Langley welcomed 50 new Canadians from more than 40 countries in a Canada Day citizenship ceremony Sunday morning in Fort Langley.
“You were invited here today because of the hope and trust Canada places in you,” said citizenship judge Sylvie L’Écuyer, welcoming the new citizens just before they took their oaths.
The oath was to Canada, but it was not a one-way pledge, L’Écuyer said. It pledges Canada to guarantee the rights and freedoms of its citizens, as well as bonding them with their fellow Canadians.
The new Canadians came from all over the world and took various paths to citizenship.
For Young Mi, she moved from South Korea for her children, Eric and Clary Lee.
“I just wanted to give my kids more options,” said the Langley mother.
Becoming Canadian means “a new life,” according to Clary, 14, who attends Walnut Grove Secondary with her older Eric.
The family first arrived from South Korea five years ago and have been working towards becoming Canadians ever since.
For Mark Howlett of the U.K., it was longer route to citizenship, but he’s seeking the same thing.
“A chance at a better life,” he said of his reasons for leaving his native Essex and moving here 28 years and five months ago.
He was 28 at the time, and having spent more than half his life in Canada, living in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and now B.C., he watned to become a Canadian.
“It’s the end of one life and the start of another,” said Howlett.