Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Senator Moreau, the passage of Bill C-3 last December led to significant changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Citizenship by descent, which applied only to the first generation born outside of Canada, now applies to the second, third and, theoretically, fourth and fifth generations born outside of Canada.

According to The New York Times, if everyone who is entitled to it takes advantage of the new rules, it would mean that millions of people who have a Canadian grandfather, grandmother or great-grandfather would be able to obtain Canadian citizenship. There has already been a 50% increase in the number of applications for Canadian citizenship made by Americans over the past year that have been accepted.

Can the government provide us with an estimate of the future number of new citizens over the coming years? Very few countries, with the exception of Portugal and Slovakia, have such generous policies in this area.

Hon. Pierre Moreau (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question.

I would like to point out that the new citizenship program is not open to all generations without any restrictions. Individuals born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025, who have a Canadian parent who was also born or adopted abroad must demonstrate that this parent has a substantial connection to Canada in order to qualify. A substantial connection is defined as a cumulative physical presence of three years in Canada, which somewhat restricts accessibility compared to the figures put forward by The New York Times.

However, the department estimates that the majority of cases involving people who lost their citizenship were resolved following legislative amendments enacted between 2009 and 2015, enabling approximately 20,000 people to acquire or regain their citizenship. The government and the department believe that there was neither a rush nor a sudden increase over a period —

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, Senator Moreau.

Senator Miville-Dechêne: Considering that close to a million French Canadians emigrated to New England in the 19th century and even more so in the early 20th century, will the government be taking steps to raise awareness about this new policy in the states of New England, so that members of the Gagnon, Tremblay and Robichaud families, who started out as French Canadians and from one generation to the next became Franco-Americans and later Americans only, have the possibility of returning to the land of their ancestors should they so wish?

Senator Moreau: I’d like to add to my main answer by saying that at the peak of the changes, the department was receiving about 2,400 requests a year, which is not a huge number.

To answer your supplementary question, the government made sure to proactively open lines of communication with people likely to be affected by the coming into force of Bill C-3. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is cooperating with its counterparts in Canada and abroad to ensure that people who could be eligible for the measures set out in Bill C-3 are contacted.