Want to stay Canadian? You may have to give up Chinese nationality

Hundreds of thousands of Canadian passport-holders in Hong Kong may have to give up their Chinese nationality in order to remain Canadian citizens.

A change in dual citizenship rights is being considered by the Conservative government in Canada after taxpayers complained about spending an estimated C$85 million (HK$588 million) on the evacuation of 15,000 Canadians from war-ravaged Lebanon this summer. Of these, 7,000 have reportedly returned to the Middle East.

'The government will review the rights and the responsibilities of citizenship in the coming months,' said Pema Lhalungpa, press secretary of the Office of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration in Ottawa.

The review is supported by opposition parties. Although details of its nature are scarce, it is widely believed the review will focus on whether Canadians living abroad should be allowed to have more than one passport and nationality - a right they have enjoyed since 1977.

The Canadian consulate in Hong Kong believes there are at least 250,000 Canadian citizens in the city. Many are long-term Hong Kong residents who obtained Canadian passports in the run-up to the handover in 1997 and have since returned to settle in the city.

Michael Blanchflower, a senior barrister who helped draft the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, said it was within the Canadian government's legal rights to pass such legislation 'as it proves it is not discriminating against any particular nationality'.