Discover Canada: Practice Flashcards

A set of 100 vocabulary flashcards based on the 'Discover Canada' citizenship study guide, covering history, government, rights, and geography.

The Sovereign

A person (Queen or King) who personifies Canada and represents all Canadians in a constitutional monarchy.

Oath of Citizenship

The formal promise to be faithful to the Sovereign, observe the laws of Canada, and fulfill the duties of a citizen.

Constitutional Monarchy

A system of government where the Sovereign is the Head of State and acts in accordance with the Constitution.

Parliamentary Democracy

A system where the people elect members to represent them in the House of Commons and provincial/territorial legislatures.

Federal State

A system with a central government for national/international matters and provincial governments for local matters.

Rule of Law

The principle that individuals and governments are regulated by laws and not by arbitrary actions; no one is above the law.

Magna Carta

The Great Charter of Freedoms signed in 1215 in England, securing ordered liberty.

Habeas corpus

The right, come from English common law, to challenge unlawful detention by the state.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Amended to the Constitution in 1982, it summarizes fundamental freedoms and sets out additional rights.

Mobility Rights

The right of Canadians to live and work anywhere in Canada, enter/leave the country freely, and apply for a passport.

Multiculturalism

A fundamental characteristic of Canadian heritage where citizens respect pluralism and live in harmony.

Responsibilities of Citizenship

Includes obeying the law, taking responsibility for oneself and family, serving on a jury, voting, and helping others.

Aboriginal peoples

The three distinct groups known as First Nations (Indian), Inuit, and Métis.

First Nations

A term that began to be used in the 1970s to refer to Indian people who are not Inuit or Métis.

Inuit

Meaning 'the people' in Inuktitut, these people live in small communities across the Arctic.

Métis

A distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry, most of whom live in the Prairie provinces.

Inuktitut

The language spoken by the Inuit people.

Michif

The specific dialect spoken by the Métis people.

Anglophones

People who speak English as their first language, numbering about 18 million in Canada.

Francophones

People who speak French as their first language, numbering about seven million in Canada.

Official Languages Act

Passed in 1969 to establish equality between French and English in Parliament and government.

Acadians

Descendants of French colonists who began settling in the Maritime provinces in 1604.

The Great Upheaval

The ordeal between 1755 and 1763 where more than two-thirds of Acadians were deported from their homeland.

Quebecers

The people of Quebec, most of whom are descendants of 8,500 French settlers from the 1600s and 1700s.

John Cabot

The first explorer to draw a map of Canada's East Coast in 1497.

Jacques Cartier

The first European to explore the St. Lawrence River and name 'Canada' based on the word 'kanata'.

Kanata

The Iroquoian word meaning 'village'.

Samuel de Champlain

The explorer who built a fortress at what is now Québec City in 1608.

Voyageurs

Skilled and courageous men who travelled by canoe to build the fur-trade economy.

Hudson’s Bay Company

Granted exclusive trading rights in 1670 over the watershed draining into Hudson Bay.

Battle of the Plains of Abraham

The 1759 battle at Québec City where the British defeated the French, ending France's empire in America.

Quebec Act of 1774

An act that allowed religious freedom for Catholics and restored French civil law in the province of Quebec.

Loyalists

About 40,000 people loyal to the Crown who fled the American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia and Quebec.

Joseph Brant

A leader who led thousands of Loyalist Mohawk Indians into Canada.

Constitutional Act of 1791

Divided the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada (English/Protestant) and Lower Canada (French/Catholic).

British North America

The collective name for the Atlantic colonies and the two Canadas in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

John Graves Simcoe

Upper Canada's first Lieutenant Governor who led the first province in the Empire to move toward abolition of slavery.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary

The first woman publisher in Canada and an activist in the movement to abolish slavery.

Underground Railroad

A Christian anti-slavery network used by slaves to escape the United States to Canada.

War of 1812

The conflict where Canadian volunteers and First Nations supported British soldiers to stop an American invasion.

Chief Tecumseh

A Shawnee leader who supported British soldiers in the defence of Canada during the War of 1812.

Sir Isaac Brock

The General who captured Detroit in 1812 but was killed at Queenston Heights.

Charles de Salaberry

A French Canadien leader who turned back 4,000 American invaders at Châteauguay in 1813.

Laura Secord

A pioneer woman who walked 19 miles to warn of a planned American attack in 1813.

Lord Durham

An English reformer who recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be merged and given responsible government.

Responsible Government

A system where ministers of the Crown must have the support of a majority of elected representatives.

Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine

The first leader of a responsible government and a champion of French language rights.

Fathers of Confederation

The representatives who worked together to establish the Dominion of Canada in 1867.

British North America Act

The 1867 act by the British Parliament that officially created the Dominion of Canada.

Dominion Day

The original name for the July 1st holiday commemorating the birth of Canada; now called Canada Day.

Sir John Alexander Macdonald

A lawyer and gifted politician who became Canada's first Prime Minister in 1867.

Sir George-Étienne Cartier

The key architect of Confederation from Quebec and a railway lawyer.

Louis Riel

The leader of the Métis uprisings who is seen as the father of Manitoba.

North West Mounted Police

Established in 1873 to pacify the West and assist in negotiations with the Indians; now the RCMP.

Canadian Pacific Railway

The 'ribbons of steel' completed in 1885 that fulfilled the national dream of a railway from sea to sea.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier

The first French-Canadian Prime Minister since Confederation; his portrait is on the $5 bill.

Vimy Ridge

The April 1917 battle where the Canadian Corps secured a reputation as the 'shock troops of the British Empire.'

Sir Arthur Currie

Often regarded as Canada's greatest soldier, he commanded the Canadian Corps in 1918.

Agnes Macphail

A farmer and teacher who in 1921 became the first woman Member of Parliament.

Remembrance Day

Observed on November 11 to honour those who have served and died in wars.

John McCrae

The medical officer who composed the poem 'In Flanders Fields' in 1915.

British Commonwealth of Nations

A free association of states that evolved from the British Empire after World War I.

Bank of Canada

A central bank created in 1934 to manage the money supply and bring stability to the financial system.

D-Day

The June 6, 1944, invasion of Normandy where 15,000 Canadian troops captured Juno Beach.

NATO

A military alliance formed by democratic countries of the West during the Cold War.

NORAD

The North American Aerospace Defence Command, a partnership between Canada and the United States.

Quiet Revolution

An era of rapid change in Quebec during the 1960s.

La Francophonie

An international association of French-speaking countries founded in 1970.

The Group of Seven

Founded in 1920, these artists developed a style to capture rugged wilderness landscapes.

James Naismith

The Canadian who invented the sport of basketball in 1891.

Terry Fox

A hero who began the 'Marathon of Hope' in 1980 to raise money for cancer research.

Canadarm

A robotic arm designed and built in Canada used for space exploration.

Sir Frederick Banting

A scientist from Toronto who, along with Charles Best, discovered insulin.

Alexander Graham Bell

The individual who hit on the idea of the telephone at his summer house in Canada.

Sir Sandford Fleming

The inventor of the worldwide system of standard time zones.

Governor General

The representative of the Sovereign in Canada, appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Lieutenant Governor

The representative of the Sovereign in each of the ten provinces.

The Senate

The chamber of Parliament whose members are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75.

House of Commons

The representative chamber of Parliament made up of members elected by the people.

Cabinet

The group consisting of the Prime Minister and ministers of the Crown who make important government decisions.

Electoral District

A geographical area, also known as a riding or constituency, represented by an MP.

Voter Information Card

A card sent by Elections Canada telling an elector when and where to vote.

Secret Ballot

A legal right ensuring that no one can watch you vote or insist on knowing how you voted.

The Official Opposition

The opposition party with the most members in the House of Commons.

Supreme Court of Canada

The highest court in the country, consisting of nine judges.

Due Process

The principle that the government must respect all legal rights a person is entitled to under the law.

Canadian Red Ensign

The flag that served as the national flag for 100 years until the current flag was raised in 1965.

Fleur-de-lys

A lily flower symbol of French royalty for over 1,000 years, included in the Quebec flag.

A mari usque ad mare

Canada's national motto, which in Latin means 'from sea to sea'.

Order of Canada

An honours system started in 1967 to recognize outstanding citizens.

Victoria Cross

The highest honour available to Canadians for conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy.

Service Industries

The economic sector where more than 75% of working Canadians now have jobs.

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement involving Canada, the U.S.A., and Mexico.

Ottawa

Chosen as the capital of Canada in 1857 by Queen Victoria.

Central Canada

The region consisting of Ontario and Quebec, home to more than half of Canada's population.

The Prairie Provinces

The region consisting of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

The West Coast

The region consisting of British Columbia, known for mountains and as the Pacific gateway.

The Northern Territories

The region consisting of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon.

Mount Logan

The highest mountain in Canada, located in the Yukon.

Canadian Rangers

Part of the Reserves who travel by snowmobile and keep the flag flying in the Arctic.