It was a momentous occasion for eight Labrador West residents who finally became Canadian citizens.
They attained the coveted status at a ceremony performed by citizenship Judge Suzanne Pinel of Ottawa, July 14.
“It was the most beautiful day of my life to be a Canadian citizen,” said Asad Naqvi, who immigrated to Canada from Pakistan four years ago.
“To be a Canadian citizen is really a matter of pride for me. Thanks to Canada, I’m now in a better place, peaceful place, where people are aware of their environment, rights and responsibilities — that was the oath I took on July 14, that I have certain rights and that I have certain responsibilities.”
The group of inductees included Naqvi, as well as Dharma, Durga and Priarek Pokharel, Tom Mihajlovic, Alan Wallace, Calvin Lee and Mandeep Bakhshi, from places like Pakistan, India, Nepal, Croatia, China and Britain.
Naqvi said he moved to Canada to offer his three daughters a better future and believes that they’re now on the right track.
“The reason why I moved here was my family,” he said. “I was doing pretty well back home — I had a good job — but (I moved) because of my kids, better education and good health facilities. Overall, a peaceful environment. This kind of environment you don’t find anywhere in the world. If you rate Canada, it’s on the top.”
He said that countries like Pakistan, India and China have major problems, because the more people there are, the more that resources, business and job opportunities are limited, which can create friction between people.
“Canada’s a big area … second-largest country in the world,” Naqvi noted, “so it has got enough resources and more attraction for immigrants from other parts of the world.”
He said he was impressed with Canadians and their role in charities and peacekeeping around the world.
Nevertheless, once he moved here, things didn’t come easy, he said. He said it took him two years to finish his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Ryerson University and to get a job with the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), which is the reason why he moved to Labrador City.
“It was the most beautiful day of my life to be a Canadian citizen.” - Asad Naqvi
He said some people find it hard to deal with the cold climate, especially if they come from a place like Pakistan, where the weather’s really hot in the summer and winters are mild.
“(But as) a human being … people are acclimatized and very much flexible,” he said. “Here my kids enjoy winter and summer activities.”
As for cultural differences, he noted that food in Canada tends to be a lot less spicy and people celebrate different occasions. He also explained that in Pakistan alcohol is not allowed to be drunk openly and he figures the fact that it is so widely available here might be the root of some major problems in Canadian society.
Naqvi said in Pakistan there are very strong family ties and parents are of utmost importance to their children, which might not always be the case in Canadian society.
“I believe that the basic theme of all cultures is the same: to live and love, (and have) peace and respect for each other,” he said.
He said living in Canada doesn’t mean he has abandoned his traditions and culture, and he hopes to pass them on to his children.
Integration, Naqvi said, means taking one set of good values and another set of good values and mixing them.
His respect for people of different cultures is one of the reasons he is vice-president of the Multicultural Council of Labrador West.
“I’m telling new immigrants who come to this country that Canada is not only Toronto, Calgary, or Montreal – Canada’s from East Coast to West Coast, from St. John’s to Victoria,” he said.
As a Canadian citizen, he’s excited to be able to vote and make a difference in society, and said he’s up to taking on his new role as an ambassador of Canada wherever he goes.
