History of Canadian Citizenship
After Canadian Confederation in 1867, the country's nationality law closely mirrored that of the United Kingdom and all Canadians were classified as British subjects. Section 91(25) of the British North America Act, 1867 (now the Constitution Act, 1867), however, gave the Parliament of Canada authority over "Naturalization and Aliens". The Immigration Act, 1910, for example, created the status of Canadian citizen. This distinguished those British subjects who were born, naturalized, or domiciled in Canada from those who were not, but was only applied for the purpose of determining whether someone was free of immigration controls. The Naturalization Act, 1914, increased the period of residence required to qualify for naturalization in Canada as a British subject from three years to five years. A separate additional status of Canadian national was created under the Canadian Nationals Act, 1921, in order that Canada could participate in international fora separately from the UK.
Canadian independence was obtained incrementally over the ensuing years. In 1931, with the Imperial Parliament's ratification of the Statute of Westminster, the United Kingdom ceased to have legislative control over Canada. At that time, Canada's naturalization laws consisted of a hodgepodge of confusing acts, which still retained the term British subject as the designation for Canadian nationals. This eventually conflicted with the nationalism that rose amongst Canadians following the Second World War and the accompanying desire to have Canada's sovereign status reflected in distinct nationalistic symbols. This, plus the muddled nature of existing nationality law, prompted the enactment of the Canadian Citizenship Act, 1946, which took effect on 1 January 1947. On that date, Canadian citizenship was conferred on most Canadians classified as British subjects. Subsequently, on 1 April 1949, Canadian nationality law was extended to Newfoundland, upon the British colony joining Canada as a province.
Canadian nationality law was substantially revised on 15 February 1977, when the new Citizenship Act came into force. From that date, multiple citizenship became legal. However, those who lost Canadian citizenship before that date did not automatically have it restored until 17 April 2009, when Bill C-37 became law.
Read more about this topic: Canadian Nationality Law
Famous quotes containing the words history of, history, canadian and/or citizenship:
“The second day of July 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more”
—John Adams (1735–1826)
“In history the great moment is, when the savage is just ceasing to be a savage, with all his hairy Pelasgic strength directed on his opening sense of beauty;—and you have Pericles and Phidias,—and not yet passed over into the Corinthian civility. Everything good in nature and in the world is in that moment of transition, when the swarthy juices still flow plentifully from nature, but their astrigency or acridity is got out by ethics and humanity.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“We’re definite in Nova Scotia—’bout things like ships ... and fish, the best in the world.”
—John Rhodes Sturdy, Canadian screenwriter. Richard Rossen. Joyce Cartwright (Ella Raines)
“To see self-sufficiency as the hallmark of maturity conveys a view of adult life that is at odds with the human condition, a view that cannot sustain the kinds of long-term commitments and involvements with other people that are necessary for raising and educating a child or for citizenship in a democratic society.”
—Carol Gilligan (20th century)