symposiums and reaffirmation ceremonies

CFC aims to engage citizens of Canada to develop and advance leadership through active citizenship.  This is achieved by organizing and hosting a Homegrown Leadership Symposium to promote active participation, responsible citizenship and support pluralism. Symposium speakers demonstrate a commitment to advance leadership skills and provide inspiration to take concrete steps to make a difference. Attendees of the symposium include a diverse audience. Together they share stories of how engagement and involvement can lead to positive outcomes in our communities.  

The Inaugural Homegrown Leadership Symposium was held in Calgary, Alberta on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre.  The theme was "Building A Pipeline Of Leaders For Canadian Democratic Institutions".  Formal opening remarks were delivered by Chief Commissioner Marie-Claude Landry from the Canadian Human Rights Commission. 

The 2020 Homegrown Leadership Symposium was recorded in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights during the province's 150th Anniversary of Confederation. It was delivered to a virtual audience due to the global pandemic.  The symposium was held on December 10, 2020 to mark Human Rights Day.  The theme was "Embracing Diversity To Lay The Groundwork For Shared Citizenship".  The keynote speaker was Keren Taylor-Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of Harvest Manitoba and Advisory Board Member of the Canadian Federation For Citizenship.

CFC aspires to create dialogue on what it means to be an active citizen and assume homegrown leadership roles in one's community. This is achieved by hosting community-led Citizenship Reaffirmation ceremonies in partnership with leaders in business, academia, government and/or civil society. 

After the ceremony, round table discussions take place between Canadian-born and naturalized citizens of Canada to share experiences and collectively reflect on what it means to be Canadian, be an engaged and active citizen, create inclusive spaces for true dialogue, and build a pipeline of homegrown leaders for a stronger and more inclusive Canada. A reception follows the reaffirmation ceremony.  

In 2019, a Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremony followed after the Inaugural Homegrown Leadership Symposium in Calgary, Alberta. It was led by Co-Founder of the Canadian Federation For Citizenship, Jenny Gulamani-Abdulla. Fifty attendees, including business and community leaders as well as post secondary students took the Oath of Citizenship to reaffirm their commitment to Canada.

In 2021, during the global pandemic, a Virtual Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremony followed after the Inaugural Citizenship Awards Event to mark British Columbia's Sesquicentennial. Ten recipients, comprising of frontline and essential workers, in the province participated virtually. The Oath of Citizenship was led by Advisory Board Director of the Canadian Federation For Citizenship, Order of Canada Recipient and Indigenous Philanthropist Dr. Marie Delorme. This was indeed special as the Canadian Citizenship Oath, for the first time, officially recognized First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and the obligation that all citizens have to uphold the treaties between the Crown and Indigenous nations.