Canadian Citizenship Test Revision Notes
The essential facts for the Canadian Citizenship Test, condensed chapter by chapter — a fast recap for the days before your test. For the full explanations, see the study guide; to cram, use the cheat sheet.
1. Rights & responsibilities
- The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) is part of the Constitution.
- Responsibilities of citizenship include obeying the law, serving on a jury, voting, and helping others in the community.
- Fundamental freedoms include freedom of conscience and religion, thought and expression, and peaceful assembly.
- Canadian citizens have the right to enter, remain in, and leave Canada, and to live and work anywhere in the country.
2. Who we are
- Canada's three founding peoples are Aboriginal, French and British.
- The two official languages are English and French, with equal status in the Government of Canada.
- Aboriginal peoples are grouped as First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
- Quebec is the mainly French-speaking province, where most French Canadians live.
3. History
- Confederation created the Dominion of Canada on 1 July 1867, now celebrated as Canada Day.
- Sir John A. Macdonald was Canada's first Prime Minister.
- The Canadian Pacific Railway, completed in 1885, linked the country from coast to coast.
- Canadians made major sacrifices in both World Wars; the Battle of Vimy Ridge (1917) is a defining moment.
4. Government
- Canada is a federal state, a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.
- The capital of Canada is Ottawa.
- There are three levels of government: federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal.
- Parliament has three parts: the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General), the Senate, and the House of Commons.
5. Symbols & regions
- The national flag, adopted in 1965, features a single red maple leaf on a white square between two red bands.
- Canada's official national sports are ice hockey (winter) and lacrosse (summer).
- The national anthem is 'O Canada'.
- Canada has five regions: the Atlantic Provinces, Central Canada, the Prairie Provinces, the West Coast, and the Northern Territories.