Some of Canada’s newest citizens arrived from Edmonton by bus Thursday at Neil M. Ross Catholic School. Some came at 11 a.m. so they wouldn’t miss citizenship court, which was scheduled for 2 p.m. For others it was their second time coming, as they’d made the trip a day earlier to make sure they could find the school and the gymnasium where the ceremony would be held.
Some were dressed in the formal attire of their native country. One, originally from Uganda, wore a black cowboy hat, as if to affirm his new place both as an Albertan and as a Canadian. Some women wore silk shawls around their shoulders while others came simply dressed in blue jeans and T-shirts.
Some walked into the court together, as couples. Entire multi-generational families came too, while others came alone to declare their allegiance.
In all, 70 new Canadians representing 35 countries raised their right hands and together with citizenship judge Sonia Bitar, pledged allegiance to Queen Elizabeth and to Canada.
“This is a special day for you to become Canadian and it’s also a special day for Canada. Our country has been enriched by 70 new Canadians,” Bitar said.
Next Bitar invited all Canadians, whether they were new to the country or native born, to raise their right hands and join with the new Canadians in affirming their citizenship. The room echoed with the voices of the newly minted Canadians, school students, their teachers and every other adult present to witness the event.
“I always ask all Canadians to join in that affirmation. It reminds all of us our citizenship and at the same time helps us remember our promise and our rights and responsibilities as Canadians,” she said later in an interview.
Citizenship court is normally held at Canada Place in Edmonton and Bitar explained that she swears in approximately 150 new Canadians each week.
“In 2010, just in Edmonton, 9,333 people became Canadian,” she said.
The event held at Neil M. Ross school was specially arranged by members of the St. Albert IODE Club and by Grade 6 teacher Arlene Wagner.
“We asked that it be held here as a way to honour St. Albert’s 150th anniversary,” said IODE member Glenna Bell, who explained that some years previously, citizenship court was held at Neil M. Ross school.
“It seemed that on our 150th anniversary it would be a good time to have it in the school again,” she said.
School principal Sandra Cimino agreed.
“We could not pass this opportunity because of the significance of it. It was very moving and meaningful for our students,” she said. “Our students learned what it means to be Canadian.”
As part of their curriculum, Grade 6 students learn about citizenship. This year the students in Wagner’s class wrote poems about citizenship and three of them presented their poems at the citizenship court.
“It’s great to be Canadian,” student Daemen Ewanchuk told the court, as he added that Canada has many heroes including Terry Fox, Rick Hansen and Wayne Gretzky.
No doubt the new Canadians had their own hopes, dreams and heroes but as everyone approached Judge Bitar they smiled. Then, as they walked back to their chairs, each one stared intently at their citizenship papers.
“I’m proud to be Canadian. Now I am free. No one can stop me now,” said Sahr Bundor, who immigrated to Canada five years ago from Liberia.
It was a sentiment echoed again and again throughout the Neil M. Ross gymnasium.
Tiny eight-year-old Jasmine Li was so excited she skipped up to get her papers and she skipped back to her seat afterwards.
“She was born in China. She is excited to be Canadian,” her mother Li Huang said.
Bitar clearly understood, because she too remembers the day she got her citizenship papers.
“They are Canadian and this day is very important to them, but they will never forget where they come from. I came from Lebanon. I became a Canadian in 1979 and a citizenship judge in 2005. Every single time I do this it takes me back to that day when I became Canadian,” she said.
