2024-25 Canadian Figure Skating

[NanaPat]

And I've read that a large batch of passports were mailed to the Service Canada office here in Richmond the day before the strike began, to be picked up, and are now sitting who, -knows-where between Ottawa and here. Some were renewed ones for people who needed them to travel at Christmas, like my cross-hall neighbour who was going to visit his son and family in Japan for the holidays. He hasn't travelled since before his wife got sick and they stopped going on cruises. She died last summer and he decided to renew his passport and start travelling again. There are a lot of stories like his going around. Do they ever issue replacements of lost ones, if it were someone's new first one? If an Olympic athlete like Deanna had hers lost in a mail backlog, would they print up a new one for her? (I haven't had a passport myself for years, so I'm pretty hazy on the procedures.)

They're doing their best to get passports to people with urgent needs. And according to this article, they do reprint passports. The article is mainly about Edmonton, where they had a flood in the passport office, but has general info on passports during the strike.

 

[NanaPat]

@NanaPat

I was like @Diana Delafield mentioned referring to some news I read that many passports were indeed stuck... Doesn't mean that Deanna's is... All depends indeed on timing of the strike... a parcel was mailed to me 2 days before the strike... and well.. it obviously is nowhere near me...
and of course, if she had opted to pick it up or get it mailed

In any case, she doesn't need it until next year... unless indeed, she wanted to pose with it

If the "taking the oath this week" story is correct, Deanna is not yet in a position to have applied for a passport. You take the oath, then get a document proving you are a citizen, then use your proof of citizenship (plus a lot of other stuff) to apply for a passport.

 

[4everchan]

If the "taking the oath this week" story is correct, Deanna is not yet in a position to have applied for a passport. You take the oath, then get a document proving you are a citizen, then use your proof of citizenship (plus a lot of other stuff) to apply for a passport.

I mentioned the passport because it was mentioned that perhaps she wanted to make an announcement herself showing her passport

If that's the case, it won't happen for weeks anyways.

 

[ladyjane]

Passport or not, I am just happy for her (and Max).

 

[saine]

It's official from Skate Canada now

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

They will be relieved to have this out of the way.
The Patinage Quebec insta account has posted a pic in their story

 

[saine]

Here's the news release to go with it:

Pairs World Champions Open New Door for the Winter Olympic Games

MONTREAL, QC (December 11, 2024) – Earlier this morning, Pairs World Champion Deanna Stellato-Dudek took her Oath of Citizenship in Montreal surrounded by family and friends, formalizing her status as a Canadian citizen. This marks a significant milestone towards the team’s goal of qualifying...

skatecanada.ca

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

Skate Canada has posted videos on their insta story. Deanna's mom was crying and Goldy was there too

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

(I'm crying too by the way!)

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

And some words from the queen herself:

 

[4everchan]

and Maxime looks relatively healthy here, though of course, I am just "observing" ... So let's hope his illness is behind him.

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

It's good that he seems to do well enough to accompany her. I've heard they started training again.

 

[saine]

CBC article that includes a picture with Deanna, her mother and Goldy with more details on the process:

In January 2021, Stellato-Dudek retained Montreal-based lawyer Patrice Brunet to initiate the exceptional immigration process. They filed the citizenship application in May 2023 under section 5(4) of the Citizenship Act, which states the minister may grant citizenship to "reward services of exceptional value to Canada."

"She had to continuously perform and increase her chances," he said. "We always had to show that she could be a podium potential for 2026."

Stellato-Dudek said that pressure weighed heavily on her mind during competitions the last few years.

"More than I could explain," she said. "There was always in the back of my mind doing things to try to pad my resume or my curriculum vitae to be as attractive as possible to the Government of Canada."

 

[Diana Delafield]

CBC article that includes a picture with Deanna, her mother and Goldy with more details on the process:

As if competition pressure itself wasn't enough!

 

[NanaPat]

The article also mentions that the ceremony was in her lawyer's office. From the pictures, I thought that it was a private ceremony, and not the mass ones that most new Canadians attend. That's really nice, and probably even more valid than reciting the oath in unison with a hundred or so other people. If I had to take the oath today, there might be some muttered asides about certain of the King's heirs.

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

...also confirmation that they're going to 4 Continents

 

[4everchan]

...also confirmation that they're going to 4 Continents

I just cried.. .doesn't help that i had just watched both their SP and LP from last year's world in celebration... so I was already emo LOL

I am so happy for these two ! It's been a long journey for Deanna but it's also been a very long one for Max who struggled finding his partner... until the Queen D came north !

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

I just cried.. .doesn't help that i had just watched both their SP and LP from last year's world in celebration... so I was already emo LOL

I am so happy for these two ! It's been a long journey for Deanna but it's also been a very long one for Max who struggled finding his partner... until the Queen D came north !

I also am really emotional about this yesterday was a mix of cheering and crying happy tears

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

Found another video

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

And another one, with Deanna speaking French and Max talking about his health status