Canadian Citizenship Exam Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the Canadian Citizenship Study Guide, focusing on Canadian history and civics.

Aboriginal Peoples

The first inhabitants of Canada, who lived off the land through hunting, gathering, and farming, and were diverse in their cultures and lifestyles.

First Europeans

The Vikings, who reached Labrador and Newfoundland around 1,000 years ago, leaving remains of their settlement at l’Anse aux Meadows.

John Cabot

The explorer who, in 1497, was the first to draw a map of Canada’s East Coast.

Jacques Cartier

The explorer who made three voyages across the Atlantic between 1534 and 1542, claiming the land for King Francis I of France and naming it Canada.

New France

The French colony established in 1604 by Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain, with settlements at St. Croix Island and Port-Royal, and a fortress built at Québec City in 1608.

Hudson's Bay Company

Granted exclusive trading rights over the watershed draining into Hudson Bay in 1670, leading to competition with Montreal-based traders.

Voyageurs and Coureurs des bois

Skilled and courageous men who traveled by canoe and formed strong alliances with First Nations in the fur-trade economy.

Battle of the Plains of Abraham

The battle in 1759 at Québec City where the British defeated the French, marking the end of France’s empire in America.

Quebec Act of 1774

A constitutional foundation of Canada that accommodated the principles of British institutions to the reality of the province by allowing religious freedom for Catholics and restoring French civil law.

United Empire Loyalists

People loyal to the Crown who fled the oppression of the American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia and Quebec.

Constitutional Act of 1791

This act divided the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec), granting legislative assemblies elected by the people.

Abolition of Slavery

Upper Canada, led by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, became the first province in the Empire to move toward abolition in 1793; the British Parliament prohibited the buying and selling of slaves in 1807 and abolished slavery throughout the Empire in 1833.

The War of 1812

An attempt by the Americans to conquer Canada that ultimately failed, leading to the present-day Canada-U.S.A. border and ensuring Canada would remain independent of the United States.

Rebellions of 1837-38

Armed rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada that were defeated by British troops and Canadian volunteers, leading to the recommendation to merge the Canadas and grant responsible government.

Responsible Government

A system where the ministers of the Crown must have the support of a majority of the elected representatives in order to govern. Nova Scotia was the first colony to attain this in 1847-48.

Confederation

The process from 1864 to 1867 where representatives of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada worked to establish a new country, the Dominion of Canada, officially born on July 1, 1867.

Sir John Alexander Macdonald

Canada’s first Prime Minister

Louis Riel

A leader of the Métis who led armed uprisings in response to the Canadian government's actions in the northwest region.

North West Mounted Police (NWMP)

Established in 1873 to pacify the West and assist in negotiations with the Indians; later became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)

A railway to the West Coast completed in 1885, fulfilling a national dream and connecting British Columbia to Canada.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier

The first French-Canadian prime minister since Confederation who encouraged immigration to the West.

Canadian Expeditionary Force (Canadian Corps)

The force formed by Ottawa when Britain declared war in 1914, with more than 600,000 Canadians serving.

Vimy Ridge

Captured by the Canadian Corps in April 1917, securing the Canadians’ reputation for valour as the “shock troops of the British Empire.”

Women's Suffrage Movement

The effort by women to achieve the right to vote, led by figures like Dr. Emily Stowe, resulting in federal voting rights for most women by 1918.

Agnes Macphail

Became the first woman MP in 1921.

Remembrance Day

Observed each year on November 11 to remember the sacrifices of Canadian veterans and brave fallen in all wars.

The Great Depression

Economic hardship in the 1930's that led to high-unemployment and wiped out numerous businesses.

Second World War

Began in 1939 when Adolf Hitler invaded Poland. Canadian soldiers played a role in the liberation of Italy, the invasion of Normandy at Juno Beach, and the liberation of the Netherlands.

Juno Beach

Location stormed by 15,000 Canadian troops during in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944