Canada welcomes 45 new citizens at the Royal Alberta Museum

Forty-five new Canadian citizens were welcomed during a citizenship ceremony at the Royal Alberta Museum on Dec. 12, 2019.

EDMONTON — Forty-five new Canadian citizens were welcomed during a citizenship ceremony at the Royal Alberta Museum on Thursday.

The high-energy ceremony featured a discussion about Canadian values, as well as an oath reading and the singing of the national anthem.

The event was preceded by a round-table discussion with the new citizens where they swapped stories and experiences about their arrival to the country.

Amarjot Singh, who has been living in Canada since 2009, talked about the feeling after signing the paperwork.

“It feels a lot more Canadian for sure,” Singh laughed, adding, “They make you feel like you are really a Canadian now, it’s not just that you sign a paper and you’re a citizen. It’s a lot more than that.”

Jennifer Muir, the national program officer for the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, talked about the positive vibe of the ceremony.

“Today was a really good energy. We had tons of people who were just in great spirits. A very, very congratulatory tone to the day.”

The event was hosted in a partnership between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. The ICC welcomes about 3000 new Canadians annually.