While I was away: Citizenship articles of interest

Change in Canada’s citizenship law hitting U.S. archives

More indication of IRCC and PBO underestimating demand by third and earlier generations:

“Sitting in their archive in Lafayette, Louisiana, Barbara Dejean and Stephanie Simon first heard about a change in Canada’s citizenship rules in December, when they read an online news story.

Then the calls started coming in. 

Calls from Americans who wanted to document their Canadian ancestry to apply under the new rules for Canadian citizenship certificates.

“It started a bit earlier in January, but now we have over 450 requests waiting to be processed,” said Simon, associate archivist at the Diocese of Lafayette, whose records include those of many Acadian families.

“The same day that we mail out 40, 40 more come in the mail, so it’s not like we can make some headway on it. It’s just kind of keeping up with them.”

Dejean estimates their two-person archive has received 1,350 requests for records since Bill C-3 went into effect on Dec. 15, 2025. Turnaround time for those requests is currently 12 to 16 weeks. 

It used to be two to three days.

“They’re from all over, all over the United States where we’ve been getting requests for our records,” said Dejean. “A lot of them are no longer here. The families have branched off and moved ”

Brunner: Canada promised a new citizenship guide that better addresses reconciliation a decade ago. It still hasn’t arrived

Good comprehensive review of past and present citizenship guides, with current guide largely unchanged since introduced by former Conservative minister Kenney (over 5 Liberal ministers ago). Over “ideological” approach in terms of how to capture Canadian history, the good and the bad, as the guide needs to thread the needle between celebrating Canada while acknowledging the various missteps and injustices in our history. And yes, more civics and citizenship education required, both in the education system and in settlement:

… Citizenship guides are not neutral study aids. They teach people how to understand a country’s history, its institutions and its political community.

Given that many newcomers arrive in Canada with little exposure to truth and reconciliation, the stories a guide tells, and the silences it keeps, matter.

The fuller, more honest citizenship guide Ottawa has long promised is urgently needed. Still, a booklet alone cannot deliver reconciliation.

Citizenship education also needs support and funding at a time when Ottawa is cutting settlement budgets.

Newcomers have difficult questions about Canada, its history and our responsibilities. Answering them means moving past memorizing facts for a multiple-choice test, toward citizenship education that takes those questions seriously.

Until then, community educators will be left to bridge the gap between Canada’s stated commitment to reconciliation and the very different story Canada tells newcomers about itself.