Pictured above Royal Canadian Legion Member, Maurice Frenette, members of the Yoder family, all new Canadian Citizens including sons Joe and Ben, parents Gerald and Marian and daughter Heidi, with Judge Degroot.


Dryden, ON  - Kenora MP, Greg Rickford, is pleased to announce that 23 people from Northwestern Ontario recently became new Canadian Citizens. A special citizenship ceremony was held on Thursday, June 17th in Dryden at the Royal Canadian Legion.

Twenty-three people, from all parts of Northwestern Ontario, representing nine different countries were sworn in as new Canadian citizens. The ceremony was presided over by Judge Degroot, Dryden Mayor Anne Krassilowsky, representatives from Greg Rickford’s office and the Thunder Bay Citizenship and Immigration office were also present to participate in the ceremony.

“It is with pride that I welcome and congratulate these new citizens to our great nation,” said Rickford. “Canadian citizenship is highly valued. It is a time to reflect on what it means to be a Canadian and to be grateful for the rights and freedoms that we enjoy.”

Each year, Canada welcomes more than 200,000 people from around the world—newcomers who become citizens, embrace our values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and who strengthen our feeling of shared identity. Canada has one of the highest naturalization rates in the world, with 85-percent of immigrants becoming citizens.

For those interested in learning more about Canadian citizenship, copies of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) new comprehensive citizenship study guide, entitled Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, can be downloaded for free from the CIC website.