Girl no longer only member of her family to be Canadian
Victoria Ufondo’s parents, 2 sisters among 54 people who became Canadian citizens at Kelowna ceremony Wednesday
For Doris Ufondo and her family, living in Canada has provided a life free from discrimination and full of opportunities.
Ufondo, her husband, Lotanna, and their daughter, Anulika, left their home in Nigeria nine years ago when Lotanna got the opportunity to study in Germany.
There, the couple’s second daughter, Ifunanyachukwu, was born.
The family later moved to Saskatoon, where Lotanna completed his master’s degree in geological engineering.
The couple’s third daughter, Victoria, was born in Canada, and was the only one of the family to be a Canadian citizen — until now.
On Wednesday afternoon at a ceremony in the downtown Kelowna library, Victoria’s parents and sisters joined her in becoming official citizens of the country.
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget this,” said Ufondo.
For the past year, the family has been living in Trail.
The best part about living in Canada is the freedom, said Ufondo.
“There is no second-class citizen. Everyone is welcome.”
Even in her home country of Nigeria, Ufondo said she experienced discrimination.
“I am from the east, but I was schooled in the north,” she said. “I’m treated differently once my name is pronounced. Everything changes. It never happens to me here in Canada, even though I wasn’t born here.”
Living in Canada also provides Ufondo and her family opportunities they never would have had in Nigeria, she said.
“I’m not worried, because I know (my kids) are going to get educated here as Canadian citizens, and after that they’re going to get a job, and I’m sure they’re not going to get discriminated against,” she said. “There are also opportunities for me to do whatever I want to do.”
Ufondo’s father, whom she had not seen for eight years, was in town for the special occasion, visiting from Nigeria.
“For me to leave for eight years was a big sacrifice, but for me to see him here, I’m really excited and happy,” she said.
Philip Kootstra, who also became a Canadian citizen Wednesday afternoon, moved to Kamloops after leaving South Africa in 1982 and has never looked back.
“I grew up at the time of the apartheid,” he said. “It was the policy to do military service; I didn’t believe in the system, so I took a two-way ticket and I never went back.”
The main difference Kootstra has noticed since living in Canada is the way people of different races are treated.
“I grew up at a time where the races were treated differently,” he said. “I came to Canada and it didn’t really matter what race you were or where you were from or anything. Everybody was treated equally.”
Since leaving South Africa, Kootstra has never gone back.
“Once I left, I said that’s it, I’ve got a new country, and this is where my home is.”
When asked how it felt to finally be a Canadian citizen, Kootstra said, “it’s about time.”
“I’m now part of the country, not just a visitor to it.”
Fifty-four people from 19 countries became Canadian citizens Wednesday afternoon, which marked the second citizenship ceremony at the Kelowna library this week.