It was hard to tell who was more excited during the first ever citizenship ceremony to take place in St. Paul last Friday – the 38 new citizens themselves, or the local dignitaries, who were thrilled to play host for the first time the event was held in the town, and to welcome new citizens to what they described as a land of opportunity.
This event was special for more than one reason, as Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs pointed out – this year marks Canada’s 150th birthday, the 35th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the 50th anniversary of St. Paul’s UFO landing pad, which, aptly enough, was built to promote the concept of universal acceptance. The date of the ceremony, April 21, also happened to fall on Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday.
One thing that more than one new citizen remarked, was that the most appealing thing about becoming a Canadian was that they would now be able to vote, one of the chief differences from being a permanent resident of the country. Dignitaries present urged them to vote, and noted they too could run for office if they so chose.
So many Canadians take the right to vote as a given, saying one vote won’t make a difference or that they don’t have time to go to a polling station. But when new citizens talk about the responsibility of being a good citizen and of the responsibility of voting, it makes one remember again how fortunate we all are to have these rights to vote and help shape the country’s future.
It is a reminder of the duty we each have as citizens, to protect and promote the values of democracy and the respect for individual rights and freedoms that lie at Canada’s cornerstone.
