News Release – Celebrating Our Citizenship through Canada’s Citizenship Week 2010

Ottawa, October 18, 2010 — This week, Canadians across the country will be encouraged to reflect on the value of our citizenship, what it means to be Canadian and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Hundreds of people will become Canadian citizens and many more will reaffirm their commitment to Canada through citizenship ceremonies in communities across the country as part of Canada’s Citizenship Week 2010.

“This is an opportunity for all Canadians to learn more about Canadian political institutions and history,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

The week begins today, on Monday, October 18, with the launch of a social media campaign. Canadians are invited to Join the Conversation on Facebook and Twitter and talk about the meaning and importance of citizenship to them.

Understanding the importance of Canadian citizenship has been demonstrated through the popularity of the citizenship study guide, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship.  The guide is popular not just among immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, but also among established Canadian citizens. Since its release last year, more than 300,000 printed copies of Discover Canada have been distributed and many more thousand electronic and audio copies have been downloaded.

In 2009, more than 156,000 newcomers became citizens, each embracing Canadian values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

For more information on Canada’s Citizenship Week, October 18-24, visit www.cic.gc.ca. 

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada.

For further information (media only), please contact:

CIC Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca