We don't know how lucky we are.

For the last five years, up until yesterday, they were refugees. Yesterday, they became Canadian citizens.

Though I had only met them that morning, I could not contain my tears as Mark's two friends and their three children were sworn in. From 39 different countries, each of the 81 new Canadians have had unique and often difficult journeys to get to this point. Now they join a country where they can experience freedoms and rights that simply don't exist in many of their birth countries. I was emotional as Judge Thanh Hai Ngo spoke earnestly of these rights that we often take for granted: the right to vote and hold office, freedom of thought, belief, religion and speech, freedom to live and work anywhere in the country, apply for a passport, and enter and leave the country at will.

It makes me fiercely proud to live in a country with such freedoms, and I passionately welcome new citizens, and firmly believe that Canada's immigration policy is one of many things that makes our country great. 

Of the rights and freedoms we have, the one I try most not to take for granted is our right to vote; it is something I feel very strongly about. As flawed as the system can be ("first-past-the-post" vs "mixed-member-proportional" etc.), you have a choice and a way to have your voice heard. Something a lot of the world does not. It's bittersweet reading of the recent Tunisian election: the first fair election in the history of the country (sweet!), which experienced a 90% turnout in some areas. But it makes the disappointment of our pathetically low turnouts that much more bitter. In the recent provincial election, Ontario broke the record for the lowest turnout since Confederation. Well done, Ontario. Well done. My highschool Politics teacher often repeated the expression "you lose your right to bitch when you choose not to vote." So vote. Exercise your right. Don't take it for granted. And if you don't like the candidates in your area, then run as a candidate. As Gandhi said "be the change you want to see." You have the right.

And, if you have the chance to attend a swearing-in ceremony in the city you live in, I highly recommend it as a way to more fully appreciate what it means to be Canadian, and see what it means for new Canadians who have worked very hard for the honour. It is a humbling and joyful experience.