"Lost Canadians" will now be officially recognized as citizens, eight years after West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky MP John Reynolds began fighting for their cause.
As soon as Reynolds was elected in 1997, he began the fight to restore citizenship to as many as 80,000 women and children who lost their Canadian citizenship between 1947 and 1977 because their fathers or husbands became citizens of another country.
The law was corrected when the Citizenship Act was amended in 1977, but the bill failed to make the change retroactive.
Reynolds introduced Bill S-2 as a Private Member's Bill in 1998.
"And I never stopped pushing it as an issue up until it finally passed with unanimous approval in Parliament May 4, 2005 and received Royal Assent on May 5," he said.
"It seemed to me to be a gross injustice that children were considered as mere chattels or property of their fathers and that the Government had never done anything to correct that. There are many very good people who would like to come home to Canada as Canadians but the Government treated them as regular immigrants and I thought this was wrong and that they should be treated as citizens of the country where they were born."
Reynolds calls the passing of Bill S-2 one career highlight among many, including being Leader of the Official Opposition and the Alliance Party, serving as Whip and House Leader of the Alliance and the new Conservative Party and chairing the leadership campaign for Stephen Harper.
Even though Reynolds announced his retirement as an MP earlier this year, he doesn't intend this cause to be his last. He is serving as the party's national campaign co-chair for the next federal election.
"Whether as a Member of Parliament or a retired MP, I hope to be able to contribute to my country and my community and hope to be able to use my experience and the knowledge gained as a Member of Parliament to make a continuing contribution," he said.
His immediate plans for retirement involve some relaxation as well as business ventures, and to here Reynolds speak, the future seems bright for the Conservatives.
"I will no doubt spend a good deal of time on the telephone with Prime Minister Stephen Harper after the next election and can confidently predict that Ottawa has not seen the last of John and Yvonne Reynolds," he said, adding a word of farewell to his riding.
"I owe the people of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country my heartfelt thanks for sending me to Ottawa on their behalf in three general elections. Their support and friendship has been tremendous. I also wish to thank The Chief for the balanced and fair coverage you gave me during my years in politics."
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