The changes proposed under the new billinclude extending the waiting period tobecome a citizen, extending citizenshipto the “Lost Canadians”, and revokingcitizenship from dual citizens in somesituations as well doubling citizenshipfee. The bill also puts more power in thehands of the Minister to make decisions related to citizenship.
OTTAWA – While this week’scitizenship bill contains someimportant reforms, theConservative government hasincluded many provisions thatare concerning and which willrequire serious study, said federalNDP.“Everyone agrees that Canadiancitizenship is something ofenormous value. What we don’twant to see is an approach thatplays politics with the issue—something we’ve seen all toooften from this government,”said NDP Citizenship andImmigration critic LysaneB l a n c h e t t e – L a m o t h e(Pierrefonds – Dollard). “TheMinister needs to do the rightthing and commit to workingwith us to bring real improvementsto our citizenship laws.”The changes proposed underthe new bill include extendingthe waiting period to become acitizen, extending citizenship tothe “Lost Canadians”, andrevoking citizenship from dualcitizens in some situations. Thebill also puts more power in thehands of the Minister to makedecisions related to citizenship.“The Conservatives have failedto take action on the most obviousproblems – the enormouscitizenship processing backlogthat they themselves created,”added NDP Multiculturalismcritic Andrew Cash(Davenport). “Instead of givinghimself more power, theMinister should focus on helpingthousands of families stillwaiting to reunite.”The new legislation will streamlineCanada’s citizenship programby reducing the decisionmakingprocess from three stepsto one. It is expected that, by2015–2016, this change willbring the average processingtime for citizenship applicationsdown to under a year. It is alsoprojected that by 2015-2016, thecurrent backlog will be reducedby more than 80 percent.Citizenship application fees willbe better aligned with the actualcost of processing, relieving theburden on Canadian taxpayerswho currently subsidize 80 percentof the cost. This legislationincludes stronger penalties forfraud and misrepresentation (amaximum fine of $100,000and/or five years in prison), andexpanding the grounds to bar anapplication for citizenship toinclude foreign criminalitywhich will help improve programintegrity. “Our governmentis strengthening the valueof Canadian citizenship. Canadians understandthat citizenship should not besimply a passport of convenience.Citizenship is a pledgeof mutual responsibility anda shared commitment to valuesrooted in our history. I ampleased to bring forward thefirst comprehensive and overduereforms of the CitizenshipAct in more than a generation,”said Citizenship andImmigration Minister ChrisAlexander.The Immigration Consultantsof Canada RegulatoryCouncil (ICCRC) applaudedthe new legislation and said itwill to further safeguard consumerinterests by regulatingthose who act as consultantson citizenship matters. “TheMinister’s move to regulatepersons who provide adviceon the citizenship process isa necessary and importantchange,” said Bob Brack, President& CEO of the ICCRC.“While the Canadian immigrationconsulting profession hasbeen effectively regulated bythe ICCRC since 2011, undera provision in the Immigrationand Refugee ProtectionAct similar to that announcedyesterday, citizenship consultinghas never been regulated.The ICCRC looks forward toworking with CIC to ensurethat persons providing citizenshipadvice are effectivelyregulated.”
