Honorary Canadian citizenship () is an honour bestowed on foreigners of exceptional merit following a joint resolution by both Houses of the Parliament of Canada.
Honorary Canadian citizenship is purely symbolic; the recipient does not receive any of the rights, privileges, or duties typically held by a Canadian citizen.
Recipients of honorary Canadian citizenship Honorary Canadian citizenship revoked by parliamentary vote
+ # Name Image Award date Country Notes1Raoul Wallenberg(born 1912, disappeared 1945)1985(posthumous)Diplomat and humanitarian. Posthumous recipient of the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, and posthumous honorary citizen of the United States.Government of Canada Honours Canadian Honorary Citizen Raoul Wallenberg, Department of Canadian Heritage News Release, January 16, 2003 2Nelson Mandela(1918–2013)2001Anti-apartheid activist, first post-apartheid President of South Africa, and recipient of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.3Tenzin Gyatso(born 1935)2006(born in )14th Dalai Lama and recipient of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.4Aung San Suu Kyi(born 1945)2007Opposition leader and recipient of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Revoked by parliamentary vote in 2018 in response to the Rohingya genocide.5Prince Karim al-Husseini(1936-2025)2010(born in Switzerland)49th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Honorary Companion of the Order of Canada.6Malala Yousafzai(born 1997)2014Women's rights and education activist, and recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.7Vladimir Kara-Murza(born 1981)2023 (born in Russia) Political activist, journalist, author, filmmaker.
Revocations Canadian civil society groups and other protestors called for the revocation of Aung San Suu Kyi's honorary citizenship in response to UN allegations that the 2017 persecution by the Burmese military against the Rohingya, an ethno-religious minority group in Burma, constituted ethnic cleansing. This included an online Change.org petition addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the House of Commons of Canada. The House of Commons voted unanimously on September 27, 2018, to revoke her honorary citizenship. The Senate of Canada approved a motion to the same effect unanimously on October 2, 2018. With revocation motions passed by both houses, the Government of Canada stated that it recognized Parliament's decision to revoke the honour.
See also Citizenship Honorary citizenship of the United States
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