514)SECTION 3: APPLYING FOR CITIZENSHIP; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney

Among the tens of thousands of people from six continents who visit my Blog there must be a significant number who may show an interest in becoming Canadian citizens now or in the future. Consequently I am showcasing on my Blog the Stephen Harper Conservative Government's magnificent new Citizenship Guide for prospective Canadian citizens unveiled on November 12th 2009, the day after Rememberance Day. When I read the online version of this booklet I came away feeling a deep sense of awe and admiration for the country I have lived in for the past 36 years, 5 as a landed immigrant and 31 as a citizen. Indeed this booklet should not just be required reading for prospective Canadians but also for established Canadian citizens of all ages. It's always refreshing to remind ourselves about our secular democracy-its evolution, history, system of government, regions, rights and responsibilities, justice system, economy, symbols, achievements and much, much more. The text of the booklet has been carefully researched and well written and the many photographs wisely chosen. While I have reproduced all the text from the Guide in the following Blogposts one cannot fully appreciate the material without also looking at the photographs and their captions. For that reason each Blogpost has two links to the original page on the Citizenship And Immigration Canada(CIC) website, one at the beginning and one at the end of the post.

On another forum I made the following comment to commemorate Rememberance Day on November 11th 2009: Canada is a stable secular democratic state with a solid, longstanding and admirable history. It is not a disparate bunch of autonomous multicultural fiefdoms as some political parties would have you beleive. Canada is the Magna Carta(1215), War of 1812, British North America Act(1867), Boer War(1899-1902), Vimy Ridge, Ypres and Paschendale(1914-1918), Dieppe, Monte Cassino, D-Day, Juno Beach, Belgium and Holland(1939-1945), Korean War(1950-1953), Cold War(1917-1989), Vietnam War(1960's) and Afghanistan(post 2001).


http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-03.asp

Study Guide – Discover Canada
The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

SECTION 3: APPLYING FOR CITIZENSHIP

When you apply for citizenship, officials will check your status, verify that you are not prohibited from applying, and ensure that you meet the requirements.Your application may take several months. Please ensure that the Call Centre always has your correct address while your application is being processed.


How to use this booklet to prepare for the citizenship test

This booklet will help you prepare for the citizenship test. You should:
1)Study this guide;
2)Ask a friend or family member to help you practise answering questions about Canada;
3)Call a local school or school board, a college, a community centre or a local organization that provides services to immigrants and ask for information on citizenship classes;
4)Take English or French language classes, which the Government of Canada offers free of charge.


About the citizenship test

The citizenship test is usually a written test, but it could be an interview. You will be tested on two basic requirements for citizenship:
1) adequate knowledge of English or French, and
2) knowledge of Canada and of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. People between the ages of 18 and 54 must write the citizenship test. Anyone under the age of 18 or over the age of 54 does not need to write the test.


You must also answer enough questions correctly to achieve a passing mark. The questions are chosen from the following topics:

1)The rights and responsibilities of citizenship;
2)Canada’s government, history, symbols, and geography;
3)Voting procedures and how to register yourself as a voter.


After the test

If you pass the test and meet all the other requirements, you will receive a Notice to Appear to Take the Oath of Citizenship. This document tells you the date, time, and place of your citizenship ceremony.


At the ceremony, you will:

1)Take the Oath of Citizenship;
2)Sign the oath form; and
3)Receive your Canadian Citizenship Certificate.


If you do not pass the test, you will receive a notification indicating the next steps.


You are encouraged to bring your family and friends to celebrate this occasion.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-03.asp


Quotes Of Canadian Minister Of Citizenship, Immigration And Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney(2009):

1)When you become a citizen, you're not just getting a travel document into Hotel Canada.
2)I think it's scandalous that someone could become a Canadian not knowing what the poppy represents, or never having heard of Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Dieppe or Juno Beach.
3)We mention freedom of conscience and freedom of religion as important rights but we also make it very clear that our laws prohibit barbaric cultural practices, they will not be tolerated, whether or not someone claims that such practices are protected by reference to religion.
4)I think we need to reclaim a deeper sense of citizenship, a sense of shared obligations to one another, to our past, as well as to the future, a kind of civic nationalism where people understand the institutions, values and symbols that are rooted in our history.


Easy Nash