Canada can issue you a passport—and still ask you to prove you are Canadian

Alberta’s referendum has exposed an overlooked problem in Canada’s citizenship system. Ottawa should fix it before governments demand more proof of citizenship.

A country sophisticated enough to issue biometric passports and maintain electronic citizenship records should not make a Canadian wait 33 months for a document confirming a status the government already knows they possess, writes Akolisa Ufodike.Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Opinion

BY AKOLISA UFODIKE

October 26, 2026

Alberta’s referendum asked voters several consequential questions about immigration, public services, and the federation. But buried in Question 5 was an issue that deserves attention well beyond Alberta.

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