Another good commentary on the need for ceremonies. New immigration minister Miller likes attending ceremonies so perhaps he can ensure that most new Canadians can as well:
Last week, the federal cabinet had a major shuffle.
The new ministers and the re-positioned ministers did not "self-administer" their oaths and declarations. They were not sitting by themselves in their living rooms with no one watching when they assumed their new roles.
On the contrary, they were expected to attend a ceremony.
The ritual, the formality and the gravity of the event at Rideau Hall – steeped in symbolism – signalled to the ministers and to everyone that ministerial appointments are important.
Well, becoming a Canadian citizen is very important. Canada is important.
Becoming a Canadian citizen merits a ceremony in most cases, not just in occasional cases by request.
The government of Canada is wrong to push self-administered, on-line oaths with no ceremony of any kind.
This policy was recently announced in the Canada Gazette, the official record of federal government notices and decisions.
Inspirational Canadian
In 2018, I came across the obituary of Kamal Akbarali. I was sad to see it. I had met Judge Akbarali several times as a high-school student in the 1990s.
Kamal Akbarali was a citizenship judge, and he performed the role very well. He was also an inspirational Canadian. He loved this country.
My fellow students and I had the pleasure of attending a few public citizenship ceremonies at which Judge Akbarali presided. We were the "audience." We were there to welcome and acknowledge the new Canadians, our soon-to-be-fellow citizens. Some of them were our peers from school.
Judge Akbarali made an impression on me.
I remember being moved by what he said about his own journey. It sounded like the stories of my own grandparents, who found freedom and possibilities and affirmation in Canada.
Judge Akbarali came to Canada from Pakistan in 1965. At the ceremonies, he talked about how he got started in this country. He took on a career in finance and started a family.
Judge Akbarali talked about the plight of refugees, about democracy, about peace, about service to others, about respect for Indigenous Canadians and people from all over the world.
In other words, he talked about Canada and aspirations for Canada.
Although full of gratitude, he did not insist the country was perfect. In his view, a good citizen is compassionate, sometimes critical and always constructive.
As Judge Akbarali spoke, I could almost feel the beautiful vastness and diversity of the country. I felt hopeful and motivated.
After each ceremony, a beautiful cake would be rolled out so that we could celebrate our fellow Canadians. The new citizens had just gone through a life-changing, emotional event.
Bureaucratic efficiency?
The stated rationale for the move toward self-administered oaths is administrative efficiency – easing the backlog by "three months of processing time." (The change, however, is slated to be permanent.)
There is essentially no acknowledgment of the value of civic symbolism, public celebration and instilling a sense of community by the act of officially gathering.
To clear backlogs, additional part-time officiants – respected citizens -- could be brought on by Ottawa. They could help with processing. They could preside at ceremonies by request. (Nova Scotia recently did this with a successful recruitment push for part-time administrative justices of the peace for civil weddings. I happen to be one of them.)
What can we do now?
I believe this is a case where a personally addressed note, in your own words, to your member of parliament could have some impact.
A petition
Also, please check out the excellent petition by Andrew Griffith, a former senior public servant in the federal Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
You can sign it electronically on the website of the House of Commons. It is labelled as petition e-4511.
The petition calls on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to "abandon plans to permit self-administration of the citizenship oath."
The petition also urges Ottawa to "revert to in-person ceremonies as the default, with virtual ceremonies limited to 10 per cent of all ceremonies."
Griffith believes backlogs can be addressed by other efficiencies and by holding more ceremonies on evenings and weekends.
I concur. I hope the minister listens.
The minister's name is Marc Miller, and he assumed his current role in a ceremony – the same one that was held at Rideau Hall last week.
Dr. Tom Urbaniak, professor of political science and director of the Tompkins Institute at Cape Breton University, is the author of six books. The most recent is "In the Public Square: A Citizen's Reader."
No comments:
Post a Comment