Backgrounder - Citizenship fast facts

The year 2007 marks the 60th anniversary of Canadian citizenship.
In 1947, Canada became the first Commonwealth country to gain its own citizenship legislation. The 1947 Canadian Citizenship Act provided a framework for other members of the Commonwealth to develop their own citizenship legislation.
Before 1947, Canadians were considered British subjects living in Canada.
With the support of all Members of the House, the Canadian Government drafted a Canadian citizenship act and presented it to the House of Commons in 1946. The act received Royal Assent in July 1946 and came into effect January 1, 1947.
Prime Minister King became the first Canadian citizen by taking the oath at the first citizenship ceremony, which was held on January 3, 1947 at the Supreme Court, in Ottawa.

Since the first citizenship act was enacted, over 6.1 million people have been granted Canadian citizenship.
In 2006, citizenship grants were up by 32% from 2005: 259,267 individuals took the oath of citizenship in 2006, compared to 196,321 in the previous year, which represents an average of 710 new Canadians per day.

According to the 2001 census, about 84% of eligible immigrants are Canadian citizens.

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