Editorial: Dual-citizenship

Last summer when Lebanon and Israel were tossing bombs at each other, Ottawa spent close to C$85 million to rescue 15,000 Canadian passport-holders and dual citizens to safety.


About 7,000 of the evacuees have now returned to Lebanon, all with their Canadian passports safely tucked in their suitcases.


This has angered many taxpayers; new Canadians included and prompted a review of the right to hold dual-citizenship.


The Harper Conservatives, in a knee jerk reaction to something that has been happening in Canada for the last 30 years, claims that the issue of dual-nationality needs to be revisited because the benefits for those living abroad with Canadian citizenship, including pension and federal government welfare assistance are “ripe for exploitation.”


We agree.


So stop the exploitation.


This is not about dual-citizenship. This is about making Canadians pay their taxes to Canada no matter where they live.


If we did this, like the Americans do, this debate and its underlying racist tone will quickly go away.


Canada changed its immigration laws in 1977, allowing Canadians to hold passports from more than one country and have not received a major revision since then. About 90 countries allow it.


Statistics Canada estimates there are more than four million immigrants who hold dual citizenship with Canada and at least one other country.


It is ironic that Canada which has about one million natives and over 30 million immigrants should be having this debate about dual-citizenship.


The question that needs to be asked is if this debate has its roots in the changing immigration pattern that see Asians making up the bulk of the 240,000 new immigrants to Canada yearly.


This look into dual-citizenship is causing unnecessary angst in immigrant communities.


We need new immigrants to ease growing labour shortages, particularly in B.C.’s booming economy and help reverse the declining population trend in Canada.


Forcing potential immigrants and Canadians with several passports to choose a nationality also does not make sense politically.


If the Harper government moves in this direction, it risks further alienating the new-Canadian vote which is concentrated in larger cities, where the Tories did not do well in the last election.


Immigration has built Canada, gives this country a distinct advantage and makes us relevant to the world.


A Canadian citizen is a Canadian citizen no matter where he or she lives or where they were born.


They have their obligations and their rights.


This review of dual-citizenship should focus on ensuring that the obligations are met and not whether we have the right to carry more than one passport. Removing the right to dual-citizenship is a passport for disaster.

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