What Is The Citizenship Oath?

Swearing the Canadian Citizenship Oath

In order to become a Canadian Citizen, all applicants between 18 and 54 years of ages must swear the Citizenship Oath at a ceremony that you will be invited to, once you have passed the Citizenship Test and supplied any additional requested documentation during the application process. This is the oath in its current form:

I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.

It is considered a legally-binding statement.

Once you have sworn or affirmed the oath, you will be a Canadian Citizen and your new Citizenship Certificate will be given to you. With your citizenship certificate you will be able to apply for a Canadian Passport, though we recommend waiting 2 business days before applying to make sure the record populates in the system.

 

Why Do I Have to Swear a Canadian Oath to the Queen?

Canada is a constitutional monarchy. Canada’s Queen and Head of State is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

However, the Queen is just our Head of State in the legal sense. In a practical sense the Queen does not have any power in Canada. Her representatives, the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governors, are appointed by Canadian politicians. In Canada, when people say “The Crown” they are actually referring to the Government of Canada, and not the British Crown. So really, when you’re swearing an oath to the Queen, you’re actually swearing it to Canada. As the Globe and Mail puts it:

Ontario’s top court…says that would-be citizens are not actually swearing allegiance to the Queen herself as “the reference to the Queen is symbolic of our form of government and the unwritten constitutional principle of democracy.”

So, really, you are swearing allegiance to the Government of Canada and our system of government that elects them.

Canadian Supreme Court decisions have held up the Oath and say it does not violate Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. So you must swear the Oath.

 

Can I Lose My Canadian Citizenship?