the CanadaVisa Team - 23 July, 2015
The Canadian Immigrant Magazine has announced the winners of the first-ever Top 25 Canadian Immigrants awards. A human rights defender, a filmmaker, and a scientist are among the winners of the national awards program which seeks to celebrate the achievements and the contributions that Canadian immigrants have made to the country.
The magazine received about 350 candidates when nominations opened in November 2008, and a panel of judges shortlisted 75 of the nominees. The 25 winners were selected by online public voting, with over 10,000 Canadians casting their votes.
The winners are being celebrated this week at two awards ceremonies in Vancouver and Toronto, hosted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
They are featured in the June edition of Canadian Immigrant Magazine. They also receive a commemorative certificate and lapel pin and are awarded a $250 donation toward an authorized Canadian charity of their choice.
Among the winners is Michaëlle Jean, an immigrant from Haiti, who is now Canada's Governor General.
"It is exciting to celebrate the contributions that immigrants make to the social, economic, and political fabric of our country," says Canada's Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. "As Canadians, we have found great success in the coming together of diverse cultures. Celebrations like this remind us how very fortunate we are to live in a country that embraces the many traditions of the world."
