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Archiver > WARBRIDES > 2005-05 > 1115310512


From: "Melynda Jarratt" <>
Subject: Citizenship of War Brides and Children Confirmed!
Date: Thu, 05 May 2005 13:28:32 -0300


For Immediate Release May 5, 2005

Citizenship of War Brides and Children Confirmed!
_________________________________________

The Registrar of Citizenship for the Government of Canada confirmed in
Ottawa yesterday that there is no question: War Brides and their children
are Canadian citizens.

Ms. Patricia Birkett met with Melynda Jarratt, a Fredericton, New Brunswick
based historian who raised the issue of War Brides citizenship status two
weeks ago when she appeared before the House of Commons Citizenship and
Immigration Committee. Ms. Jarratt told the Committee that the children of
War Brides who had been brought to this country at the end of World War Two
were being confronted with a bureaucratic nightmare when they applied for
passports and that many had even been told they were not citizens. War
Brides were also expressing anger that they too, had been forced to apply
for citizenship in the past when they applied for passports to travel
overseas. In her testimony, Ms. Jarratt explained that the issue was
especially problematic for the children of War Brides who were born in the
UK and Europe as they are now fast approaching retirement age and are making
plans for their old Old Age Pension. Others may be applying for a passport
for the first time in their lives.

Ms. Jarratt flew to Ottawa Wednesday where she met with Ms. Birkett, Stephen
Heckbert, Communications Director for Citizenship and Immigration Minister
Joe Volpe, and John Delacourt, Legislative Assistant to the Minister. The
issue has received considerable media attention because of the 60th
anniversary celebrations of VE-Day and the impending release of a War Bride
Commemorative envelope by Canada Post.

Jarratt said shes never received so much correspondence on her website
www.CanadianWarBrides.com since it was launched five years ago. Its been
somewhat overwhelming, she said, but I am glad that we were able to make
such headway on this issue. It shows that things can move quickly on
Parliament Hill and in Citizenship and Immigration if its important enough
to Canadians, and this issue certainly was.

The War Brides citizenship issue has received all-party support from the
House of Commons Citizenship and Immigration Committee, chaired by
Kitchener-Waterloo Member of Parliament Andrew Telegdi. There was never any
question in the Committees mind that War Brides and the children they
brought with them to Canada at the end of WWII were citizens, said Telegdi.
That commitment was made in WWII and it will be honoured.

News of the development was greeted with optimism by Mrs. Doris Lloyd, a
British War Bride from Plaster Rock, New Brunswick. Doris and her daughter,
Ann, came to Canada on the Ile de France on November 28, 1944. After living
in Canada for twenty years - and voting in elections Mrs. Lloyd made an
application for a passport in 1964 and was shocked to find out that she was
not a Canadian citizen. Her daughter Ann, as well, always assumed she was a
citizen: she was educated in Canada, worked, paid taxes, voted and even held
a Canadian passport in 1967. But recent attempts to obtain a passport ended
in frustration.

Mrs. Lloyd said shes extremely happy to hear that this issue has finally
been settled once and for all. Im over the moon she said from her home in
Plaster Rock where she has lived for 61 years. Its great news for war
brides all across Canada, really and truly. I called my daughter and she is
just delighted to have it confirmed at the highest levels that War Brides
and their Children are Canadian citizens.

Ms. Jarratt cautioned that this development does not remove the requirement
for paperwork, however: to prevent identity theft and to ensure that only
those entitled receive a certificate of citizenship, applicants for a
citizenship card will still have to provide supporting documents. Jarratt
said Ms. Birkett promised that applications annotated War Bride on the
envelope or on the application itself will receive special consideration.
She also advised that her department will put a War Bride link on its
website and that its call centre staff will be briefed.

Ms. Birkett told Jarratt that a major factor in the delay in issuing
certificates has been the ballooning demand for citizenship certificates,
which rose markedly after 911. In the last year, demand has shot up 60% and
while new staff has been hired and trained at the Sydney, Nova Scotia
processing centre, they are still experiencing delays.

- 30

For further information, contact:

Melynda Jarratt

In Fredericton: 506-455-3568
In Ottawa (to May 7) 613-749-5569



Melynda Jarratt, BA, MA (History)
Diploma in Digital Media and Design
Webmaster: http://www.canadianwarbrides.com and http://www.project-roots.com
Voices of the Left Behind: Project Roots and the Canadian War Children of
World War Two is available in English at
http://www.project-roots.com/books.html and in Dutch at
http://www.uitgeverijpica.nl/index.html?page=achterbleven

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