Welcome to 85 new Canadians
People from 26 countries take Oath of Citizenship during ceremony hosted by South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services
Eight-five little flags and big hearts filled the first four rows of the Cleland Community Theatre on Thursday morning.
The people gathered there, representing 26 countries, had come to Canada seeking opportunity, safety. Some had fallen in love with the country and others had simply fallen in love.
But what connected them with each other and with everyone gathered in the room was that as of 11 a.m., they were Canadian citizens.
The third annual Canadian Citizenship Ceremony, hosted by South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS), involved taking the Oath of Citizenship in both French and English and receiving a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship in return.
“For the next hour, no one is more important than you,” Citizenship Judge Gerald Pash, who presided over the ceremony, told the new citizens.
“As a citizenship judge, I get to do the fun part. I get to experience from you the value placed on being a citizen of this caring nation. And to be amongst caring people like you. I know I’m amongst caring people because if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be here.”
Such is the case with Elizabeth Howard, originally from Scotland, then South Africa. She came to Canada with her family because she cared about their futures.
“We came here with our kids, for safety and more opportunities for them when they grow up,” she said.
Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit spoke briefly about how the community strives to be open and diverse, and invited new citizens to be active participants in it.
Jean Makosz, president of the SOICS board, and program manager Tahira Sayeed were presented with certificates on behalf of the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship in recognition of the work they’ve done helping immigrants. The event wrapped up with students from Holy Cross Elementary School singing O Canada in English and French.
Addressing the first four rows, Pash said: “When you came up here, I asked some of you where you were born. Now when people ask ‘Where you are from?’ you can say?”
He was met with a resounding cheer of “Canada! Canada!”
After the event, Liz Moore, originally from England, donned a getup her mother had brought that had her done up head-to-toe in Canadian flag finery for a photo-op.
The room buzzed with conversations between longtime citizens and those fresh from taking the oath. But what mattered was they were all citizens.