Oksana Taran immigrated to Canada with her family in May of 2013 from the Ukraine. “Our goal was to find a new place where we all [could] be happy,” says Oksana. She and her family received their Canadian citizenship five years later in May of 2018.

Oksana and her husband have enjoyed using their Cultural Access Pass (CAP) cards when traveling with their children both inside and outside of their home province, Manitoba. They have already used their CAP cards when visiting Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal in July and August this year. Oksana, her husband, and her two children (2-year-old and 9-year-old) have enjoyed visiting museums on their travels, making the most out of their CAP cards. Oksana says that visiting these cultural spaces has “absolutely” made her family feel welcomed as new Canadian citizens. “I have learned a lot about Canadian history when visiting museums,” says Oksana. “I believe that cultural places such as museums, exhibitions, historical buildings and many others play a significant role in building social inclusion.”

On the future, Oksana says she looks forward to continuing her travels Canada. “We are proud to be Canadian citizens. Our plan is to visit other beautiful Canadian provinces in the near future… Let’s travel!”

About CAP: For nearly 10 years, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) has delivered the Cultural Access Pass (CAP), an innovative, best-in-class program that gives new citizens access to Canadian culture. It’s time to shift CAP to the digital age. Support the ICC.

Be featured in our newsletter: Tag CAP and use the hashtag #CAPCanada in your social media posts for your chance to be the next CAP member or alumni featured, or send an email to cap@forcitizenship.ca