Reaffirmation Ceremonies

If you are already a Canadian citizen, you can participate in a reaffirmation ceremony. This ceremony is a formal event where participants repeat the oath of citizenship to express their commitment to Canada.

Organizing a Reaffirmation Ceremony

A reaffirmation ceremony is a formal event where participants repeat the oath of citizenship to express their commitment to Canada. We encourage the use of both official languages in your ceremony. Follow these steps to organize a reaffirmation ceremony for your school or group:

1. Decide who will be involved in the ceremony.
   Choose a master of ceremonies, guest speakers, and someone to lead the group in the oath of citizenship and in singing our national anthem, “O Canada.” As a guest speaker, consider someone who will speak from the heart about citizenship. This could be a principal, a group leader or someone from the community. If there is a recipient of the Order of Canada or a citizenship judge in your community, consider inviting him or her.
2. Estimate how many people will participate.
   Determine how many people will be participating. You can then order or download reaffirmation certificates and other materials for the participants.
3. Plan the set-up of the room.
   Arrange to have the person leading the oath of citizenship in clear view of all the participants. Position a large Canadian flag where everyone can see it. You might wish to print and distribute copies of the program, including the oath, to all participants.

The oath of citizenship
When repeating the oath of citizenship, ask everyone to stand, raise their right hand and repeat the oath, line by line, as it is read to them. Ask the group to repeat the oath in either official language, or both languages, as they choose.

Download or Order Reaffirmation Certificates

If you are having a reaffirmation ceremony, a reaffirmation certificate will serve as a special souvenir of the occasion. Make sure that you have enough for your whole group.

Download and print a Reaffirmation Certificate [PDF, 60 K] in Adobe Acrobat format, or contact us to have certificates mailed to you:

A sample Reaffirmation Ceremony program [PDF, 83K] is available in Adobe Acrobat format only.