Celebrating Canadian Citizenship: Diversity, Resilience and a Shared Future

The Voice of Canada News:

Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, issued the following statement to mark the start of Citizenship Week, which runs from May 26 to June 1, 2025:

“Each year, Citizenship Week offers our country an occasion to reflect on the meaning of citizenship. Canada is a mosaic that includes Canadians of all backgrounds and cultures, and that holds at its centre the histories of Indigenous Peoples and our commitment to reconciliation. This week, and every week, we embrace the shared rights and responsibilities that come with Canadian citizenship and remember the common values that define us as Canadians. We also take this moment to recognize that our diversity is our strength and to collectively recommit to building a better future for all who live here.

“As Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, a proud Lebanese Canadian, and the daughter of immigrants, taking this week to celebrate our newest citizens is especially meaningful to me.

“It takes incredible courage to face the challenges and uncertainty of a new place, and to seek better opportunities and security for one’s family. As Canadians, it is our responsibility to continue to highlight the value that immigration brings to Canada, and to protect the inherent rights and dignity of those who seek to call it home.

“I encourage people across the country to attend one of the many citizenship ceremonies open to the public this week. Being part of this important milestone in someone’s life is an honour and a privilege.

“Every day across the country, Canadians find ways to show pride in their citizenship and exercise their rights as citizens, whether through volunteering in their communities, speaking up on issues of importance, learning our official languages, voting in elections, or celebrating national milestones. Each individual act is an affirmation of all there is to celebrate about being Canadian.

“To those becoming citizens this week: your stories, your skills, and your decision to make this country home strengthen our nation, and your contributions and resilience will help carry us all forward.

“This Citizenship Week, let us come together in celebration of our shared Canadian identity and all that unites us.”