Halifax Stanfield Celebrates Canada 150 by Hosting a Citizenship Ceremony

May 25, 2017

On May 25, 38 new Canadian citizens were sworn in at a public citizenship ceremony in the main lobby of Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

“We are honoured to have been chosen to host this special event for Canada’s newest citizens,” says Joyce Carter, Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA) president & CEO. “We welcome new Canadians at our airport every day and we’ve come to think of the airport as the modern day Pier 21. The ceremony today provided us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our nation’s 150th birthday and to show appreciation for our great country.”

The citizenship ceremony was organized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and is the final step in the process of becoming a Canadian citizen. It is a formalized rite of passage that pinpoints the moment someone enters the Canadian family. There is also a legal requirement for the individual to attend the ceremony and take the Oath of Citizenship.

During the ceremony, each new citizen received a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship, while guests, who are Canadian citizens, were encouraged to reaffirm their commitment to Canada by repeating the oath along with the new citizens.

Order of Canada recipient, Mary Anne White, presided over the ceremony.

“I know first-hand what a momentous day this is for these new citizens,” says Wadih Fares who is HIAA Board Chair, an order of Canada recipient, and became a Canadian citizenship in 1980. “I first came to Canada as a teenager when I was escaping the civil war in Lebanon. I believe strongly in celebrating the unique talents and contributions everyone brings to this country and today we celebrate these new Canadians.”

Along with new Canadians receiving their citizenship, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is encouraging Canadians across the country to celebrate, reaffirm their citizenship and share what citizenship means to them on social media using #MyCitizenship and #Canada150.