27-06-11
Manitoba’s Minister of Labour and Immigration, Ms. Jennifer Howard, has recently announced the launching of a new Canadian citizenship guide aimed at helping newcomers better prepare for the Canadian citizenship test. The new guide was launched in response to recent changes in the Citizenship test, that came about in 2010.
For Ms. Howard, becoming a full Canadian citizen is an integral part of becoming a full member of society and will provide a sense of community and pride for new Canadians. The launching of this new resource was designed to help individuals reach their goal of Canadian citizenship and to remove any barriers that stood in the way of becoming full Canadian citizens. In keeping with this goal of removing barriers Manitoba passed legislation in 2010 that allowed newcomers up to four hours off work in order to attend their Canadian Citizenship ceremony.
The resource has already received the support of various immigration settlement workers in Manitoba. Settlement workers see the new guide as easy to understand and better able to prepare Canadian immigrants to take the test administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The guide was made accessible by being written in plain English and made effective by including user-friendly study materials and learning activities.
Every year approximately 4,500 individuals in Manitoba, and around 160,000 in the rest of Canada, are granted Canadian citizenship. With a naturalization rate of around 85 per cent,
Canada maintains one of the world’s highest.
The citizenship study materials will be readily available to instructors, volunteer facilitators, and settlement workers in Manitoba. The materials will also be available for newcomers to use on their own and online.
Please find the Manitoba Citizenship Study Material Newcomer Guide at the following link: http://www2.immigratemanitoba.com/asset_library/en/settlement/Citizenship-Guide-Newcomers-Manitoba.pdf
Please find Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Study Guide at the following link:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/index.asp
