New Canadians make it official at UTM-hosted Citizenship Ceremony
“Are you excited? You’re becoming Canadian citizens. This is it!”
Judge Albert Wong encouraged 42 candidates from 11 countries to take a moment to reflect on their journey to become Canadians during a special citizenship ceremony, held March 21 on the University of Toronto Mississauga campus.
The session, one of the first held in person since the outbreak of COVID, was staged in Maanjiwe nendamowinan’s Grand Hall in collaboration with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). During the program, Wong praised the staff of the IRCC for their efforts to swear-in more than 500,000 new citizens by Zoom video call during the pandemic.
March 21 was an appropriate date to hold the ceremony on, Wong said, noting it was not only the first day of Spring but also International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, reflecting times for fresh starts and bringing people together. Wong shared with the group his own immigration experience, moving to Canada from Malaysia in 1971, then joining the Canadian Forces as soon as he graduated high school, eventually serving nearly 40 years before becoming a citizenship judge.
In addition to Wong, UTM Vice-President & Principal Alexandra Gillespie and Vice-Provost, International Student Experience Alexie Tcheuyap, themselves immigrants from New Zealand and Cameroon respectively. Nigerian Canadian poet and UTM alum Ayomide Bayowa, Mississauga’s current poet laureate, performed a special piece in honour of the new citizens.
As they collected their certificates conferring their new status, Wong gave the group words of encouragement, reminding them that, in Canada, “diversity is our strength.”
“This is a threshold moment, not the end of your citizenship journey,” he said, urging the newcomers to involve themselves in Canada’s Indigenous reconciliation and social inclusion efforts and encouraged them to pursue artistic endeavours to bring “light and joy and beauty and peace” to their new home. “Citizenship is an instrument to make our country stronger.”