Year in review and look ahead

Time for my looking back piece, even if a bit self-indulgent.

Most of my time was spent on an analysis of the 2025 election results from a diversity analysis with Jerome Black, highlighting how representation of visible minorities had increased while that of women and Indigenous had stalled. A second area of major work was following and participating in C-3 citizenship discussions and debates. Annual updates on public service diversity and birth tourism, and setting the baseline for appointments that will be made by PM Carney.

2026 will continue with my various annual updates. Jerome Black and I have an analysis in train on the intersectionality of women and visible minority candidate in competitive ridings. I will be analysing the impact of C-3 in relation to age, gender, and country of origin and comparing that with expatriate voting data, given that the latter has grown significantly and the number of expatriate votes cast exceeds the winning margin in a number of ridings. No doubt other issues of interest will emerge.

Lots to keep me busy and engaged, along with maintaining my blog.

Best wishes for the holidays, whichever ones you celebrate.

Print below by my late father.

Citizenship 

• Birthright citizenship and the politics of “birth tourism” (Policy Options)
• Bill C-3 could open the citizenship doors to people with little connection to Canada (Policy Options)
• C-3 Brief for the Senate Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee 
• C-3 Brief for the Commons Citizenship and Immigration Committee

Citations

• Hospital data shows a rise in birth tourism (Juno News, 2025)
• What happened to ‘click once for Canadian citizenship’? The government has (quietly) thought twice (The Star, 2025)
• Is Canadian citizenship mostly a convenience? A new study counters the myth (The Star, 2025)
• 10 reasons fewer newcomers are becoming Canadian citizens (Vancouver Sun, 2025)
• Should birthright citizenship, banned in most countries but not Canada, be a human right? (Vancouver Sun, 2025)
• As birth tourism rises again, will Trump’s citizenship moves send more Canada’s way? (Vancouver Sun/CP, 2025)
• Birth tourism rebounds close to pre-pandemic levels in B.C. as Trump takes action in U.S. (Business in Vancouver, 2025)
• Hospital birth data suggests increase in birth tourism, says immigration expert (Globe and Mail, 2025)
• Urback: The Conservatives are right: Canada should end birthright citizenship (Globe and Mail, 2025)
• Yakabuski | Le droit du sol en danger (Le Devoir, 2025)

Immigration – Citations

• Canada’s immigration reset: What lower targets mean for newcomers and the economy (Canadian Immigrant, 2025)
• Experts urge parties to rethink immigration priorities (Hill Times, 2025)
• Canada’s border is broken, but not the way Trump thinks. Here’s how the next government can fix it (Globe and Mail, 2025)
• Canada’s ‘short-sighted’ immigration cuts will hurt the economy, say critics (Hill Times, 2025)

Multiculturalism 

• Trudeau set a high bar on diversity in appointments. Will Carney match it? (Policy Options)
• Treasury Board reports gains on diversity and equity in public service, but will cuts hamper progress? (Hill Times, 2025, Citation)

Diversity and Employment Equity

Before the cuts: a bureaucracy baseline from an employment equity lens (Hill Times)

Political Representation 

The diversity of candidates and MPs stalled for some groups in this election (Policy Options, The Hill Times, with Jerome H. Black)

Citations

• More visible minority candidates ran — and won — in Canada’s federal election. The Conservatives boosted the numbers (The Star, 2025)
• Proportion of women in the House of Commons dips, with slight rise in minority MPs (Globe and Mail, 2025)
• Number of female candidates drops across parties: study (Globe and Mail, 2025)