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Proud to be Canadian was started by a small, grass-roots group of concerned citizens after the constitutional debates in 1991-1992. The committee members wanted Canadian children to participate actively in discussions about their country, their responsibilities, and their pride in Canada.
The chairman, Sheila Craig Casgrain, said in a speech to the Junior League of Toronto,
“There are few Canadian Symbols available to our students. The National Anthem is not sung, but only played over the P. A. system. The Canadian flag is rarely seen in any classroom. Even the Oath of Citizenship is only said by new Canadians and is an oath primarily to the Queen.”
The Proud to be Canadian committee decided to give Canadian youth a chance to make a personal pledge to Canada. Unlike a standard oath, this was to be in the form of art, music, poetry, stories - whatever would best express each individual's feelings. 16,000 schools across the country became involved and thousands of students submitted their "pledges" Out of all those, approximately 125 representative entries were chosen by our panel of judges to be published here for others to see. We want out children, the future of Canada, to participate actively in discussions about their county, their responsibilities, their commitment, their sheer good fortune and their pride in Canada.
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