Institute for Canadian Citizenship
500-260 Spadina Avenue | 260 avenue Spadina, bureau 500 M5T 2E4 Toronto, ON, Canada

We echo the outpouring of grief, anger, and pain that is being shared about the Atlanta attacks and anti-Asian racism. And we add our voices to the many stating what is obvious, but bears repeating: Canada is not immune from this hate. Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise since the first outbreak of COVID-19. But this is not a new problem. Anti-Asian racism in Canada is written into our legislations, and our history books. All Canadians have power to name this past,... so that we don’t keep repeating it in the present or in the future. We can all speak up, online, with our friends and families, or even as bystanders in public, when we hear Anti-Asian racism. We can all support Asian-Canadians and amplify their voices and stories. We can all act. At the Institute for Canadian Citizenship we believe that together we can create a country that actively reflects Canadian values: diversity, multiculturalism and equality. We believe Canada is a country for all Canadians and we believe that together we can create a more inclusive Canada. Read, watch, listen, learn, speak out, donate, vote. --- Nous faisons écho à cette vague de chagrin, de colère et de douleur qui déferle à la suite des attaques racistes antiasiatiques d’Atlanta, et nous ajoutons nos voix aux nombreuses autres affirmant ce qui est évident, mais qui mérite d’être répété : le Canada n’est pas à l’abri de cette haine. Les crimes contre les Asiatiques sont en hausse depuis la première vague de COVID-19. Or, ce problème n’est pas nouveau. Le racisme antiasiatique au Canada est inscrit dans nos lois et nos livres d’histoire. Chaque Canadienne a le pouvoir de nommer ce passé, afin que nous ne le répétions pas : maintenant et dans le futur. Nous pouvons tous prendre la parole, en ligne, avec nos amies et notre famille, ou même comme témoins dans la sphère publique, lorsque nous constatons des actes de racisme antiasiatique. Nous pouvons toutes et tous soutenir les Sino-canadiensnes et faire connaître leurs voix et leur histoire. Ensemble, nous pouvons agir. À l’Institut pour la citoyenneté canadienne, nous croyons qu’il est possible de bâtir un pays qui reflète bien les valeurs canadiennes : la diversité, le multiculturalisme et l’égalité. Nous croyons que le Canada est un pays pour chaque membre de sa population, et qu’ensemble, nous pouvons créer un Canada plus inclusif. Lire, regarder, écouter, apprendre, s’exprimer, faire un don, voter.

"I’ve been working hard for so many years now to build civic engagement: people getting involved in their communities. Not just in politics, but in voluntary work, in figuring out ways to make the community work better to look after one another. And so ultimately, if I had anything to do with that, with people getting more involved with the future of their community, I think that’s the one thing I’d be most proud of." - Mayor Naheed Nenshi We’re sending huge congratulations t...o Naheed Nenshi as he embarks on a new chapter following three terms as City of Calgary Your Local Government Mayor. Nenshi is a great friend to the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, and has been a powerful speaker at many different 6 Degrees over the years. He leaves a legacy of working tirelessly for inclusion for all Canadians, regardless of race, faith, gender or ability. He is committed to building a system that works for everybody in it, and believes in the ability to celebrate our hard-earned achievements in creating equity for all Canadians, while still recognizing the need to continue to work towards becoming a more inclusive, actively anti-racist society. We wish Mayor Nenshi all the best and can’t wait to see what he does next. Check out September 2020’s Lafontaine-Baldwin Lecture here to see Mayor Nenshi speak: EN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-TOnS46HfA&t=33s FR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsNJS2slzHM And to see him speak at the 2015 LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture, follow the link below: EN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99_fTDLBiRk

We were thrilled to host Hamza Haq as one of our guest speakers. His words resonated deeply with our participants as he talked about his dual identity as both Pakistani and Canadian. His performance on the medical drama Transplant, where he plays Syrian-Canadian ER doctor Bashir "Bash" Hamed, has inspired many new Canadian immigrants across the country. We were thrilled to collaborate with Immigration Canada to host Hamza Haq and welcome 25 new citizens to Canada as the final... step in their citizenship journey! What a wonderful, heartwarming way to celebrate! Nous avons eu l’immense plaisir de recevoir Hamza Haq comme conférencier. Ses mots ont profondément touché nos participantes, notamment lorsqu’il a parlé de sa double identité pakistanaise et canadienne. Sa performance dans la série médicale Transplant, dans laquelle il joue le rôle de Bashir Bash Hamed, un urgentologue, inspire un grand nombre d’immigrantes canadiennes au pays. Nous étions extrêmement enthousiastes de collaborer avec Immigration Canada pour recevoir Hamza Haq et accueillir 25 nouveauxelles citoyennes au Canada pour cette dernière étape de leur parcours vers la citoyenneté! Quelle magnifique et chaleureuse façon de célébrer!

Today, our CEO, Yasir Naqvi, had the opportunity to present on behalf of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship at a special meeting of the OAS’s Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs, talking about the power of inclusion and the benefits of diversity. Yasir shared our belief that inclusive communities, countries, policies and behaviours are achieved when all members of society have access to and feel they can meaningfully participate, free from discrimination, in the ...social, cultural, economic, and democratic aspects of their chosen community. We believe that active citizenship is the pathway to that inclusive future. That is why we see citizenship as an action - not as an identity or legal status. If we can encourage and show people that citizenship means participation - that it is available to everyone, no matter where you were born, what language you speak, or how long you’ve been here - then our communities will reap the benefits. This model of activating citizens, of connecting people to create more inclusive and resilient communities is core to our different pillars of work. This is why we work to develop programming that brings people together through shared, memorable experiences. We are very happy to be able to offer our enhanced citizenship ceremonies, our Canoo App and 6 Degrees, even in this time of social isolation. During the pandemic, a culture of inclusion is more vital than ever. Thank you to Canada at the OAS and Global Affairs Canada for including us in today’s conversation.

In February, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship celebrated the impact and accomplishments of Black Canadians in a series of enhanced citizenship ceremonies held virtually in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and the Atlantic Provinces. Arts leader Karen Carter, executive director of the MacLaren ArtCentre, joined us for our virtual ceremony on February 19 and graciously sat down with our Program Development Specialist Jennifer Muir for an exclusive one-on-one interview! Read more here: https://www.inclusion.ca//interview-with-karen-carter-exe/

Catch our CEO Yasir Naqvi on the Young Transatlantic Leadership Initiative Leaders Lounge TOMORROW at 12:30PM EDT. Register now at the link below! https://www.ytl-initiative.org/leaders-lounge

Margaret Atwood, one of the world’s most acclaimed and popular writers, will be joining us for a How to Fix Democracy live session on March 30! We are proud to partner with the Bertelsmann Foundation and Humanity in Action for this live session of How to Fix Democracy hosted by Andrew Keen. Atwood’s literary works and social activism galvanize people everywhere. Her brilliant writing and dedication to civic participation demonstrate a fearless commitment to the ideals of belo...nging and citizenship, and to the principles of tolerance and respect. She received the Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship at 6 Degrees in 2018, becoming the first woman and first Canadian to do so. Register now to hear her speak at the link below: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_Ul2ufBAsS7mFZsPC9_6BuA

The meritocracy is distant from everyone, regardless of political party. Michael Sandel's new book, The Tyranny of Merit, explores this division and searches for a bold way forward. Watch his discussion with John Ralston Saul about the book here: https://fb.watch/1SxIRCfETy/

Michael Sandel’s new book, The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good, explores how we think about success and failure in society and points us toward a hopeful vision of a new politics of the common good. Here, he and John Ralston Saul dive in to talk about meritocracy and how we define winners and losers. To purchase The Tyranny of Merit, click here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374289980 https://www.penguin.com.au//the-tyranny-of-merit-978024140... For more of Michael Sandel, click here: https://justiceharvard.org/

Don’t forget to tune in on Facebook at 1PM EST TODAY to hear Michael Sandel and John Ralston Saul chat about Michael’s new book, The Tyranny of Merit.

Tune in to the ICC Facebook page TOMORROW at 1 PM EST to hear @JusticeHarvard and our co-founder, @JohnRalstonSaul, discuss Sandel’s new book, The Tyranny of Merit, and explore why the concept of the self-made man is flawed.

Michael Sandel (global philosopher, the host of the 18th Lafontaine-Baldwin Lecture and master of the Socratic conversation) and our co-founder John Ralston Saul are in conversation discussing Sandel's new book, The Tyranny of Merit, on November 18th at 1 PM EST. Join us here on our facebook page to watch!

The U.S. election has captured our attention over the past few weeks, with good reason. If you feel like you’ve lost track of the news in Canada, don’t worry we’ll help catch you up! Welcome to our weekly #WhatDidIMiss? Sources: @KaylaGoodfield for @ctvtoronto, #HannahJackson for @globalnews, @KayRachelRosen for @ctvwinnipeg, #MaanAlhmidi for @cdnpress, #PaulWithers and #JodyPorter for @cbcnews, @cousins_ben for @ctvnews