Immigrants the proudest Canadians, poll suggests

Environics Institute survey 1st to probe Canadians' views on citizenship
By Kazi Stastna, CBC News Feb 15, 2012; and Environics In The News Feb 15, 2012 , ERG

Extracts:
..."To be a good citizen, it means to contribute to the society, to obey the laws of the country, to help other citizens, to volunteer, and it's a rewarding feeling when you do all those things," said Sara Jhangiryan, an Armenian-born resident of Toronto who became a Canadian citizen last year.

...Usha George, dean of Ryerson University's Faculty of Community Services, says the survey's findings confirm a lot of what those working with new Canadians know already.

... "Canadians who were not born in Canada are more proud than naturally born Canadians simply because we had the choice of being Canadian," said Vikram Kewalramani, who immigrated to Canada in 2006 from India. "It wasn't something that, literally, was a birthright. We consider it a privilege."

... Tolerance of others who are different was among the top five behaviours survey respondents considered a "very important" part of being a good citizen.

... "I am equally proud of both citizenships," said Natasha Nikolovska-Angelova, 32, who became a Canadian citizen last April. "Macedonia is more like my mother … the country where I was raised, and Canada is the country I chose to live in. It's like the spouse you choose.… It's the country of my future."

On the same shelf:

Children of Immigrants: Their surprising perspectives revealed, CBC

14th National Metropolis conference, 2012 Feb 29-March 3, sessions on immigrant children, youth & families: immigrantchildren.ca

The 14th National Metropolis conference theme is Future Immigration Policies: Challenges and Opportunities for Canada. It will be held February 29 – March 3, 2012 at the Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto.