ok here are some immediate problems.I have been round this block since the day I landed and became a PR. The officer who did my paperwork finished by saying congratulations, "you are now a Canadian." Which surprised me. Which I thought was incorrect. I described this in multiple forums at the time (yeah, it has been awhile, a rather long while), and was simply told (by reliable sources) that the officer was correct, that upon becoming a Canadian PR a person becomes a "Canadian."
I was still a bit surprised. So I did the homework. I did the research. And what I learned was that under Canadian immigration law there are two broad categories: Foreign Nationals and Canadians. There are many variations of immigration status in Canada that Foreign Nationals may have. There are only two variations of status that Canadians have: Canadian citizens (including indigenous persons) and Canadian PRs.
Thus the definitions specifically define Foreign Nationals to be anyone who is NOT either a Canadian citizen or a Canadian PR.
Thus the PoE in some airports have a separate line for Canadians, which includes PRs.
This is in strong contrast to countries like the U.S. where Permanent Residents continue to be "aliens" under the U.S. law.
While it may seem that the label "Canadian" itself has little legal import apart from the legalities which attach to or are a part of the particular type of Canadian a person is, that is the legal effect of being a citizen, and the legal effect of being a PR, the fundamental rights and privileges of being a Canadian apply to all Canadians, citizens and PRs, with specific exceptions which, when prescribed, explicitly state which apply to "Canadian citizens" (not just "Canadians") and which apply to Canadian Permanent Residents, including in provisions which explicitly state they apply to both Canadian citizens and Canadian PRs as opposed to all other persons (Section 6 in the Charter for example, which prescribes certain mobility rights of citizens, and separately the mobility rights of both citizens and PRs).
1. According to the English dictionary, Canadian as a noun refers to either native or inhabitant of Canada.
2. Native according to the english dictionary can mean either indigenous person in order to distinguish from strangers or foreigners (or colonisators); or it can mean a person born in that place or country.
So according to these standard definitions (at least when using normal English language), you can understand noun Canadian as anybody and everybody that is living in Canada at that moment (so it would not matter if that person was a citizen a PR or just a holder of a TRV).
Or you can understand it as native Canadians only, in which case it might not even include all Canadian citizens (a Canadian citizen can be a complete stranger to Canada and is a citizen just because he or she was born to a Canadian citizen parent).
As you can see from simple English usage you can have ambiguous meaning of the word Canadian as a noun. So in that case most likely broader definition is used whenever laws refers to Canadians (unless there is a specific definition of Canadian at the beginning of that law).
3. Now comes the interesting part. In the law you have linked (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act) ever so often word Canadian as a noun is mentioned. However there is a very specific definition of a permanent resident there as well (among others to clarify, that from that definition onward permanent resident will mean permanent resident of Canada).
4. Additionally, that so beloved Canadian charter of rights and freedoms, also ever so often uses word Canadian as a noun. However most of the time is more specific and uses term citizen of Canada or Permanent resident of Canada.
5. Now with all that logical knowledge a completely different picture of what is regarded as Canadian in these laws appear.
Actually all those sentences are referring to inhabitants of Canada. Because interestingly, the word Canadian is only used in instances of very general and basic rights.
Here are some examples:
(a) promoting equal opportunities for the well-being of Canadians;
this means for example that an employer cannot discriminate against an employee that has for a different ethnicity, race or religion; just because they are not permanent residents.
Of course requirements to follow the law (to have a valid temporary visa or whatever else is needed) do apply for all of them. So if the law states that only certain groups can legally work (holders of work permit, PR or Canadian citizens), then refusing to employ somebody that cannot legally work is not a discrimination
(g) to protect the health and safety of Canadians and to maintain the security of Canadian society; and
This practically means that Canadian police is there for the safety of all people that are in Canada at that moment - inhabiting Canada.
It would be childish to think that safety is only reserved to those with PR or citizens and all those international students, temporary worker, live in caregivers or tourist would be acceptable casualties.
At the end of the day, Canada does have a certain basic responsibilities against all those other countries from which these citizens are from.
(c) providing essential public services of reasonable quality to all Canadians.
Again, just because you are just a temporary resident, it does not mean, that you will not need certain basic services. Those can vary from the mentioned police assistance for a tourist up to the registration of a newborn child. Of course certain services are locked behind either the minimum amount of the time you can stay or a requirement of a specific status (to be a PR or to be a CA citizen for example). And which are locked that way is stated in the law.
But if there is no lock point there, then those services should be accessible to all inhabitants of Canada.
Here comes the bonus. Many time on this forum, it was referred, that a PR holder has right to enter Canada. Sadly, according to the CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, it does not seem so. This right is only for Citizens of Canada
6. (1) Every citizen of Canada has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada.
There is nothing mentioned there about PR (and yes under certain circumstances you can be denied PRTD even for the sake to appeal in Canada) and there is also nothing mentioned about being physically on the borders would change anything (so yes, it seems that an officer can reject you entering Canada as long as it is according to their valid instructions).
Permanent residents have only right to move to a different province.
(2) Every citizen of Canada and every person who has the status of a permanent resident of Canada has the right
- (a) to move to and take up residence in any province; and
- (b) to pursue the gaining of a livelihood in any province.
- (3) The rights specified in subsection (2) are subject to
- (a) any laws or practices of general application in force in a province other than those that discriminate among persons primarily on the basis of province of present or previous residence; and
- (b) any laws providing for reasonable residency requirements as a qualification for the receipt of publicly provided social services.
- (a) any laws or practices of general application in force in a province other than those that discriminate among persons primarily on the basis of province of present or previous residence; and
- Marginal note:Affirmative action programs
(4) Subsections (2) and (3) do not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration in a province of conditions of individuals in that province who are socially or economically disadvantaged if the rate of employment in that province is below the rate of employment in Canada.