Canada

Malala Yousafzai Is Now An Honorary Canadian Citizen

She's only the sixth person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship.

Malala Yousafzai Is Now An Honorary Canadian Citizen
Prime Minister of Canada
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just made education advocate Malala Yousafzai an honorary Canadian citizen.

The 19-year-old survivor of a Taliban attack is only the sixth person to ever receive this honor. Past honorees include the Dalai Lama and the late Nelson Mandela.

In Yousafzai's address to Parliament, she praised Canada for advancing women's rights and opening its doors to refugees. But she also brought some levity to the occasion.

"When I was coming here, everyone was telling me, 'Shake the prime minister's hand and let us know how he looks in reality.' And people were just so excited about meeting Trudeau. I don't think anybody cared about the Canadian honorary citizenship," Yousafzai said. 

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This was actually the second time Canada tried to award Yousafzai honorary citizenship.

The first was scheduled for late 2014, but the event was canceled after an attack on Canada's Parliament Hill.

Citizenship is just one of a handful of Yousafzai's honors. She's the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and earlier this week, the United Nations dubbed her a messenger of peace.