Ottawa, October 15, 2012 — Canadian Citizenship Week kicked off on the weekend with a special citizenship ceremony commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 at the Lundy’s Lane Historical Museum in Niagara Falls, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.
“We were very pleased to be able to mark the bicentennial of the War of 1812 in this way,” said Minister Kenney. “When a new citizen takes the Oath of Citizenship, Canada’s history becomes their history, and there are few events in our shared history that match the importance of the Fight for Canada.”
Other special citizenship ceremonies taking place for Citizenship Week 2012 include:
- a ceremony held October 14 in Cupids, Newfoundland and Labrador, where John Guy established an English settlement in 1610, the oldest English settlement in what would eventually be Canada;
- a special ceremony to welcome 50 new Canadians, as well as roundtable discussions on citizenship, hosted by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, on October 15 at Rideau Hall, in partnership with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship;
- three ceremonies commemorating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee to be held at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto (October 15), the Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre in Toronto (October 16) and the Queen Elizabeth High School in Calgary (October 18);
- an evening ceremony, in partnership with Canadian Tire, at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on October 19. Canadian Tire and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will also be reaching out to Canadians together to promote Discover Canada, the citizenship study guide, and the winter sports tradition that we share as citizens.
Canadian Citizenship Week 2012 will feature 54 citizenship ceremonies in libraries, schools and other venues in communities across the country, with about 3,000 new citizens expected to take the Oath of Citizenship, confirming their commitment to Canada. Many more Canadians will participate in reaffirmation ceremonies at community events from coast to coast to coast.
“I encourage all Canadians during this Citizenship Week to take some time to learn about Canada’s history, symbols and institutions, reflect on the great gift of being Canadian that has been passed to us, and as the Oath of Citizenship instructs, commit to faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfill our duties as Canadian citizens,” said Minister Kenney.
A valuable resource for information on Canada’s history, symbols and institutions is Canada’s citizenship study guide, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Canadian Citizenship. Citizenship applicants and established Canadians alike are invited to read or listen to it online, download the mobile app or eBook at www.cic.gc.ca/DiscoverCanada.
The week will also be marked by other special events:
- CIC is launching a new public service announcement titled Free about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and what it means to be a Canadian.
- The CN Tower will be lit up in red and white, including an eight-minute light show at the top of each hour, to mark the official start of Canadian Citizenship Week on October 15.
- Niagara Falls will also be lit up in red and white on October 15 to celebrate the start of Citizenship Week.
- Canadian Tire will host a celebration of citizenship and Canada’s shared hockey tradition at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto on October 17. Special guests will be on hand to take part in the Great Canadian Oath, a citizenship reaffirmation ceremony open to all Canadians, as well as to take part in various hockey-themed events.
- The Historica-Dominion Institute will host the annual “Canadian Citizenship Challenge: Are you Smarter than a 10th Grader?” event on October 22 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
For more information on Canada’s Citizenship Week, including a list of citizenship ceremonies in your region, and details on organizing a reaffirmation ceremony, visit the Citizenship Week section of our website.
Follow us on Twitter (new window to unfollow or login):
twitter.com/CitImmCanada
Photo of Minister Kenney available at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/high-res/index.asp.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Alexis Pavlich
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Communications Branch
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.
