Rideau Hall, Monday, October 15, 2012

On behalf of all Canadians and in the name of Her Majesty The Queen, welcome to your citizenship ceremony.

One of the great privileges of being governor general comes in welcoming new Canadians to our country. This is a proud moment for all of you, and it is equally a wonderful moment for Canada—a country where immigration is an essential part of our identity and social fabric.

Participating in this ceremony today, I am reminded of a story from my student days in England, where I studied law with the help of a fellowship from the Rotary Foundation of Canada.

One of my responsibilities during my fellowship was to visit Rotary Clubs across England to talk about Canada. I used to end those speeches with an old song from Newfoundland and Labrador, the chorus of which went:

When I first came to this land
I was not a wealthy man
But the land was sweet and good
And I did what I could.

The land was sweet and good, and those early settlers worked together in the hope of a better life for their children.

For generations, this has been a constant theme in Canada. Wave upon wave of immigrants have come here, reenacting the same basic story—which is why the story of Canada that I chose to share while overseas was one of new Canadians.

And to this day, I still tell this story because—with the notable exception of Aboriginal peoples, who have been here since time immemorial—all of us are new Canadians, relatively speaking.

This was true of one of my predecessors, John Buchan, who served as governor general from 1935–40. Buchan was born in Scotland, and he was among the first to articulate another essential theme of Canada: multiculturalism.

It was in 1936 that Buchan told an audience of people of Ukrainian origin who had settled in Manitoba that:

“You will all be better Canadians for being also good Ukrainians.”

In these words we find the essence of multiculturalism, and one of the great strengths of our country. In Canada, you don’t have to choose between your country of origin and your new home. Instead, you can choose both, and together we will be enriched by our diversity.

This commitment to multiculturalism is an essential part of the great experiment called Canada. It is an experiment that is perhaps more vital than ever, given the complex, globalized world in which we live.

You are about to take the Oath of citizenship. As you pronounce the words of the oath, I urge you to take them to heart; they are your commitment to do your best for Canada.

Please repeat after me:

I swear
That I will be faithful
And bear true allegiance
To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second,
Queen of Canada,
Her Heirs and Successors,
And that I will faithfully observe
The laws of Canada
And fulfill my duties
As a Canadian citizen. 

Congratulations, you are now Canadian citizens!

As this ceremony draws to a close, I would like to encourage you to get involved in your communities and to engage with your fellow Canadians in writing the next chapter of our story.

With your help, we will continue the work of building a smarter, more caring nation and a fairer, more just world.

Congratulations and welcome to the Canadian family! I wish you every success in this, your new home.