Canada Day marked by citizenship ceremonies

For some new Canadians, this year’s Canada Day was a special one across Saskatchewan.

Citizenship ceremonies were held in Regina and Saskatoon to welcome a new group of citizens from around the world.

Government House in Regina hosted a citizenship ceremony Monday morning, which saw approximately 30 people become Canadian citizens.

Ralph Goodale was also in attendance to speak to the new Canadians, and welcomed them into Canada’s “shared history, laws, responsibility and values.”

John Elevado, a new Canadian from the Phillipines said the day has been a long time coming.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” he said. Elevado moved here to follow in the footsteps of his family. “It’s like the greatest day of my life right now.”

Shahir Ullah, a former refugee from Afghanistan is also thrilled he’s now a citizen. “This is for me a very big thing … the world is beautiful.”

Shahir’s son Zahir was also a part of the ceremony. He said his family loves what Canada has to offer.

“Everybody treating each other so nicely as citizens and as a family,” said the younger Zahir, who added he feels much safer in Canada. “We really like that about Canada.”

Saskatoon also held a citizenship ceremony at Western Development Museum.

The hall was packed with people eager to be able to officially call themselves Canadian citizens.

Hang Theng is originally from Cambodia. He said he made the move so that he could have a better life in this country.

“Canada is the best country for everyone … (It’s) peaceful (and has) freedom.”

Ketan Kumar Chaudri moved to Canada from India to be with his wife, but he fell in love with the country. He said he feels welcome in Canadian society.

“Canada is such a great country. It’s multicultural. Being here … it’s such a great feeling,” he said.

He doesn’t even mind the cold weather during wintertime.

Tevita Lui from American Samoa also made the journey to be with family. He said the timing for the ceremony could not have been better.

“To be part of the big celebration of Canada’s birthday, as well as me being part of Canada … it’s a very special day,” he said. “It’s a privilege, really.”

He said Canada is a place “celebrating equal rights and opportunity for many people.”

A number of the new Canadians said they are planning on celebrating Canada Day with their families and taking in the festivities around both cities.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Dominick Lucyk