The Canadian government has introduced Bill C-3, also known as the 'Lost Canadians Act', which addresses a significant legal change stemming from a December 2023 Ontario Superior Court ruling. This ruling deemed the existing law that restricted citizenship transmission to only the first generation of individuals born abroad to Canadian parents as unconstitutional. As a result, many Canadians born abroad could now share their citizenship rights with their descendants who had previously been ineligible due to this limitation.

Prior to this legislation, Canadian citizenship could only be passed down to the first generation of children born or adopted outside of Canada, effectively excluding future generations. This situation left many potential Canadian citizens, especially those in New England with ties to Canadian heritage, without the rights afforded to them by their ancestry. The passage of Bill C-3 in late December 2025 is significant as it could potentially impact millions of descendants of Canadians, granting them the opportunity to claim Canadian citizenship and its associated rights and privileges.

The implications of this law extend beyond mere eligibility; they could foster closer ties between Canada and the millions of individuals of Canadian heritage residing in New England. For many, the recognition of their Canadian citizenship could also translate into rights such as access to healthcare, education, and other social services available to Canadian citizens, further reinforcing the cultural and social bonds that exist across the border. Overall, this legislation is a landmark change in Canadian citizenship law that seeks to rectify past injustices in citizenship rights.