Alter citizenship laws
More than one Canadian was surprised when the federal government laid out its list of citizenship reforms last week. Not because the new rules were onerous, but because many of us hadn’t realized just how lax they were.
Did it, for instance, seem unreasonable to change the act so newcomers had to live in this country for four out of six years to qualify for citizenship? To say they had to spend at least 183 days of the year here, and prove that they had paid Canadian income tax? Of course it didn’t.
What seemed unreasonable was that the criteria seems so deficient. As it stands right now, the standard residency rule requires applicants to be here three out of four years, but doesn’t mean they have to physically set foot on Canadian soil to qualify. Nor do they have to provide any proof that they’ve met the tax requirements.
In retrospect, the rules are preposterous, and beg the question: Why would we set the bar so low and ask so little of our potential new citizens? And why would they want to become Canadian citizens in the first place if they were planning to spend so little time here?
The answer is simple: Because they were looking to land themselves a passport from one of the safest and most respected countries in the world, without having to extend any loyalty to Canada, its people or its values. They wanted to be Canadian citizens in name only.
Tightening the residency rules is the right thing to do to eliminate the “Canadians of convenience,” and so is increasing the language requirements.
Some opponents to the overhaul have accused the government of discrimination, and argued the change will cause hardworking, law- abiding immigrants more hardship. Advocacy groups have argued the overhaul penalizes immigrants who follow all the rules and would never abuse the privileges that citizenship provides them. But how?
To say citizenship “is not a right” is an old cliché, but it’s true. There’s nothing wrong with having stringent criteria . This isn’t intended to be punishment. This is intended to strengthen the commitment between immigrants and this country, while making sure that Canada’s best interests are served.