New Canadians sworn in at École Harrison
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/10/2019 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Westman is a bit more Canadian after 80 people from 21 different countries were sworn in as Canadian citizens at École Harrison School on Thursday afternoon.
People young and old beamed with pride as they swore an oath and got their citizenship documentation in the school’s gym.
In attendance for the special occasion were Mayor Rick Chrest, representatives from the Canadian Forces at CFB Shilo, a Mountie in full dress uniform as well as the vast majority of École Harrison students.
Hamul and Naynika Patel, who came to Canada from India four years ago, were excited to get their citizenship.
“It’s a nice and quiet and peaceful town,” Patel said about living in Brandon. “Everything is just 10 minutes away. The community is also very friendly. They all help us a lot all the time.”
The couple said they were proud to become Canadians, with Hamul saying he wants to give back to the community now that he’s officially Canadian.
Sean Capua, a nine-year old who has lived in Canada for four years since moving from the Philippines, wasn’t sure how he felt about getting his citizenship but said he enjoys living in Canada.
Ten-year-old Dawood Cheema, originally from Pakistan, said he was excited to use his Canadian citizenship to travel to the United States to see cousins he previously couldn’t visit.
Cheema said he has been waiting five years to become a citizen as he lived first in Morden and now in Brandon.
Nerwin Perez of Neepawa has lived in Canada for seven years while his wife Lenema and two children Yasmine and Martin moved here from the Philippines four years ago. All four got their citizenship on Thursday.
“We have a peaceful community,” Perez said. He added that he’s excited to be able to vote in the next federal election.
As the new citizens rose to their feet to swear their oath of loyalty, some overeager younger students stood up with them before realizing it wasn’t their moment.
Alina Sazheneva told the Sun she is excited that her Canadian citizenship will allow her to travel to more countries without needing a visa.
“I’m so very happy,” she said.
Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Sazhaneva had her own Russian-language Bible with her for the swearing-in.
She was there with her husband Frank Godon, who ran for the People’s Party of Canada in Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa in Monday’s federal election, as well as their two children.
“Last year she wasn’t able to come with me to France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day when I took my father’s uniform back,” Godon said. “Now she can travel a lot easier.”
After the new citizens had completed the ceremony, the École Harrison choir treated the crowd to a performance of a bilingual song from the French immersion students about what it means to be Canadian.
Judge Suzanne Carrière, who presided over the ceremony, admitted to tearing up during the performance, holding up a box of tissues for emphasis.
“Every ceremony is super special and they’re all incredible, but being at a school makes it particularly special today,” she said. “I’ve personally welcomed over 17,000 new Canadians now.”
When asked if the job ever gets old, the judge said: “No, never, never, never.”
Capping off the ceremony was a round of “O Canada,” also performed in both official languages.
Finally, the students were able to let loose and gave out a thunderous cheer in honour of the new Canadians.
Chrest told the crowd that he attends many citizenship ceremonies and it never gets old.
“Many countries describe themselves as a melting pot … but here in Canada, I consider us to be more like a stew,” Chrest said. “We’re all coming together and every ingredient, each one of us, gets to maintain our own special identity. The great thing is that while you’re all Canadians, you still get to retain and celebrate your own culture.”
Principal Craig Laluk said that this is the first time École Harrison has ever held a citizenship ceremony. It is fitting that the school team is named the “Canadiens.”
Today there are two more citizenship ceremonies at the Dome Building on the Keystone Centre grounds, where more than 100 more new Canadians will join their compatriots.
» cslark@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @ColinSlark
