C-71An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2024)
Government bill, introduced in the House of Commons on May 23, 2024
- Status
- Defeated at second reading in the House of Commons
What it does
Changes the Citizenship Act to expand citizenship by descent, update rules for adopted children, restore some lost citizenship, and add a simpler renunciation process.
What it does
- Ensures people born outside Canada before this bill takes effect to a Canadian parent can get citizenship by descent.
- Grants citizenship by descent to some people born outside Canada after the first generation if their Canadian parent had a substantial connection to Canada before the birth.
- Allows citizenship to be granted to people born outside Canada who were adopted by a Canadian parent before this bill takes effect.
- Allows citizenship to be granted to people born outside Canada who are adopted after this bill takes effect, if their Canadian parent had a substantial connection to Canada before the adoption.
- Restores citizenship to some people who lost it because they did not apply to keep it, or because their retention application was not approved, and gives some new citizens a simpler way to renounce citizenship.
Who it affects
- People born outside Canada
- Canadian parents
- Adopted children born abroad
- People who lost citizenship
- New citizens
Where it is
House of Commons
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Defeated here. Defeated
Committee
Skipped. Skipped
Report stage
Skipped. Skipped
Third reading
Skipped. Skipped
Senate
First reading
Skipped. Skipped
Second reading
Skipped. Skipped
Committee
Skipped. Skipped
Third reading
Skipped. Skipped
Senate pre study
Completed.
Royal assent
Royal assent
Not reached.
Introduced by a cabinet minister on behalf of the government. Government bills get set time for debate, so they are the most likely to become law. How a bill becomes law
How the House voted
No recorded votes yet
What MPs said
Each party’s first speech on this bill in the House, from Hansard. Excerpts are the speaker’s opening sentences, unedited.
LiberalMarc Miller· September 16, 2024
“The goal of the bill and the amendments adopted by the members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration is to restore the citizenship of this cohort, of these lost Canadians affected by the age 28 rule.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caConservativeTom Kmiec· September 16, 2024
“I am glad to be the first member of the official opposition to rise for Bill C-71. After hearing the minister speak, it tells me that he came here unprepared to deal with the substance of the legislation that he himself tabled in this House.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caBlocAlexis Brunelle-Duceppe· September 16, 2024
“In fact, the bill replicates all of the proposed amendments in Bill S‑245, which sought to rectify the Citizenship Act's well-known injustices and mistakes.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caNDPJenny Kwan· September 16, 2024
“I am very happy to enter this debate on Bill C-71. Because the House will be getting ready for statements and question period, I will be interrupted in my speech, so I am going to put a few things on the public record.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.ca
Read the source
LEGISinfo status: At second reading in the House of Commons. Bill data from LEGISinfo, votes from openparliament.ca and the House of Commons. Last updated October 13, 2026.