Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to all of our witnesses for sharing their valuable testimony today.
What's the value of Canadian citizenship? I believe that's the question we have to look at. Seven days ago, a week ago, we began our study of this legislation. At that time, I gave notice of a motion regarding citizenship ceremonies, which are the backbone of our immigration system. My motion basically calls on the government to prioritize in-person citizenship ceremonies—but allow virtual ceremonies if those are specifically requested—and, most importantly, not allow people to get their citizenship by clicking a mouse. Newcomers I talk to really value these citizenship ceremonies, but the government seems to be trying to downplay and even eliminate these ceremonies.
My first question is for Mr. Bernhard from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship.
Your organization puts on many citizenship ceremonies. Do you see the inherent value of in-person ceremonies?