CCS Advocacy
CCS aims to enhance the visibility of statelessness in Canada and advocate for policy and legislative change through national and international media and mechanisms. We also support other organisations in their campaigns as they relate to stateless persons in Canada.
CCS aims to enhance the visibility of statelessness in Canada and advocate for policy and legislative change through national and international media and mechanisms. We also support other organisations in their campaigns as they relate to stateless persons in Canada.
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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, the Canadian Centre on Statelessness 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.
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Joint civil society statement on statelessness and covid-19
COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights Need for #HealthCare4All
Joint Civil Society Statement on the Mass Citizenship Deprivation in Assam |
CCS joined 83 civil society actors to urge states, donors and other stakeholders to promote and protect the rights of the stateless in their response to COVID-19. Read the full statement here.
CCS supported an open letter to the federal government, urging all levels of government to come together to ensure access to healthcare for all people living in Canada, regardless of immigration and citizenship status. Over 200 organizations across Canada signed the open letter. Read the full statement here.
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Expert Statement on the Prevention and Eradication of Statelessness in the Americas
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Organised by the Americas Network on Nationality and Statelessness at the 2019 World Conference on Statelessness, CCS signed an Expert Statement to States in the Americas on the right to nationality and statelessness in relation to mixed migratory flows from Venezuela. Read the full statement 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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Health Care Coverage for
Migrants |
In December 2018 CCS signed the open letter calling on the Canadian government for action relating to the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) landmark decision condemning Canada for denying access to essential health care on the basis of immigration status.
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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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The Walrus Magazine
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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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National Observer
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City TV News
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Jan 10, 2016 No Country to Call Home
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Yahoo! News
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Dec 18, 2015 Being stateless in Canada: ‘less rights than a dog'
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Al Jazeera Canada
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Canadian Centre on Statelessness 2020 |