Birthright citizenship means anyone born on Canadian soil is automatically a citizen of Canada.Sean kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

It gladdens the heart to see Michelle Rempel Garner, the Conservative immigration critic, denounce the “anti-immigrant sentiment” that is “shamefully on the rise” in this country – because Canadians “mistakenly blame those who recently came to Canada” instead of irresponsible Liberal immigration policy.

Doubtless this disclaimer will help them to keep that distinction in mind as Ms. Rempel Garner and her party whip them into hysteria over the dire threat posed by birthright citizenship.

Jus soli, the rule that anyone born on Canadian soil is automatically a citizen of Canada (or, before 1947, a British subject), has been the law in this country since its founding. The Conservatives now propose to change that – not (thank goodness!) for me or thee, but only for a particular class of people: those who lacked the wisdom or foresight to ensure at least one of their parents was a citizen or permanent resident.

Why is this necessary? Surely a mainstream political party would not wish to make such an abrupt change to a longstanding legal tradition, except in response to some massive crisis.

Opinion: Canada doesn’t like immigration any more. This is a........

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