What does it mean to be Canadian? A new Citizenship Act will soon be introduced in Parliament, redefining who and what we are as a people. It will affect Canadians for generations to come. Join Don Chapman, on February 27th, 2014 from noon-1pm in the Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre for an engaging discussion that will challenge your views on Canadian citizenship. Does the government ignore the Charter? Were our war dead Canadian? Can you be denied citizenship simply because of your age, gender, or family status? The answers are shocking.
Chapman, finalist of the Nation Builder of the Year award by The Globe and Mail in 2007 and 2008, has been the inspiration and effort behind seven Bills in Parliament, the latest being C-37, which amended the Citizenship Act to give Canadian status to those who either lost it or never had citizenship in the first place, all due to outdated provisions in legislation- some of which remain on the books. Upwards of a million people can now call themselves Canadian citizens as a result. Chapman will deliver a session on The Lost Canadians to faculty, students, and community members. He will also provide background, talk about present-day discrimination, and what it happens when your own country renders.