Stephen Fuhr: Stephen Harper's hostile greeting for new Canadians
While Canada Day is usually a time to celebrate the swearing in of new citizens, this year will be the first time that their citizenship will be marked with an asterisk, thanks to Stephen Harper’s passage of Bill C-24.
The new law threatens dual citizens and immigrants to Canada with revocation of their citizenship. Now, citizenship can be revoked by a citizenship officer without a live hearing, without opportunity for appeal, without a judge, and for reasons other than a fraudulent application.
Canadians convicted of terrorism, high treason, treason, or spying may have their citizenship revoked if they are dual citizens. What’s more, they do not have to be convicted in a Canadian court. A foreign conviction will do.
This is a key point. Allowing foreign courts to decide the fates of our citizens is a fundamental forfeiture of our sovereignty, our duty to protect our citizens, and our obligation to grant citizens due process under the law.
A modern judicial process includes gathering evidence, prosecution, trial in front of an independent judge, sentencing in the event of a conviction, and the opportunity for appeal. There are dozens of states around the world that fail to grant both their citizens and ours true justice.
I met one such Canadian who was detained for trumped up charges in Egypt last year, journalist Mohamed Fahmy. In January 2014, Fahmy and two other Al Jazeera journalists were falsely accused of joining or assisting a terrorist group—the Muslim Brotherhood—and spreading lies that endanger national security.
Fahmy was advised to renounce his Egyptian citizenship so he could be deported to Canada. The decision ate at him and he plans to reapply for citizenship. He only made the decision because he feared for his life.
In Fahmy’s case, in a time before Bill C-24 was passed, he was ultimately supported by the Canadian government. It’s chilling how easily the minister’s decision could have gone the other way, how easily Fahmy’s Canadian citizenship could be revoked, how easily the protection of our government could be severed, and how easily Fahmy could have been abandoned to torture and even execution for the invented charges.
The new law also removes a judge from the application process. It denies citizenship to applicants with foreign convictions of any offence. It denies applicants access to an interpreter for the citizenship knowledge test. It extends how long applicants need to reside in Canada to be eligible from three years in four, to four years in six.
The Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, as the legislation is hypocritically called, is the most hostile legislation to new Canadians ever introduced, and makes Canada an outlier among Western nations. In the United States, revocation of citizenship has been unconstitutional for over 50 years.
The Supreme Court of Canada will likely find this legislation unconstitutional, too, following in the footsteps of other legislation overturned by the Court. Harper’s government has overstepped the rights of Canadians on assisted suicide, time-served sentencing, sex trade workers, Senate reform, and mandatory minimum sentencing.
More than 20 percent—one in five—of Canadians are foreign-born. They come to this country fleeing chaos and injustice, seeking opportunity and the blessings of peace, order, and good government. We put them and our freedom in peril with Bill C-24.
Comments
12 Comments
Personally...
Jun 30, 2015 at 3:39pm
I don't see why getting your Canadian citizenship should be easy. I think it should be hard to get and if the right set of circumstances arise, then it should be easy to lose. If you adhere to the regulations and expectations, then you have nothing to fear.
Maybe, just maybe we accept new citizens too easily for this day and age.
ursa minor
Jun 30, 2015 at 4:09pm
"If you adhere to the regulations and expectations, then you have nothing to fear."
WRONG.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
-Benjamin Franklin
RIGHT
@ursa minor
Jun 30, 2015 at 4:29pm
You're quoting Ben Franklin. He was an American. The only thing Americans can talk about is their so called 'liberty' and 'safety' and the 'right to bear arms'. They are the most self absorbed country on the planet.
Barry William Teske
Jun 30, 2015 at 6:38pm
This is too easy...
The Harper Government of Canada has carefully put up a series of smokescreens in the form of "Hate is Our Security" laws.
As long as we continue to allow the smoke to get in our eyes, The Harper Government of Canada will succeed in its 'Armageddons Our Us' campaign and celebrate with the usual 'Profit After Party' crowd.
So just like 'Look Who's Swearing Now' star player Nancy Ruth's "If you want ice-cold Camembert with broken crackers, have it." smokescreen, remember you, your children and their children ( and generations to come? ) are and will be paying for it.
If the cost aspect of this 'fire behind the smokescreen' helps any then glad I brought it up because
gosh forbid I have hope for democracy and show that faith through serial bitching.
Con Job
Jun 30, 2015 at 10:49pm
Typical of Cons strip us or our Constitutional rights no Judicial due process can't have that.
How many of them have been charged for Crimes etc?
This Law has nothing to do about legal citizenship instead it's a back handed way of stripping Citizenship without Law and Order.
It's typical of the Cons to destroy Law and Order as well as the Environment and the Economy.
Sam367
Jul 1, 2015 at 6:52am
I'm pretty sure Canada has the right to set strict rules of citizenship and I'm equally sure the majority of Canadians have no problem sending back the undesirable.
inquisitive
Jul 1, 2015 at 7:27am
Hopefully this matter will go before the supreme court sooner than later. I marvel that so many of my friends still think that Harper deserves yet another kick at the cat.
Serial Bitcher
Jul 1, 2015 at 8:14am
Let's take our country back. Everyone get out and vote this October, and make sure you get your friends and family to get their friends and family to do same.
Happy Canada Day.
Well...
Jul 1, 2015 at 9:05am
Whether or not the country were incorporated by any form of written law, native born people would be natural citizens thereof. Immigrants, on the other hand, cannot enjoy natural citizenship but only statutory citizenship, granted by the consent of the natural citizens---or, if the natural citizens admit too many immigrants, that is when things get dicey.
For example, people born in Vancouver City are naturally citizens of vancouver, whether ornot city of vancouver has a charter from the province or not. People who move into Vancouver are only citizens by terms of the statute of the province---and why people from Spuzzum should have a say in who is a Vancouverite is beyond me.
Ultimately, the city is the fundamental unit of political organization. This legislation is a good step toward acknowledging the inherent difference between a native person and an immigrant.
Pontiac Hick
Jul 1, 2015 at 12:42pm
Some of the action allowed by this Bill is contrary to Harper's fall back position " ... rule of law". Actions taken without reference to a Judge or tribunal/ due process are against the rule of law and invites kaos nationally and internationally and leads to gun law.