Think you're Canadian? Think again

Imagine spending 60 years in Canada raising a family and paying taxes, only to find out you're not a Canadian citizen. That's exactly what happened to Marion Galbraith of Dartmouth when she applied for a passport in March so she could travel to England and visit family. She couldn't believe it when she was turned down because, as the clerk at the passport office explained, she was not a Canadian citizen. "I started to laugh, and I said, 'You're kidding me, aren't you?'" Galbraith said. She's just one of hundreds of Canadians who have found out they're not actually citizens through sections of the 1947 Citizenship Act. It affects the wives and children of Canadian soldiers who were born abroad, and many others who fall under a variety of categories. Galbraith and her sister were born in England, the children of a war bride and a Canadian soldier. The family moved to Canada when Galbraith was three. "They were born before Canadian citizenship existed, and they weren't born in Canada," said Marina Wilson, a spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. "She was born outside of the country before the act was in place, so she didn't qualify," she added. Nearly three months after discovering the startling news, Galbraith is still fighting - and waiting - for her official citizenship papers. She's spent countless hours filling out various applications and has forked over hundreds of dollars. Though she could travel with a British passport, she's postponed her trip till August.

Her sister, Annette Piccott, didn't fully believe there was a problem. Then she found she wasn't a Canadian citizen when she applied for her Old Age Security pension and received a letter stating she wouldn't receive money without proof of citizenship. Galbraith wants others to know they could be in the same boat. "The only way I found out is Lisa and (husband) Doug buying me a surprise ticket to take me back (to England) after 60 years." The situation saddens and frustrates Galbraith's daughter, Lisa Cochrane. "My mother has never been outside of Canada travelling," Cochrane said. "She's a homebody." Cochrane said her mother was so excited when she learned about the trip planned for the beginning of June that she had her suitcase packed by March. The two gave testimony this week during a Parliamentary hearing of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, which is considering recommendations for possible legislation in the fall that could help these "lost Canadians" and grant them citizenship. But Galbraith worries the proposed legislation would not take into account people born abroad before 1947, like herself and her sister. "What about those people from '46 and '45 and '44?" she said. At this point, the government considers those born before 1947 on a case-by-case basis, Cochrane said.

Feds move to help immigrants find jobs

Ajay Raukela is one of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who arrive in Canada every year hoping to be able to work in their professions. The 36-year-old mechanical engineer, who quit his job as deputy general manager at an automotive plant in India in April before coming to Canada, said he has been unable to find out where "good jobs" are advertised in this country. "The best job I've been offered, that's somewhat related to what I used to do, is at a car shop ... to change oil," he said. It is people like Raukela who the government hopes to help through the foreign credentials referral office - a new project that promises to help foreign-trained professionals have their credentials assessed and recognized even before they arrive in the country. "Too often I run into people who spent two to three years waiting to come to Canada," said Diane Finley, the minister of citizenship and immigration. "Then they come here and it takes them two years to find out where to get their credentials assessed ... then they find out they have to go to school for two years, by which time they can't afford it." The project, which is expected to cost the government $32.2 million in the first five years, will help newcomers "navigate through the complex system of foreign credential recognition," Finley said.

Branch offices have opened in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax and Winnipeg, and the government plans to have them up and running at 320 locations across the country by fall 2007. In an effort to attract foreign skilled workers the government has opened similar offices in China, India and the Philippines - a pilot project that Finley said might be expanded if results are positive. The services offered at the RFCO's offices include in-person and online information for prospective immigrants on how to get their credentials recognized, as well as information on the labour market and job availability. A new website - www.credentials.gc.ca - and a new search engine called "Working in Canada" have been set up to help newcomers identify occupations for which they might be qualified. The website lists all regulatory bodies in charge of recognizing those credentials as well as information on foreign affiliates of Canadian post-secondary institutions where newcomers can get their credentials assessed before they come to the country. Service Canada will also provide information to immigrants already in Canada by telephone at 1-888-854-1805. Finley also announced $18.8 million over the next four years in federal funding for several provinces to enhance their online information about settling and working across the country.

Ontario, which receives more than half of Canada's immigrants each year, will receive $10 million, followed by British Columbia with $2.6 million and Alberta with $1.2 million. Wai Young, the head of the Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Alliance, which represents 450 immigrant and refugee agencies, called the new project a step in the right direction. "Newcomers will now be able to actually go to one website instead of surfing around," said Young, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant who came to Canada 40 years ago. But she urged the government to do more, because providing information to newcomers does not mean they are actually getting a job, she said. If the government does not help immigrants and refugees "unlock their potential," the future for Canada, where the population is aging and fertility rates are dropping, will be grim, Young said. She said lack of people and skilled workers have already forced some businesses in Alberta to reduce their hours of operations, while in Newfoundland whole communities have boarded up the houses and moved to the cities.