Home - Communities - LoonLounge - Blogs - Canada celebrates Citizenship Week, Oct 19-25
Canada celebrates Citizenship Week, Oct 19-25
Posted on Oct. 19th 2009 at 09:35 am EDT (387 views, 5 comments)
This week, Canada is celebrating Citizenship Week, a week for all Canadians to reflect on what their citizenship means to them. The Canadian Citizenship Act came in to effect on January 1, 1947, and Canada was the first country to get its own citizenship laws. Before that, Canadians were considered British subjects living in Canada. Since then, more than 6.5 million people have been granted Canadian citizenship, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Permanent residents who have lived in Canada for three or more years in the last four can apply for Canadian citizenship, and the rights and privileges that come with it. Canadian citizens have the right to carry a Canadian passport, have the right to vote in Canadian elections, and the right to hold public office in Canada. But Canadian citizenship brings other, intangible benefits to many people. I myself am incredibly proud to be a citizen of such a country. A country that welcomes newcomers in such a way that the United Nations sees it as a model for other countries. A country that promotes knowledge and the development of new skills, technologies and industries. A country that is one of the safest in the world, one of the most stable in the world, and one of the most egalitarian in the world. What does it mean to you? Were you born with it? Did you obtain it after immigrating? Are you still a permanent resident in Canada with citizenship as your goal? And why is it important to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
|
|
