Mr. Speaker, this year Citizenship Week will be October 14 to 20. It provides us MPs with a great opportunity to cast aside our party allegiances and take a broader view.
In general, Canadians do not have a habit of boasting about the merits of our country. We may be somewhat reticent to hold great discussions about it, but Canadian citizenship is of vital importance to us all.
So great is the desire to belong to the Canadian community that more than 2,400 immigrants will be sworn in during Citizenship Week, in ceremonies held all over Canada. In 2001, no fewer than 167,000 people became new citizens.
What is more, 85% of landed immigrants forge permanent ties to Canada by going on to be sworn in as citizens.
By taking this step, our new citizens are telling us Canadian citizenship is something to be valued greatly.