BCCLA and CARL Applaud the End to Second-Class Citizenship

For Immediate Release

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) commend the federal government and the Senate   for the passage of amendments to the Citizenship Act. The organizations stated that the enactment of Bill C-6 undoes changes that were discriminatory and anti-immigrant. Changes to the Citizenship Act  passed by the previous government through Bill C-24 had created two classes of Canadian citizens, leaving dual citizens with a less durable Canadian citizenship and fewer rights than other Canadians.. CARL and the BCCLA launched a constitutional challenge to the creation of two-tiered citizenship in August 2015. More recently a class action challenge led to a Federal Court decision striking down the law’s revocation process because it failed to respect due process when the government wished to strip Canadians of their citizenship.

Josh Paterson, Executive Director of the BCCLA stated:  “We are thrilled that after more than three years of fighting, multiple lawsuits, and over a year of wrangling in Parliament, second-class citizenship has been put to an end. The government has followed through on its promise to restore citizenship equality for all Canadians.”

CARL executive member Lorne Waldman added: “The bill was passed with a critical amendment  restoring the right to a fair hearing for people at risk of losing their citizenship under allegations of misrepresentation.”  Mr. Waldman pointed to the strong leadership and hard work of numerous senators in ensuring the Bill was amended, notably Senators Ratna Omidvar and Elaine McCoy and their staff.

For more information please contact: Lorne Waldman, Executive Member, Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers tel.: 416-254-4590