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700k 'Lost Canadians' May Lose Citizenship In Legal Twist
At least 110,000 "Lost Canadians," who risk being stripped of their citizenship under an arcane law, are the children of soldiers and diplomats who served overseas, a parliamentary committee heard Monday. Between 1947 and 1977, Canada's Citizenship Act said children born out of wedlock or to a father who took a second citizenship would be disqualified as Canadians. Those two scenarios are the ones that apply most often.The issue has left many Canadians, including four MPs, scrambling to find out if they or their children are citizens. Chapman wants the current law changed to restore citizenship to those who had it revoked, and to protect those born between 1947 and 1977. He estimates that 700,000 Canadians have either lost their citizenship or are at risk of having it stripped. Christine Eden, chair of a special Air Force committee on Lost Canadians in the military, said 110,000 is a conservative estimate for the number of military and diplomat kids affected. "It's a big problem because if we're not Canadian, then we're citizens of the country of our birth - and I'm already hearing about some men who have been served draft notices by those countries," Eden said. Eden added that at least two active soldiers have lost their citizenship. Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the government has had just 881 calls on potential loss of citizenship. "I am treating these cases as a priority," she said in a statement. "I have directed the department to resolve these questions as quickly as possible. "I think it's also important to keep the scale of the issue in perspective." But Chapman, Eden and many MPs agreed that's not a reliable number because many people either don't know they're Lost Canadians or they don't want to come forward in case they have their citizenship stripped. Committee members shook their heads as they listened to testimony from Lost Canadians, including Joe Taylor, the son of a survivor of the Normandy invasion of 1944. "To our soldiers, and their descendants, whenever I hear your story, I have to apologize," said Liberal MP Andrew Telegdi. "This is terrible and I feel awfully bad for each and every one of you." Eden said the government's failure to tell military staff about changing citizenship rules constitutes a definite lack of respect for the families of those willing to die for their country. Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-02-28 |
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