Yellowknife (Aug 30/06) - Monday was a very special day for Ana Crkvenac, who is originally from Croatia.

Crkvenac was one of the 117 people to be sworn-in at the Yellowknife courthouse this week as a Canadian citizen. The Croatian immigrant came to Canada five years ago to be with her two grandchildren.

Mary Grace Abuan, a Yellowknife resident of five years, holds up a certificate showing she is now a Canadian citizen after taking an oath at the Yellowknife courthouse Monday. - Jessica Gray/NNSL photo

"I didn't speak any words of English (before arriving in Canada)," said Crkvenac.

"(My family) is so proud of me."

It was also a big day for Mary Grace Abuan, originally from the Philippines.

"It's such a privilege," said Abuan.

Though she had a job in her home country, Abuan said "it wasn't enough," and so she decided to move to Canada.

After spending a year in Calgary, she moved to Yellowknife where she met her boyfriend Pavel Brijmohan, originally from Toronto.

He said her citizenship is definitely a good start to their new life together.

"She's two months pregnant," said Brijmohan.

Both plan to stay in Yellowknife for the foreseeable future, and raise a family.

The courtroom was packed during two citizenship ceremonies held Monday and Tuesday. The new Canadians were sworn-in by Ontario Judge Michael Walker.

The more than 100 new Canadians is a larger group than usual, according to citizen officer Lea Martin from the Yellowknife office of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

"It's huge," she said. Normally there are about half the amount welcomed to Canada in Yellowknife each year.

She said part of the reason there are so many people taking the citizenship oath this fall is because there wasn't a ceremony held July 1, as custom usually allows.

"We didn't have a judge (available)," said Norma Jean Leask, a citizenship officer from Edmonton.

Walker opened the ceremonies by saying, "I would like to welcome each of you into the Canadian family."

Those participating in the ceremony each said their name, raised their right hand and said the citizenship oath first in French and then English.

After the new Canadians received their certificates and flags, the ceremony was closed with the singing of the national anthem.

Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee, an immigrant herself, was a guest of honour at the ceremony on Monday.

"The day I became a Canadian citizen was in 1983," said Lee, adding that it felt like a "second birthday."

Walker informed those present Monday that the new citizens represented 25 different nationalities from around the world, including Australia, England, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, and the United States.

Leask couldn't say how many people become citizens across Canada each year, although 160 people take the oath in Edmonton every week, she said.

Another citizenship ceremony is set to be held Thursday in Inuvik.