When is a Canadian a Canadian?

CBC reported on a story a day or so ago about two sisters, (ages nine and fourteen) who were trapped in Nairobi because the eldest had lost her Canadian passport. They need to leave where they are living partially because of the political unrest but primarily because their aunt - who was their caretaker - has recently died. There is no other adult who can look after them. For some reason, replacing the lost passport has become a problem. The father was asking the Canadian government for assistance to get his daughters home to Canada.

All of which makes some sense - except for the fact that while the father is a Canadian citizen and therefore both of his girls are, neither girl had ever been to Canada. In fact, it appears as if there had been originally little intent for them to ever live here. How can someone claim to be a citizen when they do not live in Canada and may never do so? The fourteen-year-old may not speak either of our two national languages, has never attended a Canadian school and in all likelihood knows almost nothing about Canadian culture, politics or history. And yet - in four years, when she turns 18 she will be able to vote in a federal election. She will also when she does get here have full access to medical and educational resources. I am not sure if she should.

Canada has a reputation for being relatively open about accepting and embracing people from elsewhere. While we struggle with some of the issues that arise from such policies, Canada has generally been successful in assisting immigrants and refugees to become Canadian citizens. Our economy and our culture need people moving here from other countries. And most of us know it.

However in spite of our good intentions to be accepting and our attempts to insure that all have full access to our rights and freedoms, it may be that we have been too generous in awarding citizenship to those who may have no intention of ever using it - until they are in need somewhere halfway around the world and then demand Canadian government intervention.

Canada is, of course, far from perfect. Our collective record of racism is something that we are only now starting to acknowledge; we have not always been as welcoming of other cultures and indeed there are still many Canadians who struggle with accepting those who are different into their communities. We are a work in progress. I, however, am not convinced that handing out Canadian citizenships to people who may never live in Canada - just because one's father is a Canadian- does anything to either redress the wrongs of the past, or to ensure that they do not happen again.

Canadian citizenship should be reserved for those who wish to make Canada their home and who have a desire to make it a better country for everyone.