Canada moves to repeal law that revokes citizenship in terror cases

By Michel Comte

Canada's Liberal government on Thursday introduced a bill to stop stripping citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terrorism and other serious crimes, moving to scuttle a measure introduced by the previous Tory administration.

"This law created two classes of Canadians," Immigration Minister John McCallum told a press conference. "We believe very strongly that there should be only one class of Canadians, that all Canadians are equal, that a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian."

"Under the previous law, there was also a risk of a slippery slope. If one crime made you eligible for revocation this year, what crimes could be added next year?"

The proposed policy change in Ottawa comes as French lawmakers decide on a measure that would strip citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terrorism, while British law allows the government to take away the citizenship of terrorism suspects even if it leaves them stateless.

The French proposal, made in response to the November attacks in Paris that left 130 dead, has sharply divided public opinion and led to the resignation of Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, who vehemently opposed it.

Similar measures for dual nationals are in place in Spain, Belgium and a handful of other countries, while the United States allows for nationality to be stripped in cases of treason.

Citizenship restored

In Canada, the Tory law that went into effect last May stripped citizenship from dual nationals convicted of crimes such as terrorism, treason or spying.

It has been applied to one person: Zakaria Amara, who is also a Jordanian national, convicted of masterminding a 2006 al-Qaeda-inspired plot to bomb the Toronto Stock Exchange, Canada's spy agency offices and a military base.

He is serving a life sentence at a penitentiary in Quebec with the possibility of parole as early as this year.

Amara's Canadian citizenship would be automatically restored if the Liberal proposal becomes law, immigration ministry officials said. The legislation is expected to easily pass the Liberal-dominated Commons, although no date has yet been set for a vote.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper's government changed rules governing dual citizens after attacks in rural Quebec and Ottawa in 2014 that killed two soldiers, and amid growing concern over Canadians who travelled overseas to join groups such as the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.

On Thursday, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel said she was disappointed by the Liberals' move to repeal the legislation.

"I think there's a lot of Canadians who would question the government's judgment when it comes to protecting the safety of Canadians with this decision that they've made today," she said.

McCallum responded that it's the role of courts and prisons is to deal with criminals.

"We do not need to create two classes of citizenship in order to deal with those who are convicted of criminal offenses," he said.

Any immigrant who obtains Canadian citizenship by false representation, fraud or knowingly concealing material information can still lose their citizenship.

The Liberal bill also proposes reducing the amount of time permanent residents are required to be physically present in Canada in order to qualify for citizenship and would credit applicants for time spent as students or refugees.

It calls for French or English proficiency tests for prospective citizens between the ages of 18 and 54, narrowing the age range from the current 14 to 64.