Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
New Canadians could soon have the option to forgo a citizenship ceremony and take their oath online as Ottawa seeks to cut processing times for citizenship applications.
The federal government is seeking feedback from the public on proposed amendments to Canada's citizenship regulations that would allow applicants to take the Oath of Citizenship through "a secure online solution, without the presence of an authorized person."
According to a policy analysis statement published in the Canada Gazette, adding the option to take the oath online without accompaniment could save three months of processing time and allow applicants to receive their citizenship faster.
In addition, the analysis statement says self-administered citizenship oaths could be a more convenient option for new Canadians, noting that citizenship ceremonies are typically held during working hours and run for around 90 minutes.
"Many clients have to take time off work to attend citizenship ceremonies, and this time off is not necessarily paid by employers," the analysis statement reads.
"This proposal would also benefit clients by providing greater flexibility in client service and promote inclusivity by allowing them to take the Oath of Citizenship in a manner that works best and at a time that is most convenient for them during the allocated time frame."
Since 1947, taking the Oath of Citizenship has been the final stage in becoming naturalized as a Canadian citizen. It involves standing in front of a citizenship judge and swearing allegiance to the King and all of his heirs and successors while vowing to observe the laws of Canada.
When COVID-19 first hit in 2020, Canada began allowing virtual citizenship ceremonies held over video conference calls.
The feds say as of October 2022, there was a backlog of 358,000 citizenship applications, with applicants waiting 24 months from the time of application to taking the oath.
Self-administered online oaths would not be mandatory under this proposal, as new Canadians would still have the option to take the Oath of Citizenship the traditional way in front of a judge, either in person or through a live video conference call.
But not everyone is on board with the proposal, including former citizenship and immigration minister Christopher Alexander.
"By abandoning a centuries-old feature of citizenship in Canada, this government is further undermining its own -- at best -- shaky commitment to safeguarding Canada's democratic institutions, national security, national defence & the rule of law," Alexander tweeted on Monday evening.
However, Vancouver-based immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens says if self-administered online oaths can speed up processing, it could be a good option, especially for those whose permanent resident cards are close to expiry.
"I believe that the citizenship oath is meaningful and am sure that many people will continue to do it. However, if it is true that scheduling ceremonies adds three months to processing time then that can complicate things for people with expiring permanent resident cards. As such, I agree that it should be optional," he told CTVNews.ca on Tuesday in an email.
If approved, the proposal is expected to come in force in June 2023. Members of the public can add their comments on the Canada Gazette website during the consultation period, which runs until March 27.
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.