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Malala Granted Honorary Citizenship in Canada, Addresses Parliament


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) presents Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai with honorary Canadian citizenship during a ceremony in the Library of Parliament on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on April 12.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) presents Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai with honorary Canadian citizenship during a ceremony in the Library of Parliament on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on April 12.

Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai has received honorary citizenship in Canada and become the youngest person to address the country's Parliament.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on April 12 presented her with a framed certificate of citizenship. She's only the sixth person to receive the honor and the youngest ever.

"Malala, your story is an inspiration to us all," he said.

The 19-year-old Pakistani activist was 15 when she shot in the head by Taliban militants while returning from school. She was targeted for advocating women's education.

She won world acclaim for her campaign and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

Yousafzai was originally scheduled to receive her honorary citizenship in 2014 but the Canadian Parliament was stormed by an armed terrorist that day.

Yousafzai says that man called himself a Muslim but did not share her faith.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP
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