March 27, 2006

Dear Friends,

As the 39th Parliament is set to begin, I feel that it is imperative that we work together to impress upon the new Government the importance of updating our Citizenship Act and bringing the citizenship revocation process into compliance with the Legal Rights sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

During the last Parliament, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration tabled the 10th Report entitled “Citizenship Revocation: A Question of Due Process and Respecting Charter Rights” which outlined a number of recommendations to the House of Commons that would make this process comply with the Charter. For a copy of the 10th Report and its recommendations please follow this link to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration web site.
http://www.parl.gc.ca/infocomdoc/38/1/parlbus/commbus/house/CIMM/report/RP1901753//cimmrp10/cimmrp10-e.pdf

It is of note that the recommendations received all party support in the committee and were concurred unanimously by the House on June 16, 2005. Due to the election the Report died on the Order Paper.

It is now time to impress upon the new Government and Minister Solberg of Citizenship and Immigration that the recommendations, outlined in the 10th Report, must not only be re-introduced to the House of Commons but should be implemented without delay. I have attached my letter to the Minister urging him to implement the recommendations of the committee in new legislation. I urge you to send a letter to the Minister impressing upon him the need take this action and send copies to Meili Faille M.P., Bill Siksay M.P. (see addresses below) and to myself.

I have also attached a petition calling for the implementation of the recommendations in the report. Please have as many original signatories endorse this petition as possible as I will be presenting it to the House of Commons as certification of Canadian support that, citizenship revocation should be a completely judicial process, free from political interference and consistent with the provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Sincerely yours,

Hon. Andrew Telegdi M.P., P.C.
Kitchener-Waterloo

Hon. Monte Solberg
House of Commons
Suite 107, Confederation Building
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Meili Faille M.P.
Vaudreuil-Soulanges
House of Commons
449 West Block Building
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
[email protected]

Bill Siksay M.P.
Burnaby-Douglas
House of Commons
124 Confederation Building
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
[email protected]

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T. Graeme Simpson
Legislative Assistant
The Office of Honourable Andrew Telegdi,P.C.,M.P.
Kitchener-Waterloo
tel: 996-5928
fax: 992-6251