Citizenship ceremony welcomes new Canadians

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This article was published 01/07/2023 (853 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joyce Effiong and her family felt like they’d won the Canadian citizenship lottery. On Saturday, they became citizens on Canada Day.

“It just lined up for us,” Effiong said.

The Effiong family immigrated from Nigeria to Canada in 2018, seeking better opportunities.

“We wanted our kids to have the best we could offer as parents,” Effiong said. “We heard good things about Canada, that it’s a place that welcomes families and gives lots of opportunities for parents and for kids.”

Fifty newcomers celebrated their first Canada Day as Canadian citizens during an official ceremony at Assiniboine Park’s Lyric Theatre.

Families dressed to the nines sat in white wooden chairs while waiting to be called to the stage. A dispersed parade of Folklorama ambassadors in national uniform roamed the park grounds — a testament to Canada’s multiculturalism.

“Thanks to Canada’s amazing diversity — not in spite of it, but because of it — Canada has actually become a role model for the entire world,” Dwight MacAulay, the recently retired Chief of Protocol for the Government of Manitoba said.

The ceremony commenced with an opening song and prayer by Elder Winston Wuttunee. Premier Heather Stefanson, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley MP Marty Morantz, Mayor Scott Gillingham and Ray Karasevich, the CEO of Assiniboine Park were welcomed to the stage to share their remarks.

Some guests, including Gillingham and Morantz, shared their family immigration stories with the crowd.

“My father’s family came in 1907,” Gillingham said. My great-great-great grandfather was a cleaner in a church as his first job in Canada, and several generations later, we’re here, making contributions to our community.”

After the new Canadians held their right hand up to take the oath, they were called to the stage. One by one, they shook an assembly line of hands from Wuttunee to Karasevich, who doled out pocket-sized Canadian flags.

The oath sounds a bit different than it did several years ago. In June 2021, the Canadian government added a clause to acknowledge the rights of Indigenous peoples.

“I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples,” the new Canadians pledged.

Each participant was given the option to take the oath of citizenship in person or over Zoom. In February, the federal government tabled legislation allowing the oath to be taken with the click of a button. The idea, which sparked online outrage, was proposed by the Liberal government to ease the backlog of citizenship applications.

For Persio Cherman and his family, who immigrated to Canada from Brazil, attending an in-person ceremony was an easy decision.

“It’s an emotional moment after COVID. Everyone that we know, they were doing it in front of a camera. It’s not the same,” Cherman said. “It was amazing to be in person with other people who joined us, especially on Canada Day.”

At 14 years old — the age when prospective citizens are required to take the oath — Cherman’s daughter Rebecca was among the youngest of the 50 new Canadians in the crowd. Arriving in Canada as an elementary schooler came with a rollercoaster of ups and downs.

“I moved schools a lot out here. I had to make new friends, meet new people all the time, and it was really tough,” Rebecca said. “But it’s getting better.”

Though it may come as a surprise to lifelong Winnipeggers, one of Cherman’s favourite parts about living in Canada — despite his tropical roots — are the winters.

Before leaving the park, the crowd stood for the national anthem, sung by J.P Hoe. As they walked from the Lyric Theatre stage to the sign-out table, Winnipeg’s newest Canadians were greeted with congratulatory remarks.

“Enjoy your first Canada Day as Canadians,” an attendant said.

cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca