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Calgary Herald

New citizens get white hat treatment at Stampede ceremony

The ceremony may have opened with a request to remove caps, but it ended in a sea of fresh white hats as 19 new Canadians took their last steps to citizenship on Stampede grounds. Article content Freshly sworn citizens were given gifts of cowboy apparel, alongside passes to spend the day on the midway. Article content Article content 'It was just a beautiful moment and honorable moment for us,' said Hardikakaur Singh, one of the newly sworn-in citizens. 'I would say we got chance to meet so many VIPs, but here in Canada, they are not VIPs, like other countries. They are like you. They treat you like VIPs.' Article content Article content Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab spoke at the proceedings, alongside a host of other prominent figures, including Calgary Stampede president Stuart O'Connor and Mayor Jyoti Gondek. Article content Article content Shreys Sureja was sworn in alongside his wife, Niharika, and their son. He got his master's in computer science in the U.S. but came to Canada to put down real roots. The Stampede commemoration was exciting, but he was even more excited to culminate the long road to citizenship. Article content 'It's been like three, three-and-a-half years since we moved to Canada,' Sureja said. Article content The family will be attending the evening Grandstand Show, where they'll be invited on stage alongside the other new Canadians who choose to take in the spotlight. Before the show, they're celebrating swearing their oaths by hitting the midway, and say they're most excited to watch the motocross. Article content Article content Singh says her favourite thing on the grounds is watching other people take the rides. 'It's so horrible. It's scary, actually watching those rides. And you can't dare to be in those rides, you know?' Article content Article content Article content A citizenship ceremony is held by the Calgary Stampede annually. Diab said that she's attended many ceremonies since her first in 1996, but that this still marks a new and exciting occasion for the federal immigration minister. Article content 'What is also very special is to be here for the very first time to attend the Calgary Stampede,' Diab said. 'It started in 1912, so a long history, and a long proud tradition. This is a special, special occasion, of becoming a Canadian. But it's also special given the scenario we're at today.' Article content Citizenship Judge James Clover presided over the proceedings. At several points throughout the ceremony, he was brought to the point of tears.