The Conservatives are calling for a new limit on birthright citizenship, a measure they say would mirror the rules in peer countries and curb the risk of abuse of the immigration system.

Under Canadian law, a child born in this country is automatically a Canadian citizen, with very limited exceptions.

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner said such automatic citizenship should be limited to those who have at least one parent who's either a citizen or a permanent resident.

"What the government has been failing to do successfully is remove incentives to abuse the immigration system," she said in an interview.

"And automatic conferral of citizenship, even to non-residents, has always had the potential for abuse."

Rempel Garner said there are two distinct issues to tackle

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