Losing one's citizenship through terrorism

[razz]

As a change from the political forces at work in the US, I wonder if you could help me understand the Canadian government's thinking. Is one's citizenship a right or a privilege? Can you forfeit your citizenship by your harmful behaviour? Does a country have the right to legislate that you do?


http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/citizenship-terrorism-chris-hall-1.3464668

Immigration Minister John McCallum knew he had a tough sell Thursday when he introduced legislation to repeal the Conservative law that stripped Canadian citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terrorism-related offences....

When Amara's citizenship was revoked — in mid-campaign last year — Jason Kenney, the former Conservative immigration minister, tweeted: "This man hated Canada so much, he planned on murdering hundreds of Canadians. He forfeited his own citizenship."

On Thursday, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel picked up the thread, noting the first piece of legislation McCallum has introduced would make Amara a citizen again...

Still, other governments are taking similar paths to what Canada's Conservatives did.

Following the Paris attacks last November, France's political elite is currently enmeshed in a heated debate over whether to revoke the French citizenship of convicted terrorists with dual nationality, while the U.K. has stripped almost 40 people of British citizenship in the last half-dozen years, including some born in the country.

[IshbelRobertson]

This resonates with me as our newspapers have been filled with the trial/sentencing of some of the paedophile/grooming rings mostly in the northern industrial cities of England, but there are ongoing cases from all parts of England. These nasty, nasty men are predominantly of Pakistani origin, many are dual nationality. Theresa May (Home Secretary) is rumoured to be fast tracking the removal of their UK citizenship and deportation would then be the end result.

I think citizenship is a privilege. I don't care if those men were born here, it is their OTHER nationality with which they identify.

Personally, I'd send them back.

ETA link to an article in the Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/asian-sex-abusers-to-be-stripped-of-uk-citizenship-and-deported-a6896051.html

[LDAHL]

I can see the practical advantages of exiling terrorists or sex traffickers. In the absence of the death penalty, ridding your country of them permanently rather than jailing them for some limited term or even life would certainly be more cost effective. You'd also have fewer potential criminal recruiters in your prison system. Especially for recent immigrants, I have no problem with expelling those who abuse and betray the generosity of the host country.

[Aqua Blue]

I can see the practical advantages of exiling terrorists or sex traffickers. In the absence of the death penalty, ridding your country of them permanently rather than jailing them for some limited term or even life would certainly be more cost effective. You'd also have fewer potential criminal recruiters in your prison system. Especially for recent immigrants, I have no problem with expelling those who abuse and betray the generosity of the host country.

Same here!

[ToomuchStuff]

While I haven't read the whole link, what you have quoted, leads me to believe they are only stripping citizenship, from those that have DUAL citizenship; there by a country to go to. But you can lose citizenship:
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/can-naturalized-us-citizen-lose-citizenship-living-another-country.html
This made me go look for a story I remember from school. I didn't remember if it was history class, or English, as I didn't remember if it was based on a true story: The man without a country.

[Mary B.]

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are 10 million stateless people worldwide -- that's a whole lot of men, women and children without a country.

You're right, ToomuchStuff, that the Canadian law would only strip citizenship from people with dual citizenship. It was alarming when it was introduced, since at the same time we had a government whose environment minister referred to people who were protesting pipeline expansion as "dangerous radicals." Dual citizenship isn't all that uncommon in Canada, or so it seems to me -- I married someone born elsewhere, so I have it, but I've never lived in my other country of citizenship.

[IshbelRobertson]

Yes, I pointed out that the perpetrators were mostly dual nationalities.