Conservatives urge Liberals to reinstate in-person citizenship ceremonies

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner is calling on the Liberal government to reinstate in-person citizenship ceremonies, describing them as a “sacred event.”

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner is calling on the Liberal government to reinstate in-person citizenship ceremonies, describing them as a “sacred event” where new Canadians swear an oath to Canada and take on the responsibilities and obligations that come with citizenship.

During a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, Rempel Garner called for the Liberal government to reinstate in-person citizenship ceremonies for newcomers, noting that it was among the Conservatives’ campaign pledges to “restore the value of Canadian citizenship.”

“Last year, over half of the people who became Canadian citizens did so by clicking a box online. That’s crazy. There is no way to justify this practice, and with support for immigration at an all-time low, returning to inclusive nation-building ceremonies is a no-brainer,” she said. “In person, citizenship ceremonies are the essential unifying bedrock of Canada’s civic life.”

She said citizenship ceremonies were “sacred events” but have been mostly absent since the Liberal government began embracing a “post-national ideology” under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

“Just as with marriage, these are sacred events, and the responsibilities and obligations taken on swearing the Oath of Citizenship in front of an official should be upheld as an integral part of committing to those responsibilities that come along with being Canadian,” Rempel-Garner said. “The Liberals rejected every opportunity to restore in-person ceremonies. Justice Minister Sean Fraser even defended virtual ceremonies, saying the practice could be easier for bureaucrats to manage.”

She called for an immediate end to “one-click citizenship” and to “restore the full dignity and communal significance” of the in-person ceremonies for new Canadians.

This comes after the president of the Customs and Immigration Union, which represents the Canada Border Services Agency, revealed to an immigration committee that the majority of asylum claims are being done through an app. He warned Canadians that removing the person-to-person interviews could compromise Canada’s security.