Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for the welcome to the committee.
Mr. Redekopp is usually in this seat. He represents one-third of the city of Saskatoon. I also represent one-third of the city of Saskatoon, along with Mr. Tochor.
I was shocked to find that they want more virtual than in-person citizenship ceremonies. I attended so many before COVID and after COVID. When I look around this room, I see there are a few of you who have been here longer than I have. I've only been here since 2015.
I'll be frank: When I started as a member of Parliament in October of 2015, I didn't attend any Canadian citizenship ceremonies. I was the lucky one. I drew the card. I was born in Canada. I was born in Saskatoon, so I was lucky.
When I look at my community and my province, and even my country, I see the communities are changing quite a bit. I think every one of us, when we go back home, notices that our communities have changed more in the last seven or eight years than they have probably in the 20 years before that. It's a good change, as we've seen.
The staff at immigration, when I attend these ceremonies, is all over me. They are all so excited to see a member of Parliament come and give greetings on behalf of this country. They were so excited in my city to start having real citizenship ceremonies again, and I've done several since COVID. They're phoning my office now, asking, “When can Mr. Waugh come? In fact, we'll arrange for Mr. Waugh to come for our ceremony and bring greetings.”
When I go to Saskatoon, historians who have been in my province and in my city are the presiding officials. I know many of them have history degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. They talk about how our great province was built and they share that with the new Canadians.
Mr. Tom Kmiec mentioned the RCMP. They are so proud to wear.... Many of them are retired and are coming back for these citizenship ceremonies. They don't have to, but they feel obliged. What a ceremony it is with them on hand. It goes for about an hour. I've been to some where there are 65, and I've also been at ceremonies where we've had 180. When the pictures are taken afterward with the presiding officials, the MPs and the families, we've cried together on the stage at TCU Place.
These are huge moments in families. Some of them have come from tough situations in other countries. Some have waited years to become Canadian citizens. Don't take that away from them—this moment to come on the stage and to say, “I'm Canadian”. The oath is just marvellous. I wish all Canadians, after 10 years, could experience one.
I was a broadcaster in the city for 40 years. I never attended one. I don't know why. When I became the MP of Saskatoon—Grasswood, I was invited to one. All Canadians should reaffirm the oath and should be proud of this country.
I think I agree with the member from Calgary that sometimes Canadians are too shy to show how great this country is. When you sit out in the front and you look out and see many of them crying with their families because this is the moment they've waited for.... Don't do this thing virtually. Give them their three seconds on the stage. It is ridiculous that I have to see this amendment coming forward.
I've heard many testimonies from people who have come on the stage, and 90% of them start out great and then start crying at the end. It means so much to them. Many of these new Canadians have gone through hell just to get here. This is their moment to really have a chance in life. I'm frustrated when I see that we don't want to really work hard to get people together. This is our country. This is when we share our culture. This is when we share our traditions.
In my city we often talk about the Western Development Museum, because when I talk to them, I want them to understand Canada. I implore every one of them to come through the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon to see what our forefathers went through before they got here. Take a look at our province from 1905 to what it is today. I'm going to share your culture and I will share your traditions, but part of becoming Canadian is learning what Canada is all about. Part of that, to me in my city, is the Western Development Museum. See what our forefathers went through in 1905 compared to today in 2023.
We used to give them free passes for a year to come to our parks. What a great idea that was. Do we still do that? That in itself.... Canada is wide. We're the third- or second-largest country in the world. Many of the people who come here can't believe how vast it is, but giving them a pass to one of our parks was a real treat for many of them. They would take the family and learn about our parks and our country.
We used to put that in our packages. I hope we still do that. I fear we don't anymore, but that was part of a nice little package they got to feel a part of our country.
Madam Chair, our communities, as I said, are changing, and they're changing quite a bit, not only here in Ontario but in western Canada. When I heard that the mayor of Calgary was not wanting to celebrate Canada Day, it was frustrating.