An Opportunity to Exercise your Rights and Responsibilities Celebrated during Citizenship Week

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2015 /CNW/ - Citizenship Week is a time to reflect on and celebrate the rights and responsibilities all Canadian citizens share and thereby deepen our appreciation of our collective sense of belonging. The Federal Election coming just as Citizenship Week (Oct. 12-18, 2015) comes to a close presents an unique opportunity for every Canadian to exercise their citizenship muscles.

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation's Report on Canadian Values, which launched the Our Canada project, confirmed that respondents identified the duty to vote as one of the primary responsibilities associated with Canadian citizenship even if they did not rank that duty as the most important in the list of such responsibilities.

Albert Lo, Chairperson of the CRRF stated, "As the call to vote looms before us, we have the chance to put the rights and responsibilities of citizenship we have just celebrated into action. Exercising our vote and recognizing its relationship to the duty to support and preserve our democracy in Canada is crucial. As Citizenship Week comes to a close, let us keep in mind that voting is a good way to exercise and further develop our citizenship muscles. "

Anita Bromberg, Executive Director of CRRF added, "Citizenship Week is an opportune time to realize that good citizenship is dependent on developing the skills and habits that the associated rights and responsibilities call for. We will be putting our dedication to this great country and our rights and responsibilities as citizens into exercise when we celebrate the CRRF's 19^th anniversary by holding a reaffirmation ceremony during our Annual Open House on October 28th."

The CRRF is also celebrating Canadian Citizenship Week by inviting interested participants to submit their citizenship story for digital publication as part of the CRRF's 150 Stories Initiative.

For more information about the Reaffirmation Ceremony, visit this link.

To learn more about the Our Canada project including the Report on Canadian Values, visit this link.

Resources:

Citizenship Week – Oct 12-18, 2015

Citizenship Week infographic

Twelve ways to celebrate Canada's Citizenship Week

CRRF Resources:

150 Stories: Celebrating Canada's sesquicentennial

The Our Canada Project

SOURCE Canadian Race Relations Foundation

Anita Bromberg, Executive Director, CRRF, 416 508 9033