Canadian Citizenship Test

1215

Magna Carter was signed

1497

first North American expedition of John Cabot, marking the beginning of European exploration of Canada

1534-1542

Jacques Cartier made 3 voyages to North America and claimed the land for King Francis I of France

1550s

the name “Canada” starts appearing on maps

1604

Acadians — descendants of French colonists — began settling in the Maritimes. The first European settlements in Canada — namely, in present-day Nova Scotia — are established by French explorers, Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain

1700s

French & British fight for control of North America.

1759

British defeat the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec city, marking the end of the French empire

1755-1764

Great Upheaval: the British forcefully removed Acadians from the Maritimes

1763

Royal Proclamation of 1763 is signed by King George II, which established the basis for negotiating treaties with the Aboriginals & guaranteed territorial rights to them

1774

British Parliament passes the Quebec Act, which conforms the principles of British institutions to the realities of governing a French/Catholic-majority province. ⇒ allowed religious freedom for Catholics + restored French Civil law while permitting British Criminal Law

1776

13 British colonies south of Quebec declare independence and formed the United States

1791

Constitutional Act is passed which divided the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada. The name Canada became official

1800s-1980s

federal government ran residential schools to assimilate Aboriginal children into mainstream Euro-centric Canadian culture

1807

British parliament prohibits the buying and selling of slaves

1812

US tries to conquer Canada after resentment due to British interference with American shipping, beginning the War of 1812

1813

The Americans burned the Government House and Parliament Buildings in York (now Toronto) → 1814 Major General Robert Ross went form Nova Scotia and burned the White House + other public buildings in Washington DC

1832

Montreal stock exchange opens

1833

British Parliament abolished slavery throughout the Empire

1840

Lower and Upper Canada are merged into the Province of Canada, following rebellions and reformist movements.

July 1, 1867

British North America Act is passed, making Canada a self-governing dominion composed of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

1870

Manitoba and the Northwest Territories join Canada

1871

British Columbia joins Canada

1873

PEI joins Canada

1880

Arctic islands are transferred to NWT (North West Territories)

1898

Yukon Territory joins Canada

1905

Alberta & Saskatchewan join Canada

1916

Manitoba becomes the first province to grant women the right to vote

1917

Canadian Corps capture Vimy Ridge in WWI

1918

most Canadian female citizens aged 21 and over were granted right to vote in federal elections

1921

Agnes Macphail became first woman MP

1940

employment insurance (EI) is introduced + Quebec granted women the right to vote

June 6, 1944

D-Day Invasion in which Canadian soldiers helped capture Juno Beach from German troops

1944-1945

Canadian army liberated the Netherlands from Nazi occupation

1948

Japanese Canadians gain right to vote

1949

Newfoundland and Labrador join Canada

1960

Aboriginal people are granted the right to vote

1969

Official Languages Act is passed, which guarantees French and English language services in Canada.

1970

Canada helped found La Francophonie — an international association of French-speaking countries

1980

Terry Fox begins a “Marathon of Hope” across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

1982

Constitution of Canada was amended to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. July 1, which was previously known as Dominion Day, became known as Canada Day.

1988

Canada begins free trade with the US

1999

Nunavut joins Canada

2006

House of Commons recognize that Quebecois form a nation within United Canada

2008

Canadian government apologized to former students of Aboriginal schools

Sir Leonard Tilley

Father of Confederation; suggested the term “Dominion of Canada”, which was written into the constitution

Sir John Alexander Macdonald

Father of Confederation; First Prime Minister of Canada; on the $10 bill

Sir George-Etienne Cartier

Father of Confederation; he led Quebec into confederation and helped negotiate the entry of the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, and British Columbia into Canada

Lord Durham

recommended that the Upper and Lower Canada be merged and given responsible government

Louis Riel

Father of Manitoba; led an armed uprising against the Dominion in 1870 but fled to the US

Sir Wilfred Laurier

first French-Canadian prime minister since Confederation; on the $5 bill

General Sir Arthur Currie

Canada’s greatest soldier

Dr. Emily Stowe

first Canadian woman to practice medicine in Canada; founder of the women’s suffrage movement

Sir Sandford Fleming

invented the worldwide system of time zones.

Matthew Evans & Henry Woodward

invented the first light bulb and sold the patent to Thomas Edison

Dr. Wilder Penfield

the greatest living Canadian; brain surgeon at McGill.

Dr. John A. Hopps

invented the first cardiac pacemaker

Lieutenant Alexander Roberts Dunn

first Canadian to win the Victoria Cross

Reginald Fessenden

contributed to the invention of the radio and also sent one of the world's first wireless voice messages

John Graves Simcoe

Upper Canada’s first Lieutenant Governor and founder of Toronto

Rick Hansen

circled the globe in a wheelchair to raise funds for spinal cord research

Marjorie Turner-Bailey

Olympian + descendant of black Loyalists (escaped slaves and freed men and women of African origin who fled to Canada from America in the 1780s)

Sir Guy Carleton (Lord Dorchester)

Governor of Quebec, defended rights of the Canadiens, defeated American military invasion of Quebec in 1775, and in 1782 - 1783 supervised the Loyalist migration to Nova Scotia and Quebec

Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine

a champion of French language rights and democracy, became first head of a responsible government in Canada in 1849

Rights & freedoms entrenched in the Charter:

• Mobility rights → live, work and move anywhere

• Aboriginal peoples’ rights → any rights in Charter will not subvert rights/freedoms of Aboriginal peoples

• Official Language & Minority Language Rights → French & English have equal status

• Multiculturalism → pluralistic society in which one can enjoy their heritage & culture

• Freedom of conscience → freedom to hold any ethical beliefs, regardless of whether or not they are religious

• Freedom of religion

• Freedom of thought, belief & opinion and expression

  • Freedom of speech

  • Freedom of the press

• Freedom of peaceful assembly

• Freedom of association

• Yellow = Magna Carta

Responsibilities of citizenship:

• Obeying the law

• Taking responsibility for oneself and one’s family

• Serving on a jury

• Voting in elections

• Helping others in the community

• Protecting and enjoying our heritage and environment

Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy

Canada is the only constitutional monarchy in North America = has a hereditary Sovereign (queen/king) who rules according to the Constituion (rule of law)

Canada has 3 founding peoples

Aboriginal, French & British

There are 3 sub-groups of Aboriginal people:

1. Indian/First Nations → all Aboriginals who are not Metis or Inuit (65%)

2. Inuit (the people) → live in small, scattered villages across the Arctic (4%)

3. Metis → mixed Aboriginal & European ancestry; they live predominantly in the prairie provinces and speak Michif (30%)

Anglophones + Francophones

• 18 million Anglophones in Canada

• 7 million Francophones in Canada

• New Brunswick is the only bilingual province

Acadians

descendants of French colonists who settled in the Maritime provinces

Quebecers

people of Quebec, vast majority French Speaking + descendants from French settlers from 1600s and 1700s

Underground Railroad

• The Underground railroad was a Christian anti-slavery network that helped slaves escape into free states and Canada

• Slaves escaped from the US by following the “North Star” into Canada and settled in Canada via the Underground railroad

War of 1812

• ensured that Canada would remain an independent country from the US

Responsible government

• ministers of the Crown must have the support of a majority of elected representatives in order to govern

• Canada has a system of responsible government today: if a government loses a confidence vote, it must resign

The Head Tax

a race-based entry fee that Chinese nationals had to pay to enter Canada

Remembrance Day

November 11th every year

1980 and 1995 Separatist Movements

• There were 2 referendums for Quebec sovereignty in 1980 and 1995 ⇒ Quebec sovereignty was defeated both times + in 1982 the Constitution was amended without Quebec’s agreement

Thanksgiving

2nd Monday of October

Federal State

• Canada is a federal state, where power is shared between the federal and provincial governments.

Federal Jurisdiction / Responsibilities

• defence

• foreign policy

• interprovincial trade and communications

• currency

• criminal law

• citizenship

Provincial Jurisdiction / Responsibilities

• municipal government

• education

• health

• natural resources

• property & civil rights

• highways

Canada is a parliamentary democracy

• : the people elect representations to the provincial/territorial/federal legislatures.

• representatives are responsible for:

  • passing laws

  • approving and monitoring expenditures

  • keeping government accountable

Cabinet Ministers

• responsible to elected representatives = must retain “confidence of the House”

• have to resign if they aredefeated in non confidence vote

3 parts of the federal parliament:

1. Sovereign = head of state - currently King Charles III

2. Senate = made up of senators + consider and review bills (proposals for new laws)

   1. Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister; they serve until age 75.

3. House of Commons = representative chamber: made up of members of parliament elected by people every 4 years = consider and review bills

7 steps for a bill to become a law:

1. First reading → bill is read for the first time and printed

2. Second reading → members debate the bill’s principle

3. Committee stage → committee members study the bill, clause by clause

4. Report stage → members can make other amendments

5. Third reading → members debate and vote on the bill

6. Senate → bill follows a similar review process in the senate

7. Royal assent → Governor general signs off after the bill is passed by both houses

Governm

• The sovereign is represented in Canada by the Governor General, who is appointed by the sovereign on advice of the PM for 5 years.

Lieutenant General

• The sovereign is represented in each province by a Lieutenant General, who is appointed by the Governor General on advice of the PM for 5 years.

There are 3 branches of government:

1. Executive

2. Legislative

3. Judicial

MLA

Each provincial and territorial government has an elected legislature where provincial and territorial laws are passed + members of legislature are called members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

Comissioner in 3 Territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut)

In the 3 territories, the Commissioner represents the federal government and plays a ceremonial role (analogous to the Lieutenant Governor)

Supreme Court of Canada

The supreme court of Canada has 9 justices appointed by the Governor General.

Federal Elections

• Typically, federal elections are held on the 3rd Monday of October every 4 years following the most recent election — although, the PM can ask the Governor General to call an election earlier.

• In order to vote, you must be on the voters’ list (National Register of Electors) — a database of eligible voters maintained by Elections Canada.

• When an election is called, Elections Canada mails all eligible voters a voter information card which details where and when to vote.

Official Opposition

• The Official Opposition is the party with the highest number of MPs of all the non-governing parties.

Current Government

• Head of State: King Charles III

  • Monarch (Queen or King) defined by constition and constitutional convention

• Governor General: Mary Simon

  • representative of Queen of Canada

• Head of Government/Prime Minister: Justin Trudeau

• Political Party in Power: Liberal Party

• Leader of the Opposition: Pierre Poilievre

• The name of the party representing Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is: Conservative Party

• names of opposition parties + leaders:

  • New Democratic Party, Jagmeet Singh

    Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet

    Green Party of Canada, Elizabeth May

• Member of Parliamment (MP) in Ottawa: Joyce Murray, Liberal Party

• Federal Electoral District: Vancouver Quadra

Current Provincial Government

• The name of the representative of the King for my province is…

  • Janet Austin

• The representative of the King in my province, the Lieutenant Governor, is…

  • Janet Austin

• The Head of Government (the Premier) is…

  • David Eby

• The name of the provincial party in power is…

  • New Democratic Party

• The names of the provincial opposition parties and leaders are…

  • Kelvin Falcon, BC United

  • Green Party of BC, Sonia Furstenau

  • Conservative Party of British Columbia, John Rustad

• My provincial representative is…

  • David Eby (Vancouver-Point Grey constituency)

Municipal Government

• The name of the municipality where I live is…

  Technically UBC does not fall under any municipality. (See https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/it-takes-a-village-how-ubc-became-canada-s-largest-community-without-a-municipal-government-1.4845987)

• But you can say Vancouver

• The name of the head of the municipal government (mayor or reeve) is…

  • Mayor Ken Sim (ABC Vancouver party)

Key Facts: Justice System

• Justice system operates on the presumption of innocence.

• Courts settle disputes, whereas the police enforce the laws.

• Ontario and Quebec have their own police forces; the RCMP plays the role of the provincial police in other provinces.

Key Facts: Canadian Symbols

• The Union Jack is our Royal flag.

• The national motto of Canada is a mari usque ad mare, which means “from sea to sea”.

• Hockey is the national winter sport.

• Lacrosse is the national summer sport.

• The national anthem of Canada is “O Canada”.

• The royal anthem of Canada is “God Save the Queen (or King)” — it may be sung to honour the sovereign.

• The Victoria Cross is the highest Canadian honour.

Key Facts: Canada’s Economy

• Canada’s largest trading partner is the US.

• The US and Canada share the largest bilateral trading partnership in the world.

• The US-Canada border is the world’s longest undefended border.