Tories will limit revoking of citizenship to 'violent acts of disloyalty,' Jason Kenney says

The Conservative Party has"no interest" in expanding the grounds forstripping individuals of Canadian citizenship beyond "violent acts of disloyalty to Canada," which includeterrorism, high treason and acts of war, says Defence Minister Jason Kenney.

During a campaign event in Dartmouth, N.S., Friday, Kenney, a Conservative candidate in the Oct. 19 election inthe Calgary Midnaporeriding,ruled out any move to revoke thecitizenshipof serious criminals such as mass murderers or child predators, insisting the practice would be limited to "convicted terrorists and traitors" who have turned on Canada.

No other legal or statutory grounds for citizenship revocation are under consideration, he said.

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"We believe the grounds for revocation of citizenship should be limited to those who have obtained it by fraud, or people who are convicted of violent disloyalty to Canada who hate our country so much that they take up arms against it as members of a terrorist group or take up arms against it in a foreign army through the commission of treason or of war against Canada," Kenney said.

Conservative Leader StephenHarper appeared to open the door to expanding the grounds for revoking citizenship of dual nationals who commit other serious crimes during an interview with a London, Ont., radio station on Wednesday.

"We can look at options inthe future," Harper told AM980's Andrew Lawton.

'No interest' in stripping criminals of citizenship

But Kenney said there is"no interest" in including the revoking ofcitizenshipamongthe punishments formorecommon violations ofthe Criminal Code. Themeasure is specifically for those who want to cause massharm to their own country and citizens.

"When you're doing that, you're telling us that you're renouncing and forfeiting your Canadian citizenship," Kenney said. "It's an attack on your own citizenship and the country to which you are supposed to be basically loyal."

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The government has recently stripped the citizenship ofZakaria Amarafor his role in the Toronto 18 bomb plot and is trying to do the same toat least three other members of the group:Asad Ansari,Saad Khalid andSaadGaya.

Ansari and Khalid have beeninformed by letter of the government's intent to strip them of their citizenship.

Gayais serving an 18-year sentence for his role in theplot and is the only member of the group who was born in Canada.

Kenneycallsniqab'misogynistic' practice

Kenney also answered questions onFriday aboutthe government's hardline on banning the niqab at citizenship ceremonies and the resulting backlash.Kenney denied the niqab debate is fanning the flames of hostility toward Muslims. Montreal police are investigating a complaint that a pregnant Muslim woman was attacked by two teens who tried to rip off her hijab.

Kenney said it was"ridiculous" to link the government policy with that incidentand defendedthe Conservative position, whichhe said is embraced by the majority of Canadians.

"Let's be clear, this practice of facecovering reflects a misogynistic view of women which is grounded in a medieval, tribal culture," he said.

"While the government has no interest in regulating what people choose to wear in their private lives, when you come and swear a public oathin front of a judge and your fellow citizens, we think it's eminentlyreasonable to ask that for those 30 seconds, you do so publicly, openly and transparently as a proud new Canadian."

The niqabhas emerged asa key issue in the election campaignand will likely be a hot topic at tonight's French-language debateorganized by the Quebec network TVA. NDP Leader TomMulcairwillbe on the hot seat for supporting the right to wear aniqab during citizenship ceremonies, a position that has cost the party support in Quebec.

Kenney was visiting an electrical company in Dartmouth that is one of thesub-contractorsinthe $36.6-billion shipbuilding project the Conservatives announced five years ago and are in the process of implementing. The government hascalled the contract the largest peacetime project in Canada's history.

At Friday's press conference, Kenneyalso lashed out at former prime minister Jean Chrtien's recent praise of Russia's intervention in the Syrian conflict, saying it reflects the "distorted" foreign policy of the Liberal Party.

"Vladimir Putin is out to serve his own interests," Kenney said of Russia's recent airstrikesin Syria. "He's not helping, and he's not an ally, and I think it's bizarre thatthe Liberal Party is out there regarding Vladimir Putin as an ally.

"This is a man whose political opponents have been murdered and who has invaded neighbouring countries. Vladimir Putin is not an ally of Canada. Vladimir Putin is not an ally of international peace and stability."