STORY:
New immigrants were sworn in during World Refugee Day in Toronto on Friday... some fleeing nightmares in their home countries, others leaving behind family and friends in the hope of a better future in Canada.

Cheers erupted as the ceremony concluded. But some, like Elsa Pacheco, formerly of Mexico, couldn't contain their tears.

[Elsa Pacheco, Mexican Immigrant]:
“Just happy, I've been waiting a long time for this and I just got happy, excited."

Flying to Toronto from a similar ceremony in Ottawa only a few hours before, Immigration Minister Diane Finley welcomed Canada's newest citizens.

Finley told them to be proud of their status as Canadians, the best gift a country could give. She also spoke of the horrible situations many refugees fled in their home country.

The crowd stood while people from countries like China, Macedonia, Korea and Mexico recited their oath of citizenship. Finley made one request afterwards: that when they were asked where they were from, they would reply "Canada."

World Refugee Day is a United Nations initiative to bring attention to the plight of the world’s 11.4 million refugees. Canada accepts about 10,000 to 12,000 refugees a year, about 10 percent of the global total.

NTD Toronto