BIRT: Canada Benefits from Citizens with Multiple Citizenship

BIRT:  Canada Benefits from Citizens with Multiple Citizenship

PRO

Definitions

Canada: The government of Canada and its citizens

Multiple Citizenship: Possessing valid citizenship of more than one country and in this case other than Canada.

Important to note that Canadian citizenship started in 1947 before then we were British subjects living in Canada.

1.  Canada depends on immigrantsàdual citizenship encourages immigration and also in turn encourages integration

–         Our country is dependant upon immigration and dual citizenship encourages immigration

1. i.      Immigrants account for 17 per cent of Canada‘s population-cbc
2. ii.      Studies find that immigrants in Canada are more likely to take out citizenship than are immigrants to the U.S. –maclean’s article
3. iii.      One in eight immigrants has dual citizenship – cbc
4. iv.      Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world- According to Canada’s Immigration Program (October 2004)

–         Simply put, we are all immigrants and thus historically all have been dual citizens

1. i.      1 million of us are aboriginal and the 31 other million either came from somewhere else or are descendants of someone who did.

1. People are Economic Investments

– Any sort of population growth through immigration will boost our economyà dual citizens are part of the bunch that come to Canada and thus they too boost our economy.

1. i.      Population growth through immigration tends to boost GDP, because it increases the number of people in our markets?

– companies with a multicultural staff find it easier to reach out around the world for business and trade opportunities if they have employees who speak other languages, are familiar with other cultures and can travel comfortably in other countries- CBC article

1. Educational Investment

–         As the economist put it “Would the highly skilled come if it meant severing their connections to home?”

1. i.      “Dual citizens are highly educated…they could be considered part of an educated gloabal elite”- Study done at U of California using StatsCan census figures.

–         Not only will Canada directly benefit from skilled and educated individuals but statistics show that if your parents had post secondary degrees you will too … educated dual citizensàgenerations of educated kids = benefit to canada

1. i.      According to data found in “Freakonomics” there is a strong correlation between high test scores and educated parents

1. Canada benefits by following progressive trend towards “a global citizen”

–         A progressive humanitarian country has a role in the global community to be a leader…and we can only benefit by leading and following this trend of being both a citizen of your state but more importantly a citizen of the world.

1. i.      EU fine example
2. ii.      Countries that ignore or prohibit dual citizenship: Burma, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Syria, Zimbabwe. (none of these countries are progressive do we want Canada to be amongst the likes of the countries stated above?)
3. iii.      90 countries officially permit dual or multiple citizenship

1. Encourages international influence via multiple citizens

–         Canadian philosopher and scholar Ramin Jehanbegloo a dual citizen of Canada and Iran was arrested at Tehran Airport on April 27^th 2006…like Zahra Kazemi (another Canadian-Iranian) he was thrown into the Evin prison and for the second time the Canadian gov’t was helpless.

1. i.      Helpless because Iran does not recognize joint citizenship BUT as Payam Akhavan said , “We take notice because Jahanbegloo and Kazemi are people with a connection to Canada, but there are so many people like them who suffer in silence because they don’t have a foreign nationality”
2. ii.      Because Jehanbegloo was Canadian this gave Canada an opportunity to at least attempt to rescue this prominent intellectual from death and at the same time shed some light on the issue; it benefited both Canada AND the world. (finally was released August 30^th)

–         Gives Canada a unique world perspective because of the different cultures.

1. Obviously benefit Canada or else we would not currently allow AND seek out citizens of other countries.

–         If the Canadian gov’t was not benefiting they would not continue to allow dual citizens to even immigrate but the do and they encourage immigration

1. i.      The level of immigration was increased in the 1990’s by the then governing Liberal Party of Canada who in 1993 set a target of an annual 1% per capita immigration rate.

–         Worth mentioning that Canada collects very little information about its dual citizens recognizing that they are simply citizens like anyone else

BIRT: Canada Benefits from Citizens with Multiple Citizenships

CON

1. Canada has become an “airport country” at the cost of the Canadian government and taxpayer

2. Places unnecessary responsibility on Government

1. Discourages unity
2. Potential hazard to national security
3. Reduces Value and meaning of being a Canadian citizen