The unmaking of citizenship education for adult immigrants in Canada

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in citizenship education, particularly in the schools. One area, however, that has remained conspicuously absent from the discussion is citizenship education for adult immigrants. This paper reports on the results of studies examining citizenship education for adult immigrants in Canada from 1947 to the present. We conducted interviews with policy-markers and citizenship applicants, reviewed relevant documents, and surveyed program providers across Canada. We conclude that current trends in Canadian citizenship policy are in keeping with larger trends in globalization and consumerism and propose that the Canadian government increase its civil investment in immigrants if the country is to develop an informed and active citizenry.