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lost Canadian
DCHP-2 (Sep 2013)
Spelling variants:"lost" Canadian, Lost Canadian
n. — Administration
a person with convincing grounds for Canadian citizenship, such as marriage to a Canadian, or a Canadian parent, excluded from citizenship because of changes to the citizenship laws.
Type: 1. Origin — Lost Canadian is Canadian in origin and most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1). The term has also been used to refer to Canadians who have emigrated abroad. By the early 2000s, lost Canadian had come to refer to those who had reason to believe themselves to be citizens, often for many decades, only to discover that they were not according to the Citizenship Acts of 1947 and/or 1977.
The Canadian government classifies four types of lost Canadians:
1. war brides
2. people born abroad to a Canadian parent before the 1977 Citizenship Act came into effect in February 1977
3. people who lost their citizenship between January 1947 and February 1977 because they or their parent acquired the nationality or citizenship of another country
4. second and subsequent generations of Canadians who were born abroad after 1977 (see Parliament of Canada reference, "Reclaiming Citizenship for Canadians").
Several highly publicized cases of lost Canadians brought the issue to the attention of the Canadian public in the early 2000s. The technicalities and laws that had stripped people of citizenship or prevented them from being entitled to it are often seen as archaic. Bill C-37 was implemented in 2009 to redress the issues and it granted or restored citizenship for the the majority of lost Canadians (see Parliament of Canada reference, "Gov't of Canada Response to Standing Committee’s 11th Report"). Some cases, however, remain unresolved to the present day (see, e.g., the 2010 quotation).
The Canadian government classifies four types of lost Canadians:
1. war brides
2. people born abroad to a Canadian parent before the 1977 Citizenship Act came into effect in February 1977
3. people who lost their citizenship between January 1947 and February 1977 because they or their parent acquired the nationality or citizenship of another country
4. second and subsequent generations of Canadians who were born abroad after 1977 (see Parliament of Canada reference, "Reclaiming Citizenship for Canadians").
Several highly publicized cases of lost Canadians brought the issue to the attention of the Canadian public in the early 2000s. The technicalities and laws that had stripped people of citizenship or prevented them from being entitled to it are often seen as archaic. Bill C-37 was implemented in 2009 to redress the issues and it granted or restored citizenship for the the majority of lost Canadians (see Parliament of Canada reference, "Gov't of Canada Response to Standing Committee’s 11th Report"). Some cases, however, remain unresolved to the present day (see, e.g., the 2010 quotation).
See: citizenship court
Canadian citizenship law has produced lost Canadians on a number of occasions. These cases, generally but not exclusively, affect children born abroad with one parent who is a Canadian.
Quotations
2002
The Canadian government says population growth is a priority and thus actively and laudably seeks immigrants, but does it make sense to grade these "lost" Canadians using the same general immigration point-based system and then channel them into the same lengthy queues?
2004
Mr. Bosdet is one of the "Lost Canadians," a group that falls into a strange citizenship loophole. They were born in Canada before 1977, but lost their citizenship when their parents became citizens of another country. The law was changed in 1977 to grant citizenship to everyone born in Canada, but it was not made retroactive. On Tuesday, Conservative MP John Reynolds introduced legislation in the House of Commons to bring the Lost Canadians home.
2007
In January, Citizenship Minister Diane Finley said she would use this section of the act to expedite the process of returning citizenship to Lost Canadians. So far 33 cases have been resolved. With estimates for the number of Lost Canadians ranging from 450 to 50,000 to the hundreds of thousands, critics are saying this is progress, but not nearly enough.
2010
'Lost Canadians' seek citizenship at home
Sun Nov 21, 4:30 AM
By Diana Mehta, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Jackie Scott considers herself a true Canuck. The 65-year-old grew up in Ontario, paid taxes and even voted in federal elections. But in Ottawa's eyes, she isn't Canadian.
The government's core argument? She was born out of wedlock before 1947.
2015
Today, the percentage of children born out of wedlock is far greater than it used to be. Another difference between now and yesteryear is that today's society freely embraces those children; in the 1940s, people were not nearly as understanding. Over the years, I've heard of just about every scenario a Lost Canadian could have and, for many without the benefit of parents in possession of a valid marriage license at the time of their birth, the permanent stigma attached to both the mother and child was traumatic. Birth certificates are normally issued within weeks of baby's first breath. In years gone by, some provinces actually stamped the word "bastard" in bold letters across certificates for the unlucky kids born to single mothers.
References
- Parliament of Canada • "Reclaiming Citizenship for Canadians"
- Parliament of Canada • "Gov't of Canada Response to Standing Committee’s 11th Report"
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