Forty newcomers took the Oath of Allegiance and officially became Canadian citizens during a ceremony in North Vancouver Friday morning.
The citizenship ceremony was hosted at Alcuin College, an independent school on St. Georges Avenue. Several students from the school went up on stage during the event to address the crowd and offer words of welcome.
Presiding over the ceremony was citizenship Judge Carol-Ann Hart, who welcomed the new Canadians with stories of Canadian resiliency and courage, such as the story of Viola Desmond, who took a stand against segregation in 1946 by refusing to leave a “whites only” section of a Halifax movie theatre.
“Her story is an example of the courage shown by many black Canadians throughout our history,” said Hart. “Ms. Desmond is depicted on the face of the $10 bill, which began circulating a couple of years ago.”
North Vancouver MP and federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson also spoke at the citizenship ceremony, noting that Canada wouldn’t be the country it is without immigration.
“We know that this country would not be nearly as strong, as independent, or as an equitable place to live without our shared experiences that come here from all corners of the globe,” said Wilkinson.
Following speeches, the 40 new citizens took the Oath of Allegiance and the bilingual ceremony concluded with a rendition of “O Canada.”
After the ceremony, people were encouraged to pose for photographs with Hart, Wilkinson, as well as a representative from the RCMP.
Originally from Turkey, Besim Cecener was one of the 40 new citizens who took part in the ceremony. He has lived in Canada for six years, first coming here as a student and soon after deciding to stay following his reverence for what he described as Canada’s multicultural and safe society.
Now a North Vancouver resident, Cecener met his wife here while working at a Starbucks four years ago. He said he was excited to continue his adventure as a Canadian.
“I loved the country and stayed. I think what I like about it is its acceptance,” Cecener told the North Shore News following the ceremony. “If you’re in Canada, it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
