Image: Government of Canada / https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen.html
Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
Today we finish off our substantive review of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. Check in tomorrow to see our summary of the grades we awarded this year!
The Oath of Citizenship is a solemn declaration that all citizenship candidates 14 years or older must take as the last step before becoming Canadian citizens.[1] The oath is a promise to obey Canadian laws and obey their duties as Canadian citizens.[2] The current oath does not include a solemn promise to respect Indigenous or treaty rights, and does not reflect that “we are all Treaty people”.[3] For this reason, the TRC calls on the federal government to not only educate newcomers to Canada about Indigenous history and rights, but also to pledge to observe the Treaties.[4]
Call 94 states:
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- We call upon the Government of Canada to replace the Oath of Citizenship with the following: I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada including Treaties with Indigenous Peoples, and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.
Bill C-8, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act,[5] was reintroduced in the House of Commons in October 2020 to replace the version (Bill C-99) that died with the dissolution of Parliament in June 2019. Through this legislation, the text of the Oath will remain largely the same, with only the below underlined portions added through this amendment:
I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.
While this new phrasing does not capture the Call 94 precisely, it does reflect the federal government’s stance on Aboriginal treaties thus far. According to the Government of Canada’s website, different departments within the federal government consulted with the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to ensure the Oath of Citizenship reflects Call 94.[6]
Canada squeaks by with a passing grade for tabling legislation not once, but twice, in relation to this call. In order to receive full marks, Parliament needs to pass Bill C-8 to replace the Oath of Citizenship with a new oath with Indigenous content.
Until Next Time,
ReconciliAction YEG
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[1] Government of Canada, “Delivering on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action”, online: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524506203836/1557512859985.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future, (Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada, 2015) at 314.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Bill C-8, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s call to action number 94), 2nd Sess, 43rd Parl, 2020, cl 1 (first reading 22 October 2020).
[6] Ibid.
