Know Canada!: A Plain Language Study Guide For The Citizenship Exam

Know Canada!
A Plain Language Study Guide for the Citizenship Exam
Sheena Roes, Adult Literacy Volunteer

Jan Quinney, Adult Literacy Coordinator
The Oath of Citizenship Drumheller and District Literacy Project
1
Acknowledgements
Know Canada! is made possible by the Community Fund for
Canada’s 150th, a collaboration between Red Deer and District
Community Foundation, the Government of Canada, and
extraordinary leaders from coast to coast to coast.
We also gratefully acknowledge the support of Drumheller and
District Learning Society, Campus Alberta Central, and our
colleagues in the field who encouraged us to move forward with
this project.
Know Canada! is a free, downloadable resource available to CALP
members and partners. You will find it on the CALP Portal.
Design by: Linda Keith

Know Canada!
Foreword
Without a doubt, the best resource for the Citizenship Test
is Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of
Citizenship. However, as many of us have discovered, Discover
Canada can be quite challenging for English language learners
who have not had much opportunity to improve their English skills.
In particular, these may be learners from rural areas who came
to Canada under the Foreign Worker Program. They often have
more than one job as well as family obligations, so they have had
difficulty accessing the English language learning opportunities
available to them. Certainly, this is the case in our rural community,
so some time ago, we began to talk about creating something to
supplement Discover Canada. In the end, we decided on a plain
language version of the citizenship test study guide that would
help both learners and volunteer tutors work through Discover

Canada, together.
Here’s what we did:
• Maintained the structure and most of the content of Discover Canada.
• Rephrased the content using the simplest words we could. We tried to keep the
tone casual and conversational and the sentences short.
• In some sections, we’ve added information to give more context – we hope this
helps tutors, too.
• Added vocabulary lists at the beginning of each section – Important Words and
People:
• Highlighted important words, people and phrases.
• Included extra maps.
• Created questions at the end of each section to reinforce the learning.
• Double spaced the text to make room for translations.
• Provided a list of websites where learners can practice the kinds of multiple choice
questions they will encounter on the exam.
Our goal with Know Canada! is twofold. Primarily, we want to help our learners pass the
citizenship test and begin to enjoy the benefits as well as the responsibilities of Canadian
citizenship. But, we also hope that plain language helps our learners better understand
and absorb the Canadian experience, so integration is easier. We hope we’ve developed a
resource that does both.

Table of Contents:
1. The Oath 6
2. Rights and Responsibilities of Canadians 7
3. Who Are We? 12
4. The History of Canada 20
5. The Government of Canada 53
6. Elections in Canada 61
7. Our Justice System 66
8. Important Symbols of Canada 69
9. The Economy of Canada 76
10. The Geography of Canada 78
11. Useful Websites 99

1 The Oath of
Citizenship
For 400 years, immigrants have been coming I swear (or affirm)
to Canada. Along with the First Peoples of this That I will be faithful
nation, they have built a diverse, rich country And bear true allegiance
with a strong identity and a proud history.
To Her Majesty Queen
When someone becomes a citizen, they take Elizabeth the Second
the following oath: Queen of Canada
Her Heirs and Successors
It is important to note that you are swearing And that I will faithfully
loyalty to a person, not a place, an object observe
or a country. The Queen or King personifies The laws of Canada
Canada, and Canada personifies the Sovereign. And fulfill my duties as a
Canadian citizen.
Questions:
1. What do you swear you will do when you become a Canadian citizen?
2. To whom or what do you swear allegiance?
6 The Oath of Citizenship

2
Rights and
Responsibilities Important Words:
of Canadians Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms
Magna Carta
constitution
Citizens of Canada have certain rights and rights
freedoms that are guaranteed to us by the freedoms
law, the constitution, and the Canadian common law

conscience
Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They have
religion
come from our history, our traditions, our
thought
identity and our values. Some date back
opinion
more than 800 years to the signing of the expression
Magna Carta (the Great Charter of Freedoms) speech
in England in 1215. press
assembly
A constitution is a set of rules about
association
how a country is to be governed. Not all mobility
constitutions are written, but ours is. Great multiculturalism
Britain’s is not. Canada’s first constitution equality
was the British North America Act of 1867. In Habeas corpus

jury of your peers
the beginning, Great Britain had more control
responsibility
over what Canadians did, but gradually that
compulsory
changed. For instance, Great Britain made
Rights and Responsibilities of Canadians 7

the decision for Canadians to fight in World War I, but by World War II, we could make the
decision for ourselves. Several changes have been made to the constitution over the past
150 years. At first, Great Britain had to agree to the changes, but the Constitution was
“patriated” in 1982. Now, we can make our own changes without permission. The Charter
of Rights and Freedoms was added to the Constitution in 1982. (More about that later.)
Some Canadian rights and freedoms come from English common law and the unwritten
constitution of England. Others come from the civil code of France. Other sources are
laws passed by Parliament and the provincial legislatures. The Constitution of Canada was
changed in 1982 to include the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It begins with the phrase
“Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and
the “rule of law.” The “Supremacy of God” shows the importance of religious traditions in
Canada, while the “rule of law” emphasizes the dignity and worth of all human beings.
Freedoms are rights usually given by the government that say you can do things without
the government interfering. No one watches to make sure these rights are enforced, but
the government shouldn’t limit them.
The four fundamental freedoms are:
1. Freedom of conscience and religion. You can believe what you want, morally and
religiously. For example, you can believe in abortion or not believe in it. You can
believe in God or not believe. You can belong to any religion you want.
2. Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression; freedom of speech and
the press. You can have your own ideas. No one can tell you what to think. You can
say what you want, and you can write it down and publish it (unless it hurts another
person’s rights).
3. Freedom of peaceful assembly. You can gather in groups and even protest as
long as you do it peacefully and lawfully.
8 Rights and Responsibilities of Canadians

4. Freedom of association. You can meet with anyone or any group that you want.
You can be friends with anyone.
Rights are legal, moral and social. People are entitled to them and someone, like the
police or the government, has a duty to make sure you have them. You can’t have the right
to do something one time and not have the right to do it the next time. However, there
are limits on the rights you have. You can’t do something if it interferes with the rights
of others. For example, even though you have Freedom of Speech, you can’t use hate
speech against someone else.
The Charter includes the four Freedoms listed above plus some additional rights:
1. Mobility Rights: the right to live and work anywhere in Canada, to leave the country
and come back, and to apply for a passport (which you need to leave the country
and come back).
2. Aboriginal Peoples’ Rights: the rights in the Charter don’t change the treaty
rights or any other rights or freedoms given to the Aboriginal peoples in the past.
Aboriginal people lived in Canada long before the Europeans came. The Europeans
made treaties or agreements with them. Any right or freedom cannot change those
agreements.
3. Official Language Rights and Minority Language Educational Rights: French
and English have equal importance in Parliament and in the federal government.
English is considered to be a minority language in the province of Quebec because
most of the people of Quebec speak French as a first language. In the rest of
Canada, French is considered to be a minority language. Minority language groups
have the right to educate their children in their own language if there are enough
students to justify the cost.

4. Multiculturalism: Canada is made up of people from many different cultures. Other
people may have different ways of doing things and different beliefs, but we respect
the values and traditions of others. We can learn from them. We work hard to live in
harmony and peace with others.
The Equality of Men and Women is also an important right. Men and women are equal
under the law and have the same rights. Practices from other countries or belief systems
which disrespect the rights of women are illegal. They are crimes and will be punished
by the law. This includes spousal abuse, “honour killings,” genital mutilation, forced
marriage and any other gender-based violence. It is important to note that men cannot be
mistreated by women, either.
Another very important right is the right of Habeas corpus which means that you cannot
be put in jail unless there is reasonable suspicion that you have broken the law. You have
the right to go to court and have a “jury of your peers” decide if you are innocent or guilty.
Responsibilities: In exchange for these important rights, Canadians are expected to take
certain responsibilities:
1. Obey the law. Nobody, not even the police, is above the law.
2. Take responsibility for yourself and your family. You should get a job and look after
your family. You shouldn’t expect others to look after them for you.
3. Serve on a jury if you are asked. You are required to do this by the law. (A jury is a
group of people who help judges make decisions.)
4. Vote in elections. You have been given the right to vote, and you should now
participate in our elections.
5. Protect and enjoy our heritage and environment.
6. Help others.
10 Rights and Responsibilities of Canadians

There is no compulsory military service in Canada. It is your choice. Serving in the military
is a good way to contribute to your new country, and it can be a good career choice, but
you are not required to serve.
All of the Rights and Freedoms enjoyed by Canadian citizens are also given to people
living in Canada who are not citizens.
Questions:
1. What is the Canadian Constitution?
2. What document was added to the Constitution in 1982 that protects the rights of
Canadians?
3. What are the 4 fundamental freedoms that are listed in the “Charter of Rights and
Freedoms”? In what old document were these freedoms first written?
4. What 4 rights are also written in the Charter?
5. What are “Mobility Rights”?
6. What does “official language rights” mean? Where are they most important?
7. What is “multiculturalism”? Why is it important in Canada?
8. Who can apply for a Canadian passport?
9. What does “equality under the law mean”? Are women and men equal?
10. What is “Habeas corpus”?
11. What are some responsibilities that Canadians should take because they have
“Rights and Freedoms”?
12. Who has to obey the law?
13. Do you have to serve in the military in Canada?
14. Why should you vote?

3 Who Are We?
Important Words:
constitutional Monarchy
Aboriginal
treaties
assimilate
Canada is known around the world as a
residential schools
strong and free country. Canadians are
Indian
proud of their heritage and identity. Because
First Nations
Canada was a colony of England, Canada
reserves
has one of the oldest constitutional traditions
in the world. (This means that a country Inuit
is governed by a set of rules and values. Métis
Governments may change, but they always Anglophones
follow the constitution.) Francophones
bilingual
Canada is the only constitutional monarchy
Acadians
in North America. This means that Queen
Elizabeth II is our Head of State, but Canada descendants
is governed by our Constitution. The main deportation
goal and highest ideal in Canada is to Quebecers/Quebecois
make laws for Peace Order and Good Anglo-Quebecers
Government. This was a key phrase in diversity

Canada’s original constitution (The British
12 Who Are We?

North America Act) in 1867. It is also a key phrase in the Constitution Act of 1982. The
ideals of Peace Order and Good Government, combined with freedom, enterprise, hard
work and fair play, have allowed Canadians to build a prosperous society in a rugged
country that has a harsh climate. Because Canada is such a big country, it has been called
the “Great Dominion”.
To understand what it means to be Canadian, it is important to know about our three
founding peoples – Aboriginal, French and British.
Aboriginal Peoples:
The ancestors of Aboriginal peoples are believed to have come from Asia thousands of
years ago. Most experts believe that the first humans to arrive in North America came
about 15,000 years ago. It is believed that they crossed from Asia to Alaska using a land
bridge that existed at that time. From there, Aboriginal peoples spread throughout North
and South America. The First Peoples lived in Canada long before the Europeans arrived.
Aboriginal cultures were rich and very different from each other. For example, the culture of
West Coast peoples was different from the culture of the Aboriginal peoples of the prairies.
This is because the natural environment determined how Aboriginal cultures developed. All
Aboriginal cultures, however, were based on religious beliefs about their relationship with
the Creator, the natural environment and each other.
When the Europeans first arrived in Canada, they were mainly interested in trading with
the Aboriginal people. The Europeans wanted the furs that the Aboriginals trapped, and
the Aboriginals wanted European goods. Later, Europeans wanted Aboriginal land for
farms and settlements. As more and more Europeans came to Canada, their relationship
with the Aboriginal people was not always peaceful. The French settlers made their own
agreements and alliances with the Aboriginals, but after the takeover by the British in
1763, agreements became more formal and were written down. The Royal Proclamation
Who Are We? 13

of 1763 established the basis for negotiating treaties and guaranteed territorial rights.
It stopped the purchase of Aboriginal land by anyone except the British government.
No individual of European descent could buy land from an Aboriginal, and no individual
Aboriginal could sell land without a meeting of the whole group. In return, the Aboriginals
received benefits such as reserves (or “hunting grounds”), annual payments and the
right to hunt and fish. Sadly, these treaties were not always fully respected, and some
were actually obtained illegally. The idea of “ownership” was often not understood by
Aboriginals. Because they did not have written languages, the spoken word was more
important to them than the writing on a treaty. Sometimes, the Aboriginal Chiefs signed
blank pieces of paper. The original treaties with the Aboriginal people were made between
the British government and individual groups, but after Canada became its own country in
1867, the federal government became responsible for agreements with the “Indians.”
From the 1800s until the 1980s, the Canadian government had a plan to assimilate
Aboriginals into the mainstream Canadian culture. Among other things, the Canadian
government forced many Aboriginal children to attend residential schools. (Some
children did attend by choice.) Residential schools were boarding schools for Aboriginal
children that were often a long distance from their parents and their communities. The
hope was that these children would become educated and want to assimilate into the
“white” culture. The children were not allowed to speak their native languages or practice
their cultures. The schools were poorly funded and often mismanaged. Sometimes,
the children were physically or sexually abused. Because of the government’s policy of
assimilation, a lot of damage was done to the Aboriginal people. They forgot many of their
old ways. They lost the ability to find food in the traditional way because their traditional
hunting and fishing grounds were gone. In many ways, Aboriginal people were broken by
government policies. In 2008, the Canadian government formally apologized to the former
students of the residential schools and offered money to the students who were still living.
14 Who Are We?

Today the term Aboriginal Peoples refers to three separate groups:
• Indian refers to all Aboriginal people who are not Inuit or Métis. “Indian” is the
old word for some of the Aboriginal people. Most Aboriginal people do not like
this term. Today, they want to be called First Nations because they were the first
nations to arrive and settle in Canada. About half of all First Nations people live on
reserve land. There are about 600 reserve communities in Canada. Some of the
reserves are quite wealthy and the people have comfortable lives, but many are very
poor. There are problems with poor housing, poorly funded schools, and with drug
and alcohol abuse. The other half of First Nations people live off the reserve, mainly
in cities. Sometimes they are called “Natives”, but they prefer First Nations. About
65% of Aboriginal people are First Nations.
• Inuit (old term, “Eskimo”) refers to the Aboriginal people who live in the Arctic
region of Canada. Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language. The Inuit
live in small villages across the most northern part of Canada. They have great
knowledge of the land, sea and wildlife of the Arctic region. This knowledge has
allowed them to survive in one of the harshest climates on earth. About 4% of
Aboriginal people are Inuit.
• The Métis are a distinct group of people of European and Aboriginal ancestry. The
Métis live mainly in the Prairie Provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba).
They come from both French and English-speaking backgrounds and speak their
own dialect, Michif. About 30% of Aboriginal people are Métis.
English and French:
The majority of Canadians are of British or French ancestry. English and French are the
two official languages of Canada. This means that the federal government must provide
Who Are We? 15

services in English and French in government offices across Canada. This applies only to
the federal government services, not to provincial or local government services.
Today, there are 18 million Anglophones in Canada. These are people who speak English
as their first language. There are also 7 million Francophones who speak French as
their first language. While the majority of Francophones live in the province of Quebec, 1
million live in Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba. There are also small Francophone
communities in other provinces. New Brunswick is the only province that is officially
bilingual.
The Acadians are the descendants of some of the first French colonists who began to
settle on the east coast of Canada in 1604. Their settlement was called Acadia (now Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick). Because they were separated from France and the other
French settlements in the Quebec area, they developed their own unique culture. In those
days, war was common between the French and the English, and when there was fighting
in Europe, there was also fighting in the colonies. The English took control of Acadia in
1749, but they allowed the French inhabitants to stay in the region. Between 1755 and
1763, there was another war between Britain and France. The English asked the Acadians
to sign an oath of loyalty to Great Britain. The Acadians refused. More than two-thirds of
the Acadians (10,000 people) were deported. Some moved back to France, but many went
to Louisiana (which was still French) or to nearby settlements in Quebec. This deportation
was called the “Great Upheaval”. It was time of great hardship for the Acadians. After
the British defeated France and claimed all the land in Canada, the deportations stopped.
Many Acadians returned home, bringing the cultural influences of their adopted areas with
them. Most settled in New Brunswick. Today, the Acadian culture is strong, and it is a lively
part of Canadian culture.
Quebecers are the people of Quebec. Most are French-speaking (Quebecois), and they
are the descendants of 8500 French settlers who came to Canada in the 1600s and 1700s.
16 Who Are We?

Because they were allowed to keep their way of life when the British gained control of
the area in 1763, they have their own unique identity, culture and language. In 2006, the
Parliament of Canada recognized that the approximately 6 million “Quebecois form a
nation within a United Canada.”
Anglo-Quebecers are English-speaking Quebecers who also have a long history in
Quebec. Some Anglo-Quebecers can trace their family histories back to the 1700s. There
are about 1 million English-speaking Quebecers.
English Canada:
The basic way of life in the English-speaking parts of Canada was brought by hundreds of
thousands of settlers from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. There were big waves of
immigration from Great Britain from the 1600s to the 1900s. Immigrants also came from
other, non-English-speaking countries. Over time, they also became English-speakers.
Generations of these settlers endured hardships and worked hard to build the foundations
of our country.
Diversity in Canada:
Most Canadians were born in Canada. This has been true since the 1800s. However,
Canada is often called a country of immigrants because millions of immigrants have
come to Canada to build new lives and to help build a country.
In Canada, many different ethnic and religious groups live and work together in peace as
proud Canadians. The largest groups are English, French, Scottish, Irish, German, Italian,
Chinese, Aboriginal, Ukrainian, Dutch, South Asian and Scandinavian. Since the 1970s,
most immigrants have come from Asian countries.
Who Are We? 17

Many languages are spoken in Canadian homes. After English, Chinese languages are the
most-spoken languages. Large numbers of Chinese immigrants have settled in Canadian
cities like Vancouver and Toronto.
The majority of Canadians are Christian. The number of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs
and people with “no religion” is also growing. In Canada, faith groups are important.
Governments have worked with faith groups to promote harmony among the citizens,
to provide school and health care, to resettle refugees, and to uphold religious freedom,
religious expression and freedom of conscience.
Canada’s diversity also includes gay, lesbian and transgender Canadians. They have full
protection of the law and equal treatment under the law. They also have the right to
civil marriage.
Becoming Canadian:
Canada understands that some new Canadians come from countries where they have
experienced war and conflict or where not all citizens are equal. These experiences do not
justify bringing violent, extreme or hateful prejudices to Canada. In becoming Canadian,
newcomers are expected to embrace democratic principles including the rule of law.
Immigrants are encouraged to follow and share their own cultural traditions while learning,
accepting and respecting the traditions of others.
John Buchan was the Governor General of Canada from 1935-1940. He said that
immigrant groups “should retain their individuality and each make its contribution to the
national character.” Each could “learn from the other, and … while they cherish their own
special loyalties and traditions, they cherish not less that new loyalty which springs from
their union.”
18 Who Are We?

Questions:
1. Who are Canada’s three founding peoples?
2. Who are the Aboriginal people?
3. Why did the government apologize to Aboriginal students who went to residential
schools?
4. There are three main groups of Aboriginal peoples. What are they?
5. Which group of Aboriginal peoples is the biggest?
6. Which group makes up more than half the population of people living in the North?
7. Where do most of the Métis live in Canada?
8. What are the two official languages of Canada? Where do they have equal status?
9. Who are “anglophones” and who are “francophones”?
10. Who were the Acadians? What happened to them between 1755 and 1763? Why?
11. Who are the Quebecers? What is the difference between a “Quebecer” and a
“Quebecois”?
12. What happened for the Quebecois in 2006?
13. Why is Canada called “a country of immigrants?”
14. Where did most of the immigrants to Canada come from before the 1970s? Where
have most come from since then?
Who Are We? 19

4 The History of
Canada
Important Words
and People:
Indians
Aboriginals
Vikings
Part 1
John Cabot
Jacques Cartier
Aboriginal Peoples:
Kanata
The first people to live in Canada were the
Aboriginals. Early European explorers called Samuel de Champlain
them “Indians” because these explorers Acadia

thought they had reached the East Indies.
Jean Talon
All of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada
Count Frontenac
were hunters, but different groups made
a living in different ways, depending on Bishop Laval
where they lived. Many lived in permanent filles de roi

or semi-permanent villages. The Huron-
Great Upheaval
Wendat and the Iroquois lived by the Great
Lakes. They farmed as well as hunted. The
Cree and Dene lived in the Northwest. They
were hunters and gatherers. (Gatherers
20 The History of Canada

are people who pick berries, seeds and native plants to eat.) The Sioux, who lived in the
Prairie region, were also hunters and gatherers. They followed the bison or buffalo herds.
The Inuit lived in the Arctic region of Canada and lived off Arctic wildlife. The people of the
West Coast caught fish and dried or smoked them. War between Aboriginal peoples was
common as groups fought each other for land, resources or glory.
Europeans:
When the Europeans came, the lives and cultures of the Aboriginals changed forever.
Many died from diseases brought from Europe. However, Europeans and Aboriginals did
learn to work and live together, forming strong economic, religious and military ties.
The first Europeans to come to Canada were not the French or the English. The Vikings
came from Iceland 1000 years ago, 500 years before other Europeans. The Vikings
had settlements in Greenland. From there, they were able to explore the coasts of
Newfoundland and Labrador. Then, they built a settlement in Newfoundland. No one
knows for sure why the Vikings left Canada, but they only stayed in Newfoundland for
a few years. Remains from their settlement have been found in l’Anse aux Meadows in
northern Newfoundland. It is now a World Heritage site.
Five hundred years passed before a European came to North America again, and that was
by accident. European explorers were actually looking for China and India.
In 1497, John Cabot sailed from England and claimed Newfoundland for the English.
He was the first person to draw a map of the east coast of Canada. Thirty-five years
later, in 1534, Jacques Cartier arrived and claimed the land he explored for France. He
made three voyages and explored the country along the St. Lawrence River as far as
Quebec City and Montreal. He heard a group of Aboriginals say the word “Kanata,” and
he thought that was the name of the country. It actually meant “village.” By the 1550’s,
Europeans were calling the whole country “Canada.”
The History of Canada 21

Early Settlement
In the beginning, Europeans were mainly interested in trading furs with the Aboriginals.
They did not want to live in the country. They would travel across the ocean in the spring
and go back to Europe in the fall. Around 1600, the king of France and the fur-trading
companies decided to build permanent settlements. Private companies were formed to
bring colonists and missionaries. In 1604, the first French settlement was established by
Samuel de Champlain and Pierre de Monts at Port Royal, in Acadia (now the province of
Nova Scotia). Champlain stayed in Port Royal for three years, but the settlement was not
easy to defend from the British who had colonies to the south. Also, the weather could be
bad. Champlain went looking for a new place to build. (The Acadian settlement was not
abandoned, though. It grew into a prosperous farming settlement. You read about what
happened to the Acadians in Who We Are.)
In 1608, Champlain decided to build his second settlement further inland on the St.
Lawrence River. This second settlement is now Quebec City. Just like it was in Acadia,
the first winter was very difficult. The weather was very cold, and there was a lot of snow.
Champlain and his men did not know where to find food or what animals to hunt. This
time, however, Champlain became friends with the “Indians” who lived in the region.
They taught Champlain and his men how to survive. Champlain allied his colony with the
Algonquin, the Montagnais and the Huron. These tribes were enemies of the Iroquois who
were allied with the English colonies to the south. Both the French and the English got the
Indian people to help them fight their wars with each other.
At first, mostly men lived in the colony of New France. After fifty years, the settlement was
still very small. The king of France decided to take control of the colony away from the
private companies. He established a new government in New France. Jean Talon, Count
Frontenac and Bishop Laval were important early officials. They encouraged the settlers
to build farms and businesses, and they worked with the Aboriginal people in the fur trade.

Beaver furs were especially wanted in Europe. Using the rivers and lakes of Canada, they
built a French fur trading empire in North America that extended from Hudson Bay to the
Gulf of Mexico. King Louis also sent young women from France to marry the young men.
They were called “filles du roi” (daughters of the King). Today, most of the French families
in Quebec are descended from these original families.
L’anse aux
meadows (Vikings)
Early Exploration
and Settlement
Quebec
Montreal
Acadia
St. Croix (French Colonies)
Port Royal
English
Colonies

Questions:
1. In which parts of Canada did European people first live?
2. Who were the first Europeans to come to Canada? Where did they build their
settlement?
3. When and why did the second group of Europeans come to Canada?
4. Who was the first person to draw a map of Canada’s east coast?
5. How were the Aboriginal people affected by the arrival of Europeans?
6. Where does the name “Canada” come from?
7. Who was Samuel de Champlain? Where did he build his first settlement?
8. When did settlers first build settlements on the St. Lawrence River?
9. Which Aboriginal groups were allies of the French? Who were their enemies?
10. How did French leaders such as Jean Talon, Bishop Laval and Count Frontenac build
a French Empire in North America?

Part 2
Struggle for a Continent:

Important Words
and People:
Like the French, the English had also claimed
Voyageurs
large parts of North America. In the early
courier des bois
1600s, they had built colonies on the east
coast of what is now the United States. They James Wolfe
called this new land, “New England.” Now, Marquis de Montcalm
the English decided that they also wanted habitants
part of the rich fur trade in the north. Canadiens
Sir Guy Carlton

In 1670, King Charles II of England gave
Quebec Act of 1774
the Hudson’s Bay Company the rights to
trade in the region that had rivers or lakes Loyalists
that emptied into Hudson Bay. This was a Joseph Brant
huge piece of land. The French voyageurs representative assembly
and coureurs des bois, working with the Constitution Act of 1791
Aboriginal people, were also trading in this Upper Canada

area. They travelled by canoe, using the Lower Canada
rivers and the lakes to trade and transport British North America
furs. For 100 years, there was fierce John Graves Simcoe
competition between the French and the
Mary Ann Shadd Carey
English over the fur trade. After the French
Underground Railway

lost Canada to the English in 1759, the Hudson’s Bay Company continued to control the
north for another 100 years.
More and more people were immigrating to New England. Very few people were moving
to New France. In the first 100 years, 15,000 French came to Canada, but only 3400 of
them stayed. The English colonies were growing larger and becoming richer. The French
colonies remained small. France and England began to fight over who would control the
continent. In 1759, the British, led by James Wolfe, and the French, led by the Marquis
de Montcalm, fought a last battle on the Plains of Abraham at Quebec City. The British
won. They renamed the colony, the Province of Quebec. After England and France made
peace in Europe in 1763, Canada became part of the British Empire.
There were problems. The English were Protestant, and the French were Catholic. In
England and in the English colonies, Catholics didn’t have the same rights as Protestants.
The French had been living in Canada for 100 years. The habitants or Canadiens wanted
to keep their way of life. They did not want to change their language, their laws, or their
religion. In order to keep peace, the new governor of Quebec, Sir Guy Carlton, defended
the rights of the French to the British Parliament. The British Parliament made a decision.
The Quebec Act of 1774 said that the French Catholics could have religious freedom and
the same political rights as the English Protestants. They had to use British criminal law,
but they kept French civil law. The French-speaking colony also got control over the Ohio
Valley, a large piece of land west of the English colonies. The English were not allowed to
settle there.
The United Empire Loyalists:
Peace did not last long. The colonists in New England were already angry that they did not
have the same rights as people in Great Britain. They did not like the fact that the French
(who had been defeated!) were allowed to have so many rights and freedoms. Also, they

Province of Quebec, 1774
Quebec
English
didn’t like the fact that the province of Quebec controlled the Ohio Valley, and they weren’t
allowed to settle there. In 1776, the New England colonies declared independence and
formed the United States of America. Over the next 7 years, more than 40,000 United
Empire Loyalists, people who wanted to stay part of the British Empire, moved to
Canada. With the help of Sir Guy Carlton, they settled in Quebec and Nova Scotia. Many
also settled on land west of Montreal in what is now Ontario. Nova Scotia was divided and
a new colony of Loyalists was started in New Brunswick.
Chief Joseph Brant brought thousands of loyal Mohawk Indians to Canada. About 3,000
black loyalists, freedmen and slaves also moved north.

The Beginning of Democracy and the Abolition of Slavery:
New France had been a crown colony. That meant that the King of France made all the
decisions. He sent the governors and other political officials to rule New France. The
colonists had no say in the government. The Loyalists from New England had been able
to participate in their government, and they wanted to have this right in Canada as well.
As part of the British Empire, the colonies began to move towards democracy. They
wanted more say in how they were governed. They wanted representative government.
A representative government is one where the people elect someone to represent them in
a legislature.
Each colony in British North America had separate governments and governors. Nova
Scotia, a British colony since 1710, elected the first representative assembly in 1758.
Prince Edward Island elected one in 1773, and New Brunswick did so in 1785. The
settlers in these colonies could elect representatives to go to the assemblies, but the
representatives did not have much power. They could give advice, but they did not have
the power to make laws. The Governor, appointed by the British government, did that. The
Province of Quebec also wanted an elected assembly.
The Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the Province of Quebec into two parts. The
western part, settled by mostly Protestant, English-speaking Loyalists, became Upper
Canada (now Ontario). The mostly French-speaking, Catholic part, became Lower
Canada (Quebec). The Act also gave the people the right to elect legislative (law-
making) assemblies. The name “Canada” became the official name of the two provinces.
Altogether, Upper and Lower Canada and the Atlantic colonies were called British North
America.
John Graves Simcoe was the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. He founded
the city of York, which is now Toronto, and made it the capital of Upper Canada. He was
important in the fight against slavery. Mary Ann (Shadd) Carey was also important in this

fight. She published a weekly newspaper about the evils of slavery. In 1793, the province
of Upper Canada became the first province in the British Empire to abolish slavery. In
1833, slavery was totally abolished throughout the British Empire. However, slavery
was still legal in the United Stated. Many Americans, who were against slavery, helped
thousands of escaped slaves get to freedom in Canada. They followed an anti-slavery
network called the Underground Railway.
Questions:
1. What early trade spread across Canada?
2. Who were the voyageurs and the couriers de bois?
3. What was the Hudson’s Bay Company? How long did it control the north?
4. Who were the generals who led the French and English armies at the battle on the
Plains of Abraham? Why was this battle important?
5. Who were the habitants?
6. Which Governor stood up for the rights of the Canadiens?
7. What was the Quebec Act of 1774? Why is it important?
8. What happened in 1776?
9. Who were the Loyalists? When did they come to Canada?
10. What is representative government?
11. What was the Constitutional Act of 1791?
12. What was the first province to end slavery?

Part 3
The War of 1812:

Important Words
and People:
In Europe, there was war between the British
Chief Tecumseh
and the French again. At the time, Napoleon
Bonaparte was the ruler of France. In 1805, Sir Isaac Brock
the British defeated Napoleon’s fleet and Laura Secord

took control of the Atlantic Ocean between
Charles de Salaberry
northern Europe and North America. The
responsible government
Americans were angry because the British
wouldn’t let them trade with France. Also, the reformers
British took men they claimed were British Lord Durham

citizens off American ships to serve on
Canada East
British ships. The British also supported the
Canada West
Indians in their fight against the Americans.
(American settlers were moving into Indian Lord Elgin
Territory west of the Appalachian Mountains.) Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine

To solve their problems with the British, the
Robert Baldwin
Americans decided to invade Canada. They
Joseph Howe
thought it would be easy to conquer Canada
and take the country away from England. John A. Macdonald
They invaded Canada in 1812.

The Americans were wrong. Canadians did not want to be part of the United States.
Canadian volunteers and Aboriginals (led by Chief Tecumseh) joined with the British
soldiers to defeat the American invaders.
In 1812, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock captured Detroit and then defeated the
Americans at Queenston Heights, near Niagara Falls. He was killed in the battle. Attacks
continued all along the border. There were naval battles on the Great Lakes and up the
Atlantic coast. Even Canadians who were not fighting did what they could to help. Laura
Secord made a 30 kilometer journey by foot, in 1813, to warn of an American attack.
Charles de Salaberry and his army of less than 500 French Canadiens defeated 4000
American soldiers south of Montreal in October, 1813. (The Americans were trying to stop
shipping on the St. Lawrence River to cities in Upper and Lower Canada.) The Americans
burned Government House and the Parliament Buildings in York (Toronto), the capital
of Upper Canada. In retaliation, a group of Canadians burned down the White House in
Washington in 1814. Finally, a peace treaty between the United States and Great Britain
was signed in 1814.
No land changed hands in the war of 1812-14, but the Canada-US border was
established. A series of citadels and forts were built along the border to ensure that
Canada would remain independent of the United States. The Americans never invaded
Canada again.
The Rebellions of 1837-38 and the Beginning of Responsible Government:
After the War of 1812, Canada continued to grow. Thousands of immigrants were arriving
every year. Most came from England, Ireland or Scotland. Cities and towns were being
built and new businesses were opened. Unfortunately for the Aboriginal people, the
settlers didn’t think they needed help from the Indians anymore, and the settlers wanted
their land. The Indians were pushed onto small reserves or farther into the North.

The provinces of Upper and Lower Canada and the maritime colonies had representative
governments, but they didn’t have responsible governments. Canadians could elect
people to represent them, to discuss their concerns and make suggestions, but all
the decisions about government, laws and taxes were still made by the Parliament in
London, England. In a responsible government, the governor (still chosen by the British
government) would have to appoint a Cabinet that the elected representatives (Assembly)
chose. He couldn’t just appoint his friends. The elected representatives would also be able
to pass laws. Reformers in Upper and Lower Canada thought that progress towards a real
democracy was too slow, and they wanted change. Some people thought that Canada
should be a republic like the United States or even join the United States. Armed rebellions
broke out near Montreal and Toronto, but the rebels didn’t have enough support and were
defeated by British troops.
Lord Durham was sent from England to make suggestions about what could be done
to stop more rebellions from happening. He suggested that Upper and Lower Canada
be joined into one colony with a responsible government. The Governor and his Cabinet
would need the support of a majority of elected representatives in order to govern.
Canadians would be making the final decisions. He also said that French-speaking,
Catholic Canadians should be assimilated into the English-speaking, Protestant culture.
He wanted everyone to speak English. This was not a popular idea in Quebec where the
people wanted to keep their language and culture. Upper and Lower Canada were united
as the Province of Canada (Canada East and Canada West) by the Act of Union 1841,
but the British Parliament said “No” to responsible government. The Governor was still
in charge, only this time, there was just one governor. Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as
the capital of United Canada because it was on the border between Upper and Lower
Canada, and it was far from the United States border.

People in British North America did not stop wanting responsible government. In 1847,
Nova Scotia was the first colony to succeed. In 1849, Lord Elgin introduced responsible
government to United Canada (Canada East and Canada West). Sir Louis-Hippolyte La
Fontaine became the first leader of a responsible government. His job was similar to that
of a Prime Minister. He is remembered because he helped to protect French rights.
La Fontaine, Robert Baldwin and Sir John A. McDonald from Canada West, and Joseph
Howe from Nova Scotia, had all worked with British governors to get responsible
government. Now that they had responsible government, they wanted more. They wanted
Canada to become a new country, separate from Great Britain.
Questions:
1. What was the war of 1812?
2. During the War of 1812, the Americans burned down the Parliament Buildings in York
(now Toronto). What did the British and Canadians do in return?
3. What did the supporters of the Rebellions in 1837-1838 want?
4. What is responsible government?
5. Who recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be joined to make one colony?
6. What were Upper and Lower Canada called after they were united in 1840?
7. Who introduced responsible government to the Province of Canada in 1849?
8. Who was Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine? Why is he remembered?

Part 4
Confederation:
Important Words
and People:
British North America was made up of
British North America
five colonies. Canada, Nova Scotia,
New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island Etienne-Paschal Tache
and Newfoundland all had their own Georges-Etienne Cartier

governments. By 1864, the British
George Brown
government began to work with
John A. Macdonald
representatives from British North America
to create a new country. The Maritime British North America Act
colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and (BNA)
Prince Edward Island had already decided Confederation

that they wanted to talk about a union.
Dominion of Canada
They planned a meeting in Charlottetown,
Northwest Mounted Police
Prince Edward Island in 1864. Leaders from
Canada (Sir Etienne-Paschal Tache, Sir Louis Riel
Georges-Etienne Cartier, George Brown Sam Steele

and Sir John A. Macdonald) thought that it
Head Tax
would be better if all of the British colonies
Sir Wilfred Laurier
joined together, so they decided to go to the
meeting, too. They came with a plan that
they presented to the representatives from
the Maritimes. They all agreed to another

meeting in Quebec City to figure out the details. This time, Newfoundland decided to go to
the meeting as well.
There was a lot of talking and arguing at the Quebec Conference. The delegates did
come up with a plan for a constitution, but some of the representatives from the Maritimes
were not happy. They were afraid that the new country would be dominated by the larger,
United Canada. Finally, in 1866, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
decided to form a single country. Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland decided not
to join. The government of Great Britain passed the British North America Act (BNA)
in 1867, and on July 1, 1867, the Dominion of Canada was born. Sir William Tilley, a
Father of Confederation from New Brunswick, picked the name from a Bible verse about
having “dominion from sea to sea.” Prince Edward Island decided to become part of
Canada 6 years later, in 1873. Newfoundland did not join Canada until 1949. The first
Prime Minister of Canada was Sir John A. Macdonald.
MacDonald’s picture used to be on the $10.00 bill. At present, Sir Wilfred Laurier, the first
French-Canadian Prime Minister, is on the $5.00 bill.
Dominion of Canada, 1867
Newfoundland
Prince Edward Island

Rupert’s Land
(to the Hudson’s Bay Company)
Quebec New
Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Ontario
United States
of America

Adding the West:
In 1870, Canada began to expand further west. The Hudson’s Bay Company had
controlled the northwest region of Canada for almost 200 years. In 1868, the Hudson Bay
Company sold the rights to this land to Canada. There were more than 12,000 Métis living
near the Red River on land that would become Manitoba. Neither they nor the Aboriginal
peoples were asked if they wanted to join Canada. If they were going to be part of this
new country, the Métis wanted to have a province with their own language and religious
rights like the rest of Canada. They did not want to join Canada as a territory. Louis Riel
led a rebellion to get these rights. He and Gabriel Dumont took control of Fort Garry
(now Winnipeg). Ottawa sent soldiers, and Riel escaped to the United States. The Prime
Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, agreed to the Metis’ demands, and the province of
Manitoba (just a small corner of today’s Manitoba) and the Northwest Territories entered
Canada. Great Britain made the Arctic Islands part of the Northwest Territories in 1880.
The Yukon Territory became a separate territory in 1898 when many people moved there
after gold was discovered.
After the Métis rebellion, Prime Minister Macdonald decided that it would be best to
have a police force to keep peace in the new territories and to negotiate with the Indians.
He created the North West Mounted Police (NWMP). They built forts in different parts
of the big, new Northwest Territory. These forts later became towns and cities like Fort
MacLeod, (Fort) Calgary and (Fort) Edmonton. One important hero of the NWMP was Sam
Steele. As new settlers began to move west, the Métis and Indians felt threatened again.
In 1885, Louis Riel led another rebellion, this time in Saskatchewan. He was defeated and
executed, but he is still seen as a defender of Métis rights. Today, Louis Riel is considered
a hero, especially to the Métis and First Nations People.
British Columbia, a small British colony on the west coast, joined Canada in 1871. It had
been a British colony for many years. Most of the people lived on Vancouver Island, in
the capital city of Victoria. Very few British lived on the mainland. Because of this, people

from the western United States wanted to move north and claim the land. The people of
British Columbia knew that they could not stay independent for long, mostly for economic
reasons. They had to decide whether to join Canada or the United States. They asked the
Canadian government if Canada would build a road to link British Columbia with eastern
Canada. Canada did better and promised to build a railroad. (This was one of the reasons
British Columbia decided to join Canada.) The railroad was finally finished in November,
1885. The completion of the railroad was the fulfillment of a promise to the people of
British Columbia. It was also a source of great pride for Canada and a powerful symbol
of Canadian unity. The new railway also brought thousands of new settlers to western
Canada.
While the building of the railroad from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean was a great
accomplishment for Canada, there is a part of the story that does not make Canadians
proud. Much of the hard and dangerous work on the railway was done by Chinese
workers. These workers were not treated fairly. They had to pay a Head Tax to get into
Canada to work, and they were not allowed to become citizens. The government of
Canada apologized to the descendants of the Chinese workers in 2006.
In the 1890s and early 1900s, more than two million British and American people
immigrated to Canada, but the vast Prairie region did not attract many settlers. Most
immigrants wanted to live in cities in the eastern regions. Sir Wilfrid Laurier (the first
French-Canadian Prime Minister) wanted the Prairies to become settled. He encouraged
immigrants from other parts of Europe (especially Poles, Ukrainians, Germans, Norwegians
and Swedes) to move to western Canada and start farms. By 1905, there were
enough people in the West to make Manitoba bigger and to make two new provinces,
Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Finally, in 1949, Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation, and the country was
complete.

DISTRICT OF FRANKLIN
1905
DISTRICT OF
MACKENZIE
DISTRICT OF DISTRICT OF
KEEWATIN UNGAVA
P.E.I.
Questions:
1. What does “confederation” mean?
2. In what year did the Confederation of Canada take place?
3. What document made Confederation legal?
4. What does the phrase, “dominion from sea to sea,” mean?
5. What provinces first joined together to create Canada?

6. When did each of the other provinces and territories join Canada?
7. For how long did the Hudson’s Bay Company control the Northwest Territory?
8. Who was Louis Riel?
9. What was the Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) and what are they called now?
10. Who was an important member of the NWMP?
11. Why was the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) important?
12. Who played an important part in building the railway and how were they mistreated?
13. Who was Sir Wilfred Laurier?

Part 5
World War I:
Important Words
and People:
In 1914, there were about 8 million people
World War I
living in Canada. Most were either British
immigrants or of British descent. Between Canadian Corps
1899 and 1902, more than 7,000 Canadians Vimy Ridge

had fought with Great Britain in the South
Sir Arthur Currie
African (Boer) War. Canadians fought well,
Women’s Suffrage Movement
and they were proud of their victories. In
1914, war broke out in Europe. Germany Emily Stowe
attacked Belgium and France. Britain, France Agnes McPhail

and Russia allied with other countries to
Great Depression
fight against Germany, Austria-Hungary and
Dirty Thirties
others. Because Canada was part of the
British Empire, when Britain declared war, World War II
Canada was also at war. Ottawa formed the
Canadian Expeditionary Force (later called
the Canadian Corps). More than 600,000
men, mostly volunteers, went off to Europe
to fight.
The fighting was bloody and terrible. Trench
warfare and new weapons like poison gas,

machine guns and tanks were used. Canadians were good soldiers. They were tough,
smart and brave. The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. This was
the first British victory of the war! In the battle, 10,000 Canadians were killed or wounded,
but Canadians became known as the “shock troops” of the British Army. Slowly, more
victories followed. In the last 100 days of the war, Canadians fought in the battles of
Amiens, Arras, Canal du Nord, Cambrai and Mons. The commander of the Canadian
Corps, General Sir Arthur Currie, has been called Canada’s greatest soldier. The war
ended with the Armistice on the November 11, 1918 (on the 11th hour of the 11th day of
the 11th month - Remembrance Day). 60,000 Canadians had been killed and 170,000
had been wounded, but the war made Canada stronger, prouder and more respected as
a nation. (On Remembrance Day, many Canadians wear red poppies and go to special
ceremonies to honour all of our fallen soldiers.)
Back at home in Canada, things were changing. At the time of Confederation, and for
many years after that, the only people who could vote were white men who owned
property. Women felt they should also have the right to vote, and they worked hard to get
it. The women’s suffrage movement in Canada was founded by Dr. Emily Stowe. Women
got the right to vote in federal elections in 1917, starting with nurses on the battlefield. By
1918, most Canadian women were voting in federal elections, along with the men. In the
provinces, it was different. Manitoba was the first province to give women the right to vote
in provincial elections in 1916, and Quebec was the last province to give women the right
to vote in 1940. In 1921, Agnes Macphail became the first woman Member of Parliament.
Between the Wars:
After the war, the British Empire began to change. More British colonies, like Australia
and New Zealand, became self-governing. As former colonies became independent,
they joined together in the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth is still an
important association of former British colonies.

The “Roaring Twenties” were a time of great prosperity in Canada. New businesses
opened, agriculture was increasing, and immigration was high. Then, the stock market
crashed in 1929 which started the Great Depression. People lost their jobs and
businesses failed. Farms in Western Canada experienced a terrible drought and low grain
prices. Many farms on the Prairies were just abandoned. Another name for this time is the
“Dirty Thirties” because of the great dust storms that happened when the wind blew the
dry soil away.
Because the times were so hard, Canadians demanded that the government help with
social programs. Minimum wage, a standard work week, and unemployment insurance
were introduced in the Thirties. Old Age Security had been introduced in 1927. The Bank
of Canada was created in 1934 to help stabilize the financial system, and it still operates
today. Immigration dropped off, and refugees were turned away, including Jewish refugees
that were fleeing Nazi Germany.
World War II:
In 1939, Adolph Hitler and the Nazis invaded Poland and then conquered other parts
of Europe. This time, Canada made its own decision to go to war as a completely
independent country. More than 1 million people (both men and women) from Canada
and Newfoundland served in World War II. The population of Canada was only about 11.5
million people at that time, so a large percentage of Canadians left Canada to fight in
Europe and in the Pacific. More than 44,000 were killed.
Just like in World War I, Canadians fought bravely and suffered huge losses. These losses
mainly happened while defending Hong Kong in 1941, on the beaches of Dieppe, France
in 1942, and in the liberation of Italy in 1943-1944. The Royal Canadian Air Force fought
in the Battle of Britain, defending England from Nazi bombers, and in missions all over
Europe. Many pilots from other allied countries trained in Canada. The Royal Canadian
Navy protected merchant ships travelling between Canada and Britain (the Battle of the

Atlantic). The Canadian Military was also part of the invasion of Normandy, in northern
France, on July 6, 1944. Then, Canadians liberated the Netherlands in 1944 and 1945. At
home, Canadians built many airplanes, ships and other war essentials for Britain and her
allies. They also sent food and clothing to help the British people. For a country with such
a small population, Canada’s contribution to World War II was huge.
The Pacific war came to Canada when Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands, attacked a
lighthouse on Vancouver Island, and launched fire balloons over B.C. and the Prairies.
Because of the war, Japanese Canadians were not trusted. They were forced into
relocation camps far away from their homes on the Pacific coast. Their property was sold,
and they were not compensated. (They did not get any money from the sale of their homes
and businesses.) The Government of Canada apologized in 1988, and it compensated the
victims of this government policy.
The war in Europe ended with the surrender of Germany in May, 1945. The war in the
Pacific was over when Japan surrendered in August, 1945.
Questions:
1. How many Canadian soldiers fought in World War I? How many were killed?
2. What was the Battle of Vimy Ridge and why was it important to Canada?
3. What is Remembrance Day?
4. Who is considered to be Canada’s greatest soldier?
5. What was the women’s suffrage movement?
6. What was the first province to give voting rights to women? What was the last?

7. When did Canada’s economy and industry experience a boom? What was this
decade called?
8. What happened after the famous stock market crash of 1929?
9. What were the “Dirty Thirties”?
10. When did World War II begin in Europe?
11. How many Canadians served in World War II?
12. What did Canadians do at home to help the war effort?
13. When did World War II end?
14. Why did the Canadian government apologize to Japanese-Canadians in 1988?

CANADA SINCE 1945
Part I
Important Words:
Great Depression
Trade and Economic Growth: tariffs
trader barriers
During the 1930s, life was difficult in Canada
natural resources
and in many other countries around the
standard of living
world. This was the time of the Great Social Assistance programs
Depression. All across the world, businesses communism
failed and many people lost their jobs. dictator
They were not able to support themselves Cold War

nuclear arms race
or their families. Many governments tried
peacekeeping
to make conditions better for their citizens
Quiet Revolution
by restricting trade with other countries.
bilingualism
However, this made things worse. After biculturalism
World War II (1939-1945), countries began Official Languages Act
to trade more freely with each other. They referendum
made trade agreements like the General patriated

multiculturalism
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
insulin
which has been replaced by the World Trade
Canadarm
Organization (WTO). The loosening of trade
astronauts
barriers helped many countries become
richer, including Canada. Also, oil was
discovered in Alberta in 1947. The discovery

of oil made Canada an important energy producer. Oil, natural gas, agriculture and other
natural resources have helped make Canada a wealthy country with a high standard of
living.
Between 1945 and 1970, Canada traded more and more with the United States and with
other countries around the world. Today, the United States is still our most important
trading partner, but Canada is always working hard to develop stronger trade relationships
with other countries.
As Canada became richer, our governments were able to support many important social
assistance programs. The Canada Health Act gives all Canadians good quality health
care in every province and territory. Unemployment insurance, now called Employment
Insurance (EI), was introduced by the federal government in 1940. Pension and Old
Age Security plans were introduced in 1927, and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) was
fully implemented in 1965. (Quebec has its own pension plan.) Free public education is
provided by the provinces and territories.
Canada and the World:
Canada gained full independence from Great Britain, slowly and gradually. Canada
participated in World War I (1914-1918), but Canada was automatically at war with
Germany when England declared war. This was because Canada did not have full control
of its own foreign affairs. By 1939, when World War II began, Canada did have full control
and was not automatically at war along with Great Britain. In fact, Canada declared war on
Germany one week after England and France did.
After World War II, the map of the world changed. Germany, Japan and Italy were
defeated, but there was a new threat. This threat was communism. Under the dictator,
Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union moved into Eastern Europe. Western democratic
countries were worried about the spread of communism. They were also worried

about another world war. The period from 1945-1989 is called the Cold War. Western
democracies, especially the United States, tried to contain the Soviet Union and stop
the spread of communism across the world. They fought smaller wars like the Korean
War (Canada participated in this war) and the Viet Nam War (Canada did not fight in
this one). They were also involved in a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. Canada
joined with the United States and other western democratic countries in Europe to form
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance to defend against the
Soviet Union. Canada also joined with the United States to create the North American
Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) to protect North America from a Soviet attack
from the air. Canada is a member of the United Nations (UN) and has been since the UN
began in 1945. Canada participated in the UN operation to defend South Korea during
the Korean War (1950-1953). In 1956, Lester Pearson, a future Prime Minister of Canada,
introduced the idea of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force during a crisis in the
Middle East. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. Since then, Canada has taken
part in many UN peacekeeping missions around the world. Canada has also participated
UN-sanctioned armed conflicts in countries like the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.
Canada and Quebec:
After World War II, French-Canadian society and culture flourished in Quebec. Quebec
experienced a period of great change and progress during the 1960s. Before the 1960s,
Quebec had been a province that was controlled by a powerful Premier and the Roman
Catholic Church. The Quebec Premier and the Church wanted the people to keep their
traditional values and their unique culture. They did not encourage education or interaction
with the rest of Canada. In the 1960s, Quebec modernized and became a confident and
prosperous province. Quebec began to challenge the rest of Canada. This movement is
called the Quiet Revolution. Some Quebecers wanted to separate from Canada. They
wanted to create an independent, French-speaking country where Quebecers could

be “Masters in our own house!” They did not feel that English-speaking Canadians
respected their culture or their important place in the founding of Canada. The federal
government wanted to make French Quebecers (the Quebecois) feel more at home in
Canada. In 1963, the federal government created the Royal Commission on Bilingualism
and Biculturalism. This led to the Official Languages Act of 1969 which guarantees
services in French and English in all federal government offices across Canada. In
1970, Canada helped found La Francophonie, an international association of French-
speaking countries. Quebec and New Brunswick are members of La Francophonie. In
2006, the Government of Canada declared that “the Quebecois form a nation within a
United Canada”. (Aboriginal Canadians also feel that they should be given recognition as
“nations.” So far, this has not happened.)
The movement for Quebec sovereignty grew during the 1970s. There was a referendum
(vote) by the people of Quebec in 1980 to decide whether Quebec would remain part
of Canada or become a sovereign nation. The people of Quebec said “No.” There was
another referendum in 1995, and, once again, the people said “No” to independence.
Both votes were very close, so Quebec’s place in Canada is still a passionate topic of
discussion for all Canadians.
Another important event happened in the 1980s. In 1982, the Constitution of Canada
was patriated. (“Patriated” means that our Constitution is in Canada, and we have full
control over our own Constitution.) Since 1867, Canada had been governed by the British
North America Act (BNA), an act of the British Parliament. The original Act did not
give Canada total control of its own affairs. Some things still had to be approved by the
British Parliament. One example was the right to declare war independently (World War
I). Many changes were made over the years as the country became more independent,
but Canada still did not have the right to make changes to its own Constitution. Finally, in
1982, the government decided it was time to bring the Constitution home and to become
fully independent as a nation. The Constitution Act of 1982 also saw the addition of the

Charter of Rights and Freedoms which protects the fundamental rights of all Canadians.
However, there were problems with the negotiations for the new Constitution and
the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. At the time, Quebec had a separatist provincial
government. Because the government of Quebec was interested in moving Quebec
towards independence from Canada, it did not want to sign on to a new Canadian
Constitution that would bind Quebec closer to Canada. No agreement was reached with
Quebec, and Quebec still refuses to sign on.
A Changing Society:
Since the 1960s, Canadian society has become more flexible and open. In part, this
is because Canadians have become better educated. In the 1960s, colleges and
universities were built all over the country, and many Canadians took advantage of new
educational opportunities. Today, most Canadians have postsecondary qualifications
(university, college or trades). Also, more and more women entered the workforce in the
1960s and 70s. This also led to changes in society because the role of women changed.
Old prejudices were breaking down. In the past, some groups, including women and
Canadians of Asian and Aboriginal descent, were not allowed to vote in federal and
provincial elections. Today, every Canadian citizen over the age of 18 is encouraged to
vote.
Another factor that changed Canadian society was a change in the immigration policy.
It is often said that Canada is a “country of immigrants.” Before the 1960s, however,
most immigrants came from Europe. More recently, Canada has welcomed immigrants
and refugees from all over the world, and Canada has embraced multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism means we welcome immigrants of many cultures and value the cultural
contributions of all citizens. At least one-third of Canadians can trace their origins to
countries other than Great Britain and France. Today, this rich diversity of cultures is most
evident in our cities.

Questions:
1. Why is trade important between countries?
2. What important discovery was made in 1947 that helped make Canada a wealthy
country?
3. Who is our most important trading partner?
4. Name some social assistance programs that Canada introduced to help people.
5. What is NATO and why is it important?
6. In what United Nations operation did Canada participate between 1950-1953?
7. What is important about Prime Minister Lester Pearson?
8. What was the Quiet Revolution?
9. What did the Official Languages Act in 1969 guarantee?
10. Why was there a referendum in Quebec in 1980 and 1995? What were the results?
11. What does it mean that the Constitution was “patriated” in 1982. Did every province
agree?
12. How has immigration to Canada changed since the 1960s? What is multiculturalism?

Part 2
Arts and Culture:
Many Canadian artists, writers, poets, historians, educators and musicians have achieved
greatness at home and around the world. Lists of important artists, writers, poets,
musicians and filmmakers can be found in the Discover Canada study guide (page 25).
Sports are also important in Canada. Every province and territory has produced star
athletes and Olympic medal winners. Canadians play on many professional teams in
Canada, the United States and in other countries. In ice hockey, Canada’s official winter
sport, Canadian players and teams are some of the best in the world. Wayne Gretzky has
been called one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Professional hockey teams from
Canada and the United States compete for the Stanley Cup. In football, another popular
sport, Canadian teams compete for the Grey Cup. Lacrosse, an ancient Aboriginal game,
is Canada’s official summer sport. Here is an interesting sports fact: a Canadian, James
Naismith, invented the game of basketball which is very popular in the United States.
Other important Canadian sports figures are listed in Discover Canada (page 26).
Other Important Canadians:
In 1980, Terry Fox began a cross-Canada run called the Marathon of Hope to raise
money for cancer research. He had lost a leg to cancer when he was 18. He was not
able to finish his run because the cancer returned, and he died. Every year, Canadians
across the country organize marathons to remember Terry Fox and raise money for cancer
research.
In 1985, Rick Hanson circled the world in his wheelchair to raise money for spinal cord
research. His world tour was called the Man in Motion.

Canadians have also made big contributions to science and technology, including medical
research and telecommunications. In medicine, Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best
discovered insulin. This hormone is used to treat diabetes, and it has saved millions of
lives around the world. Dr. Wilder Penfield was a pioneer brain surgeon. At the time,
Dr. Penfield was known as the “greatest living Canadian.” Dr. John Hopps invented the
cardiac pacemaker.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie
of Research in Motion invented the Blackberry phone. Joseph-Armand Bombardier
invented the snowmobile and today, his company is important in transportation and
aerospace production and research.
Canadian astronauts participate in space exploration often using the Canadian designed
and built, Canadarm. SPAR Aerospace and the National Research Council invented the
Canadarm which is a robotic arm used in space. Rebecca Bondar, Chris Hadfield and our
new Governor General, Julie Payette, are all Canadian astronauts.
Questions:
1. What was the “Marathon of Hope” and why is Terry Fox still important today?
2. What is important about hockey in Canada? Who is considered to be one of the
greatest hockey players of all time?
3. Who discovered insulin and why was this discovery important?
4. Who are some famous astronauts?
5. Name some other important Canadians and explain why they were important.

5 The Government
of Canada
Important Words:
federal state
parliamentary democracy
constitutional monarchy
Canada’s government is a combination of
three different types of government. It is a BNA Act
federal state, a parliamentary democracy federal government

and a constitutional monarchy. Our
provincial government
form of government was established at
territorial government
the time of Confederation in the British
North America Act of 1867 (BNA Act). municipal government
Before Confederation, Canada was a Ottawa

group of different colonies, each with a
Royal Canadian Mounted
different government. The BNA Act united Police (RCMP)
the colonies into a new country with a
constitution and a set of written laws. In
1982, the constitution was patriated to
Canada and the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms was added.
The Government of Canada 53

Federal State:
Canada is a federal state. A federal state is a state or country that has a central
government. The country is also divided into smaller provinces, states or regions. Usually,
the federal government makes decisions that affect the whole country. Provincial, state or
regional governments make local decisions. Canada is a big country (the second largest
in the world). Different parts of the country have very different needs. For this reason,
Canada is divided into provinces and territories to make it easier to govern.
In Canada, there are three levels of government: federal, provincial or territorial, and
municipal (town or city). The capital of the whole country is Ottawa. The Parliament
buildings for the federal government are located in Ottawa. Our federal government
takes care of things that are important for the whole country, nationally and internationally.
These are things that need to be the same for all provinces and territories. Some of federal
responsibilities include: defense, foreign policy, currency, trade and communications,
criminal law and citizenship.
Needs may be different from province to province, depending on resources. For example,
Alberta doesn’t have the same needs as Nova Scotia, and Quebec doesn’t have the same
needs as British Columbia. The provincial and territorial governments take care of what
is important for the people of just their region. They make policies that work in their region
but may not work in another. Some provincial responsibilities include: natural resources,
education, health care, property and civil rights, highways, and rules for municipal
governments. Each province and territory has its own elected Legislative Assembly
located in its own capital city.
Some things are shared between the federal and provincial governments. Agriculture,
environment, and immigration and citizenship are shared responsibilities. Policing is also
shared in many provinces and territories. Ontario and Quebec have their own provincial
police forces. The rest of Canada uses the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
54 The Government of Canada

Municipal governments look after what is important in towns, cities and municipal
regions. They are responsible for local planning, streets and roads, sanitation (garbage
removal), recreation, public transit, and emergency services like firefighting and
ambulances. Larger cities have their own police forces. Smaller towns rely on the RCMP.
Municipal government consists of a mayor or reeve and aldermen or councilors who pass
by-laws for their community.
First Nations communities also have local governments with responsibilities that are
similar to the responsibilities of municipal governments. They also take care of housing
and schools on the reserves. They have band chiefs and councilors. There are regional
and national Aboriginal organizations that represent First Nations, Métis and Inuit people
when they need to work with the federal or provincial governments.
Elections for all levels of government are by secret ballot, but the rules can be different
from place to place. It is important to know the rules before you vote.
Parliamentary Democracy:
In a democracy, people vote for representatives who will govern the country for them.
Canada is a Parliamentary Democracy. Citizens elect representatives to go to
Parliament. These representatives are called Members of Parliament (or MPs). They
are responsible for passing laws, watching government expenses, and keeping the
government accountable for its decisions. MPs need to be able to explain to the people
who elected them (their constituents) why they made certain decisions.
The Members of Parliament usually belong to a political party, a group of people who feel
the same way about how the country should be governed. After an election, the party that
has the most representatives is in power. The Prime Minister (PM) is the leader of the
party in power. He (or she) appoints people to help him (or her) look after departments or
“portfolios” like Finance, Agriculture and Foreign Affairs. These people form the Cabinet.

The Cabinet helps the Prime Minister because
the PM can’t know everything about every

Important Words
department. Cabinet Ministers report the and People:
issues or problems in their portfolios and make
Parliament
suggestions about how to deal with them.
Prime Minister
Parliament has three parts: Cabinet
1. The Sovereign: This is the Queen Sovereign
(or King). The Sovereign is the Head Head of State

of State. Because the Head of State
Senate
doesn’t live in Canada, she (or he) is
Senator
represented by the Governor-General of
Canada and the Lieutenant-Governors bill
of the provinces. The Sovereign’s House of Commons

position is hereditary.
Premier
2. The Senate: This is a group of people
Commissioner
who have been selected and appointed
Monarch
by the Prime Minister. Senators are
then approved by the Governor- Head of Government
General. (Senators can stay in the Legislature

Senate until they are 75, even after the
consensus
Prime Minister and Governor-General
change.) The Senate looks at bills
(proposals for new laws) that the House
of Commons wants to pass. The Senate
may make suggestions about how to
improve the bills. Senators do not make

bills, but they must pass a bill for it to become a law. They also look at other issues
they think are important.
3. The House of Commons: These are the Members of Parliament (MPs). They
are the representatives elected by the people. The Prime Minister is the Head of
Government and is the leader of the party in power. Members of Parliament decide
on bills they want to make into laws. Often, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet write
the bills, and the rest of the Parliament reviews and passes them (or not). However,
any Member of Parliament can suggest bills. A bill must be passed by the House of
Commons and the Senate and then receive royal assent to become a law. Royal
assent is just a formality because the Sovereign (Head of State) always gives royal
assent to laws made by the government.
Turning a bill into a law is a long process. Once a bill is proposed, there is a first reading.
The bill is read in the House of Commons, and it is printed so everyone can study it. At the
second reading, all the MPs debate the bill. Then, the bill goes to the committee stage
where members of the committee study it very carefully and can suggest changes. They
report what they have learned to the House of Commons where other changes can be
made. The final bill is given a third reading and voted on.
The governments in the provinces and territories work the same way as the federal
government, just with different names. Also, there is no Senate. The elected
representatives go to their Provincial or Territorial Legislatures. Their job is to make
new laws. They are also members of political parties. The political party with the most
representatives is in power. The representatives in different provinces have different
names. In Alberta, they are called Members of the Legislative Assembly or MLAs. In
other provinces, they can be called members of the National Assembly (MNAs), members
of the Provincial Parliament (MPPs) or members of the House of Assembly (MHAs). The
leader of the party in power is the Premier.

The Yukon Territory has a Legislative Assembly and a party system like the provinces. The
Northwest Territories and Nunavut do not. They govern by consensus which means that
everyone must agree to a bill before it can become a law. In all three Territories, the head
of the government is the Commissioner.
Constitutional Monarchy:
A constitutional monarchy is a system where there is a title and position (like Queen or
King) that is inherited, but the Monarch has to rule according to the country’s constitution.
The constitution will tell the Monarch what her/his duties and responsibilities are. Canada
is a constitutional monarchy. Our Head of State (or Sovereign) is Queen Elizabeth II. She
cannot change our laws or freedoms, but she can help make sure laws are respected and
maintained. The Queen is important because she doesn’t belong to any political party. She
represents all Canadians.
The Sovereign is also the Head of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is a group
of 54 nations that were once British colonies. They cooperate economically, socially and
culturally. These countries can be different in many ways, but the Queen keeps them all
together.
Important fact:
The Head of State is the Sovereign who rules according to the constitution. The
Head of State does not change unless the sovereign dies or abdicates (gives up
the throne). The Head of Government is the Prime Minister who does the actual
governing of the country. The Prime Minister changes when the party in power loses
an election or when the party decides they want a new leader.

Canada’s System of Government:
Canada’s system of government has 3 branches. They all try to work together.
1. The executive branch is where the final decisions are made. It includes the
Governor-General, the Prime Minister, and the Cabinet (the members of parliament
that help the Prime Minister).
2. The legislative branch creates the laws. It includes the Governor-General, the
House of Commons (the representatives elected by Canadians), and the Senate (the
appointed people who must approve the bills to turn them into laws.)
3. The judicial branch makes sure that
justice is done, that laws are obeyed, and Important Words:

that people are protected. It includes the
executive
judges, the courts, and the police. There
are provincial courts, federal courts and the legislative
Supreme Court of Canada. judicial
There is a good picture of Canada’s system of
government in Discover Canada (page 29).
Questions:
1. Canada’s government is three different things? What are they?
2. What is a federal state?
3. What are the three levels of government? What are the responsibilities of each level?
4. What is Canada’s system of government called? What does this mean?
5. What are the three parts of Parliament?

6. What is the difference between the House of Commons and the Senate?
7. What is a bill? What are the steps that must be followed for a bill to become a law?
8. What is a constitutional monarchy?
9. What is the difference between the head of state and the head of government?
10. Who is Canada’s Head of State? Who is Canada’s Head of Government?
11. What is the Queen’s representative in Canada called? What is her representative in
the provinces called?
12. What is a Prime Minister? What is a Premier? What is a Commissioner?
13. What are the three branches of government? What does each branch do?
14. How are First Nations reserves governed?

6 Elections in
Canada
Important Words:
constituency
polling station
secret ballot
Canadians vote for people to represent them
in the Parliament and in the Legislatures majority government
(and in municipal governments.) By law, the minority government

federal government must hold an election
opposition parties
every four years. It can be sooner than that,
Official Opposition
but it cannot be any longer. Federal elections
are held on the third Monday in October, four
years after the last election.
Canada is divided into electoral districts.
Electoral districts are geographical areas
that are represented by one Member of
Parliament. They are also called ridings or
constituencies. The elected representatives
represent all the people in their constituency,
not just the people who voted for them. They
are also supposed to do what is best for all
Canadians. There are 338 federal ridings
Elections in Canada 61
in Canada, so there are 338 elected MPs. This number changes when the population of
Canada grows, and new electoral districts are added.
Candidates are the people who are “running” to be elected. A candidate must be a
Canadian citizen, and he or she must be 18 years or older. Usually, there is more than one
candidate running in each electoral district. People in each district vote for the candidate
they like or for the political party they like. Voters should pay attention to what the person
and his/ her party think is important (the issues) before they make their decision. The
person with the most votes becomes the Member of Parliament for his/her electoral
district.
Members of the legislative assemblies in the provinces are also elected this way. Provincial
electoral districts and the candidates are different, but the process is the same.
Voting:
The right to vote is a privilege for Canadian citizens. In order to vote, you must be a
Canadian citizen, be 18 or older, and be on the voters’ list. The names on the voters’ list
come from the National Register of Electors produced by Elections Canada. If you were
born in Canada, your name should automatically be on the voters’ list. When you become
a citizen, your name should be added, unless you don’t want it to be.
A federal election is called, and an election date is set. Elections Canada then mails out
cards to everyone on the voters’ list. It tells you when and where you can vote. If you
don’t get a voter information card, you can call Elections Canada to make sure you are
on the list. If you are not on the list, your name can be added at the polling station, as
long as you have proof of citizenship. The place where you vote is called the polling
station. There are also advance polls where you can vote before Election Day. The voter
information card will tell you where and when to vote. It also gives you a phone number to
call if you need help.
62 Elections in Canada
On Election Day, you go to the polling station. You must bring the voter information card
and proof of your identity and address. An election official will give you a ballot (where you
mark your choice) and explain how to fold it. You go behind a screen or someplace private
to mark your ballot. You mark an “X” next to the person you choose. Then, you fold the
ballot and give it back to an election official. The official will tear off the piece that has the
ballot number on it and give you back the ballot. You put your ballot into the box yourself.
After the polls close, the election officials count all the ballots, and the results are made
public.
No one can tell you how to vote. It is your own decision. Someone may give you advice,
but it is always your choice. Voting is by secret ballot. No one can watch you vote, and
no one can see how you voted. Your ballot does not have your name on it. After you have
voted, you do not have to tell anyone who you voted for, unless you want to.
After an Election:
The Governor-General asks the leader of the party that got the most votes to form the
government. The leader of that party is now the Prime Minister and his (or her) party is
in power. They will run the government as long as they have the support of most of the
MPs (the Confidence of the House) or until their four-year term is up. Most of the time,
Members of Parliament vote the way their party wants them to vote. However, there
are votes about important things, like the budget, which are called confidence votes. If
the majority of the MPs in Parliament vote against the bill, the government has lost the
Confidence of the House, and it is defeated. The Prime Minister then asks the Governor-
General to call an election. The Prime Minister could do it himself, but it is a tradition that
the Governor-General forms the government and dissolves it.
There are more than two political parties in Canada. Right now, there are three major
political parties: the Liberals, the Conservatives and the New Democratic Party or NDP.
There are also smaller parties like the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois.
A majority government is when the party in power has at least half of the seats (the MPs).
That’s why it’s hard to defeat a majority government. A minority government is when the
party in power holds less than half the seats. Members of two or more different parties
may work together to form a majority. It is much easier to defeat the government (the party
in power) when there is a minority government.
The parties that are not in power are called opposition parties. The opposition party
with the most representatives is the Official Opposition. Their job is to oppose and try to
improve government proposals in a peaceful way.
A fun fact:
In the House of Commons, there are seats on both sides of a centre aisle, facing
each other. The aisle is wide enough that if two swords were held out, they couldn’t
touch. The Opposition Parties sit on the opposite side of the aisle from the party in
power. Parties are not supposed to cross the aisle, so they don’t get into physical
fights.
How much do you know about your Government? There is
an excellent exercise on page 34 of Discover Canada. You
should take the time to do it because you may need to know

some of this information for the Citizenship test.
Questions:
1. Who do people vote for in a federal election?
2. According to the Constitution, when do elections have to be held?
64 Elections in Canada
3. What is an electoral district? How many are there in Canada?
4. Who do Members of Parliament represent?
5. Who has the right to vote in a federal election?
6. Who can run as a candidate in a federal election?
7. What is a political party? What do they do?
8. What is a voter information card? What do you do if you don’t get one?
9. What is a ballot? What is written on the ballot? What do you mark on the ballot when
you vote?
10. What does “secret ballot” mean?
11. What are the steps you follow when you go to vote?
12. After an election, how is the government formed?
13. What does “party in power” mean?
14. How is the Prime Minister chosen?
15. What is a majority government? What is a minority government?
16. What are opposition parties and what is their role?
17. Which party becomes the Official Opposition?
18. How are Senators chosen?
19. What happens if the federal government loses a confidence vote?
20. What are the names of some of the political parties in Canada?
7 Our Justice
System
Important Words:
presumption of innocence
due process under the law
Lady Justice
The Canadian justice system is founded
on the belief that everyone is innocent until courts
they are proven to be guilty (presumption police

of innocence.) Everyone is guaranteed due
legal aid
process under the law. This means that
anyone who is charged with a crime can
go to court and have a judge and/or a jury
decide whether or not they are guilty based
on evidence. The government must respect
the legal rights of every person. In front of
a courthouse, there is often a statue of a
blindfolded lady holding a set of scales. This
is Lady Justice, and the blindfold shows that
the law is blind to everything but the facts.
Innocence or guilt is weighed by the facts,
not by how important you are or how rich
you are.
66 Our Justice System

Canada has a set of written laws that were made by elected representatives in the past.
New laws are also being written. The law applies to everyone including judges, the Queen,
politicians and the police, as well as to people who are not citizens. Our laws are meant
to keep peace and order and to give people a peaceful way to settle arguments and other
disputes. Our laws express Canadian values and beliefs.
The courts are there to settle disputes. There are federal courts and provincial courts. The
Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court. The Supreme Court consists of 9 judges
that are appointed by the Governor-General. Below the Supreme Court are federal courts
and provincial courts. The federal courts deal with issues or matters that have to do with
the federal government. Other issues or matters are dealt with by the provincial courts.
There are trial courts (sometimes called the Court of Queen’s Bench) for criminal and civil
matters, family courts, traffic courts, and small claims courts. There are also appeal courts
where people can go if they don’t like what the first court decided.
The police are there to help people, to enforce the law, and to keep people safe. They
also have to obey the law. Ontario and Quebec have provincial police forces, but in the
rest of Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is the provincial police,
and, sometimes, the municipal police. The RCMP also enforces federal laws. Larger
municipalities (towns and cities) may have their own police forces. You can question the
police about what they are doing if you think you need to. You have the right to make a
complaint if you think the police have abused their power.
If you have a legal problem, you are allowed to have a lawyer. If you don’t know a lawyer or
can’t afford to pay for one, legal aid services can help you for free or for a small cost.
Our Justice System 67

Questions:
1. What does “presumption of innocence” mean?
2. What is “due process of law”?
3. What does the blindfolded Lady Justice symbolize?
4. What is the role of the courts? What is the role of the police?
5. What is the highest court in Canada called?
6. How many judges are on the Supreme Court and who appoints them?
7. What is a trial court sometimes called?
8. What is a jury?
9. What can you do if you can’t afford a lawyer?
10. Are you allowed to ask the police questions?
68 Our Justice System

8
Important
Symbols of
Important Words:
Canada
symbols
national identity
Coat of Arms
Canada has many symbols that help explain independence
what it means to be a Canadian. They
uniforms
express our national identity. These symbols
headstones
include objects, special events and people.
veterans
Here are some important Canadian symbols.
official
colony
The Maple Leaf:
historic relationship
The maple leaf constitution
is the best-know Confederation
symbol of Canada.
royalty
Maple trees grow in
motto
eastern and central
anthem
Canada where
sovereign
the first European colonists settled and put
Armed Forces
down roots. The maple leaf was first used as
minority/minorities
a symbol by French-Canadians in the 1700s.
Important Symbols of Canada 69

Maple leaves are a part of many other Canadian symbols, including the flag of Canada and
our Coat of Arms. The Canadian Armed Forces use the maple leaf on military uniforms and
badges. The symbol is also carved into the headstones of fallen soldiers buried overseas
and veterans buried in Canada.
The Canadian Crown:
The crown has been an important symbol of Canada
for over 400 years. This is because Canada is a
constitutional monarchy with strong connections to
Great Britain. The Canadian Crown is a symbol of
government (Parliament, Legislatures), courts, police
services and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Flags of Canada:
The flag of Canada is a red maple leaf on a white
background. The outside borders are red. The flag was
adopted as our official flag in 1965. Red and white have
been the national colours of Canada since 1921. They
were chosen because they symbolize our relationship
with France and England. The Union Jack, the flag of
Great Britain, is our official royal flag. The Canadian
Red Ensign was the official flag of Canada from 1867 to
1965. All the provinces and territories, and some cities,
have their own flags.
70 Important Symbols of Canada

Fleur-De-Lys:
Fleur-de-lys means lily flower in English. It was the
symbol of French royalty for more than 1,000 years,
including in the colony of New France. The fleur-de-lys
was included in the Canadian Red Ensign flag and is an
important part of the flag of Quebec.
The Beaver:
The beaver is an important symbol of Canada because it
represents people who work hard. First, it was a symbol
of the Hudson’s Bay Company, a British fur-trading
company that explored much of Canada searching for
beaver and other furs to sell in England. This symbol is
found on the five-cent coin (the nickel), on the Coat of
Arms of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and on the Coat of
Arms of cities like Toronto and Montreal.
Coat of Arms and Motto:
After World War I (1914-1918), Canada adopted an official Coat of Arms and a national
motto. Canadian soldiers had fought bravely in the war and helped Great Britain defeat
Germany. Canada was becoming more confident and proud as a nation. A new Coat of
Arms would help make Canada distinct from Great Britain.
The Canadian Coat of Arms contains symbols of Great Britain and France, two of our
founding nations, but it also has maple leaves. The national motto is “a mari usque ad
mare” which means “from sea to sea”. The Coat of Arms and the motto are on the cover
of the Canadian passport.

Parliament Buildings:
The architecture of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa honours Canada’s French, English
and Aboriginal traditions. The first parliament buildings were completed in the 1860s.
The Centre Block was destroyed by fire in 1916 and rebuilt in 1922. Today, the Library
is the only part of the original building that remains. The Peace Tower was built in 1927
to remember the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers in World War I. The names of all soldiers,
sailors and airmen who have died serving Canada in all wars and conflicts are written in
the Books of Remembrance. The Books of Remembrance are kept in the Memorial
Chamber, a room in the Peace Tower.
Canada’s Honours:
All countries have ways to honour special citizens who have done work for their country.
At first, Canada used British honours. In 1967, the 100th birthday of Confederation,
Canadians created the Order of Canada, our own system of orders, decorations and
medals. The Order of Canada is the highest Canadian honour that can be given to a
Canadian who is not in the armed forces. The highest honour a Canadian can receive is
the Victoria Cross which is a military award for bravery, self-sacrifice and devotion to duty
in the presence of the enemy. Ninety-six Canadians have received this award since 1854.
Some recipients are Alexander Roberts Dunn (1854), William Hall (1857), Filip Konowal
(1917), Billy Bishop (WW I), Paul Triquet and Robert Hampton Gray (WW II).
Popular Sports:
Ice hockey is Canada’s most popular sport and is considered our national winter sport.
Hockey was invented in Canada in the 1800s. Today, professional hockey teams from
Canada and the United States play for the championship Stanley Cup in the National
Hockey League (NHL). The Stanley Cup was donated by Lord Stanley, the Governor

General of Canada in 1892. The Clarkson Cup, donated by
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in 2005, is awarded for
women’s hockey. Almost every community in Canada has
an indoor or outdoor ice rink where children and adults play
hockey and skate for fun. Children also play street hockey
on quiet streets in winter.
Canadian football is the second most popular sport.
Professional Canadian football teams compete for the
Grey Cup which is held in a different Canadian city every
November. Curling is also a popular winter sport. Curling
is an ice game that was introduced to Canada by Scottish
immigrants. Lacrosse is an ancient sport invented by
First Nations Peoples. It is the official summer sport of Canada. Soccer is also growing in
popularity across Canada.
Canada’s Official Languages:
English and French are the two official languages of Canada. They are important symbols
of identity. English speakers (Anglophones) and French speakers (Francophones) have
lived together in partnership for more than 300 years. The relationship between English
and French speakers is sometimes difficult, but, so far, we have been able to work out our
problems so we can stay together as one nation.
In 1969, Parliament passed the Official Languages Act to recognize the importance of
the French language in Canada. The law has three main goals:
• To make the French language and the English languages equal in Parliament,
equal in the Government of Canada and equal in institutions governed by this

law. This means that you can use either language to communicate with the federal
government and in federal courts.
• To protect and encourage official language minority communities in Canada. This
means that French speaking communities outside of Quebec can get federal
government help to keep the French language alive in those communities.
• To promote the equality of French and English in Canadian society
Anthems:
Our National Anthem is “O Canada”. It was originally a French-Canadian anthem
written in 1880, and it became the official national anthem of Canada in 1980. The French
and English words are slightly different. The Royal Anthem is “God Save the Queen
(King)”. This is the national anthem of Great Britain. It is played or sung in Canada when
Canadians want to honour the Sovereign (the Queen). The words to “O Canada” and “God
Save the Queen” are printed in Discover Canada on page 40. National public holidays
and important dates can be found on page 41 of the guide.
Questions:
1. What symbol of Canada is the best-known around the world? Where might you see
it?
2. Why is the Crown a symbol of Canada? How long has it been important?
3. What does the Canadian flag look like? When did Canada begin using the flag? What
flag did they use before?
4. What flag is the official royal flag and when is it used?

5. Why is the fleur-de-lys an important symbol in Canada? Where will you find it used?
6. What animal is an official symbol of Canada? Why? Who first used it? Where will you
see this symbol used?
7. What symbols are on the Coat of Arms? What do they represent? Where will you see
the Coat of Arms used?
8. What does “a mari usque ad mare” mean? Why is it a good motto for Canada?
9. Where are the Parliament buildings located? What will you find in the Peace Tower?
10. What is the highest honour a Canadian can receive? When did Canada get its own
system of honours?
11. What sport is Canada’s official winter sport? What sport is Canada’s official summer
sport? What are other popular sports?
12. What are Canada’s two official languages? What is the Official Languages Act?
13. What is Canada’s national anthem? What are the first two lines?
14. When do Canadians sing “God Save the Queen”?
15. When is Canada Day? What are we celebrating?

9 The Economy
of Canada
Important Words:
industrialized nation
G8 and G20
exports
Canada is an industrialized nation. It has
one of the ten largest economies in the NAFTA
world. We are members of the G8 and G20. service industries

Canada is a trading nation. In order for our
manufacturing industries
economy to be strong and grow, we need
natural resource industries
to trade with other countries. Our biggest
trading partner is, and always has been, the
United States. Over 75% of our exports go to
the United States. In 1988, Canada made a
free trade agreement with the United States,
and Mexico became a partner in 1994. This
partnership is called NAFTA (the North
America Free Trade Agreement). Canada
has also made trade agreements with other
countries. Every year, we export billions of
dollars’ worth of agricultural and natural
resource products, forestry products, energy,
and other products and consumer goods.
76 The Economy of Canada

Canada’s economies include all of the three main industry types:
• Service industries: these are jobs where people help other people in some way.
They include jobs in areas like health care, construction, transportation, education,
banking, retail services, tourism and government. More than 75% of Canadians
work in the service industry.
• Manufacturing industries: these are jobs where workers make products to sell
in Canada and around the world. Some products that Canadians manufacture are
food, clothing, automobiles, machinery, pulp and paper, technology equipment and
aerospace technology.
• Natural resource industries include agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining and
energy. These industries were the first industries to be developed in Canada (and
everywhere else). We still depend on our natural resources, and they are a large part
of our exports.
Questions:
1. How large is Canada’s economy?
2. Why is a large economy important?
3. What is NAFTA?
4. What country is Canada’s largest trading partner?
5. What are the three main types of industry in Canada? Give some examples of jobs in
each type of industry.
6. In what industry do most Canadians work?
The Economy of Canada 77

10 The Geography
of Canada
Canada is a very large country. It is the
second-largest country in the world. It is

Important Words:
so large that it has 6 different time zones.
Atlantic Ocean
It is surrounded on three sides by water:
the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Pacific Ocean
Ocean in the west, and the Arctic Ocean Arctic Ocean

in the north. Our southern border with the
Atlantic Provinces
United States is 6,400 kilometres long (292
Central Canada
kilometres is through the water of the Great
Lakes). Our western border with the United Prairie Provinces
States, which separates the Yukon and West Coast

the northern part of British Columbia from
Northern Territories
Alaska, is 2,500 kilometres long. At a total
Canadian Shield
of 8,900 kilometres, Canada and the U. S.
have the longest undefended border in the Great Lakes
world.
78 The Geography of Canada

P.E.I.
Charlottetown
There are about 34 million people living in Canada. Most live in cities, and most of the
cities are in the southern part of the country. Many of the largest cities are near the border
with the United States.
The capital of Canada is Ottawa, Ontario. This is where the federal government has its
Parliament Buildings and its offices. Ottawa is the 4th largest city in Canada. The area
surrounding Ottawa is called the National Capital Region. Across the Ottawa River is Hull,
Quebec which is part of the National Capital Region.
There are ten provinces and three territories. Each province and territory has its own
capital city and its own provincial/territorial government. The provinces and territories, with
their capital cities, are listed on page 45 of the Discover Canada guide. You should know
them.
The Geography of Canada 79

Canada has many geographical areas. There are five distinct regions: the Atlantic
Provinces, Central Canada, the Prairies Provinces, the West Coast and the Northern
Territories. The Atlantic Provinces have a different climate and geography than the West
coast; the Prairie Provinces are different from Central Canada. Some parts of the country
are rocky and may have poor soil. Some are covered in trees, and some are almost
treeless. Some parts are so cold, it is difficult for even small bushes to grow. Other parts
are covered in forests that are hundreds of years old. Some areas have good soil for
growing crops, while other places are only suitable for grazing animals. How people make
a living depends on the nature of the region in which they live.
There are two important features of Canada’s geography that affect life in Canada. One is
water, and the other is a geographical feature called the Canadian Shield.
We know that Canada is surrounded on three sides by salt water oceans, but Canada also
has a lot of freshwater. There are many large lakes and river systems. Four of the five Great
Lakes (Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie) are shared by Canada
and the United States. The other Great Lake, Lake Michigan, is in the United States. Lake
Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world, and the other four Great Lakes are in
the top 20 of the largest fresh-water lakes in the world. Four other lakes in Canada (Great
Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Lake Winnipeg and Lake Athabasca) are also in the top 20.
There are many large and small rivers and many smaller lakes. One of the largest river
systems is the Mackenzie River system. It is about 1,700 km long, and it empties into the
Arctic Ocean. Other rivers empty into the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and Hudson’s
Bay.
It is actually possible to travel by water from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Rocky
Mountains. You can understand why lakes and rivers were very important to Aboriginal
peoples and to the fur traders in Canada’s early history.

The Canadian Shield is an important geographic area in Canada. It stretches across
most of northern Canada and covers over half of Canada. Only British Columbia and
the Atlantic provinces (not including Labrador) do not have areas of Canadian Shield.
Thousands of years ago, this land was covered by glaciers. When the glaciers melted, they
left a landscape of thin soil, lakes, bogs, rocks and forests. It is also an area that is rich in
minerals like nickel, gold, silver, zinc, iron and copper. Any province or territory that has
some Canadian Shield will have some mining industries, but the largest areas of Canadian
Shield are in Ontario and Quebec. Mining is one of the main reasons that these two
provinces have more manufacturing industries than other provinces.
Questions:
1. What oceans are on Canada’s borders?
2. How many people live in Canada?
3. What is the capital of Canada? What province is it in?
4. How many provinces and territories are there? Name them and their capital cities.
5. Name the Great Lakes.
6. What is the Canadian Shield?
Atlantic Region
Atlantic Canada consists of four provinces that are either bordered by the Atlantic Ocean
or surrounded by it. Each province is a little different, but the main industries of fishing,
farming, forestry and mining all involve natural resources. Winters are generally cool, but

not as cold as some other regions. Summers can be cooler and more humid (wet) than
other parts of Canada. These provinces are important to Canada because they were some
of the first areas to be settled.
P.E.I.
Newfoundland and Labrador:
Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly province in Canada. Newfoundland is an
island and Labrador is part of the mainland. It has a small population. Only about 500,000
people live in the province. However, Newfoundland and Labrador has a rich history linked
to the sea. The British and French built fishing villages there more than 400 years ago and
Newfoundland was the oldest colony in the British Empire.

Newfoundland is also known as “The Rock” because it is so rocky. Some say that the
province is the “wettest, windiest, foggiest, cloudiest and snowiest” region in Canada. The
soil is shallow, so growing food is difficult. Most people make a living in jobs related to
fishing, but off-shore oil and gas extraction has become an important industry, along with
hydro-electricity. St. John’s is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Labrador is separated from Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle. Labrador is more
rugged, barren and even colder than Newfoundland. In the north, it is treeless. In the
south, there are spruce forests, bogs and more rocky land. Fishing villages dot the coast.
Giant icebergs float down Iceberg Alley in the summer, and whale watching is a favourite
tourist attraction.
Prince Edward Island:
Prince Edward Island (PEI) is the smallest province in Canada, both in population and
in size. Just over 140,000 people live there. The climate is mild and the soil is extremely
good. The main industry is agriculture, especially potatoes. Tourism is also important. The
novel, “Anne of Green Gables,” written by Lucy Maude Montgomery, was set in Prince
Edward Island. Many of the tourist attractions are centered around places and events from
the “Anne” novels. The beaches are also attractive to tourists.
PEI is connected to the mainland of Canada by the Confederation Bridge which was
completed in 1997. It is almost 13 kilometers long, and it is the longest bridge over ice-
covered water in the world. It takes 12 minutes to drive over it by car.
Charlottetown is the capital of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown is often called the
“birthplace of Confederation” even though PEI didn’t join Canada until 1873, six years after
Canada became a country.

Nova Scotia:
Nova Scotia is almost entirely surrounded by water. It consists of a peninsula jutting out
from the mainland of North America plus Cape Breton Island at the northern tip of the
peninsula. It has a mild climate in the winter, but it is cool in the summer. The Uplands
are hilly and forested. Some of this land is still unsuitable for settlement. The Lowlands
have some good soil, but only about 10% of the province has good farmland. The Bay of
Fundy, located on the west side of Nova Scotia, is famous for having the world’s highest
tides.
Nova Scotia has been called the Atlantic Gateway to Canada because it has good
ports that are important for trade with Europe. Ship-building and shipping are important
industries in Nova Scotia. Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, is Canada’s largest east
coast seaport. This ice-free, deep-water port has the largest naval base in Canada. The
port is important for both trade and defense. Other industries are coal-mining, forestry,
agriculture and off-shore oil and gas.
Nova Scotia was first colonized by the French, but after the deportation of the Acadians,
many new settlers came from Scotland. The name, “Nova Scotia,” means New Scotland.
The province celebrates its Scottish traditions with over 700 festivals a year.
New Brunswick:
Ninety percent of New Brunswick is still covered by forests. Twenty-five percent of goods
produced in New Brunswick are related to the forestry industry. The rest of its industry is
related to farming, fishing and mining, food processing, and tourism.
The Appalachian Mountains are in the west. The Central Highlands are rocky and covered
in forests. The Southern Highlands have large sandstone rocks carved out by high ocean
tides. The coast has rich farmland and a humid climate.

New Brunswick borders the United States in the south and the province of Quebec in
the northwest. The province was founded by United Empire Loyalists who moved north
during the American Revolution. The capital is Fredericton. Although Canada is a bilingual
country, New Brunswick is the only bilingual province. One third of the people speak
French as their first language. New Brunswick celebrates its Loyalist (English) and Acadian
(French) cultures with traditional music and street festivals.
Questions:
1. Name the Atlantic provinces and their capital cities.
2. What industries do each of them have?
3. Which province is the only bilingual province?
4. Which ocean is closest to Newfoundland and Labrador?
5. Where is Canada’s largest naval base located?
6. What province is the smallest in Canada?
7. What is another name for Newfoundland?
8. What is the Confederation Bridge?
9. Why is the Bay of Fundy famous?
Central Canada
Central Canada has two provinces (Quebec and Ontario). It is not actually in the center of
the country, but there are four provinces on the east side and four provinces on the west

side. More than half of the population of Canada lives in either Ontario or Quebec. Most
live in the south, near the Great Lakes and near the St. Lawrence River.
The Canadian Shield is in the north. The main industries in the north are forestry and
mining. The area is rich in minerals like nickel, gold, silver and copper.
In the south, the soil is much better for farming. The Great Lakes provide freshwater and
are used to transport products. Ships from all over the world come down the St. Lawrence
River to the Great Lakes and across Lake Superior to Thunder Bay. Most manufacturing
and industrial centers are in the south. This area produces 75% of Canadian manufactured
goods.

Quebec:
Quebec is the largest and second most populated province in Canada. About 8 million
people live in Quebec. Most of them live near the St Lawrence River because 90% of
Quebec is either in the Arctic, or it is Canadian Shield. Most of the people speak French as
their first language.
The Gaspe Peninsula is south of the St. Lawrence. It stretches east towards the Atlantic
Ocean, and it is bordered on the south by New Brunswick and the United States. The
Appalachian Mountains also reach into this area. Industry and farming on the Gaspe are
similar to New Brunswick.
Most of Quebec is north of the St. Lawrence River. There are low round mountains (the
Laurentians) north of the river. The Laurentians get lots of snow in the winter, so the skiing
is good. There are many ski resorts near Quebec City. Almost half (40%) of the agriculture
in Quebec is in the St. Lawrence Lowlands. Quebec has a large dairy industry that
includes cheese making. There are also many maple trees, and much of Canada’s maple
syrup comes from Quebec. Further north is Shield country. Important industries in northern
Quebec include forestry, mining and hydro-electricity. Quebec is the biggest producer of
pulp and paper in Canada. It is also the biggest producer of hydro-electricity as there are
so many lakes and rivers. Quebec power plants make almost half of the hydro-electricity in
Canada. Quebec also exports power to the United States.
Quebec City is the capital. It was one of the first places in Canada to be settled by the
French. Many of the old buildings have been preserved, and they are tourist attractions.
Montreal is the largest city in Quebec. It is one of the biggest manufacturing centers
in Canada. It is also the second largest French-speaking city in the world. Only Paris
is bigger. Pharmaceuticals and aeronautics are important industries in the province,
and Quebec’s music, film, literature and food are known around the world. Quebec is

an important member of the La Francophonie, an international association of French-
speaking nations.
Ontario:
Ontario is the most populated province in Canada with 12 million people. It has the
second-largest French-speaking population in Canada. Almost 1/3 of Canadians live in
Ontario. Most live in the south, near the Great Lakes.
Northern Ontario is similar to Quebec. A large part of Northern Ontario is Canadian Shield
with forests, rocks, swamps and wilderness. There are plenty of minerals for mining,
and forestry and logging are also important. Rivers and lakes make it easy to transport
northern resources to the south for manufacturing. Thunder Bay is an important city at
the top of Lake Superior because it is a big grain depot. The grain comes from the Prairie
Provinces by railroad. It is loaded on to large ships which take it through the Great Lakes
and out through the St Lawrence River to markets around the world.
The southern part of Ontario was originally settled by the United Empire Loyalists after
the American Revolution. Southern Ontario is warmer and more fertile than the North. The
land is level and good for agriculture. Farmers in the province raise beef and dairy cattle,
chickens and other animals. They grow fruit, vegetables and grain. The Niagara region is
well-known for its vineyards and winemaking. Manufacturing is also important in Southern
Ontario, especially automobiles and steel. Ontario makes 50% of Canada’s manufactured
goods because it has everything that industry needs: raw materials, cheap transportation
and large cities for markets and workers.
Toronto is the capital of Ontario. Toronto is also the largest city in Canada, and it is the
financial centre of Canada. Many immigrants have settled in Toronto, so it is culturally
diverse. Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is also located in Ontario. Niagara Falls, a world
famous tourist attraction, is in Ontario.

Questions:
1. Name the provinces in Central Canada and their capital cities.
2. Which province has the largest population?
3. What portion of Canada’s population lives in Central Canada?
4. Which province is the largest?
5. One third of Canadians live in which province?
6. Where do most French-speaking Canadians live?
7. Which province is Canada’s largest producer of hydroelectricity?
8. Which province is the biggest producer of minerals?
9. What is the major river in Quebec?
10. What is important about Montreal?
11. What is a major tourist attraction in Ontario?
12. Why is Thunder Bay an important city?
Prairie Provinces
There are three Prairie Provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Although there
are some areas of Canadian Shield in all three provinces, most of the land is fairly flat and
fertile which makes it ideal for agriculture. Each province has different weather patterns,
moisture and landscapes, but they tend to be drier than the rest of the country. The
Prairies are hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

Manitoba:
Manitoba is actually the geographical centre of Canada. Most of the province is covered
by forests and the Canadian Shield. In the south, there is a region of prairie that has good
soil for farming.
Because there are so many large and small lakes and rivers in the province, Manitoba has
been called the Land of 100,000 Lakes. Lake Winnipeg is the largest, but Lake Manitoba,
Lake Winnipegosis and Cedar Lake are also big. Much of the space in the centre of
Manitoba is filled by these lakes.

Agriculture is the most important industry, but there is also mining, hydro-electricity and
some manufacturing. Manitoba is very windy, and wind is becoming a good source of
energy.
Manitoba is a large province, but it has a small population, less than 1.5 million people.
60% of the population lives in Winnipeg, the capital city. “Portage and Main,” in
downtown Winnipeg, is one of Canada’s most famous street corners. People joke that it
is the coldest and windiest street corner in Canada. St. Boniface, a part of Winnipeg, is
the largest Francophone community west of Ontario. Manitoba has the largest Aboriginal
population in Canada. 15% of the Aboriginal people of Canada live in Manitoba. 14% of
Manitobans are descended from families that came from the Ukraine.
Saskatchewan:
Saskatchewan, “Canada’s Bread Basket,” was once called “the bread basket of the
world.” It has 40% of the best farmland in Canada. Most of Saskatchewan is very flat, and
the most important industry is agriculture. Saskatchewan is the largest producer of grains
and oilseeds in the country.
In the north, there is an area of Canadian Shield where there is mining and forestry.
Saskatchewan is also a large producer of potash, uranium, oil and natural gas. Like
Manitoba and Alberta, winters can be very cold, and summers can be very hot.
The capital of Saskatchewan is Regina. The training academy for the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police (RCMP) is located in Regina. Saskatoon, another city in Saskatchewan,
is larger than Regina, and it is the headquarters for the mining industry. The University of
Saskatchewan, located in Saskatoon, is an important education, research and technology
centre.

Alberta:
Alberta has the largest population of all the Prairie Provinces. Almost 4 million people
live in Alberta. The land is different from the other two provinces. There is a small area of
Canadian Shield in the north-east corner, but most of the rest of the province is a flat plain
with small rolling hills. In the north, the plain is covered in forests. The farther west you go,
the hillier it becomes. The Rocky Mountains are in the west.
Because moist air from the Pacific Ocean has a hard time getting over the Rocky
Mountains, the winds that come from the west are dry. They create almost desert-like
conditions. The southern half of the province is especially dry, so drought is a problem. In
the winter, the same winds can bring Chinooks. These are warm winds that can raise the
temperature 25 degrees or more.
Alberta has always been an agriculture province. Because it is drier and hillier than
Saskatchewan, more people raise beef cattle. In the northern forests, there is some
logging. Alberta is also an energy province and has been since the discovery of oil in
Leduc in 1947. Oil and gas can be found in all parts of the province, but the biggest oil
sands fields are located in the north, near Fort McMurray and in the Peace River region.
Tourism is another major industry in Alberta. There are five national parks: Banff, Jasper,
Waterton, Elk Island and Wood Buffalo. The Badlands, near Drumheller and Brooks are
famous for dinosaur and other prehistoric fossils. The Royal Tyrell Museum is located just
outside of Drumheller. It is a world famous tourist attraction.
The capital of Alberta is Edmonton. Calgary is the headquarters for most of the energy
companies.

Questions:
1. Name the Prairies Provinces and their capital cities.
2. Where are the Canadian Rockies?
3. Which province is Canada’s major producer of oil and gas?
4. Which province is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world and a
leading wheat producer?
5. What is the capital city of Alberta?
6. Which province is known as the “Land of 100,000 Lakes”?
7. In which province is Banff National Park located?
8. What is the largest lake in Manitoba?
9. What is a Chinook?
The West Coast

British Columbia:
The West Coast Region has only one province, British Columbia. British Columbia (B.C.)
is different from all the other provinces because of its location and geography. The
mountains are higher, and the Pacific Ocean is warmer than the Atlantic waters off the east
coast of Canada. Much of the province is covered by huge mountain ranges. The most
famous are the Rocky Mountains, which are also in Alberta. The Coast Mountains extend
along the entire Pacific coast. The Pacific Maritime region is the part of B.C that is right on
the coast. Because of the warm air from the ocean, the coast is warmer and wetter than

the rest of Canada, and there is little snow. There are tall cedar trees and old forests. There
is even a northern rain forest.
The Interior Plain is in between the mountains ranges. The Interior Plain is a flatter area, so
it is good for farming and ranching. In the southern Okanagan Valley, they grow fruit and
vegetables and make wine. Farther north, there is good grassland for cattle.
Two-thirds of the province is covered in forests. Forestry is the most important industry
in British Columbia. B.C. provides 60% of Canada’s lumber. It also exports lumber to
the United States and to countries in Asia. Lumber, newsprint, and pulp and paper are
very important. You may remember that Quebec produces most of the pulp and paper in

Canada, but B.C. has the largest forestry industry. Mining, fishing, and agriculture (fruit
and wine) are also important industries. Of course, tourism is very important to British
Columbia as the scenery is spectacular. There are 600 provincial parks. The mountains
are great for skiing and hiking, and sport fishing is popular all over B.C., especially on the
coast. Whale watching is another popular tourist attraction.
About four million people live in British Columbian. Victoria, located on Vancouver
Island, is the capital. It is a popular tourist destination, and it is also the headquarters of
the Pacific Fleet of Canada’s Navy. Vancouver, located on the mainland, is an excellent,
deep-water seaport. It is called Canada’s Pacific Gateway because it is the gateway
to Asia and the Pacific. Vancouver is the largest city in the province. It has a large Asian
community. After English, Chinese and Punjabi are the most-spoken languages in
Vancouver.
Questions:
1. Which mountain range is on the border between Alberta and British Columbia?
2. What province(s) or territories are in the West Coast region?
3. Why is British Columbia known as Canada’s Pacific Gateway?
4. What is the capital of B.C.?
5. What is the most important industry in B.C.?
The North
The Northern Territories cover more than 1/3 of Canada’s land area, but the population is
very small. Only about 100, 000 people live in the Northern Territories which is about the

same as the population of Red Deer, Alberta. In the far north, there are no large trees, just
shrubs, grass, lichens, and moss. This type of land is called tundra. The soil is always
frozen. This is called permafrost, and it is very difficult to grow anything. South of the
tundra, is an area called the Taiga that has spruce and pine trees. The winters are long and
cold, and the summers are short and dry. The North is called the “Land of the Midnight
Sun.” In the middle of summer, there can be 24 hours of daylight. In mid-winter, however,
it is still dark in the middle of the day. Although some of the Aboriginal people in the north
still hunt, fish and trap like their ancestors did, most people work in the mining industry
(gold, lead, copper, diamonds and zinc) or in the oil and gas industry. Some Inuit artists
create and sell their work to art collectors in Canada and around the world.

Yukon:
The Yukon borders on British Columbia and Alaska (USA). It is very mountainous. The
highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan, is in the Yukon. It was named after Sir William
Logan, a great Canadian scientist. Like the other territories, there is permafrost in the north
and trees in the south. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was recorded in
the Yukon (-63 degrees C).
In the 1890s, during the Yukon Gold Rush, people came from all over the world to look
for gold. Not many people found it, but a few people became very rich. Most of the people
returned home, but some stayed. Mining is still a very important industry in the Yukon.
Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon. In 1900, the White Pass and Yukon Railways were
built to link Skagway, Alaska with Whitehorse. Today, this is a spectacular train trip for
tourists.
Northwest Territories:
The Northwest Territories are in the middle of the three territories. If you travel north
from Saskatchewan, Alberta and western British Columbia, you will be in the Northwest
Territories. The Mackenzie River system, the second largest river system in North
America, empties into the Arctic Ocean. Great Bear Lake is the largest lake that is entirely
in Canada, and Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in North America. Almost half the
territory has no trees.
More than half of the population of the Northwest Territories is Aboriginal (Dene, Métis and
Inuit). Half of the population of the Northwest Territories lives in Yellowknife, the capital.
Yellowknife is called “the diamond capital of the world” because mining diamonds, as
well as gold, is an important industry. Other people work at government jobs or make
Aboriginal arts and crafts.

The government of the Northwest Territories is different from governments of the Yukon
and the provinces. The Legislative Assembly operates by consensus. Everyone has to
agree in order for laws to be passed.
Nunavut:
Nunavut is the newest of the territories. Until 1999, it was part of the Northwest Territories.
Nunavut means “our land” in Inuktitut. Inuktitut is one of the official languages of Nunavut.
There are few trees, and the ocean is frozen most of the year. Most people make a living
by traditional means such as hunting and fishing and selling Inuit carvings and art. The
capital is Iqaluit which is located on the southeast coast of Baffin Island in the Arctic
Ocean.
The Canadian Rangers, a division of the Canadian Forces Reserves, police the north from
Resolute to the magnetic North Pole. Their presence shows that Canada has sovereignty
over the far north.
Questions:
1. What region covers more than 1/3 of Canada?
2. Name the Northern territories and their capital cities?
3. What region is called the “Land of the Midnight Sun”?
4. What is the name of Canada’s highest mountain? Where is it?
5. What is the “diamond capital of the world”?
6. What language is an official language of Nunavut?

11 Useful Websites
for Practice Tests
1. www.canadiancitizenshiptestkit.com/canadian-citizenship-test
2. www.v-soul.com/onlinetest
3. www.toptipsclub.com/Citizenship_Test.asp
4. www.citizenshiptests.ca
5. www.citizenshipcounts.ca/quiz
6. www.apnatoronto.com/canadian-citizenship-test-practice
(this has some questions specific to Ontario)
7. www.yourlibrary.ca/citizenship
(this has some questions specific to British Columbia)
Useful Websites 99
100 The Oath of Citizenship

Know Canada!: A Plain Language Study Guide For The Citizenship Exam

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Know Canada!: A Plain Language Study Guide For The Citizenship Exam

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Know Canada!: A Plain Language Study Guide For The Citizenship Exam

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Know Canada!

A Plain Language Study Guide for the Citizenship Exam

Sheena Roes, Adult Literacy Volunteer

Canada’s 150th, a collaboration between Red Deer and District

Community Foundation, the Government of Canada, and

extraordinary leaders from coast to coast to coast.

We also gratefully acknowledge the support of Drumheller and

District Learning Society, Campus Alberta Central, and our

colleagues in the field who encouraged us to move forward with

Know Canada! is a free, downloadable resource available to CALP

members and partners. You will find it on the CALP Portal.

Design by: Linda Keith

is Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of

Citizenship. However, as many of us have discovered, Discover

Canada can be quite challenging for English language learners

In particular, these may be learners from rural areas who came

to Canada under the Foreign Worker Program. They often have

difficulty accessing the English language learning opportunities

available to them. Certainly, this is the case in our rural community,

so some time ago, we began to talk about creating something to

supplement Discover Canada. In the end, we decided on a plain

language version of the citizenship test study guide that would

help both learners and volunteer tutors work through Discover

Here’s what we did:

• Maintained the structure and most of the content of Discover Canada.

tone casual and conversational and the sentences short.

helps tutors, too.

• Highlighted important words, people and phrases.

• Included extra maps.

• Created questions at the end of each section to reinforce the learning.

• Double spaced the text to make room for translations.

questions they will encounter on the exam.

resource that does both.

2. Rights and Responsibilities of Canadians 7

3. Who Are We? 12

4. The History of Canada 20

5. The Government of Canada 53

7. Our Justice System 66

8. Important Symbols of Canada 69

9. The Economy of Canada 76

10. The Geography of Canada 78

11. Useful Websites 99

2. To whom or what do you swear allegiance?

6 The Oath of Citizenship

law, the constitution, and the Canadian common law

was the British North America Act of 1867. In Habeas corpus

Rights and Responsibilities of Canadians 7

the government shouldn’t limit them.

The four fundamental freedoms are:

2. Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression; freedom of speech and

long as you do it peacefully and lawfully.

8 Rights and Responsibilities of Canadians

You can be friends with anyone.

speech against someone else.

and come back).

3. Official Language Rights and Minority Language Educational Rights: French

English is considered to be a minority language in the province of Quebec because

Canada, French is considered to be a minority language. Minority language groups