Immigration minister recommends ‘one-click citizenship’ instead of traditional oath
By Quinn Patrick
Canada’s immigration minister has been discussing the possibility of a controversial change to how new Canadians would take their oath of citizenship by replacing an in-person or virtual ceremony with the click of a mouse.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that the department is considering the change, which he believes to be a good idea.
In February, the government posted questions regarding how to optimize the procedure to their website to get feedback from Canadians.
No implementation date has been announced, however, initially the change was thought to occur by June 2023.
“You don’t want to take these moments lightly, but we do need technological options,” said Miller before entering Question Period on Monday. “The department has been criticized, rightly, for not being adjusted to the 21st century and that option is one I think that we should preserve.”
Miller claims people living in remote areas and rural communities would benefit from this change, which would relieve them of their commute in order to swear their oath.