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citizenship court
DCHP-2 (Aug 2012)
Spelling variants:Citizenship Court
n. — Law, Administration
a federal court awarding Canadian citizenship.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — Citizenship courts grant Canadian citizenship to immigrants who meet the criteria and wish to become Canadians. Canadian citizenship was created by the Canadian Citizenship Act, which became effective on 1 Jan. 1947. Before that, Canadians--both by birth and by naturalization--were British subjects (see Canadian Encyclopedia reference). Before that date the citizenship category "Canadian" did not exist. On 3 Jan, 1947, the first citizenship ceremony was conducted, in which 26 individuals were granted Canadian citizenship (see Image 1). Then-prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, who received citizenship certificate 0001, is not depicted (see Canadian Museum of Immigration reference).
The Oath of Allegiance to the Crown is a central part of the citizenship ceremony. Ceremonies can be conducted in citizenship court or in other locations (e.g. high schools, community centres, etc.).
See also COD-2, s.v. "citizenship court", which is marked "Cdn".
The Oath of Allegiance to the Crown is a central part of the citizenship ceremony. Ceremonies can be conducted in citizenship court or in other locations (e.g. high schools, community centres, etc.).
See also COD-2, s.v. "citizenship court", which is marked "Cdn".
Citizenship ceremony is the by far more frequently used term when compared with citizenship court.
Quotations
1951
A citizenship court with all the trimmings! That's unusual in Canada, and here at Fort Francis five Chinese, four Finns, two Hungarians, one Norwegian and an American have learned "It's great to be a Canadian." These people took the oath of allegiance in a full-scale ceremony for them alone. The court was jammed with high school students, R.C.M.P.'s, members of the bar, town dignitaries, friends and relatives. From the bench a justice of the Ontario supreme court extended words of welcome.
1955
Toronto's new citizenship court was opened last night at 1200 Bay St. and 60 men and women became Canadian citizens.
1978
Marthe Smith, 40, wife of Dick Smith, former Liberal member of the Ontario Legislature for Nipissing riding, has been named a judge of the Citizenship Court of Canada. Mrs. Smith, who is bilingual, will be responsible for all citizenship courts in Northeastern Ontario.
1983
In 1980, in one of the more unusual judgments handed down by the Federal Court, Judge Cattanach reversed his own ruling on sending a tearful university student in Canada - a native of Chile - back to Citizenship Court for a rehearing. Instead the judge conducted the hearing himself and pronounced her a new Canadian.
1988
"It drizzled on and off, but didn't seem to dampen any spirits," he said. Indoors at Canada Place, more than 1,500 people heard citizenship court judge Angela Kan tell 88 new Canadians taking their oath of citizenship that "immigrants . . . today we ask our new citizens to add their sweat and toil to the sweat and toil of those who have come before."
1998
He lost, getting 9,000 votes to the winner's 23,000, but was invited to train as a labour officer in the Ontario bureaucracy. He worked there until 1977 when the head judge of Canada's citizenship court phoned and asked if he would like to become the country's first black citizenship judge.
References
- The Canadian Encyclopedia • Citizenship
- Canadian Museum of Immigration • Canadian Citizenship Act, 1947
- COD-2
Images
Image 1: Photo taken after the first Canadian citizenship ceremony, Supreme Court of Canada, 3 Jan. 1947. Photo: Chris Lund / National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque / Library and Archives Canada / PA-129262
