The Constituency Assistant for Ted Falk in Provencher says since new legislation was passed in 2009, he has probably helped twenty-five constituents who have learned their Canadian citizenship may be void.

Bill Krahn says the legislation impacts those who were born outside Canada, between February 14, 1977, and April 17, 1981, to parents who were either also born overseas or grandparents that had immigrated to countries like Paraguay, Bolivia, and Mexico. Traditionally, these citizenships were passed on to the next generation.

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(Ted Falk's office in Steinbach.)But Krahn says the Canadian government realized that by handing out these citizenships, there were potentially hundreds of thousands of people living outside this country, who had never touched Canadian soil, yet were experiencing the same rights and privileges as any other Canadian. And because they were not contributing to our economy, Krahn says our government needed to ensure that people with Canadian citizenship actually had a desire to live here.

The new legislation was passed on April 17, 2009, and Krahn says it only makes sense.

Since then, Krahn guesses he has dealt with about 25 cases involving Provencher constituents. Though he has not learned of anyone being deported, he says it does create a lot of stress and anxiety as an individual could be asked to return to their home country. As of today, he has only a handful of cases that have yet to be resolved.

According to Krahn, the entire process of sorting this out can take about a year. He suggests those who fit this description should not fear, but admits there always is the threat that they could be sent home.

Any constituents of Provencher who now find themselves in this predicament are invited to contact Krahn at Ted Falk's office. That number is 204-326-9889. Krahn stresses they must live in this constituency to receive his help, noting he has been inundated by requests from those living outside Provencher.

Krahn says for someone impacted by this legislation, they can apply for a discretionary grant on the basis of having lived in Canada most of their life and being unaware of the change. He adds many people probably settled in Canada as children and are ignorant of the law.

Related article: Some Mennonites Face Threat Of Losing Citizenship