The Liberals introduced new legislation to amend the citizenship by descent rules to expand it past the first generation.
The new legislation, called An Act to amend the Citizenship Act, would automatically grant citizenship to anyone who would be a citizen today if they hadn’t been affected by the first-generation limit.
“Citizenship is more than a legal status – it’s a profound connection to the values, history, and spirit of Canada,” said Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab in a statement on Thursday. “By requiring those who pass citizenship to their children born abroad beyond the first generation to have a substantial connection to our country, we are honouring that bond.”
Currently, a Canadian citizen who was born outside of the country cannot pass citizenship to their child if they were also born outside of Canada.
The federal government said in a statement that the law would work “in a way that is inclusive and protects the value of Canadian citizenship.”
The bill would also grant access to citizenship beyond the first generation as long as their parent has spent at least 1,095 cumulative days physically in Canada before their birth.
If passed, Bill C-3 would reverse changes made by former prime minister Stephen Harper that prohibit Canadians born abroad from passing citizenship to their children also born outside Canada.
Calls for the change follow a 2023 Ontario Superior Court ruling that declared the first-generation limit unconstitutional for many.
While the government did not appeal the ruling, the limit remained following the court’s suspension of its declaration.
The Trudeau government introduced Bill C-17 to amend the Citizenship Act last year, but it has yet to receive royal assent.