April 29, 2011
New Resource Will Ease Path Toward Citizenship: Howard
The province is launching a new resource that will help newcomers better prepare to take the citizenship test, Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard announced today.
“Becoming a citizen is an important step to becoming a full member of society and provides a great sense of belonging and pride for new Canadians,” said Howard. “Manitoba encourages and supports all newcomers to participate and become active and responsible citizens in our democracy and this new resource will help them achieve that goal.”
Based on the 2011 Discover Canada Study Guide, the citizenship study materials for newcomers to Manitoba will be available to instructors, volunteer facilitators and settlement workers across the province to help newcomers as they prepare for the citizenship test. Newcomers will also be able to use the resource to study on their own before taking the test. The resource includes plain-language and user-friendly study materials and learning activities.
“Following the recent changes in the citizenship test, we saw it as our responsibility to help newcomers prepare for it,” said Howard. “We do not want newcomers to be faced with an additional barrier to becoming citizens.”
Manitoba will share the materials with a national audience at the Teachers of English as a Second Language in Canada 2011 conference on April 30 in Halifax.
Approximately 4,500 immigrants are sworn in as Canadian citizens every year in this province. Canada has one of the highest naturalization rates in the world, with 85 per cent of immigrants becoming citizens.
In 2010, legislation allowing new Canadians to take up to four hours of unpaid leave for the purpose of attending their Canadian citizenship ceremony was passed by the Manitoba government.
The Immigrant Centre also provides citizenship test-preparation classes throughout the year.
The newcomer guide is a PDF file and can be found at: www2.immigratemanitoba.com/asset_library/en/settlement/Citizenship-Guide-Newcomers-Manitoba.pdf.
Service providers can find the facilitator materials in the For Service Providers section ofhttp://www2.immigratemanitoba.com/browse/serviceproviders.
- 30 -