Canadian citizenship is highly valued around the world, both by those who hold it, and by those who wish to acquire it for the benefits it affords.

While this government is proud to bestow the benefits of citizenship upon deserving candidates, there are some who have obtained their Canadian citizenship through fraud or deliberate concealment of criminal activity, such as war crimes. This is unacceptable and something we cannot allow to continue.

Legislation recently tabled by the Hon. Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, aims to strengthen the value of citizenship by ensuring those who seek it do so according to federal standards.

The proposed changes will increase penalties for those caught committing immigration fraud. It will also ensure crooked immigration consultants who encourage potential immigrants to lie on their immigration applications are held accountable.

Those applying for citizenship will be required to have lived on Canadian soil for at least three of the four years prior to their application, unless they are the children of Crown servants who serve Canada from abroad.

If it passes, the amendments in this legislation will strengthen our ability to protect our country by preventing foreign criminals from gaining citizenship in Canada.

We will also seek to streamline the process by which fraudsters or criminals whose citizenship has been revoked by the courts can be removed from Canada, ensuring those who do not belong here are not able to stay.

Those of us fortunate enough to be born in this country know what a privilege it is to call ourselves Canadian. As a nation that prides itself on its multiculturalism, we are happy to extend the benefits of citizenship to newcomers. However, we have certain criteria in place to ensure those who are granted Canadian citizenship are deserving of such an honour and will not pose any sort of threat to the security of our nation.

Canadian citizenship is more than just a legal status or a passport, and these proposed changes will crack down on fraud, ensuring citizenship remains a valuable privilege for those who seek it.

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