Bessy moved to Canada in May 2012 from Davao City, Philippines. She received her citizenship in October 2016 in Mississauga. She currently lives in Toronto, and has a BSc in Biology from the University of Philippines, and is a full-time Health Studies undergraduate student at York University. When she first arrived in Canada her aunt handed her, her first $20 bill. She says “I spent half of it on a day-pass, hopping on random busses and streetcars exploring and getting lost in the city”. Bessy loves music – she is a regular at jazz and karaoke bars, and enjoys jamming out with her bandmates. She also enjoys watching the opera, orchestra, and musicals. Her favourite CAP attractions are the Royal Ontario Museum and the Aga Khan Museum. Bessy plans to continue travelling in Canada – her next adventure will be a trip to explore Newfoundland and Labrador. Follow Bessy’s adventures and explorations across the country on Instagram or Twitter.
View the April CAP Members’ Newsletter, where Bessy’s profile originally appeared
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.
Since 2008, the ICC’s Cultural Access Pass (CAP) program has allowed new Canadian citizens to explore, discover, and travel Canada with free access to cultural destinations during their first year of citizenship. The program, which now has over 1,300 participating cultural attractions, aims to give new Canadian citizens a sense of belonging to their new home through free access to its cultural spaces and places.
As a founding partner of the Cultural Access Pass, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) was one of the first cultural organizations to support CAP’s work in accelerating inclusion for new citizens. The Museum offers free access to CAP members all year round, as well as a free guided tour on the first weekend of every month. With a mandate to make its collections accessible to all Ontarians, the ROM has worked to engage and include new citizens since 2008. The Museum’s Community Access Network initiative partners with 57 non-profit community organizations — including the ICC — to offer free Museum tickets or direct access to communities who might not otherwise be able to visit. The program works to remove the social, cultural, and financial barriers that might stand between communities and the Museum. Beyond offering free admission, the ROM also collaborates closely with community partners to provide meaningful experiences and specialized learning opportunities for over 100,000 visitors every year.
Late last year, New Canadians, a web and TV show for newcomers to Canada, accompanied a group of CAP members on a tour of the Royal Ontario Museum. The segment, now available online, explains how new citizens can register for and use the Cultural Access Pass, and offers a sneak peek of the ROM’s magnificent collections — free for CAP members.
“We partnered with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship for the Cultural Access Pass program because we live in a very diverse city, in a very diverse province,” says Cheryl Blackman, Assistant Vice-President, Audience Development at the ROM. “And we needed to make sure that everyone feels welcome to the ROM.”
Watch the full video below:
Want to learn more about the Cultural Access Pass? Click here.
Learn more about the ROM’s Community Access Network initiative here.
New Canadians airs on OMNI TV. Watch the full story here.
At the Scarborough Civic Centre east of Toronto, the ICC Scarborough Youth Volunteer Committee is preparing to welcome 30 new Canadian citizens. It’s early and the wind is howling with the malice befitting a cold day in March, but the 30-odd high school students are all present. They’re organized, attentive, courteous. I’m offered a program as soon as I walk in the door, and there are several volunteers waiting to show me to the right room.
The committee has been working with ICC staff to co-organize community citizenship ceremonies for several years. The students come from schools all over Scarborough; they meet for weekly sessions organized by the ICC and its partner Catholic Crosscultural Services in the months leading up to the ceremony. The students receive training on financial matters and budgeting, but they’re also invited to dwell on the principles underlying the program; last year, Citizenship Judge Albert Wong attended one of the sessions to speak about volunteering and active citizenship. The details of the day — from centrepieces to food — are organized by the students.
Most of the students on the committee are newcomers themselves, and eager to help others new to the country. Andy Ma came to Canada as an international student a mere six months ago, and says he joined the committee because he wants to work with other newcomers. He’s confident and personable — “I’m good at communicating with people,” he says — and likes being involved in the community. During the roundtable sessions, he gently encourages a new citizen to share his story. “It’s just a conversation,” he says, reassuringly. The committee has given him an opportunity to develop his leadership skills and improve his English.
While everyone’s happy to be getting their 40 hours of volunteering for high school, there’s a real investment in the work. Committee membership is (unofficially) limited to a term of two years to provide opportunities for as many students as possible, but many ask to stay on for a third year or more. Some of the young volunteers at the event aren’t even members of the committee, but asked to be involved in some capacity to celebrate the new citizens.
Jill Timtim — who moved to Canada from the Philippines in December 2015 — found her way to community citizenship ceremonies when a settlement worker asked her siblings to join the committee. Jill, who has a background in advertising and event management, was so inspired by the committee meetings that she decided to pursue a career in social work; she’s now working towards a degree in child and youth care. She says she has always volunteered in her community, and is drawn to working with newcomers due to her own trajectory. “Actually, my mom’s here too.” She smiles. “It’s a family thing.”
Just after noon, the new citizens and guests head to the rotunda for lunch. Some of the students are in charge of the food, and they take up their stations dutifully, pointing out the vegetarian options and handing out bottles of water. The other volunteers are breaking apart into groups, the excitement of the morning giving way to a quiet hum. Now, they seem more like teenagers at the end of a school day. They mill around in groups on the stairs. They’re excited for pizza.
On my way out, I run into Alyssa, the anthem performer from earlier in the day. She’s talking to Jill, whom she met through their work with the committee; they have now become close friends. When I compliment Alyssa on her singing, Jill can’t wait to tell me more about her friend’s accomplishments, including a performance at last year’s ceremony. “And Jill performs too!” Alyssa chimes in. They support each other at every opportunity. The warm exchange reminds me that the committee is about more than volunteering or gaining skills for newcomer youth; it’s also about making friends.
Before I leave, I ask them what they enjoy most about community citizenship ceremonies. “The roundtable discussions!” The stories — they’re always so compelling. There’s something about sharing in the new citizens’ journeys that both find incredibly moving.
As newcomers on their way to Canadian citizenship, they’re both looking forward to their own citizenship ceremonies. “I want to be there some day,” says Alyssa. Jill agrees.
Interested in volunteering with the ICC? Contact us.
Watch an ICC community citizenship ceremony at VIA Rail’s Union Station in Winnipeg.
LiUNA’s International Vice President and Regional Manager for Central & Eastern Canada on attending an ICC community citizenship ceremony
As a resident of Hamilton and the child of immigrant parents, attending the ICC community citizenship ceremony at the Art Gallery of Hamilton was of particular importance to me. My father, Enrico Mancinelli, spent his life helping immigrants get settled; I have spent decades working with immigrants, focusing on creating job opportunities. These are values I hold dear.
At the AGH, I had the pleasure of hosting an ICC roundtable. The roundtables are truly special; they give newcomers a platform to share their insights and ideas, and allow existing citizens the chance to see immigration as a collection of stories rather than statistics.
I was seated next to a young woman, clearly eager to begin this new chapter of her life. She was asked what excited her most about becoming a Canadian citizen, and her answer was a powerful reminder of the opportunity and freedom Canada holds. For her, citizenship meant having a future — a future that was chosen by her, for her. Canada was her “dream land”, where getting an education and having a career were viable realities for women and achieving goals like financial independence was possible. As a father of three daughters, I was given a new perspective on what it means to be a young woman, as well as a deep appreciation for the privileges Canada offers. But it was what this young woman wanted most from her new life that brought tears to my eyes — community belonging. These simple words held so much meaning for her. The whole experience changed my outlook on Canada.
I am grateful to the ICC and the volunteers and partners who make these events possible. With so much controversy in the world, across oceans and borders, at times it can feel as if humanity is lost. I am humbled by the work of the ICC and its dedication to fostering the Canadian model of belonging.
Joseph and his wife Enza Mancinelli are members of the 6 Degrees Founding Circle and remain strong supporters of all ICC initiatives.
The Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) is the fastest growing union of construction, waste management, show service, and healthcare workers in Canada. Formed by immigrants, LiUNA has continued to fight for equal rights and work towards creating opportunities for new Canadians. LiUNA Station, also known as “Immigration Square” due to the influx of immigrants it welcomed post WWII, pays homage to the roots of the organization.
The Art Gallery of Hamilton has partnered with the ICC to co-host seven community citizenship ceremonies since 2011. Joseph Mancinelli was a roundtable host with the ICC at a community citizenship ceremony in April 2016.
The day Canada became a democracy cannot help but be a defining moment in our history. One hundred and sixty-nine years ago, on March 11, 1848 Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine was summoned by the Governor General, Lord Elgin, to form a new government. Why? Because the grand coalition of Upper and Lower Canadian reformers had won a clear majority in the election of 1848. For the first time, in any part of the British Empire, it became clear that the people and not the imperial authorities would decide who was to form the government.
So March 11, 1848 is one of the most important dates in Canadian history. It marks the beginning of what we might call modern Canada. Another way of putting it is that March 11 marks the beginning of Responsible Government in Canada — the now axiomatic idea that governance is properly carried out by elected citizen representatives and not colonial powers. It was a defining moment for representative democracy in Canada, marking a paradigm shift in its modes of governance, and laying the legal foundations for a society based on inclusion and egalitarianism.
In March 1848, a Reform government – it was called The Great Ministry – led by Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin came into power in the United Province of Canada (the territories now known as Ontario and Quebec). During its three years in power, the Reform government laid the legal foundations for egalitarianism, instated a system of public education, and insisted on a non-violent approach to politics. (When protesters burnt down the Parliament buildings in Montreal, the government ordered the police forces not to open fire on the crowds.) It was, as author and ICC co-founder John Ralston Saul has noted, an “astonishingly atypical” beginning for modern democracy in Canada, given the political discord in Europe and the United States at the time. Inclusion, restraint, debate, representation, egalitarianism — the precepts of good governance as we understand it today, forged by an unlikely heroic duo of Francophone Catholic and Anglophone Protestant.
“The first law passed by The Great Ministry created a Canadian immigration policy designed to protect immigrants. This is the foundation of our refugee, immigration and citizenship policies today,” says John Ralston Saul, who wrote a biography on the two leaders. “The example of LaFontaine and Baldwin is that democracy in Canada only works if we are willing to leap forward with important ideas and policies that strengthen egalitarianism and the public good.”
In 2000, John Ralston Saul founded the LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture, an annual lecture given by a prominent public intellectual. The lecture honours the legacy of LaFontaine and Baldwin, gathering Canadians for debate and dialogue in the spirit of the public good. Past speakers have included George Erasmus, Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, His Highness the Aga Khan, Naheed Nenshi, and Robert Lepage. Last year, Naomi Klein inaugurated the ICC’s first ever 6 Degrees Citizen Space with the 14th LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture — an urgent change for call in environmental policy.
This year, as Canada marks its sesquicentennial, the principles of inclusion, good governance, and humanism are as relevant as ever.
Watch Naomi Klein give the 14th LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture here.
The 15th LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture will take place on September 25, 2017.
“I feel I have become much more Canadian today.”
Andrea Nemtin, CEO and founding President of the Inspirit Foundation, is addressing a group of 50 new Canadian citizens at an ICC community citizenship ceremony at the Ismaili Centre in Toronto. Earlier that day, she was one of 26 roundtable hosts — alongside President & CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation Sheherazade Hirji, Senator Ratna Omidvar, and Global News anchor Farah Nasser — who joined the ICC to facilitate roundtable discussions around citizenship with new citizens. While the new citizens shared their stories, citizens born in Canada — like Nemtin — had an opportunity to reflect on the privileges of their Canadian citizenship.
If you’ve never been to an ICC community citizenship ceremony, it’s a bit like being at a wedding; a beautiful venue with special significance, a warm welcome from your new Canadian family, and an opportunity to look your best for the special day. Community citizenship ceremonies begin with the ICC’s signature roundtable discussions on citizenship — unique opportunities for new citizens, guests, and community members to reflect collectively on what it means to be Canadian, and share their aspirations for the future.
At the Ismaili Centre roundtables, respect for community and history were at the forefront of many of the new citizens’ stories. One participant said he was happy to live in a country that recognized the rights of minority communities, and that the greatest privilege of citizenship for him would be giving back to Canada. A young woman shared a moving story about Muslim and Jewish families in her neighborhood working together to sponsor Syrian refugees, while others spoke to the importance of political participation. For all the new citizens, there was pride in being part of a society that encourages people of different backgrounds to come together and work together.
But what of the more troubling aspects of the national legacy? In her address to new citizens following the official oath-taking ceremony, Senator Omidvar emphasized the importance of “paying it forward,” and “owning our collective history.” “When you become Canadian, you become a part of the whole Canadian family and not just part of it,” she said, adding that they must not turn away from the injustices in our history, especially the treatment of Indigenous peoples. “It is our responsibility, and now your responsibility, to set this right.” Andrea Nemtin echoed Senator Omidvar’s sentiments, urging the new citizens to be part of the effort to redress historical wrongs. “In Canada,” she said, “we see a society that is not perfect, but is working to be better.”
In her opening remarks to the new citizens, Sheherazade Hirji, President & CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation and President of the Ismaili Council, Ontario, shared a story about the building of the Ismaili Centre. In 1996, when young members of the Ismaili community were asked what they wanted for a new community space — now the beautiful Ismaili Centre — they said they wanted a space through which they could integrate into society at large, and find opportunities to build friendships with others. Today, with 50 new citizens from 27 different countries gathered in the Centre’s majestic sunlit space for an ICC community citizenship ceremony, it’s clear that dream has been realized.
Watch the Global News coverage of the ceremony here.
For more information on partnering with the ICC to host a community citizenship ceremony, email us: ceremonypartnerships@forcitizenship.ca
