FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 30, 2007

NO MORE HALF MEASURES ON ‘LOST CANADIANS’: NDP
Fully Update the Citizenship Act now

OTTAWA – Too many loopholes remain in the announcement made by the government yesterday on the situation of ‘lost Canadians.’

NDP Citizenship and Immigration Critic Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) is calling on the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to go further and solve the problem of the lost Canadians, who are unable to obtain official documentation of their citizenship status due to technicalities of the 1947 and 1977 Citizenship Acts.

"Yesterday's announcement by Minister Finley to update the law is only a half measure,” said Siksay. “It may solve the problem for people who were born after 1947, or who became a Canadian citizen after 1947, but it will not help anyone whose problem predates the original 1947 Citizenship Act.”

Siksay also pointed out that war brides and their children - and family members of Canadians who served in our Armed Forces during World War II - will be out of luck.

"Canadian citizenship is a fundamental aspect of one's self identity, and the frustration, anxiety and anger caused when those who have acted in good faith as responsible citizens for decades are told they have lost their citizenship cannot be underestimated. This is particularly true for the families of the men and women who served Canada in our military during the War. We owe it to them to solve this problem without delay," concluded Siksay.

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For more information:
Office of Bill Siksay: 613-996-5597