Press Release, November 8, 2002

Ottawa - Yesterday, Inky Mark, Progressive Conservative Critic for Citizenship and Immigration called attention to the fatal flaw of Bill C-18 An Act Respecting Citizenship.

"Bill C-18 was supposed to deal with areas that Bill C-63 and C-16 did not. In particular, C-18 was supposed to guarantee that citizenship could not be removed by an Order in Council. Presently a naturalized citizen, without access to due process, can be stripped of his citizenship if two cabinet members sign an Order in Council, " Mark explained. While Section 16 of C-18 provides for judicial review and access to courts, the very next section allows up to five years for the Minister to annul citizenship.

"People who receive citizenship can have it revoked within a period of five years. Does the rule of law and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms not apply to Canadians for the first five years of obtaining citizenship? We are still saying that government ministers, orders in council and governors in council can dictate whether one should have access to the courts when one is already a citizen of Canada."

"This cannot be allowed. Either we are full-fledged Canadians or not. This Bill brings us back to where we started with two classes of citizens and it is not acceptable. There should be no difference in citizenship for Canadians by birth or Canadians by choice," Mark concluded.

For more information, please contact, Inky Mark, MP (613) 992-3176
www.inkymark.com
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Inky Mark, Member of Parliament
Progressive Conservative Critic
Citizenship and Immigration,
Aboriginal Affairs and
Northern Development
Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette