New citizenship law faces first of two expected constitutional challenges

OTTAWA – A newly filed legal challenge says the federal government has no authority to strip a Canadian-born person of their citizenship.

Toronto lawyer Rocco Galati and associates have filed a notice of application in Federal Court outlining their arguments.

Previously, someone could be stripped of Canadian citizenship for attaining it through false representations.

A federal bill that received royal assent last week expands the list of those vulnerable to revocation to include people born in Canada but eligible to claim citizenship in another country — for instance, through their parents.

It also broadens the grounds for revocation to include several criminal offences including treason and terrorism.

A national group of refugee lawyers also plans a constitutional challenge of the law, saying it violates the Charter of Rights by creating different classes of Canadians.

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