The Liberal government has admitted it authorizes changes to Canadians’ place of birth on passports when doing so aligns with Canada’s foreign policy interests — following reports that a woman born in Israel was told she could not list Israel as her birthplace.

The admission appears in a written response to Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman, who asked whether passport officials were altering or refusing to list accurate birthplaces because of “political conflict.”

In its reply, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada confirmed that it can direct officials to modify place-of-birth designations when a passport does not “follow Canada’s current international policies,” or when doing so may reduce “non-alignment which may impact broader Canadian interests and the client’s ability to travel.”

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At the same time, the department denied that any officials had been directed — “formally or informally” — to modify place-of-birth designations for applicants born in Israel.

That denial conflicts with reports that a Canadian woman, Anastasia Zorchinsky, born in Israel, was initially prevented from listing Israel as her birthplace on her passport.

The government’s response does not explain how an Israel-born applicant could be blocked from listing her country of birth if no such directive exists.

Under Passport Program rules, applicants may list their place of birth either as it was known at the time of birth or as it is currently known, using country names recognized under Canada’s international policies. Applicants may also choose to omit their place of birth entirely, but officials insist that decision must come from the applicant, not the government.

However, the government also confirmed that for “politically sensitive regions,” passport authorities consult Global Affairs Canada to ensure place names align with Canada’s foreign policy positions.

While Israel is a recognized country and Canada maintains full diplomatic relations with it, the government’s willingness to alter birthplace designations for political reasons has raised concerns about discriminatory treatment, particularly where Jewish Canadians are involved.

What the government has acknowledged is that birthplace information can be changed to suit Canada’s international posture.