SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Thirty years ago Hilary Jones tried to get her Canadian citizenship and was unsuccessful. At the time, as a British citizen, she didn't have to write a test, she just had to apply, she said.

Hilary Jones, Ariga Arscnyan and Julieta Baziyan stand with Citizenship Judge Sonia Bitar after Friday's citizenship ceremony at the Greenstone Building. The three women received Canadian citizenship from Bitar and hockey sticks from Jones' son. - Christina Gray/NNSL photo

But, she needed permission and the people at the citizenship office weren't sure who to get it from. "The first time, when I was 20-years-old, they didn't know if I needed my father's permission or my husband's permission, so it didn't happen. Times have changed so I didn't need anybody's permission this time around."

Jones and 73 other people received their Canadian citizenship on Friday, Dec. 11 at the Greenstone Building. The group represented 31 different countries, ranging from Mauritius to Poland and Armenia to Zimbabwe. In order to take part in the ceremony, the new Canadians had to pass a test on Canadian history and geography, have basic knowledge of English or French, have spent 1,095 days of the last four years in Canada and have no criminal record.

After her initial attempt, Jones waited 30 years before trying for her Canadian citizenship again. "What triggered it was my daughter getting married and I wanted to be a commissioner of marriages. I discovered I couldn't do that unless I was Canadian so that triggered me to get around to doing this." The process is a long one though, and her daughter got married in the interim. Nevertheless, Jones said she is excited to be Canadian because she will finally be able to vote. "I really get to vote," said Jones. "It's very important to me to be able to exercise my franchise."

Her family was on hand to help her celebrate as well as friends from Armenia who were also becoming Canadian citizens. To celebrate their new citizenship, Jones' son presented the group with hockey sticks so that they would always be ready for a game of hockey.

Another family at the ceremony, the Nunkoos, arrived from Mauritius - an island off the coast of Africa in the southwest Indian Ocean - in 2003 on a diamond polishing contract. Raj Nunkoo, his wife Ragini and children Avi, 16, Houmisha, 15 and Dhisdi, 11, received their citizenship on Friday but, said they didn't expect to stay this long. "The first year we came, we said that we would be moving, but it's been six years now, we are still here."

Raj said the family studied for the citizenship test together and are all very happy to be Canadian. "The way that Canada is, the feeling that we have, it's exceptional. You can look around the world and you won't see the freedom that you have here."

Officiating the ceremony was citizenship judge Sonia Bitar, who came to Canada herself from Lebanon 33 years ago. She flew up from Edmonton to officiate the ceremony. She said the best advice she could give the new citizens would be to enjoy their first day as Canadians, but try to stay warm in the frigid temperatures.