Senator Bovey: As a quick follow-up, you used the word “optional.” I’m delighted to hear that citizenship ceremonies will continue. Yes, I appreciate there are online virtual ceremonies for when people couldn’t attend because of COVID, but are you saying that there might be another option whereby they don’t have to do either, but that the citizenship ceremony will stay?

Hon. Patricia Bovey: Senator Gold, lately we’ve heard the idea from government that people could take the Canadian Oath of Citizenship by signing a document online without attending either an in-person or virtual citizenship ceremony. The negative concerns I have heard about this idea are legion, so much so that I attended a live citizenship ceremony again last Thursday. It was truly moving to hear all in the room take the oath, to witness the individual certificate presentations and see the photos — all very important aspects of the event that would be missed by merely signing an online form at home. Can you assure this chamber, all Canadians and those applying for citizenship that this idea of cutting out citizenship ceremonies in favour of a self-administered online oath will be quashed?