February 4, 2014—Ottawa—Canada welcomed more than 16,000 new citizens in January – twice as many as in January 2013, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced today.
Investments announced in Economic Action Plan 2013 have helped make the system more efficient and strengthened the integrity of Canada’s citizenship program. The immense popularity of Canadian citizenship, though, has hampered efforts to tackle long processing times.
The government will take additional steps in the coming days to reduce backlogs while further strengthening the value of Canadian citizenship. As announced in the October 2013 Speech from the Throne, these measures – taken together – will form the first comprehensive reforms to the Citizenship Act in more than a generation.
“Our government views citizenship as a pledge of mutual responsibility and a shared commitment to values rooted in our history. We are proud to have welcomed more than 16,000 new Canadian citizens this past month and we look forward to their full participation in Canada’s economy and Canadian society. We will continue to improve Canada’s citizenship program to ensure deserving applicants can become citizens more quickly.
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Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister
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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
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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.
