Part 1...
Feedback on Oath ceremony - Part 2
6- The clerk came back at 13:55 and explained they would call certain seat numbers to make sure the identification process was done for each one. If our number WAS NOT CALLED, that means everything IS FINE.
People did not listen to the instructions. While the clerk called seat numbers, they were interrupted by people wondering if they missed something or why their number was not called.
So please pay attention! Listen to the staff! Don’t leave your screen unattended or turn the sound off! That took 10 minutes, as it’s now 14:05.
7- The clerk then checked again that everyone
had their camera on. Some obviously had closed it somehow. And to put our
mikes off until the oath. So as to not distract the proceedings. Then we were redirected to the ‘main’ room with everyone else.
8- The coordinator took over at 14:10 and introduced the citizenship judge for our ceremony, and said there would be a brief video followed by the ceremony. The video was about Canada. The clerk introduced us to the judge something along the lines of ‘it is my privilege to present… 144 candidates from 40 countries that all fulfilled the requirements... ready to take the oath of citizenship’. I don’t remember the exact words but it was a poignant moment.
9- The judge spoke of the importance of the rights and responsibilities we take as Canadian citizens. How we can make this country even better for us and the future generations. By that time, it was 14:25. Time for the oath.
10- The clerk explained how we would proceed for the oath. We could SWEAR/AFFIRM our oath, we had to repeat each line after the judge spoke the line. Not to say the whole oath in one go. We had to repeat after the judge each sentence. For people needing their holy book, it was time to take it in their left hand. The clerk asked us to open our microphone but stay silent until the oath itself, and to lift our right hand. Then the clerk asked the judge to proceed.
11- The oath itself took 5 minutes as it’s 14:30. It was a cacophony as you hear not only the judge but everyone else say the line as you repeat it yourself. So there is a bit of delay and distortion. Practice before hand to know the words (it’s on page 4, you can print it).
12- The judge congratulated us and waved the Canadian flag! People applauded in celebration. Some people also waved a Canadian flag! We sang the national anthem. The words were shown on the screen so you can follow along. The coordinator then asked we turned off our mikes and showed a video of the Prime minister, M Trudeau congratulating us in becoming Canadian citizen. Being now part of the greatest country in the world! Canada!
13- For the photo-op with the judge, the coordinator asked us to turn off our camera so as not to take pictures of other people beside the staff. Then the video feeds of the judge and clerk were put to the forefront of the ZOOM screen. We had a few minutes to find the best angles and click away! The coordinator warned us we had 1 minute left. And that was it! It’s now 14:40.
14- The clerk thanked the judge who saluted us once more and then left. We were asked to remain online.
15- The coordinator then presented a powerpoint explaining how to sign the Oath and Affirmation form and to send it back to them. Two things to note here : a) when scanning the signed paper form, save it as a pdf file no more than 1 meg in size; b) add your home address in the body of the email.
16- It’s now 14:55! We ended the ZOOM call and proceeded to sign the form and send the email. We immediately received an automatic acknowledgement email from IRCC.
Final thoughts
The ceremony being bilingual meant they repeated everything in French then English multiple times. It might have added a degree of difficulty for people to understand and follow along. Being bilingual myself, it was a bit tedious to hear the same things being repeated multiple times. But I get it that some people are more nervous, or need reassurance. However, it added time to the process’s duration.
From my point of view, it went well. The staff seemed to know from past experiences how to react to the different situations that happened. They seemed mostly unperturbed. The clerk did say at one point ‘you did not listen to what I said earlier’. I hoped this chastised a few participants in being more attentive. The staff was/is there to help us become Canadian citizens. So please, be respectful of their time and everyone else’s time.
Prepare yourself before the ceremony. Join the ZOOM call on time. Listen to the staff. Turn your camera/mike on/off at the appropriate time. Pay attention to your surrounding as if you were truly in-person taking your oath.
