Canadians, we can be very proud of the changes brought forward a few moments ago in the House of Commons by our Government.
This is one of my favorite heritage sites in the city of Toronto. It speaks to the very beginnings of this city’s history. A military garrison was built on this site in 1793. The west wall and circular battery that are still here today helped guard against American invasion during the War of 1812. The men waging that battle – British and Canadians, Mississauga and Ojibwa Aboriginals – were heavily outnumbered and severely outgunned. Casualties numbered in the hundreds. But ultimately, the defense of Canada against American invasion was successful. Canada might very well not exist today had things gone differently here at York. Indeed, it is in honour of those who protected this city, in honour of those who have served and serve today, in honour of all who have made the sacrifice of war, and those who have contributed in their own way to building this great country, that we are further strengthening the value of Canadian citizenship.
In recent years, our Government has implemented significant changes to Canada’s generous immigration system. We’ve introduced a series of reforms to ensure that as we welcome newcomers to our country, we are meeting our economic and labour market needs. We are reuniting more families, welcoming more permanent residents, and attracting to Canada the world’s most talented and innovative immigrants, who contribute to the Canadian economy and help our country flourish.
But welcoming newcomers and settling them into the country doesn’t represent the full story. We want newcomers to continue down the path towards Canadian citizenship. We want new citizens to embrace our rich culture and values, and feel compelled to remain active members of Canadian society. Canadian citizenship is uniquely valuable in the world – it is a weighty privilege, that carries with it duties and rights, privileges and responsibilities.
As we reform the immigration system, it’s also critical to ensure that we protect and strengthen the great value of Canadian citizenship, and remind individuals that citizenship is not a right… it’s a privilege.
That’s why, this morning, our Government tabled Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, in the House of Commons. By tabling this Act, we are meeting our commitment – in the most recent Speech from the Throne – to strengthen and protect the integrity of Canadian citizenship by introducing the first comprehensive reforms to the Citizenship Act in over a generation.
Not since 1977 – more than 36 years – have Canadians seen such significant changes to the Act, and as a government, we are confident that these changes reflect what Canadians want and expect: A system that emphasizes how great of a privilege Canadian citizenship is, while protecting it from abuse.
The measures in this Bill improve the process by which newcomers become Canadian citizens, and ensure that process reflects the great importance Canadians place in their citizenship. These significant and long-needed reforms fulfill the Government’s commitment in four specific ways: they reinforce the value of citizenship; they strengthen the integrity of the system and counter fraudulent attempts to gain citizenship; they improve the efficiency of the citizenship program by streamlining application processing, and helping qualified applicants acquire citizenship faster; and, not least importantly, they honour those who have served, and who currently serve, Canada.
In a few moments, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act. But before I do, I’d like to give you a few highlights about the important measures it proposes. Let’s talk first about the measures that reinforce the value of Canadian citizenship.
As I said, a price cannot be put on Canadian citizenship – it cannot be bought – and we must ensure that our policies respect and strengthen that value. The measures in the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act include changes to the residence requirements for citizenship.
This Act lengthens the residence requirement from three out of four years in Canada to four out of six years before applying for citizenship, and would clarify that “residence” means having an actual physical presence in the country. Requiring physical presence in Canada for this length of time better supports the integration of newcomers into Canadian society. It enables prospective citizens to develop a stronger connection to Canada, encourages their sense of belonging here, and fosters their full participation in Canadian life. Again, these changes would reinforce the value of citizenship by requiring applicants to demonstrate and reaffirm their commitment to Canada. But they are not the only measures in Bill C-24 that would reinforce the value of citizenship.
We are ensuring that more prospective citizens can have an acceptable grasp of either English or French when they apply for citizenship, enabling their full participation in Canadian life. We also want to ensure that a larger group has a satisfactory knowledge of Canada – our rights, values and freedoms. To that end, another measure in this Bill requires citizenship applicants aged 14 to 64 to meet more stringent language requirements and to pass a knowledge test in one of our two official languages. Currently only applicants aged 18 to 54 are required to meet language and knowledge requirements.
This Act also extends citizenship to more of the so-called “Lost Canadians”. These are people who either lost their Canadian citizenship or never received it in the first place because of outdated provisions in previous citizenship legislation. In 2009, amendments to the Citizenship Act restored or gave citizenship to most of the “Lost Canadians”, but a small number of people born before 1947, and their children born outside Canada in the first generation, did not benefit from those changes. Bill C-24 gives citizenship to many of these people.
The Act also ensures that we have stronger tools to counter citizenship fraud and, more broadly, to bolster the integrity of the system. For example, there are provisions to deter unscrupulous citizenship consultants.While we have already taken some action to crack down on crooked consultants, this Act proposes tougher penalties for those who abuse the system and will also create a system to monitor and oversee the activities of citizenship consultants.
One proposed change to the Citizenship Act protects our country from individuals who have been convicted of a foreign crime banning them as citizenship applicants. For those who obtain their citizenship fraudulently, our government will revoke their citizenship and they will face the full force of the law.
We have heard from those who say that the citizenship process is too long, and we are taking steps to make the process easier. With this legislation, we will move from a three-step to a one-step decision-making process. This means that by 2015-2016, the processing time for citizenship applications will be under a year. This change will also reduce duplication of work, which will ensure taxpayers’ dollars are spent more wisely.
Finally we want to acknowledge those individuals who devote their lives to serving Canada and making it the great country we know and love. Before I outline these provisions, I should publicly acknowledge and thank my colleague Devinder Shory, the Member of Parliament for Calgary Northeast, for originating the idea for some of them, which originally appeared in a Private Member’s Bill that he introduced in Parliament. His dedication to this file, and to serving our men and women in uniform, really shows our Government’s support for those who serve our country defending peace, freedom and democracy around the world.
One of these provisions will fast-track citizenship for permanent residents serving our country with the Canadian Armed Forces. Another provision would extend citizenship by descent to the children of those who were born or adopted abroad to Canadian Crown servants and members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
And finally, measures in Bill C-24 would provide the authority to revoke Canadian citizenship from dual citizens who were members of an armed force or an organized armed group, engaged in armed conflict with Canada, and to deny citizenship to permanent residents similarly involved in such actions. Dual citizens and permanent residents convicted of terrorism, high treason, treason, or certain spying offences are not welcome, and the Bill will prevent these individuals from acquiring citizenship.
As a Torontonian, I am extremely proud of the pluralistic and cosmopolitan city this is today. As someone who has had the good fortune of seeing many corners of the world – both the good and the less so – I recognize how truly special it is to have the mix of nationalities we do here. We are indeed stronger for it. And it reinforces that Canadian citizenship is our most precious commodity. It is valued and desired by millions of people from around the world.
Our Government expects new Canadians to take part in democratic life, economic potential, and the rich cultural traditions that are involved in becoming a Canadian citizen. In recognition of this, the Government is committed to doing everything it can to protect and strengthen that value. We are tabling this Act with the conviction that we must do everything within our power to preserve what works well in the citizenship process and to introduce improvements where there are existing shortcomings.
As I mentioned, these are the first comprehensive reforms to the Citizenship Act in more than a generation. Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, is designed to ensure that Canadian citizenship will continue to be the envy of the world for generations to come.
Thanks very much. I will be happy to take any questions you may have.
