Canada granted citizenship to 60 persons on Tuesday, October 13, in a formal ceremony at the Ontario Science Centre, according to a report by Francine Buchner on www.gleanerextra.com.

“Ladies and gentleman in a few moments you will become new citizens of Canada,” announced Judge Patricia Phenix at the function, which was held in cooperation with Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship.

Earlier, before being officially sworn in, the group had roundtable discussions on ‘being Canadian’ and shared their experiences of living in Canada.

While the views ranged from a perceived detachment among Canadians to subtle stereotyping, many were challenged by the new experience and hope for the future.

Juan Carlos of the Dominican Republic accepted Judge Phenix’s challenge to become a future Prime Minister of Canada, while Jitendra Mehta of India summed, “Canada has a lot of opportunities. If you know how to use them wisely, you’ll be okay.”

Nickolas Stefanoff, principal of Valley Park Middle School and roundtable discussions moderator reassured the group with the remark:“There is no such thing as an ethnic Canadian. That’s why Canada works, I think.”

Under current immigration laws, an individual becomes eligible for Canadian citizenship after spending three uninterrupted years in the country.

There were even early success stories like Chile native, Christian Fajardo who lived in Montreal before moving to Toronto. He has since started his own construction and renovation company. Nigerian, Sani Abu came to Canada in 2005 and has since started his own dance company.

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