We read with interest the story of Rita Rousselle, the daughter of a British war bride and a Canadian serviceman who has been told she can't get her Old Age Pension until she proves she's a citizen.We are all too familiar with such stories. As these baby-boomers start reaching retirement age, we predict that their numbers will only grow.
At the end of the Second World War, nearly 44,000 war brides and their 21,000 children were brought to Canada with great fanfare. Prime Minister Mackenzie King went so far as to call the war brides and their children a "splendid addition" to Canada's citizenship. Yet, 65 years later, these same children are finding out the hard way that the promise of citizenship made during wartime was never fulfilled.
War bride children are now recognized as being Canadian citizens under Bill C-37, put into law this past April. We ask Minister Jason Kenney to live up to the spirit of his predecessor, Hon. Diane Finley, who promised that War Bride children would be dealt with expeditiously. We have repeatedly requested to meet and educate him on these issues but he has refused. Therefore, we can only conclude that this is a deliberate policy, mean-spirited and contrary to the values of human rights, compassion and integrity Canadians hold so dear.
MELYNDA JARRATT and DON CHAPMAN
www.CanadianWarBrides.com www.LostCanadian.com
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/905524
