Liberals take strong stand on Lost Canadian rights
Left out and left behind, the remaining Lost Canadians get a beacon of hope in a Liberal promise.
Liberal Citizenship critic Justin Trudeau announced today that a Liberal government would make Lost Canadian cases a priority of their administration.
“It's not right that a country that is a leader in rights and freedoms would have a law that would have your parents' gender or parents' marital status result in a person losing their citizenship,” Trudeau told the Vancouver Observer over the phone about the Liberals Friday media release.
“I am looking forward to the Conservatives being agreeable to this. The ball is in their court. We are not looking to get into a big battle over this and hopefully they will find some of our reforms agreeable…if not, we will bring it ourselves when we form a government.”
The announcement is a breath of hope for remaining Lost Canadians like Jackie Scott, who after more than five years of applications is still being denied her citizenship because she was born out of wedlock before Canada’s first citizenship act in 1947.
“This is a tremendous step forward. Finally a political party that understands the inequities in the Citizenship Act and the unfair treatment of the 5% left behind Lost Canadians,” Scott said.
Canada’s most recent citizenship legislation, 2008’s Bill C-37, re-enfranchised thousands of Canadians whose citizenship had been taken from them due to antiquated and sexist laws. It did not, however, return citizenship to all of them.
“Mr. Harper, maybe I shouldn’t be asking you this question, just as you shouldn’t be asking me, but were you born in wedlock? That question is inappropriate as is your decision to deny me citizenship because of it,” Scott said.
Celyeste Power, Press Secretary for Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, told the Vancouver Observer that the Conservative government was aware of outstanding problems.
“Our government takes this issue very seriously and we sympathize with those whose citizenship had been questioned because of outdated citizenship laws.”
Power would not comment specifically on the new Liberal promise or specific Lost Canadian examples.
“This bill (Bill- C-37) resolved the majority of cases and for those unresolved we continue to work with them on a case by case basis.”
Many Lost Canadians are still finding that the case-by-case process, known as a 5.4 special grant of citizenship, counts them out.
“I think the Conservative government has always held that 5.4 covers people. But we have seen that it has not been effective in working for people who deserve to be Canadian,” Trudeau said.
One time Lost Canadian-turned advocate, Don Chapman, said he was happy about today’s Liberal media release adding that he was looking forward to more action on the issue.
“Putting out a Lost Canadian press release effectively makes equality of rights and ongoing discrimination an election issue. I now call on all the other political parties to join Mr. Ignatieff, as the rights of citizenship belong to all Canadians- not just those of one particular party.”
Read more about Lost Canadians here.
(75) Comments
Stephen Harper spoke these words last year to the Ukranian people, "As Canadians, we believe that a government must work in the interests of it’s people, not the other way around. We believe that countries that respect the rights of their own people are more likely to respect the rights of other nations and be good world citizens," and "The actions of our government are guided by the principal that hate and discrimination have no place in a civilized society."
Mr. Harper, you call yourself a Christian. Well, aren't Christians supposed to show compassion, acceptance, and forgiveness? To deny Jackie Scott citizenship because she was born out of wedlock 65 years ago sure makes a mockery of the values you supposedly hold dear. Actions do speak louder than words- come on, do the right thing, accept the last remaining Lost Canadians- end this despicable chapter in Canadian history.
At last an MP and a party have shown the strength of their private comments and opinions and taken a step forward to solve the issue instead of sideways to dodge it. Bravo Mr. Trudeau. Bravo Mr. Ignatieff and bravo for the LPC. In my experience as a Lost Canadian I have never encountered anyone who learned of this situation who wasn't appalled. But too few people seem to know about it. Hopefully elevating the problem to a campaign issue is the critical step necessary to solve the problem so that Canada can be practicing what it preaches and what it espouses to be.
One may say that it easy for the liberals to claim support for the remaining "Lost Canadians" as it may be politically expedient to do so. However, since there has been very little progress from Harper's current conservative government in regarding many individual cases brought before them, then any meaningful and proactive comments from any party on this issue should be welcomed.
Remember that the conservatives worked in favor of limiting the effects of C-37, thus helping exclude those born before 1947 such as Jackie Scott.
If they had given human rights and the "Lost Canadian" issue their 100% support early on, they wouldn't have to face the consequences of all this "bad press" through these contraversial cases being publicized repeatedly in newspapers across Canada.
When are the conservatives finally going to start swimming with the tide instead of against it? Otherwise this tide is likely to sweep them away!
Practice what you preach, Mr. Harper. Human rights, equality for all people, protection under the Charter should be your mandate. As you said, "...hate and discrimination have no place in a civilized society." Correct the problems with the Citizenship Act and immediately allow the remaining five percent their citizenship. It's the just and right thing to do.
Why does there seem to be so little of it in Canada these days, when it comes to righting past discriminatory legal issues, such as the one suffered by should-be citizens who happened to be born out of wedlock? How silly can we be?? Why didn't Bill C-37 address all Canadians who lost their citizenship, or perhaps never had it, because of these laws? Why didn't it address those lost ones who have since died without ever having gained or regained it? The Sec. 5.4 case by case process has done so little for so few - and enables more governmental foot-dragging. As I have said before, I have written to both conservative and NDP politicians on this issue over a number of years and have yet to receive a single answer from any of them. Although they do not hesitate to beg me for support dollars when they are campaigning for office. I would like to believe you, Mr. Trudeau, but why should I?
People across the globe and in Canada do not know yet until it comes to pension day or passport renewals ect- that they are not counted as Canadian. Perhaps as you were born out of wedlock or even in, or through Female lineage or perhaps because you were born IN canada!! Just how cringeworthy and ridiculous does this look to other nations while Mr Harper bangs on about rights and how he supports them!! I'd like to see Mr Harper and his spare part Kenney scrabble for rights if someone else write laws that cancel out their heritage and passports- regardless of tax paying/birth/parents. This is long overdue and those who've worked their whole lives being forced out of Canada is just proposterous..laughable that Harper thinks these laws that go against UN conventions/womens rights/ageism/marriage as they stand today..are justified in remaining in law under his government and this Not In My Back Yard attitude. 5.4s are no good, Kenney is responsible for taking- what in the UK would be seen as- time that amounts to nothing less than a joke. Turnaround times waste years of peoples lives, quick enough to allow people of other nations to take jobs though eh? This I hope, is something the Liberals stick with and by, some fresh hope for those treated like a disease for too long, made to wait years, forced out. Truly I hope for the sake of many, other parties follow suit..flags up to the Libs for atleast doing something to address this issue. Justice I hope, will follow.
Celyeste Power, Press Secretary for Citizenship and Immigration Minster told the Vancouver Observer that the Conservative government was aware of outstanding problems and that « we sympathize with those whose citizenship had been questioned because of outdated citizenship laws.”
With all due respect, Ms. Power . . .I am sick and tired of hearing the same pat answers ! It is time for candor, truth and resolve. This is expected of us, as citizens . . .why not of government officials ? For too many years now, the Canadian government has tried its best to enervate many of its own citizens, many of whom have long-standing ties to Canada. Instead of support, we have had doors slammed in our faces, thousands of dollars taken to fight costly court battles, words blown across pages in numerous press releases, broken promises and worse of all . . blatant lies told by government officials working in government offices. To top it all off, systematically using « Section 5.4 » as the answer to the problem is an affront to recognizing our birth rights to Canadian citizenship as it suddenly reduces us to 1st generation citizens instead of 10th generation, as in my own case (tracing family lineage to the first 3 Gagnon to arrive in Québec from France in 1634).
To say that our Citizenship Act is « out-dated » makes it sound like it could thus be easily discarded, replaced, ignored. It is MORE than out-dated, Ms. Power ! Its laws REEK of disgusting, prejudicial, archaic, discriminatory actions long-supported by a government that professes to be a proud support of equal rights ! THE CITIZENSHIP ACT NEEDS TO BE RE-WRITTEN NOW to more aptly define our ideals. It would be a huge leap forward if ALL parties, would, once and for all, EMBRACE working together, putting aside political animosities, selfishness, disagreement and competitiveness. Can not the Liberals, Conservatives, NDPs and Bloc Québecois opt to wrestle this conundrum together ?
In the summer of 2008, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Harper very briefly during his BBQ tours in British Columbia. As we met and I explained who I was and that I advocated with Don Chapman for the Lost Canadians, Mr. Harper not only immediately knew who we were but he also gave the political spiel of « how this would not happen with the Conservative party but that it was because of the Liberals, NDPs and Bloc Québecois ». As I told him then, and tell Ms. Power now : this IS NOT a political issue belonging to, or because of, one party. Rather, it is a human rights/equal rights issue that SHOULD concern ALL PARTIES ! As a citizen, I expect my country and its officials to uphold the integrity of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms…even in the face of adversity.
The different parties in government should dare to work together to no longer disavow responsibility. They should dare to illustrate more probity in their willingness to take actions . . . FINALLY ! Only a course of united action to re-write the Citizenship Act will be testimonial to Canadian principals held dear by all Canadians : respect, honesty, integrity, caring, equal rights.
So Celyeste Power says that the gov't is taking this issue very seriously and is sympathetic. Really? Could have fooled me. If that were really true, we wouldn't be fighting this for 5%. And Magail indicates that Harper tosses the blame onto the other parties. Pul-ease!!! Harper could put an end to this today if he wanted to. Why he doesn't is beyond rational thought.
Seeing the press release from the Liberals on Friday was SO encouraging and like Don, I urge the other parties to join the Libs and give justice for all.
I have been a Canadian twice, once after emigrating from France and once after "resumption" of nationality when I returned to Canada from the US. I had lost my Canadian citizenship after becoming a US citizen. Our children, although born in Canada, were not recognized as Canadian citizens and we fought the Canadian government to regain their citizenship and we won. But for thousands of others the government still refuses to recognize their right. I applaud Mr. Trudeau's intentions and I hope that the Harper's government will heed to his words and allow ALL LOST CANADIANS to regain their rightful rights to a Canadian citizenship. Thanks to Don Chapman who has for years fought for recognition of the Lost Canadians.
Respectfully,
Michel Castro, father of Magali Castro-Gyr who sued the Canadian government and won.
It's about time that a political party took up this highly discriminatory and unjust issue! What's the matter with the Conservatives?--here's an issue that actually wouldn't cost them any votes, is not divisive, and, more to the point, is actually the right thing to do!
Get with the program, Stevie.
This announcement will make the plight of the remaining Lost Canadians an election issue (though probably not a front-page one!).
With all-party agreement, the necessary remedial bill could probably be passed in one parliamentary day. The government must now do what is right, or explain what it is defending, what policy objective is served, by continuing to exclude people from citizenship under obscure, unfair rules that were repealed 34 years ago and that no politician today would defend.
I hope this is the beginning of the end of Canada's disgraceful record of casting some of it's citizens adrift. While the reform act of a few years ago was a begining there are still many of Canada's own that are being shamefully treated. I am a natural born 4th generation Canadian who grew up in Quebec and who was then stripped of his citizenship in his early 20's without due propcess, consent, notice or appeal. While, 40 years later, Bill 37 finally corrected this error for me, there are still many others in simlar situations. I personally know the impact of Canada's repugnant and unjust attitudes towards some of its citizens. It is time to finally correct this for the benefit of all Canadians.
I am dumbfounded that Mr. Harper continues to hold back on this issue. What on earth is Canada giving up by restoring citizenship to this handful of worthy individuals?
There has finally been a groundswell of press supporting the remaining Lost Canadians, and now the Liberal party, outstanding! The Conservatives readily acknowledge the remaining Lost Canadians plight according to Ms. Power, but simply refuse to fix it, why?
Now that it’s an election issue, “thanks” to the Liberal Party, perhaps Mr. Harper will finally act? As Don Chapman, leader of the Lost Canadians has repeatedly said, this issue is not going away. It is not too late for Mr. Harper to receive accolades for doing the right thing. Remember Mr. Harper, the Lost Canadian issue is not about politics, it’s about gender discrimination and human rights. Therefore, the only political risk for you is continue doing nothing, instead of simply fixing the problem.
Arch Ford
Our government takes this issue very seriously and we sympathize with those whose citizenship had been questioned because of outdated citizenship laws.”
Mr. Kenny. It is not nearly enough for the Conservative Government to "take the issue seriously" and to "sympathize" because of antiquated citizenship laws. The time is NOW to change this. Does it really have to become an election issue or will your government do the right thing today!
Jason Kenney's comment about taking the issue of Lost Canadians seriously is disengenuous at best and deceptive evasion at worst. The Citizenship and Immigration Minister uses the case-by-case approach to deny applications, not give Lost Canadians a rightful opportunity to gain their citizenship. We do not see any effort on the part of the Conservative Party to correct the injustices that the Liberal Party correctly identifies as needing to be remedied sooner than later. The Conservative Party, in general, and Jason Kenney, in particular, has actively disregarded the issue of Lost Canadians by routinely denying applications for citizenship, rarely using the 5.4 option to grant citizenship to those who clearly deserve it, and giving only lip-service instead of action to remedy the remaining gaps in the citizenship legislation. There a very few issues that do more to define the moral character of a country and its ruling party than how they treat their own citizens and those who have a birthright to be citizens. What is the Conservative Party afraid of? Why do they lack the courage and openness to effectively and appropriately address this issue? Why does the Prime Minister defend his Citizenship and Immigration Minister who ignores high court rulings and treats Lost Canadians with such disdain? It's time for a change! It's time for an election that will bring the honor back to Parliament with a party that honors its citizens and those who should have been granted the right to be recognized as citizens.
Canada has partly corrected a wrong by restoring the citizenship of many Lost Canadians. But there are still some Lost Canadians who are waiting for the wrong done to them to be corrected. Mostly, they are women who are victims of outmoded laws relating to children born out of wedlock or are foreign-born children of Canadian parents. A wrong that is only partially corrected is still a wrong. The Canadian government should finish the job be correcting these final injustices. In doing so, not only will they show that Canada respects human rights, but they will also recognise the citizenship of persons who are genuine Canadians in every sense. This makes even more sense for Canada than continuing to welcome foreign immigrants who have not made the same contributions to Canada as the remaining Lost Canadians.
"...every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence" It holds that individuals are promoted so long as they work competently, however sooner or later the employee is eventually promoted to a position to which they are no longer competent; their level of incompetence. I think we should be a we bit more kind to Mr. Kenny, its not that Mr. Kenny doesn't care, he simply doesn't get it.
Take my niece for example, she was born in the USA, her mother was born in Canada, therefore my niece is Canadian. However my niece has two children, both born in the USA, one before April 1st 2008 and the second after. This means she has one child who is Canadian and the other is not.
I'm not arguing the merits of whether either child should be Canadian, what I'm suggesting is the present Canadian Citizenship laws need adjusting but it is unlikely to happen until there is an individual in government with the intellectual tools to comprehend the problem.
Jackie Scott is denied citizenship because her parents weren't married when she was born while I'm denied because my parents were married. Does that make any sense at all?
Don Chapman battled for 20 years to get citizenship restored for 95% of the Lost Canadians - only 5% are left, many of whom were born prior to 1947. Time is not on their side.
As others have said this shouldn't be an election issue - it's simply a human rights issue that all parties should be trying to rectify. The time is now!!
I'm a 'Found Canadian' purely by accident. The 'Lost Canadians' still need ALL our help. I was almost one. I'm grateful and extremely appreciative of how I was 'saved'. You can't know.
How'd you like to find out you're not a Citizen due to some archaic and erroneous law and it's incorrect application by silly servants?
If that touches you, speak up! If that affects your grandparents, Speak Up!! If it affects anyone you know, Speak up!!!!
We all need you to SPEAK UP!!! Please help!
The feeking of belonging to one's own country is a basic need of all people. For this need to be denied by the Canadian government under Mr. Harper is both wrong and mean. When I hear that with only the stroke pf a pen, this wrong can be righted, I fail to understand how Mr. Harper and the conservative government have refused to put it right.
Well...another day another Lost Canadian. Thank you Vancouver Observer for being willing and ready to keep this issue before the public. I wish the Canadian Press countrywide would pick up on this topic and nag the government until justice and fairness prevail. There is a distinct lack of a caring Press on the Atlantic side of this country. I ask my friends about Lost Canadians and they do not know what I am talking about...they never heard of the issue...ever. It's past time for poiitical games....get the job done for us. NOW!!!! Forcing us to go through a step by step process only wastes government and our time and $$$$. Thank you Don Chapman for continuing to pursue this issue for us.
Blessings to all
Paul
Congratulations to that great, once "lost" Canadian and the Vancouver Observer for your diligence, steadfastness, and your relentless quest for justice. This isn't and should never be a partisan political issue from which to "score points", but a fundamental matter of right and wrong. The time is long since come for the government to act and for all parliamentarians - regardless of their political stripe - to raise their voices to demand that this injustice be corrected immediately!
Thank you Mr Trudeau and the Vanacouver Observer for acknowledging this citizenship issue. I cant believe the Canadian government refuses to right this wrong. My grandaughter has been denied citizenship based on my gender. Its time to recognize the rights of all our canadian citizens regardless of the gender or marital status of their parents. I hope this isnt more talk, Mr Trudeau, and Mr Harper pay attention, you could fix this problem with the stroke of a pen and save yourself a lot of bad press.
Alll this time spent on such a small percent of people who should be Canadians when we allow so many others into the country with questionable reason.
We seem to be making headway here at last - let's build on this momentum and restore Citizenship to our 'lost' kin.
I, like my sisters, brother, aunt and her kids, my uncles daughter, my other uncles 3 kids making 10 of us oh and my sisters children making 13 of of us, have been denied citizenship even though our parents are Canadian. My aunt and possiby my Uncle did not make 'the deadline' they did not know there was one. Stupidly another Uncle and his 2 children have citizenship because he was born to my Nanny's brother. Even my Nanny and her sibilings were all born in Canada! This is stupid, while my cousins and Dad and uncle can remain in Canada, I can not be there or I have to be reaffirmed as a citizen once i'm in school if I go to my Dads house in Toronto. Why are my cousins allowed and not me ? no difference were all related to Canadian born Canadians but the fools running Canada think it's ok to split us all up! I hope this Justin guy really helps us, I'm as Canadian as my cousins but cant see my Dad unless I visit or he comes here which is wrong and against the law what the government are doing. Cameron-on my sisters email.
It is disgusting how the Canadian government can treat it's citizens with such himilation. Don Chapman has been fighting for decades to do the right thing. He needs some recognition and support for helping so many achieve what is rightfully theirs and is an outstanding man for doing so. Some of the comments written here are just as upsetting as the stories in the Lost Canadian articles themselves- how can this go so unnoticed?? Or should I say, IGNORED! If you don't know about Don Chapman's website lostcanadian.com, go to it now and educate yourself because it is the right thing to do.
“Our government takes this issue very seriously and we sympathize with those whose citizenship had been questioned because of outdated citizenship laws.”
Celyeste Power, Press Secretary for Citizenship and Immigration Minister
Many Lost Canadians are still finding that the case-by-case process, known as a 5.4 special grant of citizenship, counts them out.
I´ve always read the same canned answer... I´m really sick of this bureacrats.
If we are just the 5% left out why don´t you "stroke of a pen" fix this?.
Mr. Harper if you know this is wrong why don´t you fix it? are you masochist?.
DO IT!