Ottawa reviewing rules of dual citizenship: Solberg

Ottawa is reviewing the rules governing dual citizenship and whether Canadians living abroad should qualify for social programs when they return, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Monte Solberg confirmed Tuesday. The review comes in the aftermath of the mass evacuation of 15,000 Canadians from Lebanon last summer during the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, at an approximate cost of $63 million. Many of those Canadians hold dual citizenship and some have returned to Lebanon. Speaking to a House committee on immigration, Solberg said it raised questions about the rights of citizens who hold dual citizenship and don't live in the country. "If we're in a situation where somebody's absent, isn't paying taxes but is going to be using our social programs down the road, I think Canadians would feel that that is unfair," Solberg said.

Benefits and Obligations

He said the response from Canadians after the Lebanon evacuation is that citizenship conveys both benefits and obligations. "Canadians want to know that citizenship means something, that we are not just a port in the storm," he said. Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis accused Solberg of pandering to anti-immigrant sentiment. "Let's not use dual citizenship as a scapegoat in order to satisfy the Reform agenda," said Karygiannis. Liberal Andrew Telegdi said that if the issue was freeloading, the government should seek to amend the Tax Act. An estimated 90 countries now permit dual citizenship, including the United States and most of Europe. Canada changed its laws 30 years ago to allow Canadians to hold passports from another country. Since then, two parliamentary committees have recommended the practice be reviewed. "Canadians are concerned about the issue of dual citizenship which is why the government has a responsibility to review the current system," Solberg said. According to the latest figures from Statistics Canada, about 557,000 Canadians — 1.8 per cent of the population — are dual citizens.