(Image credit: Immigration News Canada).

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Taking oath of citizenship deserves a ceremony, not an online form

Mar 9, 2023 | 4:48 AM

BECOMING A CANADIAN citizen should be a time not just to make it official but to join with other new Canadians in celebration.

In a room, not Zoom. And not just by signing an online attestation without even the presence of a witness or a citizenship judge.

Zoom ceremonies have been common since COVID but they do their best to replicate traditional in-person ceremonies.

The federal government, however, is talking about permanent changes that would eliminate the requirement for attendance at a formal ceremony whether online or in person. Becoming a Canadian would be just another bureaucratic requirement, like getting a driver’s licence.

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Even if it’s only an option, it’s just not a good idea. I’ve attended quite a number of citizenship ceremonies in the past and they are a joyful occasion. Getting your citizenship is a big deal. There’s a lovely sense of comradery and pride in the room as the oath is taken and it becomes real.

Although designed to make everyone feel at ease, citizenship gatherings include a certain amount of pomp with the ceremony, befitting the occasion.

The Ottawa bureaucrats who have come up with the silly idea of turning it into a sterile online exercise offer the excuses that people have trouble getting off work to attend, and that simplifying it into an online form will speed things up.

Taking a couple hours off work for a citizenship ceremony isn’t like getting time off for the doctor or the dentist. It’s a turning point in one’s life, one that should create memories.

If time is really an issue, move the ceremonies to evenings or weekends. Citizenship judges, RCMP and local dignitaries can easily make the adjustment to accommodate.

Online citizenship — via gatherings on Zoom — can remain an option for times when there’s a backlog but, please, don’t cheapen this solemn milestone by making it into just another form to fill out.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops, alternate TNRD director and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.