Research Papers

 

The Canadians Abroad Project produces a range of policy oriented research on various issues related to Canadians living abroad. While some of these are available as hard-copy publications, all are available to be downloaded in pdf format.

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Us and Them: The Plumbing and Poetry of Citizenship Policy and the Canadians Abroad
This paper illustrates how a Canadian population abroad of nearly 2.8 million people has important implications for the development of Canadian citizenship policy. The paper traces the evolution of citizenship policy from its earliest days.  Following official timelines from government sources, the paper is divided into four periods: 1867 – 1947; 1947 – 1977; 1977 – 2009; and 2009 onwards.
Published: June 28, 2010, Canadians Abroad Project Paper 

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Attached, Less Attached or Not Attached? Participation in Canada of Overseas Canadian Citizen
Canada has 2.8 million citizens – or roughly 8% of the nation’s total population – permanently residing outside Canada. The interaction or lack of interaction of this group with Canada has become a hot public policy issue, particularly in the wake of the evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon in 2006. This study looks at the extent to which Canadians living abroad participate in Canada in a variety of ways.
Published: June 28, 2010, Canadians Abroad Project Paper

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Mapping Canadian Diasporic Media: The Existence and Significance of Communicative Spaces for Overseas Canadians
To understand how Canadian diasporas are established as communities, this study mapped the communication infrastructure of the Canadian diaspora – that is, media and organizations established within diasporic communities. This study identified 60 Canadian diasporic media, 53 organizations and 110 alumni networks in 12 selected destinations in Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East. This study finds that the largest communications infrastructure has been established in the US (58), followed by the UK (37), China (24), Hong Kong (23), and France (22).
Published: March 5, 2010, Canadians Abroad Project Paper

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Canadians Abroad: Policy Challenges for Canada
Canada is a nation of immigrants. Little is known, however, about nearly 2.8 million Canadians living abroad. This paper explores Canada’s substantial policy gap between the treatment of Canadians at home and citizens abroad. Based on survey data, the paper also finds that the Canadian overseas community feels strongly “Canadian” and wants to be connected to Canada. In addition, most Canadians at home consider the large community of Canadians living abroad as an asset rather than a liability for Canada. The paper concludes with seven major policy challenges for Canada, and calls for cultivating the Canadian diaspora as a long-term asset.
Published: November 15, 2009, Korean Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 14(2)&Vol.15(1)

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Canada’s Secret Province: 2.8 Million Canadians Abroad (or French Version)
Canada has a hidden province, more populous than Manitoba or Saskatchewan, with more citizens than all of Atlantic Canada. Where is this ‘secret’ province? It’s in the United States and in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, China and in dozens of other countries around the world. It is made up of the estimated 2.8 million Canadian citizens who live outside our national borders – around 8% of all Canadians.
Published: October 29, 2009, Canadians Abroad Project Paper