CCS Advocacy
CCS has submitted policy and legislative recommendations in a variety of national and international fora. CCS has also had the privilege to work with allied organisations on joint submissions.
CCS has submitted policy and legislative recommendations in a variety of national and international fora. CCS has also had the privilege to work with allied organisations on joint submissions.
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CCS and CCRC submit an alternative civil society report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child
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In July 2020, CCS submitted a joint alternative report with the Canadian Citizens Rights Council to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The report outlines our concerns and recommendations with respect to Ottawa’s implementation of the CRC, and focuses on: 1. the realization of the right of every child to acquire a nationality in Canada, and 2. the right of the child to preserve their identity. You can find the submission here.
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United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights Minority Rights Forum
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In an effort to continue our international advocacy Work CCS, in December 2018, participated at the 11th session of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights Minority Rights Forum focusing on statelessness. With John Packer, Neuberger-Jesin Professor of International Conflict Resolution, of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre of University of Ottawa, CCS took part in over two days of panel discussions with a record 600 states representatives and NGOs. We discussed the root causes and consequences of statelessness; the roles that conflict and forced migration play in statelessness affecting minorities; ensuring the right to a nationality through facilitation of birth registration, naturalization and citizenship; and advancing gender equality in nationality laws for minority women and children. CCS was able to submit an official statement to the Forum calling on Canada to define statelessness in its immigration and citizenship law, and implement a statelessness determination mechanism.
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Statelessness and the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB)
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In October 2017, CCS partnered with Professor Jamie Liew of the University of Ottawa and submitted a proposal to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to improve its practices concerning statelessness. Drawing upon our findings from the 2017 CCS Data Collection study, we proposed that the IRB adopt a definition of statelessness, enhance information gathering and data collection practices, and create Chairperson guidelines on statelessness. We also proposed that CCS collaborate with the IRB in developing these tools.
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Canada at the Universal Periodic Review
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In September 2017, CCS partnered with the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion to submit a brief on statelessness in Canada for Canada’s third cycle Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations Human Rights Council. We discussed statelessness in Canada with respect to the lack of a statelessness determination procedure, children’s right to a nationality, and detention. Canada received recommendations from Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, and Georgia to take the necessary steps to ratify the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, and a recommendation from Chile to establish a statelessness determination procedure and a protected stateless person status that facilitates the naturalization procedure for stateless persons!
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Bill C-6
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In response to the move to repeal Bill C-24 - the 2015 legislation that implemented the revocation of Canadian citizenship due to conviction of criminal activity related to terrorism – through Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act, CCS submitted a brief to the Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada Standing Committee in May 2016. We made a number of recommendations including calling for a definition of stateless person in the Citizenship Act, as well as repeal of the Second Generation Born Abroad provision.
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