New Canadian 'living the dream' and adopting Winnipeg's rallying cry after citizenship ceremony

Romulo Galinatois going to fit right in with his new country and, specifically, his adopted city.

"Being a Canadian citizen is living the dream, actually," Galinatosaid, grinning and adding "Go Jets go!" after a pause.

The Filipino father was one of 60 people from 12 countrieswelcomedas Canadian citizens on Tuesday morning at a ceremony at ManitobaTheatre for Young People in Winnipeg.

After the event, during which the new Canadians took their oaths of citizenship, Galinato and his wife,Gerilyn, clutchedthe document confirming their new national identity with both hands.

"Glorious and free," Romulosaid, reciting a phrasefrom Canada'snational anthem.

The Philippines will always be the couple's homeland, Gerilyn said, but they're proud of the place they and their daughter call home today.

"You have special rights that's given to people andwe're very privileged to be one of them now."

Just last week, BolanleAina, a pharmacist,was on a different stagereceivingher doctorate.On Tuesday, she was at the theatre at The Forks with her husband, Johnson, as they became Canadian citizens together.

"When I was leaving Nigeriaeightyears ago, I didn'tknow anything about Canada. I didn't know anything about being a permanentresident," she said.

"I just came here to get more education andafter spending some time I found thatI felt perfectly comfortable, and I fell in love with it, with Canada."

MTYPartistic director PabloFelices-Luna,who hosted the citizenship ceremony,remembers his own arrival in Canada and specifically, trying to avoidthe fashion faux pas his brother committed years earlier.

"I didn't make the mistake that he made, getting out of an airplane inVictoria, B.C., wearingcorduroy pants,an undershirt, a flannel shirt, an alpaca sweater, an army-grade jacket, thinking it was Canada butof course it was the middle of August," he said.

To make matters worse, Felices-Luna joked, his brother also donned a big sombrero and carrieda violin case.

More than a quarter-century later, an appropriately-dressed Felices-Luna welcomed thenew Canadians at Tuesday's ceremony at the theatre he now heads.

Approximately 1,700 such ceremonies are held across Canada each year, but this wasthe first time the theatrehas hostedone.

Theatre opensits doors

"It's really powerful to have an opportunity to open our doors to say, 'Here's this theatre in Winnipeg that wants to be part of this community, of this great enterprise that we call Canada," Felices-Luna told CBCManitoba's Information Radiobefore the ceremony.

A native of Peru, he arrived in British Columbiain the early 1990sto attend an international school. Along the way, he experienced the country's diversity on a grand scale. He had a South African roommate when Nelson Mandela was released from prison and one of his classmates was a student from the Soviet Union around the time of the fall of theBerlin Wall.

Following a short time back in Peru, Felices-Luna returnedto Canada to train asa director. He became a Canadian citizen a decade ago, and took the reins at Manitoba Theatre for Young People in 2014.

"I knew about Canada's role in the world and that's something that was very important to me as a young man, and the role that it has played in the world scene andit continues to play," Felices-Luna said.

"I had a lotof curiosity about what makes this country tick and I've had the opportunity to learn andre-learn what that means over the past few decades."

It wasn't always easy. He feltisolated, and recalls scrounging up $8.25 to talk to his parents on a pay phone for three minutes.

He was reflectingon how their communication hasevolved, he said, on Monday hisdaughter's birthday.

"Overbreakfast, I flipped my tablet, I hooked up on Skype and my parents got to sing happy birthday to her."

He tries to take his wife and three daughters to Peru as frequently as he can.

"It's lovelyto be able to say I love Peru, I love Canada, and I'm a citizen of both."

He encourages new Canadians to engage with the politics, culture and the social work happeninghere.

"It's notgoing to take anything away from what you brought to this country, it's actually going to enrich it and allow you to contribute to what we believe in," he said."We're all making Canada together."

New Canadians describe what being citizens means to them

6 years ago

Duration 1:17

Manitoba has 60 new citizens, after a special Canadian citizenship ceremony at Manitoba Theatre for Young People.