Thousands of Canadians have signed an electronic petition urging the government to restrict automatic citizenship rights for babies born in Canada to foreigners in an effort to stop what they call "birth tourism."

The petition was presented in Parliament this week by B.C. Conservative MP and former cabinet minister Alice Wong.The 8,886 signatories want to change Canada's birthright citizenship law they say "enables an abusive and exploitative practice" where "expectant mothers who are foreign nationals with no status in Canada can gain automatic citizenship for their children born within Canada."

Wong said the issue is "significant" in her riding of Richmond Centre, as well as other large cities like Toronto and Calgary. She said "birth houses," which are sometimes dubbed "maternity motels," have sprouted up, operating as temporary lodging for pregnant women from other countries. Some are waiting to qualify for health insurance, while others pay for the hospital services, Wong said.

Rest of the report @

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/politics/birth-tourism-canada-epetition-1.3816629