Proud to be Canadian: Families reflect following Canadian citizenship ceremony in Battleford

2023/10/10 Leave a comment

Good example of why in person ceremonies matter:

Nearly 40 people from nine different countries became Canadian citizens Thursday at a special Canadian citizenship ceremony held at Battleford’s Alex Dillabough Centre.

Annette McGovern, executive director at the Battlefords Immigration Resource Centre said the day couldn’t have gone better, with a great turnout all around.

“I thought it was fantastic; everything went really well, and the people were so impressed to have received their certificate in person and be able to celebrate with other people,” she said.” It was just a fantastic turnout with really great people.”

Marking the first time a citizenship ceremony has been held in person in the Battlefords since before the COVID-19 pandemic, Manmeet Randhawa was among those receiving his Canadian citizenship, along with his family, after first moving to Canada from India in 2009.

“There was some struggle [over the years], but we found it very good to be a part of this country and now we are very happy that we are citizens here, it’s a great moment,” Randhawa said.

While currently residing in Saskatoon, the family made the trip to the Battlefords for Thursday’s event so they could share in the ceremony with others, something Randhawa said they felt was an important aspect of the experience.

“They gave us two options, to either do online or in person, so we chose in person because we need the emotions we can feel at the ceremony,” he said, letting out a smile. “That’s why we travelled all the way from Saskatoon to Battleford for this ceremony and we are very happy to be here, it was a great time.”

Leah Grace Robles and her family, who are from Manila – the capital of the Philippines – were also among those making a dream come true with Thursday’s citizenship ceremony.

Having moved to Canada about a decade ago, Robles said that her younger brother is now approaching his 18th birthday and her family decided it was time they became official Canadian residents, something she too had felt was important to do together.

“My dream [was] doing it with the whole family,” she said with a smile. “I am a real Canadian now, and it is very different if you have your citizenship, it is a different feeling… I am more proud [than ever] right now.”

When asked what it is about Canada that brought the family overseas, Robles said it was the opportunity life in the country presents.

“Firstly, it’s the chance for us to be together for a long time,” she said. “And to be honest, the education, the health system, and the future of their kids – speaking on behalf of my parents – that is the most important thing for them.

“The blessing [of] having this and being with your family is the most important thing.”

Source: Proud to be Canadian: Families reflect following Canadian … – battlefordsNOW

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Barker: Oath of citizenship is archaic and needs to go away – Smithers Interior News

2023/10/06 Leave a comment

One could argue that the proposed shift to “citizenship on a click” through self-affirmation of the oath will likely lead to more proposals like this. Presumably, Barker would not argue for reduced residency, knowledge and language requirements.

While unclear from his op-ed, unclear whether he has ever attended a citizenship ceremony with the reciting the oath (and he doesn’t even reference the current oath with its reference to Indigenous treaties):

Recently Marc Miller, Canada’s new immigration minister, reiterated that adding the option for new citizens to take their oath of citizenship with the click of a button was still on the table.

I’ve got an even better idea for the minister.

Do away with the oath of citizenship altogether.

It is a pointless exercise at best and demeaning to our new co-citizens at worst.

First of all, by the mere act of forcing this upon new citizens, we are effectively making them second-class citizens. Canadians by birth don’t have to take the oath, nor should we have to, nor should naturalized ones.

And the oath, to put it bluntly, sucks.

“I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, and fulfil [sic] my duties as a Canadian citizen.”

I wouldn’t take this oath, would you? Maybe, if the reference to Charles was removed, but even then, why should I? My right not to is protected by the Constitution.

Secondly, there is no specific consequence for breaking the oath. There are plenty of consequences for committing crimes, which, in essence, amounts to breaking the oath, but the Crown can’t add an additional charge of breaking the oath of citizenship.

And even if you do break the law, thereby effectively breaking the oath, they can put you in jail, but they can’t revoke your citizenship. They can’t do that to citizens by birth and they can’t do it to naturalized citizens either.

There is only one provision for revoking citizenship and that is if it was obtained by false representation, fraud or knowingly concealing material circumstances.

Interestingly, the same applies to renouncing your citizenship. In other words, the minister can say, ‘no, you cannot renounce your citizenship, because you are doing so under false pretenses.’

New citizens have to go through a lot of rigamarole for years to obtain citizenship. When they are naturalized, they know more about their roles and responsibilities as citizens than most of the rest of us do and are obligated to “faithfully observe the laws of Canada” and fulfill their duties as citizens by becoming citizens.

Taking an oath is redundant.

Finally, the very second a new citizen takes the oath and becomes a citizen, it is perfectly legal for them to disavow it, or at least the offensive parts of it (i.e., pledging allegiance to the King and, even worse, his unnamed successors).

The oath is an archaic practice that just needs to go away.

Source: Oath of citizenship is archaic and needs to go away – Smithers Interior News

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Petition e-4511 – Opposing self-affirmation of the #citizenship oath “citizenship on a click” – Signatures to October 3, one week to go

2023/10/05 Leave a comment

The chart below breaks down the 1,534 signatures as of 3 October by province. No significant change but small overall uptick.

And if you haven’t yet considered signing the petition, the link is here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4511

Petition closes 10 October.

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Petition e-4511 – Opposing self-affirmation of the #citizenship oath “citizenship on a click” – Signatures to September 26

2023/09/28 Leave a comment

The chart below breaks down the 1,512 signatures as of 26 September by province. No significant change.

ICYMI: Minister Miller’s recent comments: New immigration minister says one-click citizenship oath still worth considering

And if you haven’t yet considered signing the petition, the link is here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4511

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New immigration minister says one-click citizenship oath still worth considering [No, it’s not]

2023/09/26 Leave a comment

Latest public statement by the Minister:

The new immigration minister is still considering a controversial option to allow new Canadians to take their oath of citizenship with the click of a button, but there are no immediate plans to implement it, he said Monday.

The government asked for public feedback in February about the idea to allow new Canadians to skip a virtual or in-person ceremony and opt instead to take the oath with the click of a mouse.

Consultation documents posted online say the new regulations were expected to come into force in June 2023, but the government has been mum about its plans since then.

The department is still mulling it over, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Monday, and he thinks it’s a good idea.

“You don’t want to take these moments lightly, but we do need technological options,” Miller said on his way into Question Period. 

“The department has been criticized, rightly, for not being adjusted to the 21st century and that option is one I think that we should preserve.”

It’s particularly important for people who live in remote or rural communities, who shouldn’t have to drive long distances to swear their oath, he said. 

Earlier this year, then-immigration minister Sean Fraser pitched the idea as a temporary option to help work through backlogs of people waiting for their citizenship. 

The change is expected to save people up to three months of processing time, the government consultation documents said. 

The responses to that consultation offered mixed views on the idea: some called it a forward thinking approach, while others thought it would degrade the value of in-person ceremonies. 

The department said in a statement Monday that the comments will “inform the next steps and the development of implementation plans.”

“I’ve heard from Canadians and advocates of the importance of actually being in person. I’ve also seen the importance of virtually, when there’s no question about someone’s loyalty or citizenship or oath or the seriousness he should take the Canadian citizenship,” Miller said Monday. 

“It’s about keeping the options open in the 21st century.”

Miller said he’s administered the oath three times since taking over the immigration file during the summer cabinet shuffle, and recognizes that preserving an in-person option is “paramount.”

“We have to we have to obviously preserve those.”

The government expects in-person participation will drop even more once the one-click option is introduced, and there would likely be fewer ceremonies overall.

Conservatives have vowed to oppose the measure over concerns it would “cheapen” the citizenship oath.

The government wants to “reduce it all to a click on a website or an app as if citizenship were no more than consenting to terms in a contract,” Conservative immigration critic Tom Kmiec said in a statement Monday.

“The Trudeau Liberals are abandoning this special tradition and reducing our citizens to a bureaucratic number.”

During the pandemic, the government added the option to allow people to pledge their allegiance to Canada in a virtual ceremony, and the practice has continued. 

“We saw a firefighter in B.C. that was able to do it on the fly,” Miller said, and suggested the option should remain. 

“I think we need to maintain those.”

Even with the virtual ceremonies, there were still 68,287 people in the backlog as of July 23, waiting to take their oaths and enjoy all the benefits of Canadian citizenship.

Source: New immigration minister says one-click citizenship oath still worth considering

Link to petition opposing the change: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4511

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Petition e-4511 – Opposing self-affirmation of the #citizenship oath “citizenship on a click” – Signatures to September 19

2023/09/21 Leave a comment

The chart below breaks down the 1,503 signatures as of 19 September by province. No significant change.

And if you haven’t yet considered signing the petition, the link is here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4511

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Petition e-4511 – Opposing self-affirmation of the #citizenship oath “citizenship on a click” – Signatures to September 12

2023/09/14 Leave a comment

The chart below breaks down the 1,497 signatures as of 12 Septembe by province. No significant change.

And if you haven’t yet considered signing the petition, the link is here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4511

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Petition e-4511 – Opposing self-affirmation of the #citizenship oath “citizenship on a click” – Signatures to September 5

2023/09/07 Leave a comment

The chart below breaks down the 1,488 signatures as of 5 Septembe by province. No major changes by province as numbers plateau.

Fun detail to speculate about. Minister Miller is married to a former Swedish diplomat who presumably is also a naturalized Canadian and who participated in a citizenship ceremony. May bring a needed personal perspective to the ill-advised move to self-affirmation of the citizenship oath and the desired result that “participation in ceremonies would be lower than it is currently, and there would likely be fewer ceremonies overall:”

And if you haven’t yet considered signing the petition, the link is here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4511

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Petition e-4511 – Opposing self-affirmation of the #citizenship oath “citizenship on a click” – Signatures to August 29

2023/08/31 Leave a comment

The chart below breaks down the 1,478 signatures as of 29 August by province. No major changes by province as numbers plateau.

And if you haven’t yet considered signing the petition, the link is here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4511

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Petition e-4511 – Opposing self-affirmation of the #citizenship oath “citizenship on a click” – Signatures to August 22

2023/08/24 Leave a comment

The chart below breaks down the 1,471 signatures as of 22 August by province. No major changes by province as numbers plateau.

And if you haven’t yet considered signing the petition, the link is here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4511

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