The Canadian government has decided that certain citizens are expendable – vulnerable because of their beliefs, race, and now, place of birth.

The idea of Canadian citizenship has taken some hits in the past few years.

The conservative government recently made it law that children born abroad to Canadians who were themselves born outside the country will not be Canadian. So, if you happen to be studying or working abroad when you or your partner gives birth to a child, you better hope that child is back in Canada when your grandchildren are born. If not, those grandchildren will not be Canadian.

Canadians, generally an international lot due to immigration and a propensity to travel, are apparently only Canadians if they are born in the right place.

This assault on the notion of Canadian citizenship is relatively minor though when compared to the treatment of some who are already citizens. If you happen to be a Canadian that the government of the day doesn’t like, don't expect to be rescued from torture and false imprisonment. Indeed, don't even expect to be allowed back into the country.

The treatment of Abousfian Abdelrazik is a national scandal. Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen, was abandoned by his government – the institution that is supposed to protect his rights and ensure that he receive due process if accused of a crime.

Initially accused of being connected to al-Qaeda, Abdelrazik was arrested and held in Sudan in 2003 before eventually being cleared of all charges. Despite this, he could not return to Canada because his passport had expired and his name appeared on the no-fly list.

Paul Koring of The Globe and Mail writes, "In a wide-ranging, and sometimes chilling, account of six years of imprisonment and forced exile abroad, Mr. Abdelrazik recounted stories of interrogation and alleged torture. He told of Canadian Security and Intelligence Service agents laughingly telling him 'Sudan will be your Guantanamo' after he begged to be allowed to return home."

The complicity of the Canadian government in ensuring Abderlrazik remained imprisoned is still more shocking. Abdelrazik was only allowed to return to Canada when court order demanded it. It is appalling that a Federal judge actually had to order the Canadian government to repatriate one of its citizens.

What all this tells me is that, if I do something Foreign Minister Cannon does not like and my passport is taken from me, he can essentially prevent me from returning home. Even if the RCMP and CSIS clears me of any charges.

It seems that if you have the wrong colour skin or the wrong beliefs, if you do something that the Canadian government doesn't approve of, or if you are simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time you, are on your own.

Citizenship is supposed to come with certain rights including physical security and the right to due process. When these disappear for some citizens, they disappear for all citizens. Every Canadian is vulnerable.

If you are not outraged, you should be. Your government has decided that certain citizens are expendable. They can be forgotten, ignored, and even tortured by a foreign government with our explicit knowledge.

Perhaps you think it will never happen to you – maybe it won't. But if we are willing to treat some Canadians this way, what does it say about our definition of Canadian citizenship and, more importantly, what it means to be a citizen of this country?

If Canadians seem to care less about foreign policy now, maybe it is because foreign policy cares so little for them. To be a Canadian abroad today is to be without support or rights, and, in some cases, without even the acknowledgement that you are Canadian.