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SPEAKING REMARKS FOR
THE HONOURABLE MONTE SOLBERG
MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP
AND IMMIGRATION

to the

Canada Day Citizenship Ceremony
“Canada: We all belong”

Gatineau, Quebec
July 1, 2006

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* * * * *

Good morning. Judge Pinel, my colleagues from the House of Commons, Elder Two Rivers, platform guests, ladies and gentlemen, and especially our new Canadians.

Today is truly a day for celebration.

Not only is it Canada’s birthday, but it is also the day when many of you are welcomed officially into the Canadian family as citizens.

I hope that in the years to come, as you take part in future Canada Day festivities, you will look back fondly on today as a very special day.

Becoming a Canadian citizen is a milestone in your life: it marks the beginning of a new chapter. And what better place for a new beginning than in this magnificent country.

You are now entitled to all of the privileges that Canadian citizenship brings.

All of the rights that Canadians hold so dear.

But citizenship also brings responsibilities—the responsibility to vote, to participate in your community, to be a good neighbour, and to defend our country and its values.

Being an active citizen is a full-time job.

Whenever you identify yourself as a Canadian—and I know that you will do so proudly—you not only represent yourself, you also represent your country and your fellow citizens.

Successive generations have worked hard over the past 139 years to establish Canada’s good name. And that good name is probably why many of you are here today. You and your loved ones will benefit greatly from the goodwill and trust that Canada has built up over the years.

And we will benefit from what you bring to Canada: your ideas, your skills and your stories.

Here in the magnificent Museum of Civilization, we can see many of those stories and come to understand better who we are as a nation. The Museum showcases Canada’s story—past and present—and you are the newest characters in that story.

Canada is a place to succeed, to prosper, and to live a good life.

Canada is a welcoming country.

Although we cherish our differences, we gain strength from what we hold in common.

Like our values—freedom, justice, equality, respect for diversity and peace.

Each of you is now officially a Canadian citizen. You are now officially part of the Canadian community.

I congratulate all of you, and I invite you to celebrate this wonderful country, Canada—“our home and native land.”