'I fell so much in love with Canada' — 100 new Canadians take oath of citizenship in Sudbury

One hundred new Canadians took their oath of citizenship during a ceremony in Greater Sudbury today.

The new citizens are from 35 different countries.

Before the ceremony, each one had to take the citizenship exam, consisting of 20 multiple choice questions. They can only get four questions wrong. If a candidate fails the exam, they can redo it the next time it's offered, however the questions will be different.

Sudbury Police Chief Paul Pedersen presided over the oath of citizenship Friday morning, asking the 100 candidates to raise their right hand and repeat the oath after him.

"I swear, 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."

The new Canadians all have different reasons for coming here originally and then choosing to stay. Some have been here just a short time, while others have spent decades making their life in Canada.

Ming Fu came from China 11 years ago on a work permit for his career as a researcher at Sudbury's Laurentian University.

He says he has always felt welcomed in Canada.

"People everywhere are the same. They're honest. They're kind."

"My good friend's parents treat us like kids, so I call them Mom and Dad. That's a feeling I got another home here in Canada," Fu said.

Fu became a Canadian citizen alongside his 12-year-old daughter Maggie Fu.

"I guess inside I always felt like a Canadian, but now it's just [I'm] more legally a Canadian," she said.

Both say one of their favourite things about Canada is its nature.

"I fell so much in love with Canada that I wanted to learn more about Canada," says new citizen Lucica Smaranda.

She wore a red Canadian T-shirt and a cardigan with red maple leaves on it to the ceremony. Afterwards she proudly clutched her new citizenship and a Canadian Flag.

"I am very blessed to be in Canada and I thank God because he made it possible," she said.

A country full of blessing, prosperity and love- Lucica Smaranda, new Canadian citizen 

Smaranda moved to Canada from Romania in 2005 for her education. Her family all still lives in Romania.

She says she decided to move here for her education after hearing from others about how beautiful this country is and how friendly the people are.

In fact it's the people that Smaranda says she loves most about Canada.

"What a beautiful country. Opportunity. And a country full of blessing and prosperity and love."

For Susanne Goodhand, Canadian citizenship was three decades in the making. She took the oath on Friday and became a Canadian citizen after moving here 30 years ago from Germany.

"I was just seeking something different," she said of her reason for first coming to this country.

"Just being on my own, experiencing my own way of living, and I thought Canada would offer that to me," Goodhand said.

She did make Canada her home, married a Canadian and now lives in Huntsville.

I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.- Susanne Goodhand, new Canadian citizen

"What do I love most? I would say for me it's the nature, it's the vastness of the land," Goodhand said of her new homeland.

As for the delay in becoming a Canadian citizen, Goodhand says she always seemed to put it off, until now.

"It just never really happened. You know it was one of those things that you'll do it tomorrow, you'll do it next year and then one thing leads to another, and I finally got it done," she said.

"It's a wonderful country. Very welcoming and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Goodhand says the citizenship ceremony was moving for her.

"I was choking up just singing the anthem. And the oath — it was very very emotional."