UNMAKING CITIZENS: THE EXPANSION OF CITIZENSHIP REVOCATION IN RESPONSE TO TERRORISM issues during the 2015 parliamentary elections.32 Prior to C-24’s enactment in 2014, it engaged in a major initiative that sought to redefine Canadian citizenship. In 2009, the Harper government began working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) to investigate and thwart citizenship fraud and corruption with an emphasis on preventing foreign nationals from obtaining Canadian (dual) citizenship through illegal or fraudulent means.33 Additionally, the Harper government initiated a campaign to allow Canadians to call anonymously a national hotline if they suspected “barbaric cultural practices” of their neighbors or conationals.34 The government’s approach to citizenship was reflected by a speech given by then Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship (immigration) Jason Kenney on September 10, 2012. Minister Kenney stated that: Unfortunately, there is a global industry of unscrupulous, unethical immigrant and citizenship agents posing as bona fide consultants, who will sell people advice on how to scam the Canadian system…We’re here today once again to say that Canadian citizenship is not for sale…This is something that was taken on with vigor by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency when we asked that they prioritize fraud in our citizenship program. So, starting three years ago, they launched major criminal investigations and they’ve discovered that individuals pay upwards of $25,000 over four or more years to maintain the illusion of residence in Canada.35 According to Minister Kenney and the Harper government, citizenship fraud was becoming endemic and required new policies, including revocation expansion. Although revocation expansion was primarily linked to suspected fraud, the focus shifted to security and terrorism during Harper’s tenure as PM. In 2013, a Conservative Canadian MP and Minister Kenney, attempted to alter citizenship revocation by emphasizing “that a Canadian citizen who commits certain designated acts, ‘is deemed to have an application for renunciation of their Canadian citizenship.’”36 While this initial attempt was defeated, a similar interpretation of revocation was enacted in 2014 under C-24. C-24, enacted in June 2014, was a major change to the Citizenship Act of 1977 and sought to reflect the “everevolving threat of jihadi terrorism.”37 C-24 was complemented by the Harper government’s divisive push to revoke the electoral rights of approximately 1.4 million Canadian citizens living abroad (for 5 years or more) and forbid individuals from wearing religious clothing (e.g., Islamic niqab) during the naturalization ceremony.38 These overlapping citizenship policies 32 Forcese, “A Tale of Two Citizenships.” Ibid. 34 John Barber, “Canada’s Conservatives create ‘barbaric cultural practices’ hotline,” The Guardian, October 2, 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/02/canada-conservatives-barbaric-cultural-practices-hotline. 35 Minister Jason Kenney, “Speaking notes for The Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism,” Government of Canada, September 10, 2012, http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/speeches/2012/2012-09-10.as. 36 Audrey Macklin, “Citizenship Revocation, the Privilege to Have Rights and the Production of the Alien,” Queen’s Law Journal 40, no. 1 (2014): 1-54. 37 Michelle McQuigge, “Citizenship law Bill C-24 challenged as unconstitutional by civil rights groups,” The Global and Mail, August 20, 2015, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/citizenship-law-bill-c-24-challenged-as-unconstitutional-by-civil-rightsgroups/article26032727/. 38 Steven Chase, “Harper says ‘moderate Muslims’ support view of niqab ban,” The Globe and Mail, March 11, 2015, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-says-majority-of-moderate-muslims-support-view-on-niqabban/article23413872/; Tamara Micner, “How a Canadian Expat Lost the Right to Vote from Abroad,” The Wall Street Journal, October 9, 2015, http://blogs.wsj.com/expat/2015/10/09/how-a-canadian-expat-has-lost-the-right-to-vote-from-abroad/. 33 Center for Migration Studies of New York | 5