Ottawa, July 1, 2012 — The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued the following statement celebrating Canada Day.
Today, in every region of this country, Canadians celebrate Canada Day with friends, family members and fellow citizens, just as previous generations celebrated Dominion Day.
On this day, we celebrate the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, as well as the history, symbols, and institutions that define us as Canadians and give us our identity. We recognize especially those who defend Canada at home and abroad, and provided us with the opportunity to live in a strong and free country.
To celebrate Canada Day, Citizenship and Immigration Canada organizes special citizenship ceremonies that reflect our collective heritage and our system of constitutional monarchy.
This July 1st, more than 1,500 people will be granted Canadian citizenship at more than 30 ceremonies across Canada. Each year, almost 160,000 people become citizens at more than 1,900 citizenship ceremonies.
As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I wish all Canadians a happy celebration of the birth of our great Dominion.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Alexis Pavlich
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.
