Canadian citizenship ceremony held in Halifax museum an emotional celebration

Five-year-old Anaya was smiling and dancing as she waved a small Canadian flag during her father’s Canadian citizenship ceremony Friday, unable to contain her excitement.

Her dad, Ashis Mandal, was among 30 new Canadians from 18 countries sworn in during a ceremony at Halifax’s Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Anaya and her mother Sneha Majumder were beaming as they watched Mandal take the citizenship oath.

“I’m so, so happy,” Anaya said.

“We’re all so happy,” her mother added.

The special ceremony held by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab took place during Citizenship Week — which falls between April 12-18 this year — a week the government says is to “celebrate the rights and responsibilities shared by all Canadian citizens.” Friday’s ceremony in Halifax included a prayer and drumming from Angela Doyle-Faulkner. It was presided over by citizenship judge Joan Mahoney.

“I know that you could have chosen to live just about anywhere in the world and you’ve picked Canada, and we’re grateful that you did,” Mahoney said during the ceremony.

“Certainly we’re not a perfect country, but we’re very fortunate to live in a democratic country where individual rights and freedoms aren’t just respected, they’re the foundation of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” she said, adding that Friday marked the 44th anniversary of the Charter.

Mahoney said that sadly, these rights are not guaranteed in every nation.

Mandal said it’s an honour to be a Canadian citizen, adding that the ceremony marked a very special moment for their family. “This is definitely a memory we’re going to carry,” Mandal said.

He said their family left India and chose Canada for its people and culture. “The way Canadians live, value each other, respect each other. I wanted my daughter to grow in this environment …. This is the reason we’re here and I’m very happy to be here,” Mandal said.

Shomoukh Wael Mejjallid, 23, was born in Saudi Arabia and moved to Nova Scotia with her family in 2012. She says Canada has always felt like home.

“I walk down the street, I feel so safe here. I have so many opportunities here, I can live my life here properly without being judged,” Wael Mejjallid said in an interview following the ceremony.

She said Canada is a country that believes in and empowers women. “I don’t have to worry about the whole, ‘Oh you’re a woman, blah blah blah, you can’t do anything.’ There’s no such thing as that. I am a powerful woman here and I can do whatever I want.”

Wael Mejjallid is a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, training out of Gagetown, N.B. However, she wasn’t able to advance in training until she became a citizen.

“I can start back next month properly … and I can give back to the country that gave me a home. That’s why I’m really happy,” she said.

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