Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai received honorary Canadian citizenship on April 12. Introduced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Yousafzai addressed the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, Ontario.

Yousafzai said it was her first trip to Canada, but not her first attempt. Yousafzai previously arrived in Toronto with her father on October 22, 2014, the same day a shooting took place at Canadian Parliament. Under the advice of Canadian authorities, Yousafzai left Toronto shortly after arriving “with sorrow” in her heart. Yousafzai received a standing ovation when she recalled the event, saying: “The man who attacked Parliament Hill called himself a Muslim  –  but he did not share my faith. He did not share the faith of one and a half billion Muslims, living in peace around the world.”

The 19-year-old Pakistani activist also addressed Canada’s refugee policy, saying: "’Welcome to Canada’ is more than a headline or a hashtag. It is the spirit of humanity that every single one of us would yearn for, if our family was in crisis. I pray that you continue to open your homes and your hearts to the world’s most defenseless children and families  –  and I hope your neighbors will follow your example.”

On a lighter note, Yousafzai joked about Trudeau’s young age and global popularity: “We have heard so much about Prime Minister Trudeau… He does yoga, he has tattoos, and a lot more. And while I was coming here, everyone was telling me like, ‘shake prime minister’s hand and like, let us know how he looks in reality,’ and people were just so excited about meeting Trudeau, I didn’t, I don’t think anyone cared about the Canadian honorary citizenship."