A time to celebrate our pride in being CanadianOTTAWA, October 10, 2003 -- The Honourable Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced the launch of Canada's Citizenship Week, October 13-19, 2003.This annual event is designed to promote a broad awareness of the values of citizenship, including its rights, privileges and responsibilities."This is a celebration that all Canadians can take part in and be proud of," said Minister Coderre. "It is an opportunity to reflect on the rights and benefits we all enjoy, living in a peaceful, inclusive and democratic country such as Canada. I encourage Canadians to show their pride in being Canadian and to help welcome new members into the Canadian family."This year's theme, "Cultivate Your Commitment to Canada," encourages people of all ages to get involved in their community by taking part in activities that pay tribute to Canadian values and that encourage belonging, identity and membership in Canadian society.In schools, community and cultural centres and offices, thousands of new Canadians will take the oath of citizenship in ceremonies from coast to coast. Many other Canadians will reaffirm their citizenship at these events by publicly reciting the oath of citizenship.During the week, the recipients of the Citation for Citizenship will be honoured at ceremonies in their respective communities. The Citation for Citizenship is a national award presented to organizations or individuals who provide outstanding assistance to newcomers, helping them integrate into Canadian society. The award, which consists of a gold maple leaf pin and a certificate signed by the Minister, will be presented to 10 individuals and 10 organizations this year."Canadian citizenship is about opening our arms and accepting people from around the world as part of our great country," said Minister Coderre. "I congratulate the recipients of the 2003 Citation for Citizenship for their tireless efforts in making sure that Canada remains an open, democratic country where everyone feels welcome."Minister Coderre will attend two public events during Canada's Citizenship Week. On October 14, he will host a Citizenship ceremony combined with a presentation to recognize two Citation for Citizenship recipients in an event being held in Vancouver at the SUCCESS Multicultural Society. On October 15, he will visit 800 children at Bayside Middle School, a trilingual (French, English, Aboriginal) languages school in Victoria, where he will take part in a reaffirmation ceremony and explore the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship with students. Following the discussion, the Minister will challenge the students to design the next Canada Day 25-cent coin, which will be presented to all new Canadians who become citizens during Celebrate Canada, June 21 to July 1, 2004.For further information on Canada's Citizenship Week, including citizenship ceremonies open to the public, Citation for Citizenship recipients, and how you can get involved in promoting citizenship in your community, please visit the "What's New" section of the Citizenship and Immigration Web site at http://www.cic.gc.ca-30-For further information:Sarah BainPress SecretaryOffice of the Minister(613) 954-1064Jean-Pierre MorinMedia RelationsCommunications Branch(613) 941-7712CITIZENSHIP FAST FACTS HistoryThis year is the 56th anniversary of the Canadian Citizenship Act.In 1947, Canada became the first Commonwealth country to gain its own citizenship act.Prior to that, Canadians were considered British subjects residing in Canada, not Canadian citizens.The Prime Minister at the time, William Lyon Mackenzie King, became the first Canadian citizen.CitizenshipIn the past 56 years, since the first Citizenship Act was enacted, almost 5.3 million people were granted Canadian citizenship.In 2002, citizenship grants were down 16% from 2001: 141,588 individuals took the oath of citizenship in 2002, compared to 167,353 the previous year.85% of landed immigrants go on to become Canadian citizens.In 2002, 1,962 citizenship ceremonies were held.By province or territory, the number of people to take the oath of citizenship in 2002, 2001 and 2000 were: Province200220012000 Alberta8,51510,39414,744 British Columbia26,65534,32651,052 Manitoba1,9991,8213,225 New Brunswick268369352 Newfoundland146155140 Nova Scotia9329691,151 Northwest Territories6266104 Nunavut55- Ontario83,67794,372114,368 Prince Edward Island775259 Quebec15,51120,24623,418 Saskatchewan7989791,213 Yukon258169 Outside Canada*2,9183,5184,673 Total141,588167,353214,568 * Number of children born abroad to Canadian parents.Immigration228,575 immigrants came to Canada in 2002.In 2002, the top 10 countries of previous nationality for new Canadians were: CountryTotal% 1.China16,97312.0% 2.India13,1369.3% 3.Philippines7,7055.4% 4.Pakistan7,6545.4% 5.Hong Kong6,1884.4% 6.Iran5,8234.1% 7.Taiwan4,7453.4% 8.Sri Lanka3,5552.5% 9.South Korea3,5032.5% 10.Russia3,3442.4% Other68,96248.7% Top 10 Countries72,62651.3% Total Canada141,588100.0%When immigrants land in Canada, they are asked where they plan to settle. In 2001, the top five provinces were Ontario (148,660), British Columbia (38,313), Quebec (37,519), Alberta (16,397) and Manitoba (4,585).One out of every six Canadian residents was born outside the country.Based on available projections, it is expected that immigration will account for all net population growth sometime between 2026 and 2031, and for all labour force growth between 2011 and 2016.
