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01.02.2017
The Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) grieves the terrible attack on the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City last night. We mourn the loss of six innocent lives and the […]
CAP member Bilal received his citizenship only a few weeks ago. We reached out to Bilal after he received hundreds of comments on his Reddit post about the Cultural Access Pass and becoming a Canadian citizen. Here’s Bilal’s Spotlight, in his own words.
My name is Bilal El Houri. I was born in Beirut, Lebanon, but moved to Canada in June of 2012 after living for 5 years in Dubai. I didn’t feel at “home” in the Middle East so I wanted to move to a country where I feel that I belong. My goals when I moved were mainly to be part of a community and start building roots.
After I moved to Canada, I lived in Edmonton for 3 years. On the very first time I left Canada for a vacation, when I came back to the Edmonton airport, the passport officer said to me “welcome home!”, that was a moment that I will never forget, it made me fall in love with Canada and its people.
I became a citizen in February 2018. My life changed drastically since I now really feel “at home” and feel that I belong. I’m definitely looking forward to voting!
In spring/summer times I like to spend my time outdoors and hiking in Ontario. I also like film photography and improv. I’ve only been to ROM with [my Cultural Access Pass] but I’m planning to explore more places when the weather gets better. Almost all of my Canadian friends were jealous after I told them what [the Cultural Access Pass] was, since they’re born here [in Canada]!
[Cultural places] open our minds and hearts to different cultures and histories, we probably never have exposure to them if it weren’t for cultural places. [As a new Canadian], these places help me understand and learn Canada’s culture and history.
About CAP: For nearly 10 years, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) has delivered the Cultural Access Pass (CAP), an innovative, best-in-class program that gives new citizens access to Canadian culture. It’s time to shift CAP to the digital age. Support the ICC.
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