The Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner, Conservative Shadow Minister for Immigration, is calling on the federal Liberal government to return to in-person citizenship ceremonies as part of Conservatives’ proposed policies to fix the broken immigration system:
“During the last general election, Conservatives campaigned on a platform of restoring the value of Canadian Citizenship by ending the Liberal practice of conducting citizenship ceremonies virtually. We reiterate that call today,” stated Rempel Garner during a press conference in Ottawa December 3.
“Last year, over half of the people who became Canadian citizens did so by clicking a box online. That is 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.”
Garner Rempel said in-person citizenship ceremonies are the essential, unifying bedrock of Canada’s civic life.
“Just as with marriage, these are sacred events befitting the responsibilities and obligations taken on,” she said. “Swearing the oath of citizenship in front of an official should be upheld as an integral part of committing to the responsibilities that come with being Canadian.”
She added that for the last several years, as they embraced their post-national ideology, 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,” said Garner Rempel. “Conservatives believe it is time to end one-click citizenship and restore the full dignity and communal significance of in-person ceremonies for every new Canadian.”