The Federal government says it now has the power to revoke the
citizenship of some Canadians convicted of terrorism, treason or
espionage.
A controversial new law, first introduced last June, went into effect on Friday.
The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration says there are several
serious crimes that could result in dual citizens losing their Canadian
status.
The ministry says it would revoke citizenship for anyone found guilty
of terrorism, treason and high treason, and spying for a foreign
government.
The rules would also apply to dual citizens who take up arms against
Canada by fighting in a foreign army or joining an international
terrorist organization.
The new law has met with strong public criticism, and two Ontario
lawyers have already launched a court case arguing it is
unconstitutional.
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander argued the new rules are meant
to confront what he described as the "ever-evolving threat of jihadi
terrorism."
Case of jailed Al Jazeera journalist highlights risks of new law
"Our government knows that there is no higher purpose for any
government than to ensure the safety and security of its citizens and we
have never been afraid to call jihadi terrorism exactly what it is,"
Alexander said Friday at an event in Toronto.
He said the changes to the Citizenship Act will ensure that "those
who wish to do us harm will not be able to exploit their Canadian
citizenship to endanger Canadians or our free and democratic way of
life."
Critics have expressed concerns about the way in which the new law could be applied to certain high-profile cases.
When they were first announced, the official opposition New Democrats
extracted a promise from the government that the new rules would not be
used to target Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy, who was then
a dual citizen.
Fahmy was convicted of supporting a terrorist group in a
widely-denounced trial held in Egypt and was originally sentenced to
seven years. The Al Jazeera television producer later gave up his
Egyptian citizenship in an unsuccessful bid to be deported back to
Canada and is currently undergoing a new trial on terrorism charges.
In a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair
argued that Fahmy's case highlighted the risks inherent in the new
legislation.
In October, Toronto-based lawyers Paul Slansky and Rocco Galati
launched a constitutional court challenge against the new law. Federal
Court Judge Donald Rennie dismissed the case earlier this year.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/new-citizenship-act-allowing-revocation-of-canadian-citizenship-takes-effect-1.3093333
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