Evaluation of the Citizenship Awareness Program - Management Response Action Plan (MRAP)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Evaluation of the Citizenship Awareness Program - Management Response Action Plan (MRAP) Evaluation of the Citizenship Awareness Program Evaluation Division October 2013 Research and Evaluation Research Ci4-119/2013E-PDF 978-1-100-23100-6 Ref. No.: E7-2013 Table of contents List of Acronyms .................................................................................................... iii Executive summary ................................................................................................ iv Purpose of the evaluation ................................................................................................. iv Citizenship Awareness Program profile .................................................................................. iv Methodology .................................................................................................................. v Evaluation findings .......................................................................................................... v Conclusions and recommendations ...................................................................................... vii Evaluation of the Citizenship Awareness Program - Management Response Action Plan (MRAP) ...................................................................................................... ix 1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Purpose of the Evaluation ..................................................................................... 1 1.2. Citizenship Awareness Program profile...................................................................... 1 1.2.1. Program context and objectives ............................................................................. 1 1.2.2. Overview of Citizenship Awareness activities ............................................................. 2 1.2.3. Other activities in support of Citizenship Awareness objectives ....................................... 3 1.2.4. Governance of the Citizenship Awareness Program ....................................................... 4 1.2.5. Program resources ............................................................................................. 5 2. Methodology ................................................................................................ 6 2.1. Evaluation scope and approach .............................................................................. 6 2.2. Evaluation questions ........................................................................................... 8 2.3. Data collection methods ...................................................................................... 9 2.3.1. Interviews ....................................................................................................... 9 2.3.2. Site visits ...................................................................................................... 10 2.3.3. Ceremony exit surveys ...................................................................................... 10 2.3.4. Survey of new citizens ....................................................................................... 11 2.3.5. Administrative data review ................................................................................. 11 2.3.6. Literature review ............................................................................................ 12 2.3.7. Document review ............................................................................................. 12 2.3.8. Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) case study ..................................................... 12 2.4. Strengths, limitations and considerations................................................................. 12 3. Evaluation findings ...................................................................................... 14 3.1. Relevance ..................................................................................................... 14 3.1.1. Continued need for Citizenship Awareness programming .............................................. 14 3.1.2. Consistency with CIC goals and government-wide priorities........................................... 17 3.1.3. Alignment with federal roles and responsibilities ...................................................... 18 3.2. Performance .................................................................................................. 19 3.2.1. Participation in CIC promotional activities .............................................................. 19 3.2.2. Knowledge of citizenship rights and responsibilities ................................................... 31 3.2.3. Impacts related to valuing Canadian citizenship ........................................................ 36 3.2.4. Impacts related to applying for Canadian citizenship .................................................. 39 3.2.5. Program management ....................................................................................... 42 3.2.6. Resource utilization ......................................................................................... 45 4. Conclusions and recommendations .................................................................. 51 4.1. Conclusions .................................................................................................... 51 4.1.1. Relevance...................................................................................................... 51 4.1.2. Performance .................................................................................................. 51 4.2. Recommendations ............................................................................................ 54 - i - List of tables Table 2–1: Summary of evaluation issues and questions ........................................................... 8 Table 2–2: Summary of interviews completed ....................................................................... 9 Table 2–3: Interview data analysis scale ............................................................................. 9 Table 2–4: Exit survey response rate ............................................................................... 11 Table 3–1: Distribution of Discover Canada publication formats ................................................ 20 Table 3–2: Web analytics of Discover Canada ..................................................................... 21 Table 3–3: Web analytics of CIC citizenship promotion web pages ............................................. 23 Table 3–4: Downloads of reaffirmation ceremony materials .................................................... 24 Table 3–5: Downloads of Canada’s Citizenship Week materials: ................................................ 25 Table 3–6: Web analytics for other CIC citizenship promotion web pages .................................... 26 Table 3–7: Citizenship judge promotional activities .............................................................. 28 Table 3–8: Reach of ICC activities ................................................................................... 29 Table 3–9: Survey results on the impacts of the study guide related to knowledge of rights and responsibilities ............................................................................................ 31 Table 3–10: Survey results on the impacts of citizenship ceremonies related to knowledge of rights and responsibilities ...................................................................................... 33 Table 3–11: Impacts related to knowledge of rights and responsibilities by presence of special elements ................................................................................................... 33 Table 3–12: Impacts related to knowledge of rights and responsibilities by presence of special elements, ceremony site and size ..................................................................... 35 Table 3–13: Survey results on the impacts of the study guide and citizenship ceremony related to valuing citizenship ....................................................................................... 37 Table 3–14: Impacts related to valuing citizenship by presence of special elements ......................... 38 Table 3–15: Impacts related to valuing citizenship by presence of special elements, ceremony site and size .................................................................................................... 39 Table 3–16: Expenditures for the Citizenship Awareness Program ............................................... 46 Table 3–17: Expenditures on citizenship-related communications activities, 2007-08 to 2011-12 .......... 47 Table 3–18: Citizenship-awareness related initiatives funded under the Multiculturalism Program ........ 50 List of figures Figure 2–1: CIC Citizenship Program logic model .................................................................... 7 Figure 3–1: Citizenship take-up rates ................................................................................ 15 Figure 3–2: Reasons for becoming a Canadian citizen for respondents to the survey of new citizens and the ceremony exit survey .......................................................................... 41 Figure 3–3: Most important reason for becoming a Canadian citizen for respondents to the survey of new citizens and the ceremony exit survey ....................................................... 41 - ii - List of Acronyms CAP Citizenship Action Plan CIC Citizenship and Immigration Canada CLB Canadian Language Benchmark CLPPD Citizenship
Recommended publications
  • Discover Canada the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship 2 Your Canadian Citizenship Study Guide
    STUDY GUIDE Discover Canada The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship 2 Your Canadian Citizenship Study Guide Message to Our Readers The Oath of Citizenship Le serment de citoyenneté Welcome! It took courage to move to a new country. Your decision to apply for citizenship is Je jure (ou j’affirme solennellement) another big step. You are becoming part of a great tradition that was built by generations of pioneers I swear (or affirm) Que je serai fidèle before you. Once you have met all the legal requirements, we hope to welcome you as a new citizen with That I will be faithful Et porterai sincère allégeance all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. And bear true allegiance à Sa Majesté la Reine Elizabeth Deux To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second Reine du Canada Queen of Canada À ses héritiers et successeurs Her Heirs and Successors Que j’observerai fidèlement les lois du Canada And that I will faithfully observe Et que je remplirai loyalement mes obligations The laws of Canada de citoyen canadien. And fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. Understanding the Oath Canada has welcomed generations of newcomers Immigrants between the ages of 18 and 54 must to our shores to help us build a free, law-abiding have adequate knowledge of English or French In Canada, we profess our loyalty to a person who represents all Canadians and not to a document such and prosperous society. For 400 years, settlers in order to become Canadian citizens. You must as a constitution, a banner such as a flag, or a geopolitical entity such as a country.
    [Show full text]
  • The Purpose of C-6 Is to Create One Class of Canadian. Unless Amended, the Bill Will Not Achieve Its Objective
    The purpose of C-6 is to create one class of Canadian. Unless amended, the Bill will not achieve its objective. Preamble: “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.” –Justin Trudeau, acceptance speech as Prime Minister, October 19, 2015. “We believe very strongly that there should be only one class of Canadians, that all Canadians are equal, that a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian from coast to coast to coast.” –John McCallum, Citizenship Minister, February 3, 2016. Fabulous words. Now let’s make it a reality. Bill C-6, as written, is but a start- it doesn’t get Canada to the Promised Land. If passed into law, unequal rights will continue, resulting in different classes of Canadian citizen- some with more rights than others. There will also be people denied citizenship altogether due to ongoing discrimination within the Act. My point in the following discussion is to exemplify the confusion and unjust legislation that bonds us together as Canadians. Trying to explain our current citizenship act is easy vs. deciding who under the law qualifies to call themselves Canadians, and why. For example, Canadian citizenship as we know it is an amalgamation of all the previous citizenship and immigration legislation going back more than 100 years. As such, the current Act is not a complete code for citizenship and nationality in that certain provisions of the 1947 Act must still be read as unrepealed. The authority for this is the Interpretation Act 1985 (44[h]), which specifies that provisions of a repealed Act must be read as unrepealed if those provisions are required to give effect to the Current Act.
    [Show full text]
  • Citizenship Study Materials for Newcomers to Manitoba: Based on the 2011 Discover Canada Study Guide
    Citizenship Study Materials for Newcomers to Manitoba: Based on the 2011 Discover Canada Study Guide Table of Contents ____________________________________________________________________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I TIPS FOR THE VOLUNTEER FACILITATOR II READINGS: 1. THE OATH OF CITIZENSHIP .........................................................................................1 2. WHO WE ARE ...............................................................................................................7 3. CANADA'S HISTORY (PART 1) ...................................................................................13 4. CANADA'S HISTORY (PART 2) ...................................................................................20 5. CANADA'S HISTORY (PART 3) ...................................................................................26 6. MODERN CANADA ....................................................................................................32 7. HOW CANADIANS GOVERN THEMSELVES (PART 1) .............................................. 40 8. HOW CANADIANS GOVERN THEMSELVES (PART 2) .............................................. 45 9. ELECTIONS (PART 1) ................................................................................................. 50 10. ELECTIONS (PART 2) ...............................................................................................55 11. OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT IN CANADA ................................................... 60 12. HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR GOVERNMENT? ..............................
    [Show full text]
  • November 30, 2015 Citizenship Judge Albert Wong, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 200 Town Centre Court, Suite 370, Scarborough, on M1P 4X8
    November 30, 2015 Citizenship Judge Albert Wong, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 200 Town Centre Court, Suite 370, Scarborough, ON M1P 4X8 Dear Citizenship Judge Albert Wong, In specific reference to the Citizenship Oath, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, in its decision against my co-applicants and myself (McAteer v. Canada, 2014 ONCA 578, paragraph 761), had written \. the appellants have the opportunity to publicly disavow what they consider to be the message conveyed by the oath. " As explicitly suggested by the Court, I hereby completely disavow whatever I thought the first 25 words of the Citizenship Oath conveyed when I took the oath earlier today. In lieu of a further explanation I attach a copy of the letter I sent you prior to this ceremony. I find it regrettable that I have to do this; I have done my best to avoid it. In my mind, oaths are not meant to be disavowed. But I must have misunderstood something about what oaths mean in Canada, and the courts have put me right. There are many other residents of Canada who are refraining from taking Canadian citizenship, or are taking it with great discomfort, or have taken it with great discomfort, only because of the monarchy part of the oath. A part of the purpose of this letter and a part of the purpose of making it public is to make it widely known that a partial resolution, suggested by the courts, is to take the oath and immediately disavow its meaning. I will maintain a web site, http://disavowal.ca, containing the story of this disavowal and of past ones, and encouraging others to share their disavowal stories.
    [Show full text]
  • Statelessness in the Canadian Context an Updated Discussion Paper
    Statelessness in the Canadian Context An updated discussion paper Revised March 2012 Statelessness in the Canadian context: an updated discussion paper Revised March 2012 This paper was researched and written for UNHCR by Andrew Brouwer The author would like to thank Furio De Angelis, UNHCR Representative in Canada, Rana Khan, UNHCR Legal Officer, and Nadine Edirmanasinghe, UNHCR Associate Legal Officer, for their assistance and support for this update of the original July 2003 discussion paper. In addition, the author thanks Judith Kumin, former UNHCR Representative in Canada, Christine Aubin, former UNHCR Legal Officer; Carol Batchelor, former Senior Legal Officer (statelessness) UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva; Glynis Williams of Action Réfugiés Montréal and Ezat Mossallenejad of the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture for their support and assistance with the original paper. Copyright: UNHCR, March 2012. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or UNHCR. This paper may be freely quoted, cited and copied for academic, educational or other non-commercial purposes without prior permission from UNHCR, provided that the source and the author are acknowledged. Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 5 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Becoming Canadian
    Ideas IRPP Analysis Debate S Since 1972 No. 44, January 2014 tudywww.irpp.org Becoming Canadian Making Sense of Recent Changes to Citizenship Rules Elke Winter Recent policy changes have made Canada’s citizenship regime somewhat more restrictive and convey messages that may be counterproductive to immigrant integration. Le gouvernement, en apportant des changements d’orientation au régime de citoyenneté du Canada, en a quelque peu resserré les exigences, ce qui risque d’entraver l’intégration des immigrants. Contents Summary 1 Résumé 2 What Is at Stake in Naturalization? 4 Taking Stock of the Recent Changes 6 Evaluating the Recent Changes 13 Conclusion 20 Acknowledgements 21 Notes 21 References 22 About This Study 25 The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IRPP or its Board of Directors. IRPP Study is a refereed monographic series that is published irregularly throughout the year. Each study is subject to rigorous internal and external peer review for academic soundness and policy relevance. IRPP Study replaces IRPP Choices and IRPP Policy Matters. All IRPP publications are available for download at irpp.org. If you have questions about our publications, please contact [email protected]. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, Thinking Ahead, please go to our website, at irpp.org. ISSN 1920-9436 (Online) ISSN 1920-9428 (Print) ISBN 978-0-88645-310-7 (Online) ISBN 978-0-88645-309-1 (Print) Summary As two-thirds of Canada’s population growth comes through immigration, the law and process- es governing naturalization are extremely important.
    [Show full text]
  • Discover Canada: the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, Available from Citizenship and Immigration Canada at No Cost
    STUDY GUIDE Discover Canada The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship 2 Your Canadian Citizenship Study Guide Message to Our Readers The Oath of Citizenship Le serment de citoyenneté Welcome! It took courage to move to a new country. Your decision to apply for citizenship is another big step. You are becoming part of a great tradition that was built by generations of pioneers I swear (or affirm) Je jure (ou j’affirme solennellement) before you. Once you have met all the legal requirements, we hope to welcome you as a new citizen with That I will be faithful Que je serai fidèle all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. And bear true allegiance Et porterai sincère allégeance To Her Majesty À Sa Majesté Queen Elizabeth the Second La reine Elizabeth Deux Queen of Canada Reine du Canada Her Heirs and Successors À ses héritiers et successeurs And that I will faithfully observe Que j’observerai fidèlement The laws of Canada Les lois du Canada Including the Constitution Y compris la Constitution Which recognizes and affirms Qui reconnaît et confirme les droits The Aboriginal and treaty rights of Ancestraux ou issus de traités First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples Des Premières Nations, des Inuits et des Métis And fulfil my duties Et que je remplirai loyalement As a Canadian citizen. Mes obligations Canada has welcomed generations of newcomers Immigrants between the ages of 18 and 54 must De citoyen canadien. to our shores to help us build a free, law-abiding have adequate knowledge of English or French and prosperous society.
    [Show full text]
  • The Canadian Citizenship Reform Project: in Search of the Holy Grail? Joseph Garcea Department of Political Studies University
    1 The Canadian Citizenship Reform Project: In Search of the Holy Grail? Joseph Garcea Department of Political Studies University of Saskatchewan Presented at the CPSA Congress in Halifax, June 2003 [email protected] [Please do not cite without Author’s Permission] 1. Introduction During approximately the past half-century the Canadian polity has been embarked on a monumental citizenship project. During that time there have been at least three distinct phases in that project, each of which is marked by the production of either a citizenship act or at least draft legislation. The first phase is marked by the enactment of the Citizenship Act of 1947, the second phase is marked by the enactment of the Citizenship Act of 1977, and the third phase is marked by the production and deliberations on three relatively similar pieces of draft citizenship legislation between 1998 and 2003 designed to supplant the existing citizenship Act. The first two of those died on the order paper, and the third is still before Parliament at the time that this article is being written. It remains to be seen whether this particular piece of legislation will have the same fate as the two which preceded it during the third phase. The central objective of this paper is to provide an overview and assessment of the initiatives undertaken during the third phase (i.e., the past quarter century since the 1977 Act was adopted) to reform the citizenship act. More specifically, the objective is to answer the following questions: ♦ What have been the purposes and policy goals of the citizenship act reform agenda? ♦ What have been the factors that have shaped the citizenship act reform agenda? ♦ What accounts for the remarkably protracted process to produce a new citizenship Act which, to date has still not, been enacted? ♦ What aspect(s) of the citizenship act reform agenda, if any, has been contested, by whom and why? A full appreciation of the citizenship reform agenda during the third phase requires an understanding of the citizenship acts produced in 1947 and 1977.
    [Show full text]
  • Statelessness in Canadian Context
    Statelessness in Canadian Context A Discussion Paper This paper was researched and written for UNHCR by Andrew Brouwer The author would like to thank Judith Kumin, UNHCR Representative in Canada, for her guidance and rigorous editing; Christine Aubin, former UNHCR Legal Officer for her preliminary research into this subject; and Carol Batchelor, Senior Legal Officer at UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva for her expert advice. The constructive assistance of Glynnis Williams (Action Réfugiés Montréal) and Ezat Mossallenejad (Canadian Center for Victims of Torture) is also gratefully acknowledged. Cover photos: UNHCR Copyright: UNHCR, July 2003. This document may be freely cited or reproduced for non-commercial purposes, subject to acknowledgement of the source. STATELESSNESS IN CANADIAN CONTEXT Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – RÉSUMÉ. iii INTRODUCTION. 1 Impact of statelessness. 2 CITIZENSHIP AND STATELESSNESS: THE ISSUES . 4 De jure v. de facto statelessness . 4 THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL REGIME. 7 The 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons . 8 States Parties to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons . 9 The 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness . 10 States Parties to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness . 11 The continuing regulatory gap: de facto stateless who are not refugees . 11 International Human Rights Instruments . 13 STATELESSNESS IN CANADIAN LAW AND PRACTICE . 17 Avoiding statelessness . 17 The Citizenship Act. 17 Recommendations: . 19 Bill C-18 . 19 Recommendations: . 20 Protecting the stateless . 21 Refugee protection. 22 Recommendations: . 26 Permanent residence. 27 Recommendation: . 29 Naturalization . 29 Recommendations: . 30 Refugee resettlement . 31 Recommendation: . 32 Immigration. 32 Recommendation: . 32 Travel Documents.
    [Show full text]
  • Redefining Citizenship: Major Changes and Issues of Note Under the 'Strengthening' Canadian Citizenship Act (SCCA)
    IMMIGRATION ISSUES—2015 UPDATE PAPER 3.1 Redefining Citizenship: Major Changes and Issues of Note under the ‘Strengthening’ Canadian Citizenship Act (SCCA) These materials were prepared by Aris Daghighian of Edelmann & Company, BC, Vancouver for the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, December 2015. © Aris Daghighian 3.1.1 REDEFINING CITIZENSHIP: MAJOR CHANGES AND ISSUES OF NOTE UNDER THE ‘STRENGTHENING’ CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP ACT (SCCA) I. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 II. Residency Requirements ................................................................................................ 2 A. Removal of Residency Assessment .................................................................................... 3 B. Removal of Credit for Time Spent in Canada Prior to Permanent Residency ................. 4 III. Prohibitions .................................................................................................................... 4 A. Foreign Criminality ............................................................................................................ 5 B. Misrepresentation .............................................................................................................. 7 IV. Investigations and Suspensions ..................................................................................... 8 A. Investigations .....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • C-6 Senate Hearings: Expected Impact on the Naturalization Rate Andrew Griffith
    C-6 Senate Hearings: Expected Impact on the Naturalization Rate Andrew Griffith Summary • Bill C-6 appropriately maintains and strengthens the existing integrity and business process measures introduced in the 2014 major rewrite of the Citizenship Act (C-24). • Beyond the specific changes proposed in Bill C-6, there is a broader issue of fewer immigrants applying for citizenship, primarily a result of the steep increase in the processing fee (from $100 to $530 in 2014-15). • Five non-legislative recommendations are proposed to ensure that all immigrants have a more equitable opportunity to become citizens. One legislative recommendation is proposed to ensure a clear and transparent process for future citizenship fee changes: • Non-Legistlative 1. Reduce the current citizenship processing fee of $530 to $300, abolish the right of citizenship fee of $100, with consideration for a partial waiver for refugees and low income immigrants; 2. Review the impact of the additional cost of language competency pre-assessment (about $200) and develop lower-cost alternatives; 3. Ensure that any revisions to the citizenship study guide, Discover Canada, and related materials are written in plain language as close to the level required (CLB-4), and preferably focus-group tested; 4. Consider dedicated citizenship preparation classes targeted towards those groups that appear to be having difficulty passing the test; and, 5. Set a meaningful naturalization benchmark rate that 75 percent of immigrants will take up citizenship within a six- to eight-year period. • Legislative 6. Repeal the exemption to the User Fees Act with respect to the setting of citizenship fees to ensure full public review and consultation for future changes.
    [Show full text]
  • Ishaq V. Canada: Faith, Identity, Citizenship
    RESEARCH ARTICLE REGULATING RELIGION E-JOURNAL Ishaq v. Canada: faith, identity, citizenship. FRANCESCA RAIMONDO PhD Student Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna [email protected] ABSTRACT The debate surrounding issues of religion and identity in the Canadian context has been further fueled by the Ishaq v. Canada court case of 2015. The decision to reverse the ministerial ban on the niqab in citizenship ceremonies - which KEYWORDS had been in place since 2011 - has sparked controversies of legal, political and 1. social nature. This case sets the stage for a deeper reflection on the Canada - religion - niqab continuous, mutable, and often problematic relationship between religion and - identity - citizenship identity. In addition, it casts a light on the development of this relationship oath within the confines of a multicultural, deeply diverse society, struggling with issues of national identity in relation to religious difference. Equally thought- provoking is the role of the context in which the debate arises: the Oath of Citizenship, the official entrance of a new member into the “Canadian family”. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between religion and national identity in relation to this case, assessing whether and in what way Canadian identity is under stress and has been shifting, the role that these disputes play in relation to world religions, and their role within the process of identity construction. ISSN 2291-3106 1 May 2017 | religionanddiversity.ca RESEARCH ARTICLE REGULATING RELIGION E-JOURNAL Introduction “It’s very important to stand up for your right. If you will not stand up for your right you will not get it” (Hopper, 2015).
    [Show full text]