Citizenship and Immigration committee  They've gone virtual, obviously. I can't speak to the government's motives. I would just like to point out that there are people who do suffer very real harms as a result of delays in having their citizenship applications processed. Their permanent residency expires. They are waiting for their citizenship application to come through, and it's two or three times longer than the service standard.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I have looked at it. I think there are other witnesses who, obviously, have stronger personal and, in some cases, professional connections to the subject. I would encourage you to seek out their opinions. In terms of the overall prioritization of who is and is not becoming a citizen, I would just repeat what I said earlier: If we're talking about maybe 10,000 people who might be affected by something like this, in the last year alone we put through that many citizens in 10 days.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  In 2001, 75% of permanent residents became citizens within 10 years of arrival. In 2021, that number had dropped to 45%, so there's been a precipitous decline. There are a number of factors, including factors relating to the cost of applying for citizenship, which is over $600 per person.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, absolutely. Any deviation from that is like going through a university degree and not having the opportunity to graduate in public and reflect on the significance of that moment. Becoming Canadian is a momentous occasion for individuals and for families, as many of the witnesses today have testified.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think it's a contributing factor. One of the other witnesses mentioned that the committee spends relatively little time studying citizenship. I think citizenship is the forgotten member of the trio of immigration, refugees and citizenship that the ministry is tasked with and that the committee is tasked with.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Madam Chair, Mr. Vice-Chair, and committee members, thank you for having invited me to testify today on the importance of Canadian citizenship. Even though I'm not an expert on the lost Canadians issue that you are discussing this afternoon, I'd like to situate this conversation within the overall context of Canadian citizenship and its importance.