Canada citizenship process is facing a new policy debate after the Macdonald-Laurier Institute released a paper calling for stronger requirements around civic knowledge, constitutional responsibilities and participation in Canadian society.
The paper, published on October 20, 2026, argues that becoming a Canadian citizen should involve more than meeting residency requirements, passing a knowledge test and completing administrative steps. It recommends changes such as a substantive interview for every applicant, revisions to the Discover Canada study guide, greater use of in-person citizenship ceremonies and changes to the citizenship oath.
There is one important point prospective citizens should understand before reading further: these are policy recommendations, not announced changes to Canadian citizenship law or IRCC requirements.
What is the Macdonald-Laurier Institute Proposing?
The policy paper, titled A Covenant, Not a Grant: Canada’s Citizenship Process Asks Too Little in Return, argues that Canada’s naturalization process should place greater emphasis on civic responsibility and knowledge of Canada’s constitutional system.
Among its recommendations are:
- Revising the Discover Canada guide.
- Introducing a substantive recognition interview for every citizenship applicant.
- Making in-person citizenship ceremonies the standard.
- Revising the citizenship oath and adding a signed declaration.
- Expanding government reporting on citizenship uptake among permanent residents.
The institute’s argument is that citizenship should be treated as a meaningful relationship between an individual and the country rather than simply the final administrative step after permanent residence.
Whether these recommendations should become government policy is a separate question.
What Does Canada’s Citizenship Process Actually Require Today?
This is where the distinction between current law and proposed reform becomes essential.
Under the current IRCC process, most adult applicants must:
- Have valid permanent resident status.
- Meet the physical presence requirement.
- File Canadian income taxes when required.
- Demonstrate adequate knowledge of Canada and the responsibilities of citizenship.
- Meet applicable language requirements.
- Pass the citizenship test when required.
- Take the oath of citizenship.
source: Canada Citizenship Process
Adults between 18 and 54 generally have to take the citizenship test. Applicants aged 55 and older are exempt from the test and language requirement under the current rules.
So the claim that Canada does nothing to assess civic knowledge would be too broad.
The existing citizenship test already covers Canada’s history, geography, economy, government, laws, symbols, and the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizens.
Does Every Citizenship Applicant Already Have An Interview?
This is another area where the proposed reform needs context.
The current system already allows IRCC to interview applicants.
In fact, IRCC’s current process states that applicants for a grant of citizenship are scheduled for an interview with an IRCC official. Depending on the case, a hearing with a citizenship officer or citizenship judge may also be required.
The policy paper’s recommendation is therefore more specific.
It calls for a substantive recognition interview for every applicant, rather than relying on interviews that may be used to verify information or address particular concerns.
That would represent a much more significant change in the purpose and depth of the interview.
What Does the Citizenship Test Already Cover?
The current Discover Canada guide is the official study material for the citizenship test.
The test contains 20 questions and examines knowledge of Canada’s:
- History
- Geography
- Economy
- Government
- Laws
- Symbols
- Rights and responsibilities of citizenship
Applicants generally need at least 15 correct answers out of 20 to pass.
The policy paper argues that the guide should go further.
Instead of placing stronger emphasis on facts and historical information, it proposes making Canada’s constitutional order and civic responsibilities more central to the material.
That is a policy choice, not an existing IRCC requirement.
What About the Citizenship Oath?
The current oath already contains substantial constitutional language.
New citizens swear or affirm that they will be faithful to the King and Canada and faithfully observe Canada’s laws, including the Constitution. The oath also refers to the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and the duties of Canadian citizenship.
The policy proposal would go further by changing the oath and adding a signed declaration intended to make the responsibilities of citizenship more explicit.
Again, this has not been announced as a new IRCC requirement.
Why is This Debate Happening Now?
The policy paper connects its recommendations to broader concerns about social trust, civic participation and cohesion.
It argues that citizenship is the point at which an immigrant formally becomes a member of the Canadian political community.
The paper therefore asks whether the naturalization process should do more to explain what that membership means.
This is a broader policy debate than an immigration processing change.
It is about the purpose of citizenship itself.
Would a Stronger Citizenship Test Change Who Can Become Canadian?
Potentially, if the government adopted some of the proposals.
However, the effect would depend entirely on how any new system was designed.
For example, a more substantive interview could be designed as a meaningful civic assessment. But it could also create concerns about consistency, subjectivity, accessibility and processing times.
A policy that increases face-to-face assessments for hundreds of thousands of applicants would also require sufficient officers, training and administrative capacity.
That practical side of the proposal deserves as much attention as the principle behind it.
Could Mandatory Interviews Make Citizenship Processing Slower?
Possibly.
Canada naturalized more than 359,000 people in 2024-25, according to the policy paper.
If every applicant had to complete a lengthy substantive interview, IRCC would need the capacity to conduct those interviews without creating a major new processing bottleneck.
That does not mean mandatory interviews are impossible.
It means implementation would matter.
Would In-Person Citizenship Ceremonies be a Major Change?
The current system includes citizenship ceremonies and requires eligible adults to take the oath.
IRCC’s ceremony information describes the oath as the final step before becoming a Canadian citizen.
The proposal would make in-person ceremonies the standard.
That would be a change in how citizenship is formally experienced, rather than a change to the basic eligibility requirements.
What Should Citizenship Applicants Do Right Now?
For people who are currently eligible for Canadian citizenship, there is no need to change their plans based solely on this policy paper.
Applicants should continue to follow the current IRCC requirements.
That means checking:
- Physical presence in Canada.
- Permanent resident status.
- Tax filing obligations.
- Language requirements, where applicable.
- Citizenship test requirements.
- Prohibitions that may affect eligibility.
- Required documents.
- Application instructions currently published by IRCC.
Applicants should not delay a citizenship application simply because a policy institute has recommended possible future changes.
At the same time, anyone planning to apply later should monitor official IRCC announcements because policy recommendations can sometimes contribute to future government consultations or reforms.
What This Means for Permanent Residents
The bigger takeaway is that Canada’s citizenship debate may increasingly focus on the transition from permanent residence to citizenship.
Permanent residence and citizenship are not the same status.
A permanent resident has rights and obligations under Canadian immigration law, while citizenship carries additional rights and responsibilities, including the ability to vote in federal elections and hold a Canadian passport.
The policy debate is therefore about what Canada should expect from people who seek that final status.
The new Macdonald-Laurier Institute paper has started a discussion about whether Canada’s citizenship process should place greater emphasis on constitutional knowledge, civic responsibility and participation.
But applicants should not confuse a policy recommendation with a legal change.
Canada’s current citizenship system already includes a knowledge test, language requirements, an oath and the possibility of interviews. The proposed reforms would change the depth and structure of those elements rather than create the concepts from scratch.
For now, prospective citizens should continue to follow the official IRCC rules.
ImmigCanada immigration consulting services can help permanent residents understand the current citizenship eligibility requirements and prepare for the application process. Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant Eivy Joy Quito can also help applicants identify potential issues before submitting an application.
Important: Policy proposals are not immigration law. Applicants should rely on official IRCC requirements when determining their eligibility.