Dr. Charles Jago can't be accused of being a slothful citizen. Since his second retirement from the post of University of Northern B.C.'s president, he has taken on positions with several key boards (Canfor, Fraser Basin Council, Northern Health, 2010 Legacies Now, Canada West Foundation, etc.).
On Wednesday he was named as a mediator to try bringing the provincial government and B.C. teachers out of their contract impasse.
He also recently signed on to another appointment, this one purely volunteer. He is now, when needed, an official presiding officer for citizenship ceremonies in northern B.C.
It is an exclusive club. Apart from an accredited citizenship judge or Governors/Lieutenants General, the only persons authorized to be a federal witness to someone's investiture as a citizen of Canada is a member of the Order of Canada (also, certain recipients of the Order of Military Merit and Royal Victorian Order). Jago is the only Member of the Order of Canada residing in the Prince George region.
"I was made aware that as a Member of the Order of Canada, I am entitled to conduct citizenship ceremonies and I was asked would I be interested in doing so?," Jago told The Citizen. "And my response was I would feel very privileged to do that. First of all it is an incredible honour to be put in that position, secondly I have always been a strong supporter of the ethnic diversity that is Canada. I think it is wonderful that people from all lands can come here, make a home here, and lead productive lives here. That is very meaningful to me."
Part of his personal connection to the philosophy of multiculturalism was instilled by a man Jago calls a mentor. Dr. Ezio Cappadocia, born and raised in Italy, was an academic leader in the history department at McMaster University when Jago was an aspiring professor there. Jago was invited to the party thrown each year by Cappadocia on the anniversary of his conversion to Canadian citizenship. On the 50th anniversary of this, a formal gala was thrown. This level of celebration of citizenship took deep root in Jago's psyche.
This was renewed on the last day of January when Jago attended as an observer at the city's most recent citizenship ceremony. More than 170 immigrants accepted Canada as their official nationality that day in Prince George, presided over by visiting citizenship judge William Day.
"It was a marvelous ceremony, wonderfully presided over by judge Day," Jago said. "It was full of meaning, people were so proud, it was beautifully conducted. I wanted to get one of those ceremonies under my belt before I was cast in that role."
No dates have been announced for the city's next citizenship ceremony, nor elsewhere in the region. There are typically three or four per year in B.C.'s northern capital, the most visible being the annual event at Huble Homestead on Canada Day.
