Canada welcomes over 2,200 new Canadians on Canada Day

Approximately 130,000 new Canadian citizens so far in 2014

July 1, 2014 — OTTAWA — This Canada Day, more than 2,200 new citizens from 138 countries were welcomed at 45 citizenship ceremonies across the country.

In his home town of Ajax, Ontario, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Chris Alexander, was proud to welcome new Canadians at one of Canada Day’s many citizenship ceremonies.

Minister Alexander also reiterated how the Government of Canada is working to make the citizenship program more efficient–subsequently allowing more people to achieve their dream of becoming a Canadian citizen faster, and with all the exceptional privileges and responsibilities that come with being a citizen.

Today, on Canada’s birthday, and at all ceremonies throughout the year, Minister Alexander recognized the hard work, commitment and sacrifices of Canadians who have built and continue to shape a nation staunchly committed to democracy, prosperity and lawful peace.

Quick facts

• Since 2006, Canada has enjoyed the highest sustained levels of immigration in Canadian history¾an average of a quarter million newcomers each year.
• Our government’s recent changes to the Citizenship Act will further reduce citizenship processing times by streamlining the decision-making process. These changes will bring the average processing time for citizenship applications down to under one year, with the current backlog reduced by more than 80 percent by the end of 2015-2016.
• For new Canadians, the citizenship ceremony marks their formal entry into the Canadian family. A citizenship ceremony is a unique part of Canadian civic life. It is one of the formal occasions when we reflect on the rights, responsibilities and exceptional privilege of being a Canadian citizen.
• Since 2006, Canada has welcomed over 1,300,000 proud new Canadians.

Quote

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate our newest citizens and welcome them to the Canadian family on this special day. Canada Day is a day to reflect upon what it means to be Canadian and to reaffirm our commitment to upholding Canadian values, which have their roots in democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law. It is a day to recognize both the rights and responsibilities of each and every Canadian. Congratulations and Happy Canada Day!”

Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister

Source: http://news.gc.ca/