Becoming Canadian: Making Sense of Recent Changes to Citizenship Rules

Abstract

SummaryAs two-thirds of Canada's population growth comes through immigration, the law and processes governing naturalization are extremely important. Indeed, Canada is a world leader with respect to naturalization. In 2005-06, 75 percent of foreign-born residents had become Canadian citizens.Since the early 2000s, many Western governments have made changes to their immigration and integration policies. In Canada, between 2006 and 2013 a new citizenship guide with greater emphasis on Canadian history and the monarchy was issued; initiatives against the fraudulent acquisition of citizenship were adopted; a more demanding citizenship test was introduced; the citizenship ceremony was modified by requiring all candidates to have the face uncovered; and language requirements for citizenship were tightened. According to the government, these changes were intended to enhance the value of Canadian citizenship.This study by Elke Winter reviews these changes and evaluates them against the backdrop of international debates on naturalization and citizenship. These debates involve the question of whether the changes are to be interpreted as a liberalization of citizenship or as a renationalization, where nation-specific definitions of citizenship are dominant. According to Winter's analysis, if we accept that these opposing poles are in tension, Canada's naturalization regime seems to be moving toward renationalization.At a practical level, the naturalization process has become longer and much more cumbersome over the past decade. This has particularly affected the less educated and those whose mother tongue is neither English nor French. Naturalization rates nevertheless remain high by international standards.At the level of discourse, Winter observes that there has been a potentially troublesome shift in how Canadian citizenship is presented. In her view, depicting prospective citizens as fraudulent and mischievous can fan insecurity and distrust in the population. This holds true for singling out specific religions and cultures as potentially less adaptable than others. She also raises concerns about the increased emphasis - in the citizenship guide and elsewhere - on Canada's military history, British traditions and the monarchy. In her view, this runs counter to the ethos of multiculturalism, which replaced the dominant ideology of conformity to Anglophone norms around 40 years ago. Winter concludes that we should monitor these developments, not least because they convey messages that may be counterproductive to the successful integration of immigrants from diverse backgrounds.ResumeComme l'immigration represente deux tiers de la croissance de la population canadienne, la loi et les processus qui regissent la naturalisation sont d'une extreme importance, d'autant plus que le Canada est un leader mondial en la matiere : en 2005-2006, pas moins de 75 p. 100 de ses residents nes a l'etranger etaient devenus citoyens canadiens.Depuis le debut des annees 2000, de nombreux gouvernements occidentaux ont apporte des modifications a leurs politiques d'immigration et d'integration. C'est ainsi qu'entre 2006 et 2013, le Canada a produit un nouveau guide de la citoyennete, qui met l'accent sur l'histoire du pays et la monarchie ; il a adopte des mesures contre l'acquisition frauduleuse de la citoyennete, cree un examen pour la citoyennete plus difficile, exige des candidats qu'ils aient le visage decouvert pendant la ceremonie de citoyennete et resserre les exigences linguistiques pour devenir Canadien. Ottawa soutient que ces modifications visent toutes a valoriser la citoyennete canadienne.Elke Winter examine ces changements a la lumiere du debat international sur la citoyennete et l'immigration, qui porte essentiellement sur l'interpretation a donner a cette evolution : s'agitil d'une liberalisation de la citoyennete ou d'une renationalisation orientee vers une definition essentiellement nationale de la citoyennete ? …