8.1.2 Canadian Citizenship

8.1.2 Canadian Citizenship

 

Canadian Citizenship Ceremony" by Bess Sadler, courtesy of Flickr. CC-BY 2.0

On Thursday May 15, 2008, 60 new Canadians from 26 countries were welcomed to their new country at a Citizenship Court held in the MaRS Auditorium in Toronto. The special extended ceremony was a concept of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship to assist New Canadians to bridge the gap from immigrant to fully engaged citizen. As part of the citizenship ceremony, each new Canadian affirmed the following oath:

The Oath of Citizenship

I swear
That I will be faithful
And bear true allegiance
To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second
Queen of Canada
Her Heirs and Successors
And that I will faithfully observe
The laws of Canada
And fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.

What do you think about this oath?
If you were writing an oath of Canadian citizenship, what would it include? Would you include any of the following?

1. the responsibility to vote
2. the responsibility to pay taxes
3. the responsibility to volunteer in your community
4. the right to freedom of expression
5. the right to freedom from excessive poverty
6. the right to protest government actions you believe are unjust

You can find out more about how a person applies for citizenship by looking at the Government of Canada guide "Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship".

Another exciting way to rediscover your own citizenship is to attend a citizenship ceremony. You will find that many new Canadians are deeply moved by their sense of belonging to Canada. As Canadians, many new immigrants are able to experience rights and freedoms that were unavailable to them in other countries, including the right to political participation. Things that many Canadians take for granted are treasured by newcomers.