Tomorrow Canada celebrates 149 years and the Town of Cochrane has a lot going on to commemorate the day we all have the chance to reflect on our national pride.
Included in those festivities is the welcoming of 50 people as citizens to this amazing country.
This momentous occasion is one among hundreds of such ceremonies being held across the nation. Everyone is invited to welcome the 40 adults and 10 children from Britain, China, Gambia, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Tanzania, Sudan, USA and Vietnam. They will take the Oath of Citizenship and receive their citizenship certificate at Mitford Park.
Reflecting on the list of countries our new citizens hail from demonstrates that Canada continues to be a desirable place to live and continues to be welcoming to people from a diverse range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Our multiculturalist history has been far from a dance through the roses, however. We, like many nations where people of many nationalities, religions and traditions live side by side, have had our share of tensions. The political climate around the world, especially with the threat of ISIS and radical Islamic Terrorism has not helped matters.
Unfortunately, we have not escaped some of the fear-fuelled bigotry that has cropped up in many other nations. With the threats that exist, it can sometimes be difficult to see neighbours as neighbours, but we as Canadians have always prided ourselves on being neighbourly. We have strived to maintain an international reputation of being friendly, welcoming people who are above the notion of judging people based on race, religion or skin colour. While that stereotype is obviously exaggerated, it is one we rarely try to set straight. After all, is that not what we should all strive for? Do we not teach our children to treat others as we would be treated? Is that not a value that should transcend culture, religion and tradition?
Our reputation continues to attract people to Canada and there is evidence that newcomers to this nation go on to be contributors and supporters of their adopted country.
In 2010 Statistics Canada data showed that immigrants to Canada have generously contributed charitable works. In 2010, 82 per cent of immigrants to Canada contributed to charity, only three per cent less than Canadian-born citizens. On average, immigrants contributed $554 per year compared to $409 per year from those born in Canada.
Immigrants have also been shown to be entrepreneurial people. According to Statistics Canada data 7.6 per cent of all immigrants in the labour force were incorporated self-employed in 2010, compared with 5.6 per cent of the Canadian-born population. Additionally, self-employed longer-term immigrants – those who have been in the country 10 years or longer – created 259,000 jobs in 2010.
While there will always be those who abuse the systems whether that be among homegrown population or immigrant population, for the most part people tend to work toward being self-sufficient.
In the end we should all have one common goal, work to make Canada the best country it can be regardless of our political, religious or cultural beliefs.
