Mississauga, February 27, 2009 — Dr. Anthony Hutchinson and Victor Oh were honoured today by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney as two of eleven recipients of the 2008 Citation for Citizenship at a special ceremony presided over by the Minister.
“Canada has benefited tremendously from the ongoing hard work and dedication of Dr. Hutchinson, Mr. Oh and all recipients of the Citation for Citizenship,” said Minister Kenney. “This award recognizes their accomplishments as well as what they represent as citizens of Canada – humanity, compassion and a concern for others. For that they have my respect, admiration and deepest appreciation.”
The Citation for Citizenship is an award that honours Canadian individuals for their outstanding contributions in helping immigrants and refugees to integrate smoothly into Canadian society. The eleven award recipients from across the country – Dan Brown, Young Sup Chung, Ellen Gillies, Art Gillies, Ted Grant, Anthony Hutchinson, Lucy Marco, Victor Oh, Josephine Enero Pallard, Claudette Taschereau and Dharam Pal Verma – have together helped thousands of newcomers more easily adjust to a new life in
Canada.
“Over the years, all of these individuals have devoted countless hours to helping newcomers feel welcome and supported and to achieve success in their communities,” said Minister Kenney.
The winners were chosen by a panel of citizenship judges after a national call for nominations in 2008. The award consists of a gold maple leaf pin and a certificate signed by the Minister, which will be presented to the recipients at citizenship ceremonies in Edmonton, Regina, Vancouver, Hamilton, Saint-Georges-de-Beauce, Mississauga and Charlottetown throughout the coming months.
The Citation for Citizenship was established under Multiculturalism and Citizenship Canada in 1987 as part of celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Canadian citizenship. The award aims to recognize volunteer work in support of the citizenship values of freedom, justice, equality and respect for diversity.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Alykhan.Velshi@cic.gc.ca
Media Relations Unit
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
