Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller speaks in Ottawa on May 23, 2024.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Hello,
The federal government tabled legislation Thursday that’s aimed at bringing “lost Canadians” lacking a clear path to citizenship back into the fold.
If passed, Bill C-71 would automatically give Canadian citizenship to people born abroad to a Canadian citizen parent who was also born outside Canada. Children born outside of Canada and adopted by parents who hold Canadian citizenship and were born abroad would also be eligible.
Parents will be required to prove that they spent three consecutive years living in Canada prior to the birth or adoption of their child.
The proposed legislation would also restore citizenship to “Lost Canadians,” the term for people who lost or never acquired citizenship because of outdated previous citizenship legislation. C-71 would also extend citizenship to the descendants of those “Lost Canadians” and to anyone born abroad to a Canadian parent before the legislation comes into force.
“The current rules generally restrict citizenship by descent to the first generation, excluding some people who have a genuine connection to Canada,” Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said in a statement. “This has unacceptable consequences for families and impacts life choices, such as where individuals may choose to live, work, study, or even where to have children and raise a family.”
The change will reverse a 2009 rule brought in by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government that introduced a “second-generation cutoff rule” limiting citizenship for people in these circumstances. A 2023 Ontario Superior Court ruling declared the first-generation limit unconstitutional and gave the government until June 19 to fix the law.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Trudeau cabinet withholding documents on foreign interference from inquiry: The Liberal government is facing pushback from Justice Marie-Josée Hogue for citing cabinet confidentiality in redacting records provided to the public inquiry investigating meddling by China and other hostile states in Canadian democracy.
Charges dropped against four of 11 accused in Toronto Indigo vandalism amid Middle East protests: Charges have been dropped against four people accused of vandalizing an Indigo store in Toronto in protest against its owner’s support for soldiers of the Israeli military.
The difficult task of identifying Ukraine’s missing soldiers: More than 30,000 Ukrainians have been reported missing since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, many of them soldiers. They went off to fight, and their loved ones are left wondering what happened to them. It’s possible they’re being held captive by Russian troops. They may have been killed.
Best Caisse Scenario: A debate is raging over whether Canada’s pension plans invest enough of their vast assets at home. And Charles Emond – the man charged with producing big returns while contributing to Quebec’s economy – is at the centre of it all.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – The Bloc Québécois uses its opposition day to force a debate on a non-binding motion on “federal intrusions in the exclusive jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces.” Leader Yves-François Blanchet put the motion forward.
More details on today’s business are available here.
THE DECIBEL
Gildan T-shirts are everywhere. The ubiquity of its products has turned Gildan into one of the biggest clothing manufacturers and wholesalers in the world, bringing in billions in revenue every year. But recently, Gildan has been in the news about a fight between its former CEO and the board. And this boardroom drama has refocused attention on how the Montreal-based company makes its clothes so cheaply. Listen here.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Justin Trudeau was in Toronto today for the announcement that the city has been awarded a WNBA team that will begin playing in 2026. For more background, Rachel Brady also had this story on Teresa Resch, new president of the yet-to-be-named team.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is in Winnipeg for the campaign launch of newly nominated candidate Leila Dance in Elmwood-Transcona.
No big events for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre today.
OPINION
Piecemeal tax changes won’t do. To get out of Canada’s productivity rut, we need radical reform:
“By now it is well understood that Canada is suffering from an acute crisis of growth, productivity and investment. That is to say, investment has sunk to such low levels – insufficient even to replace capital as it wears out or becomes obsolete, meaning the capital stock is actually declining – that productivity has not merely ceased to grow, but has of late been falling, as has per capita GDP.” - Andrew Coyne
Insulting a rival politician’s appearance is a low blow:
“In a debate, one can go low or high, to borrow from Michelle Obama. High: question – even attack – your rival’s policies, decisions or actions. But if low is a politician’s preferred route, there are other options. Among the ugliest, if you will, is targeting an opponent’s physical appearance.” - Marsha Lederman
Pierre Poilievre’s attacks on the media are bearing fruit for the Tories:
“In retrospect, the whole of his career can be seen as the careful construction of a political persona and style of communication that makes him invulnerable to the pressures that have forced his predecessors into defensive, even apologetic postures, while allowing him to dictate the terms by which he interacts with Canadians. This is Mr. Poilievre’s most distinctive feature as Conservative Leader.” - Andrew Lawton, in an excerpt from his new book Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life.
Robert Pickton got what he deserved. But it’s not victory for justice in Canada:
“So it is tempting to see this attack [on Robert Pickton] as a good thing: necessary retribution for a decidedly evil man, and a way to deliver some peace to his victims’ families. But the worsening violence in Canadian prisons isn’t something we should celebrate, despite how much it might tickle our innate desire for vengeance against the worst of the worst.” - Robyn Urback.
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