I had a very important zoom meeting in the schedule on Wednesday that I definitely did not want to miss. I was dressed, breakfasted, and logged in early, ready with the scissors I was told to bring.
This was the day I took the oath, along with 90 others in the call, as a new citizen of Canada. Yes I affirmed allegiance to King Charles but also to observe the laws in the Constitution that recognizes treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, that was all in there. I even repeated it in French following the presiding judge.
It was quite an hour, sitting in the library of our house with clear morning light streaming in, with my wife Cori, a dog and 2 cats. I am so proud to be here and have this amazing woman standing alongside me.
This was the continuation of an ever going story of falling in love with Cori, an answer of “yes” in 2018, a load up the truck in Arizona and drive to Saskatchewan to start our life together.
It was a long road, maybe a year plus a lawyer to go through the paperwork/process to get my permanent residents (PR) card in 2019. With that I got access to stay here, health care, but all along looking to taking the step to become a citizen.
That process was surprisingly easy, there was an application form, and some documents like tax returns and residence proof, but that was much much easier than the PR card.
I was impressed with how the government reps managed the online ceremony. It was quite impressive to see faces of so many others sharing this same moment, some with babies, some with kids, others with dogs in laps. So many stories and journeys to get here.
We were called into a breakout room one at a time to show our PR card and second ID, then we had to cut the PR card with those scissors. There was an opening welcome video with all the iconic landscapes and scenes of the land, as well as a moving video “Welcome, There is Room” from the voices, languages of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.
This included near the closing this powerful message:
“No matter where we come from and no matter what circumstances brought you to Canada, we have a shared responsibility to work to create a Canada where we all belong and we can all thrive. Peaceful greetings all. I am happy that you are here… There is room, my friends.”
The emotion of the moment was more than maybe I expected? To be there with this woman I love, then to have a Facetime video call with daughter Jessy Lee and her partner Harris. On a recent weekend trip to visit them i, Saskatoon, some how they distracted me while in a gift shop at the Western Development Museum (the pretense being the breakfast, which was fantastic)– they had quickly bought a whole box of swag, one of which is the pin in the photo above (plus tshirts, moose SOCKS, toy tractor, and more).
At the end, we were given the opportunity to take selfie with the judge presiding, they think of all the touches. Thanks, Judge whose name I forgot!
I feel blessed / fortunate to be here, on this land, and to have gone through this experience of citizenship. Being born with it given to you, perhaps its taken for granted because it was just there.
For any who might be curious, I retain my US citizenship, though I cannot see any reason in the near future I would step over that border. And I hold on my right to vote in a very red county of Arizona.
Once I get my online certificate, I can apply for a Canadian passport and register to vote.
Oh Canada, thank you.
Featured Image: My own photo of my Oh Canada! pin, soon to be uploaded to flickr and shared under a CC0 license.
Alan! Congrats!!
We are so lucky to have you here, and in the prairies no less. You’ve always felt like one of the Canadian edtechie (the good kind) folk and it’s awesome that’s official now.
Cheers from next door.