Canadian Citizenship Act 1946

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The Canadian Citizenship Act is an Act of the Government of Canada, which came into effect on January 1, 1947, recognizing the definition of a Canadian, including reference to them being British subjects.

History

Before 1947, there was no legal existence of Canadian citizenship. The first act to deal with Canadian identity was the Immigration Act of 1910, but it was merely to facilitate government desire to populate Western Canada. The Naturalization Act of 1914 and the Canadian Nationals Act of 1921 provided a limited definition of a Canadian nationals and was made necessary to allow Canada to participate in the League of Nations and membership in the International Court of Justice.

The act also repealed numerous anti-immigration acts enacted in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

This act was superseded on February 15, 1977 by a new Citizenship Act which, with various amendments, is still in force. One of the most significant changes to Canadian law in the current Citizenship Act is that dual Canadian/other citizenship — generally banned prior to 1977 — has become permissible with essentially no restrictions.

Other related acts:

Canadian Citizenship Act 1946

History

See also