Open for signatureElectronice-7879 · Parliament 45

Recognize pre‑1947 citizenship

Sign on the House of Commons website

Petitioners ask the House of Commons to formally acknowledge that the 111,000 Canadians who fell in the First and Second World Wars were Canadian citizens and that Canadian citizenship existed before January 1, 1947.

Why we would sign this petition

  • It would formally recognize that fallen service members were citizens, aligning official records with their wartime designation and affirming their historical status.
  • It aligns Parliament’s stance with wartime death certificates and the Supreme Court concession cited in the petition, promoting legal and historical consistency.
  • Official acknowledgement could clarify the historical record and guide related commemorative or administrative practices.

Why we wouldn’t sign this petition

  • The change may be largely symbolic and may not alter legal rights or practical outcomes for descendants or institutions.
  • Retrospectively declaring citizenship could create legal ambiguity over the scope and effects of such recognition.
  • Parliamentary acknowledgement may not resolve underlying legal questions as effectively as targeted legislation or a court ruling.

The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled The Government of Canada's own death certificates recorded Canadians who fell in the First and Second World Wars as "Canadian" citizens; The Government of Canada now says they were never citizens — that Canadian citizenship only began on January 1, 1947; and The Government of Canada has conceded before the Supreme Court that Canadian citizenship existed as early as 1870 (Manitoba Metis Federation Inc. v. Canada (AG), 2013 SCC 14) We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to formally acknowledge that the 111,000 Canadians who fell in the First and Second World Wars were Canadian citizens — and that Canadian citizenship and the legal rights of citizenship existed before January 1, 1947.

Government response

No government response is available yet.