June 30, 2004 OTTAWA – Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, and His Excellency John Ralston Saul will take part in Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa on Thursday, July 1, 2004. In the morning, the Governor General will celebrate Canadian citizenship when she swears in 50 new Canadians, 25 adults and 25 children, during a public citizenship ceremony to be held at 10:00 a.m., in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Media representatives are invited to attend. The new Canadians originate from 19 countries: Algeria, Barbados, Burundi, China, Republic of Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Nepal, Russia, Rwanda, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom. They will be among the 2,126 new Canadians to take and sign the Oath of Citizenship at ceremonies being held across the country on Canada Day. At noon, the Governor General will join the Prime Minister, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and thousands of Canadians on Parliament Hill as some of our finest artists from across the country perform on centre stage. This year, the Canada Day noon-time show will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Acadia, and commemorate the contributions of Aboriginal people and the first explorers who helped shape our history and lay the foundations of modern Canadian society. The show will also be broadcast live across the country, on CBC and Radio-Canada, beginning at 12 noon (EST). -30- Media information Rideau Hall Press Office (613) 993-8157 www.gg.ca Citizenship Ceremony Citizenship and Immigration Canada Maria Iadinardi (613) 952-0740 www.cic.gc.ca Canada Day noon-time show Canadian Heritage Jean-Mathieu Dion (819) 956-5929 www.canadianheritage.gc.ca
