discover Canada the rights and responsibilities of citizenship study guide the oath of citizenship I swear or affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second queen of Canada her heirs and successors and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen the sermo deceit Ont jeschill huija film salon Elmo Kuja save a fiddle a portal a Sansa Allegiance as a Majesty Levin Elizabeth do render Canada a society a successor coach observer a Fidelma LaGuardia Canada a coach around play Louie an MA Miz obligación de cito a Canadian understanding the oath in Canada we profess our loyalty to a person who represents all Canadians and not to a document such as a constitution a banner such as a flag or a geopolitical entity such as a country in our constitutional monarchy these elements are encompassed by the sovereign a queen or king it is a remarkably simple yet powerful principle Canada is personified by the sovereign just as the sovereign is personified by Canada message our readers welcome it took courage to move to a new country your decision to apply for citizenship is another big step you are becoming part of a great tradition that was built by generations of pioneers before you once you have met all the legal requirements we hope to welcome you as a new citizen with all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship Canada has welcomed generations of newcomers to our shores to help us build a free law-abiding and prosperous society for 400 years settlers and immigrants have contributed to the diversity and richness of our country which is built on a proud history and a strong identity Canada is a constitutional monarchy a parliamentary democracy and a federal state Canadians are bound together by a shared commitment to the rule of law into the institutions of parliamentary government Canadians take pride in their identity and have made sacrifices to defend their way of life by coming to Canada and taking this important step towards Canadian citizenship you are helping to write the continuing story of Canada immigrants between the ages of 18 and 54 must have adequate knowledge of English or French in order to become Canadian citizens you must also learn about voting procedures Canada's history symbols democratic institutions geography and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship Canadian citizens enjoy many rights but Canadians also have responsibilities they must obey Canada's laws and respect the rights and freedoms of others this guide will help you prepare to become a Canadian citizen good luck for information about Citizenship and Immigration Canada visit our website at WWDC CA applying for citizenship when you apply for citizenship officials will check your status verify that you are not prohibited from applying and ensure that you meet the requirements your application may take several months please ensure that the call center always has your correct address while your application is being processed telephone numbers will be supplied at the conclusion of this audio guide caption images of citizens taking the oath how to use this booklet to prepare for the citizenship test this booklet will help you prepare for the citizenship test you should study this guide ask a friend or family member to help you practice answering questions about Canada call a local school or School Board a college a community center or a local organization that provides services to immigrants and ask for information on citizenship classes take English or French language classes which the Government of Canada offers free of charge about the citizenship test the citizenship test is usually a written test but it could be an interview you will be tested on to basic requirements for citizenship 1 knowledge of Canada and of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and to adequate knowledge of English or French adult applicants 55 years of age and over do not need to write the citizenship test the citizenship regulations provide information on how your ability to meet the knowledge of Canada requirement is determined information about these regulations will be provided later in this audio guide all the citizenship test questions are based on the subject areas noted in the Citizenship regulations and all required information is provided in this study guide after the test if you pass the test and meet all the other requirements you will receive a notice to appear to take the oath of citizenship this document tells you the date time and place of your citizenship ceremony at the ceremony you will take the oath of citizenship sign the oath form and receive your Canadian citizenship certificate if you do not pass the test you will receive a notification indicating the next steps you are encouraged to bring your family and friends to celebrate this occasion rights and responsibilities of citizenship Canadian citizens have rights and responsibilities these come to us from our history are secured by Canadian law and reflect our shared traditions identity and values Canadian law has several sources including laws passed by Parliament and the provincial legislatures English common law the Civil Code of France and the unwritten Constitution that we have inherited from Great Britain together these secured for Canadians an 800 year old tradition of ordered liberty which dates back to the signing of Magna Carta in 1215 in England also known as the Great Charter of freedoms including freedom of conscience and religion freedom of thought belief opinion and expression including freedom of speech and of the press freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association habeas corpus the right to challenge unlawful detention by the state comes from English common law the Constitution of Canada was amended in 1982 to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which begins with the words whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law this phrase underlines the importance of religious traditions to Canadian society and the dignity and worth of the human person the Charter attempts to summarize fundamental freedoms while also setting out additional rights the most important of these include mobility rights Canadians can live and work anywhere they choose in Canada enter and leave the country freely and apply for a passport Aboriginal peoples rights the rights guaranteed in the Charter will not adversely affect any treaty or other rights or freedoms of Aboriginal peoples official language rights and minority language educational rights French and English have equal status in Parliament and throughout the government multiculturalism a fundamental characteristic of the Canadian heritage and identity Canadian celebrating the gift of one another's presence and work hard to respect pluralism and live in harmony caption image of queen elizabeth ii proclaiming the amended constitution in ottawa in 1982 the Equality of women and men in Canada men and women are equal under the law Canada's openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerates postal abuse honor killings female genital mutilation forced marriage or other gender-based violence those guilty of these crimes are severely punished under Canada's criminal laws citizenship responsibilities in Canada rights come with responsibilities these include obeying the law one of Canada's founding principles is the rule of law individuals and governments are regulated by laws and not by arbitrary actions no person or group is above the law taking responsibility for oneself in one's family getting a job taking care of one's family and working hard in keeping with one's abilities are important Canadian values work contributes to personal dignity and self-respect and to Canada's prosperity serving on a jury when called to do so you are legally required to serve serving on a jury is a privilege that makes the justice system work as it depends on impartial juries made up of citizens voting in elections the right to vote comes with a responsibility to vote in federal provincial or territorial and call elections helping others in the community millions of volunteers freely donate their time to help others without pay by helping people in need assisting at your child's school volunteering at a food bank or other charity or encouraging newcomers to integrate volunteering is an excellent way to gain useful skills and develop friends and contacts protecting and enjoying our heritage and environment every citizen has a role to play in avoiding waste and pollution while protecting Canada's natural cultural and architectural heritage for future generations defending Canada there is no compulsory military service in Canada however serving in the regular Canadian Forces Navy Army and Air Force is a noble way to contribute to Canada and an excellent career choice more information can be obtained online from the Canadian Forces website at wwlp.com tax young people can learn discipline responsibilities and skills by getting involved in the cadets more information can be obtained online from the canadian cadet organizations website at WWDC a you may also serve in the Coast Guard or emergency services in your community such as a police force or Fire Department by helping to protect your community you follow in the footsteps of Canadians before you who made sacrifices in the service of our country who we are Canada is known around the world as a strong and free country Canadians are proud of their unique identity we have inherited the oldest continuous constitutional tradition in the world we are the only constitutional monarchy in North America our institutions uphold a commitment to peace order and good government a key phrase in Canada's original constitutional document in 1867 the British North America Act a belief in ordered liberty enterprise hard work and fair play have enabled Canadians to build a prosperous society in a rugged environment from our Atlantic Shores to the Pacific Ocean and to the Arctic Circle so much so that poets and songwriters have hailed Canada as 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 caption images of amazing man from Alberta of a Cree dancer of Inuit children in a cattle at Nunavut and of the Haida artists will need carving a totem pole Aboriginal peoples the ancestors of Aboriginal peoples are believed to have migrated from Asia many thousands of years ago they were well established here long before explorers from Europe first came to North America diverse vibrant First Nations cultures were rooted in religious beliefs about their relationship to the Creator the natural environment and each other Aboriginal and treaty rights are in the Canadian Constitution territorial rights were first guaranteed through the Royal proclamation of 1763 by King George the third and established the basis for negotiating treaties with newcomers treaties that were not always fully respected from the 1800's until the 1980s the federal government placed many Aboriginal children in residential schools to educate and assimilate them into mainstream Canadian culture the schools were poorly funded and inflicted hardship on the students some were physically abused Aboriginal languages and cultural practices were mostly prohibited in 2008 Ottawa formally apologized to the former students in today's Canada Aboriginal peoples enjoyed renewed pride and confidence and have made significant achievements in agriculture the environment business and the arts today the term Aboriginal peoples refer to three distinct groups Indian refers to all Aboriginal people who are not into it or matey in the 1970s the term First Nations began to be used today about half of First Nations people live on reserved land in about 600 communities while the other half live off reserve mainly in urban centres the Inuit which means the people in the inducted took language live in small scattered communities across the Arctic their knowledge of the land sea and wildlife enabled them to adapt to one of the harshest environments on earth the maytee are a distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry the majority of whom live in the prairie provinces they come from both French and English speaking backgrounds and speak their own dialect misha f-- about 65% of the aboriginal people are First Nations while 30% are maytee and 4% inuit unity in diversity john buchan the 1st baron tweeds muir was a popular Governor General of Canada in 1935 to 1940 in a speech to the Canadian Club of Halifax in 1937 he noted 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 and tradition which Springs from their union the 15th governor-general is shown in blood keine First Nation headdress caption images of the Saint Patrick's Day parade in Montreal Quebec a Highland dancer in maxvill Ontario a family celebrating fête nationale in Gatineau Quebec and of an Acadian fiddler in village of gall dolls New Brunswick English and French Canadian society today stems largely from the english-speaking and french-speaking Christian civilizations that were brought here from Europe by settlers English and French define the reality of day-to-day life for most people and are the country's official languages the federal government is required by law to provide services throughout Canada in English and French today there are 18 million Anglophones people who speak English as a first language and 7 million francophones people who speak French as their first language while the majority of francophones live in the province of Quebec 1 million francophones live in Ontario New Brunswick and Manitoba with a smaller presence in other provinces New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province the Acadians are the descendants of French colonists who began settling in what are now the maritime provinces in 1604 between 1755 and 1763 during the war between Britain and France more than two-thirds of the Acadians were deported from their homeland despite this ordeal known as the great upheaval the Acadians survived and maintained their unique identity today Acadian culture is flourishing and is a lively part of french-speaking Canada Quebecers are the people of Quebec the vast majority french-speaking most are descendants of 8500 French settlers from the 1600s and 1700s and maintained a unique identity culture and language the House of Commons recognized in 2006 that the québécois form a nation within a united Canada 1 million Anglo Quebecers have a heritage of 250 years and form a vibrant part of the Quebec fabric the basic way of life in english-speaking areas was established by hundreds of thousands of English Welsh Scottish and Irish settlers soldiers and migrants from the 1600s to the 20th century generations of pioneers and builders of British origins as well as other groups invested and endured hardship in laying the foundations of our country this helps explain why Anglophones or English speakers are generally referred to as English Canadians becoming Canadian some Canadians immigrated from places where they have experienced warfare or conflict such experiences do not justify bringing to Canada violent extreme or hateful prejudices in becoming Canadian newcomers are expected to embrace democratic principles such as the rule of law caption images of the celebration of cultures in Edmonton Alberta of Ismaili Muslims in the Calgary Stampede Alberta of the Caribbean cultural festival in Toronto Ontario of the Ukranian pisanka festival in vague reveal Alberta of young polish dancers in Oliver British Columbia and of the pipes and drums in Ottawa diversity in Canada the majority of Canadians were born in this country and this has been true since the 1800s however Canada is often referred to as a land of immigrants because over the past 200 years millions of newcomers have helped to build and defend our way of life many ethnic and religious groups live and work in peace as proud canadians the largest groups are the English French Scottish Irish German Italian Chinese Aboriginal Ukrainian Dutch South Asian and Scandinavian since the 1970s most immigrants have come from Asian countries non official languages are widely spoken in Canadian homes Chinese languages are the second most spoken at home after English in two of Canada's biggest cities in Vancouver 13% of the population speak Chinese languages at home in Toronto the number is 7% the great majority of Canadians identify as Christians the largest religious affiliation is Catholic followed by various Protestant churches the numbers of Muslims Jews Hindus Sikhs and members of other religions as well as people who state no religion are also growing in Canada the state has traditionally partnered with faith communities to promote social welfare harmony and mutual respect to provide schools and health care to resettle refugees and to uphold religious freedom religious expression and freedom of conscience Canada's diversity includes gay and lesbian Canadians who enjoy the full protection of an equal treatment under the law including access to civil marriage together these diverse groups sharing a common Canadian identity make up today's multicultural society caption images of Christmas and Gatineau Chinese Canadian War veterans not redeemed Avik trial in Quebec City and the Chinese New Year celebration in Vancouver image of Margaery Turner Bailey with caption Olympian Marjorie Turner Bailey of Nova Scotia is a descendant of black loyalists escaped slaves and freed men and women of African origin who in the 1780s fled to Canada from America where slavery remained legal until 1863 Canada's history Aboriginal peoples when Europeans explored Canada they found all regions occupied by native peoples they called Indians because the first explorers thought they had reached the East Indies the native people lived off the land some by hunting and gathering others by raising crops the Huron when debt of the Great Lake region like the Iroquois were farmers and hunters the Cree and Danai of the Northwest were hunter-gatherers the Sioux were nomadic following the bison or Buffalo herd the inner wit lived off Arctic Wildlife West Coast natives preserved fish by drying and smoking warfare was common among Aboriginal groups as they competed for land resources and prestige the arrival of the European traders missionary soldiers and colonists changed the native way of life forever large numbers of aboriginals died of European diseases to which they lacked immunity however aboriginals and Europeans formed strong economic religious and military bombs in the first 200 years of coexistence which laid the foundations of Canada caption image of an Indian encampment during fur trade era the first Europeans the Vikings from Iceland who colonized Greenland a thousand years ago also reached Labrador and the island of Newfoundland the remains of their settlement monks Olmedo are a world heritage site European exploration began in earnest in 1497 with the expedition of John Coble who was the first to draw a map of Canada's East Coast image of John Coble with caption John Coble an Italian immigrant to England was the first to map Canada's Atlantic shore setting foot on Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island in 1497 and claiming the newfound land for England English settlement did not begin until 1610 exploring a river naming Canada between 1534 and 1542 Jacques Cartier made three voyages across the Atlantic claiming the land for King Francis the first of France Cartier heard two captured guides speak the Iroquois and word anata meaning village by the 1550s the name of Canada began appearing on maps image of Jacques Cartier with caption Jacques Cartier was the first European to explore the Saint Lawrence River and to set eyes on present-day Quebec City and Montreal Royal New France in 1604 the first European settlement north of Florida was established by French explorers Pierre de Mille and samuel de champlain first on st. Croix island in present-day Maine then at Port Royal in Acadia present-day Nova Scotia in 1608 Champlain built a fortress at what is now Quebec City the colonists struggled against a harsh climate Champlain allied the colony with the Algonquin montagnier and Huron historic enemies of the Iroquois a confederation of five later six First Nations who battled with the French settlements for a century the French and the Iroquois made peace in 1701 the French and Aboriginal people collaborated in the vast fur trade economy driven by the demand for beaver pelts in Europe outstanding leaders like Zhang Kai long Laval and count Frontenac built a French Empire in North America that reached from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico image of count Frontenac with caption count Frontenac refused to surrender Quebec to the English in 1690 saying my only reply will be from the mouths of my cannons image of Pierre Lim wire with caption Pierre naman Sierra de boville was a great hero of New France winning many victories over the English from James Bay in the north to Navy in the Caribbean in the late 17th and early 18th centuries struggle for a continent in 1670 king charles ii of england granted the Hudson's Bay Company exclusive trading rights over the watershed draining into Hudson Bay for the next hundred years the company competed with montreal-based traders the skilled and courageous men who traveled by canoe were called Voyager and Rivera Dubois and formed strong alliances with First Nations English colonies along the Atlantic seaboard dating from the early 1600s eventually became richer and more populous than New France in the 1700s France and Great Britain battled for control of North America in 1759 the British defeated the French in the Battle of the plains of Abraham at Quebec City marking the end of Frances Empire in America the commanders of both armies Brigadier James Wolfe and the Marquis de Montcalm were killed leading their troops in battle the province of Quebec following the war Great Britain renamed the colony the province of Quebec the french-speaking Catholic people known as a baton or Canadian strove to preserve their way of life in the english-speaking Protestant ruled British Empire a tradition of accommodation - better govern the French Roman Catholic majority the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act of 1774 one of the constitutional foundations of Canada the Quebec Act accommodated the principles of British institutions - the reality of the province it allowed religious freedom for Catholics and permitted them to hold public office a practice not then allowed in Britain the Quebec Act restored French civil law while maintaining British criminal law image of Sir Guy Carleton with caption Sir Guy Carleton also called Lord Dorchester as governor of Quebec defended the rights of the Canadian defeated an American military invasion of Quebec in 1775 and supervised the loyalist migration to Nova Scotia and Quebec in 1782 and 83 United Empire Loyalists in 1776 the 13 British colonies to the south of Quebec declared independence and formed the United States North America was again divided by war more than 40,000 people loyal to the crown called loyalists fled the oppression of the American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia and Quebec Joseph Brant led thousands of loyalist Mohawk Indians into Canada the loyalists came from Dutch German British Scandinavian Aboriginal and other origins and from Presbyterian Anglican Baptist Methodist Jewish Quaker and Catholic religious backgrounds about 3,000 black loyalists freedmen and slaves came North seeking a better life in turn in 1792 some black Nova Scotians who were given poor land moved on to establish Freetown Sierra Leone West Africa a new British colony for freed slaves the big of democracy democratic institutions developed gradually and peacefully the first representative assembly was elected in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1758 Prince Edward Island followed in 1773 New Brunswick in 1785 the constitutional Act of 1791 divided the province of Quebec into Upper Canada later Ontario which was mainly loyalist Protestant and english-speaking and Lower Canada later Quebec heavily Catholic and french-speaking the Act also granted to the Canada's for the first time legislative assemblies elected by the people the name Canada also became official at this time and has been used ever since the Atlantic colonies in the to Canada's were known collectively as British North America image of the Assembly of Lower Canada with caption the first elected Assembly of Lower Canada in Quebec City debates whether to use both French and English January the 21st 1793 abolition of slavery slavery has existed all over the world from Asia Africa and the Middle East to the Americas the first movement to abolish the transatlantic slave trade emerged in the British Parliament in the late 1700s in 1793 Upper Canada led by lieutenant governor John Graves Simcoe a loyalist military officer became the first province in the Empire to move toward abolition in 1807 the British Parliament prohibited the buying and selling of slaves and in 1833 abolished slavery throughout the Empire thousands of slaves escaped from the United States followed the North Star and settled in Canada via the Underground Railroad a Christian anti-slavery network image of Lieutenant Colonel John Graves Simcoe with caption Lieutenant Colonel John grave Simcoe was upper Canada's first lieutenant governor and founder of the city of York now Toronto Simcoe also made Upper Canada the first province in the British Empire to abolish slavery image of Marianne shad Kerry with caption Marianne shad Kerry was an outspoken activist in the movement to abolish slavery in the USA in 1853 she became the first woman publisher in Canada helping to found and edit the provincial Freeman a weekly newspaper dedicated to anti-slavery black immigration to Canada temperates urging people to drink less alcohol and upholding British rule a growing economy the first companies in Canada were formed during the French and British regimes and competed for the fur trade the Hudson's Bay Company with French British and Aboriginal employees came to dominate the trade in the Northwest from Fort Garry now Winnipeg and Fort Edmonton to Fort Langley near Vancouver and Fort Victoria trading posts that later became cities the first financial institutions opened in the late 18th and early 19th centuries the Montreal Stock Exchange opened in 1832 for centuries Canada's economy was based mainly on farming and an exporting natural resources such as fur fish and timber transported by roads lakes rivers and canals the war of 1812 the fight for Canada after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte's fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 the Royal Navy ruled the waves the British Empire which included Canada fought to resist Bonaparte's bid to dominate Europe this led to American resentment had British interference with their shipping believing it would be easy to conquer Canada the United States launched an invasion in June 1812 the Americans were mistaken Canadian volunteers and first nations including Shawnee led by chief Tecumseh supported British soldiers in Canada's defense in July Major General Sir Isaac Brock captured Detroit but was killed while defending against an American attack at Queenston Heights near Niagara Falls a battle the Americans lost in 1813 Lieutenant Colonel Charles De Salaberry and 460 soldiers mostly French Canadian turned back 4,000 American invaders at Chateau gay south of Montreal in 1813 the Americans burned government house and the Parliament Buildings in York now Toronto in retaliation in 1814 Major General Robert Ross led an expedition from Nova Scotia that burned down the White House and other public buildings in Washington DC Ross died in battle soon afterwards and was buried in Halifax with full military honors by 1814 the American attempt to conquer Canada had failed the British paid for a costly Canadian defense system including the Citadel's at Halifax and Quebec City the naval drydock at Halifax and fort Henry at Kingston today popular historic sites the present-day Canada USA border is partly an outcome of the war of 1812 which ensured that Canada would remain independent of the United States image of a Royal Navy frigate with caption HMS Shannon a Royal Navy frigate leads the captured USS Chesapeake into Halifax Harbour 1813 there were also naval battles on the Great Lakes image of Brock and Tecumseh with caption Major General Sir Isaac Brock and chief Tecumseh together British troops First Nations and Canadian volunteers defeated an American invasion in 1812 in 1814 image of a militia man with caption French Canadian militiamen helped defend Canada in the war of 1812 image of the Duke of Wellington with caption the Duke of Wellington sent some of his best soldiers to defend Canada in 1814 he then chose Bytown Ottawa as the end point of the Rideau Canal part of a network of forts to prevent the USA from invading Canada again Wellington who defeated Napoleon in 1815 therefore played a direct role in founding the National Capital image of Laura Secord with caption in 1813 Laura Secord pioneer wife and mother of five children made a dangerous nineteen mile or thirty kilometer journey on foot torn Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon of a planned American attack her bravery contributed to victory at the Battle of beaver dams she is recognized as a heroine to this day rebellions of 1837 1838 in the 1830s reformers in Upper and Lower Canada believed that progress toward full democracy was too slow some believed Canada should adopt American Republican values or even try to join the United States when armed rebellions occurred in 1837 1838 in the area outside Montreal and in Toronto the rebels did not have enough public support to succeed they were defeated by British troops and Canadian volunteers a number of rebels were hanged or exiled some exiles later returned to Canada lord durham an english reformer sent to report on the rebellions recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be merged and given responsible government this meant that the ministers of the crown must have the support of a majority of the elected representatives in order to govern controversially Lord Durham also said that the quickest way for the Canadian to achieve progress was to assimilate into english-speaking Protestant culture this recommendation demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of French Canadians who sought to uphold the distinct identity of French Canada some reformers including Sir Etienne Pasha O'Shay and Sir Georges Etienne Cartier later became fathers of Confederation as did a former member of the voluntary government militia in Upper Canada Sir John a McDonald responsible government in 1840 upper and lower canada were united as the province of canada reformers such as sir louie hipólito elefanten and Robert Baldwin in parallel with Joseph Cao in Nova Scotia worked with British governors toward responsible government the first British North American colonies aim full responsible government was Nova Scotia in 1847 - 1848 in 1848 and 18-49 the governor of United Canada Lord Elgin with encouragement from London introduced responsible government this is the system that we have today if the government loses a confidence vote in the assembly it must resign LaFontaine a champion of democracy and French language rights became the first leader of a responsible government in the Canada's image of Sir Louis Hippolyte la Fontaine with caption Sir Louis Eppolito Fontana a champion of French language rights became the first head of a responsible government similar to a prime minister in Canada in 1849 Confederation from 1864 to 1867 representatives of Nova Scotia New Brunswick and the province of Canada with British support worked together to establish a new country these men are known as the far of Confederation they created two levels of government federal and provincial the old province of Canada was split into two new provinces Ontario and Quebec which together with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia formed the new country called the Dominion of Canada each province would elect its own legislature and have control of such areas as education and health the British Parliament passed the British North America Act in 1867 the Dominion of Canada was officially born on July 1st 1867 until 1982 July 1st was celebrated as Dominion Day to commemorate the day that Canada became a self-governing Dominion today it is officially known as Canada Day image of the fathers of Confederation with caption the fathers of Confederation established the Dominion of Canada on July 1st 1867 the birth of the country that we know today image of Dominion of Canada $1 bill with caption Dominion of Canada $1 bill 1923 showing king george v who assigned Canada's national colors white and red in 1921 the colors of our national flag today Dominion from sea to sea sir Leonard Tilly an elected official and father of Confederation from New Brunswick suggested the term Dominion of Canada in 1864 he was inspired by Psalm 72 in the Bible which refers to Dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth this phrase embodied the vision of building a powerful united wealthy and free country that spanned the continent the title was written into the Constitution was used officially for about a hundred years and remains part of our heritage today expansion of the Dominion the following list identifies when the provinces and territories became part of Canada 1867 Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia and New Brunswick 1870 Manitoba and the Northwest Territories 1871 British Columbia 1873 Prince Edward Island 1880 the Arctic Islands were transferred to the Northwest Territories 1898 the Yukon Territory 1905 Alberta and Saskatchewan 1949 Newfoundland and Labrador 1999 Nunavut did you know in the 1920s some believed that the British West Indies British territories in the Caribbean Sea should become part of Canada this did not occur though Canada and Commonwealth Caribbean countries and territories enjoy close ties today Canada's first Prime Minister in 1867 Sir John Alexander MacDonald a father of Confederation became Canada's first prime minister born in Scotland on January 11th 1815 he came to Upper Canada as a child he was a lawyer in Kingston Ontario a gifted politician and a colorful personality Parliament has recognized January the 11th as Sir John a MacDonald a his portrait is on the $10 bill caption image of Sir John MacDonald Sir George Etienne Cartier was the key architect of Confederation from Quebec a railway lawyer Montrealer close ally of MacDonald and patriotic Canadian Cartier led Quebec into Confederation and helped negotiate the entry of the Northwest Territories Manitoba and British Columbia into Canada Challenge in the West when Canada took over the vast Northwest region from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869 the 12,000 matey of the Red River were not consulted in response Louis Riel led an armed uprising and seized Fort Garry the territorial capital Canada's future was in jeopardy how could the Dominion reach from sea to sea if it could not control the interior Ottawa sent soldiers to retake Fort Garry in 1870 Riel fled to the United States and Canada established a new province Manitoba rial was elected to Parliament but never took his seat later as matey and Indian rights were again threatened by westward settlement a second rebellion in 1885 in present-day Saskatchewan led to reals trial and execution for high treason a decision that was strongly opposed in Quebec Riel is seen by many as a hero a defender of maytee rights and the father of Manitoba after the first maytee uprising Prime Minister MacDonald established the Northwest Mounted Police in 1873 to pacify the west and assist in negotiations with the Indians the Northwest Mounted Police founded fort calgary fort macleod and other centers that today are cities and towns Regina became its headquarters today the Royal Canadian Mounted Police RCMP or the Mounties are the national police force and one of Canada's best-known symbols some of Canada's most colorful heroes such as Major General Sir Sam Steele came from the ranks of the Mounties image of Fort Garry in 1863 with caption the flag of the Hudson's Bay Company flew over Western Canada for two hundred years before Confederation image of Sir Sam Steele as a great frontier hero mounted policemen and soldier of the Queen image of Gabrielle Demong as part of the maytee resistance Gabrielle Duma was the Maties greatest military leader a railway from sea to sea British Columbia joined Canada in 1871 after Ottawa promised to build a railway to the west coast on November 7th 1885 a powerful symbol of unity was completed when donald smith lord Strathcona the scottish born director of the canadian pacific railway or cpr drove the last spike the project was financed by British and American investors and built by both European and Chinese labor afterwards the Chinese were subject discrimination including the head tax a race-based entry fee the Government of Canada apologized in 2006 for this discriminatory policy after many years of heroic work the CPRS ribbons of Steel fulfilled a national dream image of a train and crew members with caption members of the train crew pose with a westbound Pacific Express at the first crossing of the illah silhouette River near Glacier in British Columbia in 1886 image of a Chinese workers camp on the CPR Kamloops in British Columbia in 1886 moving westward Canada's economy grew and became more industrialized during the economic boom of the 1890s and early 1900s 1 million British and 1 million Americans emigrated to Canada at this time Sir Wilfrid Laurier became the first French Canadian Prime Minister since Confederation and encouraged immigration to the west his portrait is on the five-dollar bill the railway made it possible for immigrants including 170,000 Ukrainians 115,000 poles and tens of thousands from Germany France nor and Sweden to settle in the West before 1914 and develop a thriving agricultural sector the First World War most Canadians were proud to be part of the British Empire over 7,000 volunteered to fight in the South African War from 1899 to 1902 popularly known as the Boer War and over 260 died in 1900 Canadians took part in the battles of par de Burgh horse mountain and Lily Fontaine victories that strengthened national pride in Canada when Germany attacked Belgium and France in 1914 and Britain declared war Ottawa formed the Canadian Expeditionary Force later the Canadian Corps more than six hundred thousand Canadians served in the war most of them volunteers out of a total population of 8 million on the battlefield the Canadians proved to be tough innovative soldiers Canada shared in the tragedy and triumph of the Western Front the Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in April 1917 with 10,000 killed or wounded securing the Canadians reputation for valor as the shock troops of the British Empire one Canadian officer said it was Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation April 9th is celebrated as Vimy Day regrettably from 1914 to 1920 Ottawa interned over 8,000 former austro-hungarian subjects mainly Ukrainian men as enemy aliens in 24 labor camps across Canada even though Britain advised against the policy in 1918 under the command of General Sir Arthur Currie Canada's greatest soldier the Canadian Corps advanced alongside the French and British Empire troops in the last hundred days these included the victorious battle of yeah on August 8th 1918 which the Germans called the black day of the German army followed by Aris canal Gino cambrai and moles with Germany and Austria surrender the war ended in the armistice on November 11th 1918 in total 60,000 Canadians were killed and 170 thousand wounded the war strengthened both national and Imperial pride particularly in English Canada captions image of a sergeant Fort Garry horse of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916 image of Sir Arthur Currie a reserve officer who became Canada's greatest soldier image of a cap badge with caption maple leaf cap badge from the First World War Canada's soldiers began using the maple leaf in the 1850s image of the Vimy memorial with caption the Vimy memorial in France honors those who served and died in the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9th 1917 the first British victory of the First World War women get the vote at the time of Confederation the vote was limited to property owning adult white males this was common in most democratic countries at the time the effort by women to achieve the right to vote is known as the women's suffrage movement its founder in Canada was dr. Emily stole the first Canadian woman to practice medicine in Canada in 1916 Manitoba became the first province to grant voting rights to women in 1917 thanks to the leadership of women such as dr. Stowe and other suffragettes the federal government of Sir Robert Borden gave women the right to vote in federal elections first to nurses at the Battlefront then to women who were related to men in active wartime service in 1918 most Canadian female citizens aged 21 and over were granted the right to vote in federal elections in 1921 agnes macphail a farmer and teacher became the first woman MP due to the work of Tara's cascara and others Quebec granted women the vote in 1940 image of agnes macphail image of a nurse with caption more than 3,000 nurses nicknamed bluebirds served in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps 2,500 of them overseas Canadians remember the sacrifices of our veterans and brave fallen in all wars up to the present day in which Canadians took part each year on November 11th Remembrance Day Canadians wear the red poppy and observe a moment of silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to honor the sacrifices of over a million brave men and women who have served and the 110 thousand who have given their lives Canadian medical officer leftenant Colonel John McCrae composed the poem in Flanders Fields in 1915 it is often recited on Remembrance Day in Flanders Fields the poppies blow between the crosses row on row that mark our place and in the sky the larks still bravely singing fly scarce heard amid the guns below we are the dead short days ago we lived felt dawn saw sunset glow loved and were loved and now we lie in Flanders Fields take up our quarrel with the foe to you from failing hands we throw the torch be yours to hold it high if ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep though poppies grow in Flanders Fields caption images of Canadian soldiers observing Remembrance Day of a Remembrance Day poppy of a Canadian War veteran and of Scouts holding a Remembrance Day wreath between the wars after the first world war the British Empire evolved into a free association of states known as the British Commonwealth of Nations Canada remains a leading member of the Commonwealth to this day together with other successor states of the Empire such as India Australia New Zealand and several African and Caribbean countries the roaring 20s were boomed times with prosperity for businesses and low unemployment the stock market crash of 1929 however led to the Great Depression or the dirty 30s unemployment reached 27% in 1933 and many businesses were wiped out farmers in Western Canada were hit hardest by low grain prices and a terrible drought there was growing demand for the government to create a social safety net with minimum wages a standard workweek and programs such as unemployment insurance the Bank of Canada a central bank to manage the money supply and bring stability to the financial system was created in 1934 emigration dropped and many refugees were turned away including Jews trying to flee Nazi Germany in 1939 caption image of Phil Edwards with caption Phil Edwards was a Canadian track and field champion born in British Guiana he won bronze medals for Canada in the 1928 1932 and 1936 Olympics then graduated from McGill University Medical School he served as a captain in the Canadian Army during the Second World War and as a Montreal doctor became an expert in tropical diseases the d-day invasion June 6th 1944 in order to defeat Nazism and fascism the Allies invaded Nazi occupied Europe Canadians took part in the liberation of Italy in 1943 to 1944 in the epic invasion of Normandy in northern France on June 6th 1944 known as d-day 15,000 Canadian troops stormed and captured Juno Beach from the German army a great national achievement approximately 1 in 10 Allied soldiers on d-day was Canadian the Canadian Army liberated the Netherlands in 1944 to 1945 and helped force the German surrender of May 8th 1945 bringing to an end six years of war in Europe caption image of painting by Orville Fischer with caption in the Second World War the Canadians captured Juno Beach as part of the Allied invasion of Normandy on d-day June 6th 1944 the Second World War the Second World War began in 1939 when Adolf Hitler the National Socialist Nazi dictator of Germany invaded Poland and conquered much of Europe Canada joined with its Democratic allies in the fight to defeat tyranny by force of arms more than 1 million Canadians and Newfoundlanders at that time Newfoundland was a separate British entity served in the Second World War out of a population of 11.5 million this was a high proportion and all these 44,000 were killed the Canadians fought bravely and suffered losses in the unsuccessful defence of Hong Kong in 1941 from attack by Imperial Japan and in a failed raid on Nazi control Dieppe on the coast to France in 1942 the Royal Canadian Air Force took part in the Battle of Britain and provided a high proportion of Commonwealth air crew in bombers and fighter planes over Europe moreover Canada contributed more to the Allied air effort than any other Commonwealth country with over 130,000 Allied air crew trained in Canada under the British Commonwealth air training plan the Royal Canadian Navy saw its finest hour in the Battle of the Atlantic protecting convoys of merchant ships against German submarines Canada's Merchant Navy helped to feed clothe and resupply Britain at the end of the Second World War Canada had the third largest Navy in the world in the Pacific War Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands attacked a lighthouse on Vancouver Island launched fire balloons over BC and the prairies and grossly maltreated Canadian prisoners of war captured at Hong Kong Japan surrendered on August 14th 1945 the end of four years of war in the Pacific regrettably the state of war and public opinion in BC led to the forcible relocation of Canadians of Japanese origin by the federal government and the sale of their property without compensation this occurred even though the military and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told Ottawa that they posed little danger to Canada the Government of Canada apologized in 1988 for wartime wrongs and compensated the victims modern Canada trade and economic growth post-war Canada enjoyed record prosperity and material progress the world's restrictive trading policies in the Depression era were opened up by such treaties as the general agreement on tariffs and trade now the World Trade Organization the discovery of oil in Alberta in 1947 began Canada's modern and industry in 1951 for the first time a majority of Canadians were able to afford adequate food shelter and clothing between 1945 and 1970 as Canada drew closer to the United States and other trading partners the country enjoyed one of the strongest economies among industrialized nations today Canadians enjoy one of the world's highest standards of living maintained by the hard work of Canadians and by trade with other nations in particular the United States as prosperity grew so did the ability to support social assistance programs the Canada Health Act ensures common elements and a basic standard of coverage unemployment insurance now called employment insurance was introduced by the federal government in 1940 old age security was devised as early as 1927 and the Canada and Quebec pension plans in 1965 publicly funded education is provided by the provinces and territories captions image of a medical researcher image of Toronto with caption Toronto's business district is also Canada's financial capital international engagement like Australia New Zealand and other countries Canada developed its autonomy gradually with a capacity to make significant contributions internationally the Cold War began when several liberated countries of Eastern Europe became part of a communist bloc controlled by the Soviet Union under the dictator Joseph Stalin Canada joined with other democratic countries of the West to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO a military alliance and with the United States in the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD Canada joined international organizations such as the United Nations or UN it participate the UN operation defending South Korea in the Korean War in 1950 to 1953 with 500 dead and 1000 wounded Canada has taken part in numerous UN peacekeeping missions in places as varied as Egypt Cyprus and Haiti as well as in other international security operations such as those in the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan Canada and Quebec French Canadian society and culture flourished in the postwar years Quebec experienced an era of rapid change in the 1960s known as the quiet revolution many Quebecers sought to separate from Canada in 1963 Parliament established the Royal Commission on bilingualism and biculturalism this led to the official languages Act of 1969 which guarantees French and English services in the federal government across Canada in 1970 Canada helped found Levesque ofany an international association of french-speaking countries the movement for Quebec sovereignty gained strength but was defeated in a referendum in the province in 1980 after much negotiation in 1982 the Constitution was amended without the agreement of Quebec though sovereignty was again defeated in a second referendum in 1995 the autonomy of Quebec within Canada remains a lively topic part of the dynamic that continues to shape our country a changing society as social values changed over more than 50 years Canada became a more flexible and open society many took advantage of expanding secondary and post-secondary educational opportunities and a growing number of women entered the professional workforce most Canadians of Asian descent had in the past been denied the vote in federal and eventual elections in 1948 the last of these the Japanese Canadians gained the right to vote Aboriginal people were granted the vote in 1960 today every citizen over the age of 18 may vote Canada welcomed thousands of refugees from communist oppression including about 37 thousand who escaped Soviet tyranny in Hungary in 1956 with the Communist victory in the Vietnam War in 1975 many Vietnamese fled including over 50,000 who sought refuge in Canada the idea of multiculturalism as a result of nineteenth and twentieth century immigration gained a new impetus by the 1960s one third of Canadians had origins that were neither British nor French and took pride in preserving their distinct culture in the Canadian fabric today diversity enriches Canadians lives particularly in our cities captions images of a Vietnamese Canadian parade and of an f-86 saber from the Royal Canadian Air Force arts and culture in Canada Canadian artists have a long history of achievement in which Canadians take pride artists from all regions reflect and define our culture and forms of creative expression and have achieved greatness both at home and abroad Canadians have made significant contributions to literature in English and in French novelists poets historians educators and musicians have had a significant cultural impact men and women of letters included Stephen Leacock Louie a mall Sir Charles G Dee Roberts Pauline Johnson Amy and Ella gong Robertson Davies Margaret Lawrence and Mordecai Richler musicians such as Sir Ernest macmillan and Healy willin won renown in Canada and abroad writers such as joy Kagawa Michael Ondaatje and Rohinton Mistry have diversified Canada's literary experience in the visual arts Canada is historically perhaps best known for the group of seven founded in 1920 who developed a style of painting to capture the rugged wilderness landscapes Emily Carr painted the forests and Aboriginal artifacts of the west coast least ultimate east of Quebec were pioneers of modern abstract art in the 1950s most notably Jean Paul we append quebec's Louis Philippe a bear was a celebrated sculptor of historical figures Cana Yogesh Evac pioneered modern Inuit art with edgings prints and soapstone sculptures Canada has a long and respected performing arts history with a network of regional theaters and world-renowned performing arts companies the films of Danny Hall have been popular in Quebec and across the country and have won international awards other noteworthy Canadian film makers include Norman Jewison and Atom Egoyan Canadian television has had a popular following captions images of SIP de Soleil and of Tom Thomson's painting the Jackpine sports have flourished as all provinces and territories have produced amateur and professional star athletes and Olympic medal winners basketball was invented by Canadian James Naismith in 1891 many major league sports boast Canadian talent and in the national sport of ice hockey Canadian teams have dominated the world in 1996 at the Olympic Summer Games Donovan Bailey became a world-record sprinter and double Olympic gold medalist Chantal petty Claire became a world champion wheelchair racer and Paralympic gold medalist one of the greatest hockey players of all time Wayne Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers from 1979 to 1988 in 1980 Terry Fox a british columbian who lost his right leg to cancer at the age of 18 began a cross-country run the marathon of hope to raise money for cancer research he became a hero to Canadians while he did not finish the run and ultimately lost his battle with cancer his legacy continues through yearly fundraising events in his name in 1985 fellow british columbian Rick Hansen circled the globe in a wheelchair to raise funds for spinal cord research canadian advances in science and technology are world-renowned and have changed the way the world communicates and does business Marshall McLuhan and Harold Ennis were pioneer thinkers science and research in Canada have won international recognition and attracted world-class students academics and entrepreneurs engaged in medical research telecommunications and other fields since 1989 the Canadian Space Agency and Canadian astronauts have participated in space exploration often using the Canadian design and built Canada arm Gerhard Hertzberg a refugee from Nazi Germany John Palani Sidney Altman Richard e Taylor Michael Smith and Bertrand Brockhaus were Nobel Prize winning scientists captions images of Donovan Bailey Chantal petty Claire Terry Fox and Wayne Gretzky image of mark Tewksbury with caption mark Tewksbury Olympic gold medalist and prominent activist for gay and lesbian Canadians image of Paul Henderson with caption in 1972 Paul Henderson scored the winning goal for Canada in the Canada Soviet Summit Series this goal is often referred to the goal heard around the world and is still remembered today as an important event in both sports and cultural history image of Katriona la madone with caption Catriona la madone carries the flag after winning a gold medal in speed skating at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games image of a Canadian football game with caption Canadian football is a popular game that differs in a number of ways from American football professional teams in the Canadian Football League CFL compete for the championship Grey Cup donated by Lord gray the governor-general in 1909 great canadian discoveries and inventions Canadians have made various discoveries and inventions some of the most famous are listed below Alexander Graham Bell hit on the idea of the telephone at his summer house in Canada Josefa mall Mobile da invented the snowmobile a lightweight winter vehicle sir Sandford Fleming invented the worldwide system of standard time zones Matthew Evans and Henry Woodward together invented the first electric light bulb and later sold the patent to Thomas Edison who more famously commercialized the light bulb Reginald Fessenden contributed to the invention of radio sending the first wireless voice message in the world dr. Wilder Penfield was a pioneering brain surgeon at McGill University in Montreal and was known as the greatest living Canadian doctor John a hops invented the first cardiac pacemaker used today to save the lives of people with heart disorders spar aerospace and the National Research Council invented the canid arm a robotic arm used in outer space Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie of research in motion a wireless communications company known for its most famous invention the BlackBerry caption image of Canadian scientific innovation at work with Canada arm - image of Sir Frederick Banting with caption Sir Frederick Banting of Toronto and Charles best discovered insulin a hormone to treat diabetes that has saved 16 million lives worldwide want to learn more about Canada's history visit a museum or National Historic Site through artifacts works of art stories images and documents museums explore the diverse events and accomplishments that formed Canada's history museums can be found in almost every city in town across Canada national historic sites are located in all provinces and territories and includes such diverse places as battlefields archaeological sites buildings and sacred spaces to find a museum or National Historic Site in your community or region visit the websites of the virtual Museum of Canada and Parks Canada listed at the end of this guide the prosperity and diversity of our country depend on all Canadians working together to face challenges of the future in seeking to become a citizen you are joining a country that with your active participation will continue to grow and thrive how will you make your contribution to Canada how Canadians govern themselves there are three key facts about Canada's system of government our country is a federal state the parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy caption image of queen elizabeth ii during the opening of the parliament in 1957 image of the Parliament Hill in Ottawa federal state there are federal provincial territorial and municipal governments in Canada the responsibilities of the federal and provincial governments were defined in 1867 in the British North America Act now known as the Constitution Act 1867 in our federal state the federal government takes responsibility for matters of national and international concern these include defense foreign policy interprovincial trade and communications currency navigation criminal law and citizenship the provinces are responsible for municipal government education health natural resources property and civil rights and highways the federal government and the provinces share jurisdiction over agriculture and immigration federalism allows different provinces to adopt policies tailored to their own populations and gives provinces the flexibility to experiment with new ideas and policies every province has its own elected Legislative Assembly like the House of Commons in Ottawa the three northern territories which have small populations do not have the status of provinces but their governments and assemblies carry out many of the same functions parliamentary democracy in Canada's parliamentary democracy the people elect members to the House of Commons in Ottawa and to the provincial and territorial legislatures these representatives are responsible for passing laws approving and monitoring expenditures and keeping the government accountable cabinet ministers are responsible to the elected representatives which means they must retain the confidence of the house and have to resign if they are defeated in a non confidence vote parliament has three parts the sovereign a queen or king the Senate and the House of Commons provincial legislatures comprised the leftenant governor and the elected Assembly in the federal government the Prime Minister selects the cabinet ministers and is responsible for the operations and policy of the government the House of Commons is the representative chamber made up of members of parliament elected by the people traditionally every four years senators are appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75 both the House of Commons and the Senate consider and review bills which are proposals for new laws no bill can become law in Canada until it has been passed by both chambers and has received Royal Assent granted by the Governor General on behalf of the sovereign living in a democracy Canadian citizens have the right and the responsibility to participate in making decisions that affect them it is important for Canadians aged eighteen or more to participate in their democracy by voting in federal provincial or territorial and municipal elections the following are the steps for the legislative process in Canada or how a bill becomes law step one is called first reading the bill is considered read for the first time and is printed step two is called second reading in this step members debate the bill's principle step three is the committee stage at this stage committee members study the bill Clause by Clause step four is the report stage that this stage members can make other amendments to the bill step five is called the third reading at this stage members debate and vote on the bill step six is the Senate stage the bill will follow a similar process in the Senate step seven is called Royal Assent the bill receives royal assent after being passed by both houses constitutional monarchy as a constitutional monarchy Canada's head of state as a hereditary sovereign a queen or king who reigns in accordance with the Constitution the rule of law the sovereign is a part of parliament playing an important nonpartisan role as the focus of citizenship and allegiance most visibly during royal visits to Canada Her Majesty is a symbol of Canadian sovereignty a guardian of constitutional freedoms and a reflection of our history the Royal Family's example of lifelong service to the community is an encouragement for citizens to give their best to their country as head of the Commonwealth the sovereign links Canada to 53 other nations that cooperate to advance social economic and cultural progress other constitutional monarchies include Denmark Norway Sweden Australia New Zealand the Netherlands Spain Thailand Japan Jordan and Morocco there is a clear distinction in Canada between the head of state the sovereign and the head of government the Prime Minister who actually directs the governing of the country the sovereign is represented in Canada by the governor-general who was appointed by the sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister usually for five years in each of the ten provinces the sovereign is represented by the left tenant governor who was appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the Prime Minister also normally for five years the interplay between the three branches of governments the executive legislative and judicial which work together but also sometimes in creative tension helps to secure the rights and freedoms of Canadians each provincial and territorial government has an elected legislature where provincial and territorial laws are passed depending on the province or territory the members of the legislature are called members of the Legislative Assembly or MLAs members of the National Assembly or MN A's members of the provincial Parliament or MPPs or members of the House of Assembly or mhm A's in each province the premier has a role similar to that of the prime minister in the federal government just as the leftenant governor has a role similar to that of the governor-general in the three territories the Commissioner represents the federal government and plays a ceremonial role caption image of the Governor General David Johnston Canada's 28th governor-general since the Confederation Canada's system of government parliament is comprised of three elements the sovereign who's represented in Canada by the governor-general the Senate which is appointed in the Prime Minister's recommendation and the House of Commons which is elected by voters the three branches of government are the executive branch the legislative branch and the judicial branch the executive branch consists of the Prime Minister and the cabinet the legislative branch consists of the Parliament the judicial branch consists of the different levels of courts in Canada at the highest level there is the Supreme Court of Canada which consists of nine judges that are appointed by the governor-general the federal court of Canada and the provincial courts are also part of the judiciary federal elections Canadians vote in elections for the people they want to represent them in the House of Commons in each election voters may reelect the same members of the House of Commons or choose new ones members of the House of Commons are also known as members of parliament or MPs under legislation passed by Parliament federal elections must be held on the third Monday in October every four years following the most recent general election the Prime Minister may ask the governor-general to call an earlier election Canada is divided into 308 electoral districts also known as writings or constituencies an electoral district is a geographical area represented by a member of parliament or MP the citizens in each electoral district elect one MP who sits in the House of Commons to represent them as well as all Canadians and citizens who are 18 years old or older may run in a federal election the people who run for office are called candidates there can be many candidates in an electoral district the people in each electoral district vote for the candidate and political party of their choice the candidate who receives the most votes becomes the MP for that electoral district voting one of the privileges of Canadian citizenship is the right to vote you are eligible to vote in a federal election or cast a ballot in a federal referendum if you are a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old on voting day and on the voters list the voters list used during federal elections and referendums are produced from the National Register of electors by a neutral agency of Parliament called Elections Canada this is a permanent database of Canadian citizens 18 years of age or older who are qualified to vote in federal elections and referendums once an election has been called Elections Canada mails a voter information card to each elector whose name is in the National Register of electors the card lists when and where you vote and the number to call if you require an interpreter or other special services even if you choose not to be listed in the National Register of electors or do not receive a voter information card you can still be added to the voters list at any time including on Election Day to vote either on Election Day or at advance polls go to the polling station listed on your voter information card caption image of the House of Commons chamber secret ballot Canadian law secures the right to a secret ballot this means that no one can watch you vote and no one should look at how you voted you may choose to discuss how you voted with others but no one including family members your employer or union representative has the right to insist that you tell them how you voted immediately after the polling stations closed election officers count the ballots and the results are announced on radio and television and in the newspapers after an election ordinarily after an election the leader of the political party with the most seats in the House of Commons is invited by the Governor General to form the government after being appointed by the Governor General the leader of this party becomes the prime minister if the party in power holds at least half of the seats in the House of Commons this is called a majority government if the party in power holds less than half of the seats in the House of Commons this is called a minority government the Prime Minister and the party in power run the government as long as they have the support or confidence of the majority of the MPs when the House of Commons votes on a major issue such as the budget this is considered a matter of confidence if the majority of the members of the House of Commons vote against a major government decision the party in power is defeated which usually results in the Prime Minister asking the Governor General on behalf of the sovereign to call an election the Prime Minister chooses the ministers of the crown most of them from among members of the House of Commons cabinet ministers are responsible for running the federal government departments the Prime Minister and the cabinet ministers are called the cabinet and they make important decisions about how the country is governed they prepare the budget and propose most new laws their decisions can be questioned by all members of the House of Commons the opposition party with the most members of the House of Commons is the official opposition or Her Majesty's loyal opposition the role of opposition parties is to peacefully oppose or try to improve government proposals there are three major political parties currently represented in the House of Commons the Conservative Party Liberal Party and new Democratic Party caption image of the House of Commons in session voting procedures during an election period the following provides more information about voting in Canada the voter information card electors whose information is in the National Register of electors will receive a voter information card this confirms that your name is on the voters list and states when and where you vote if you do not receive a voter information card call your local elections office to ensure that you are on the voters list if you do not have the number call Elections Canada in Ottawa at one eight hundred four six three six eight six eight if you cannot or do not wish to vote on Election Day you can vote at the advance polls or by special ballot the dates and location are on your voter information card on Election Day go to your polling station the location is on your voter information card bring this card and proof of your identity and address to the polling station to mark your ballot mark an X in the circle next to the name of the candidate of your choice your vote is secret you will be invited to go behind the screen to mark your ballot once marked fold it and present it to the poll officials at the ballot box the poll official will tear off the ballot number and give your ballot back to you to deposit in the ballot box when the polls close every ballot is counted and the results are made public you can see the results on television or on the Elections Canada website www.levitt.com isabel governments usually have a council that passes laws called bylaws that affect only the local community the council usually includes a mayor or Reeve and counselors or aldermen municipalities are normally responsible for Urban or Regional Planning streets and roads sanitation such as garbage removal snow removal firefighting ambulance and other emergency services recreation facilities public transit and some local health and social services most major urban centers have municipal police forces provincial territorial and municipal elections are held by secret ballot but the rules are not the same as those for federal elections it is important to find out the rules for voting in provincial territorial and local elections so that you can exercise your right to vote the First Nations have banned chiefs and councilors who have major responsibilities on First Nations reserves including housing schools and other services there is a number of provincial regional and national Aboriginal organisations that are a voice for First Nations matey and Inuit people in their relationships with the federal provincial and territorial governments the following information will help you understand the differences between federal provincial and territorial and municipal levels of government at the federal government level the elected officials are called members of parliament or MPs some responsibilities at this level of government include national defense foreign policy citizenship policing international trade criminal justice Aboriginal Affairs immigration agriculture environment of these examples immigration agriculture and the environment our shared responsibilities with the provincial or territorial level of government at the provincial or territorial government level the elected officials are called one of the following titles depending on the province or territory members of the Legislative Assembly or MLAs members of the National Assembly or a mayonnaise members of the provincial parliament or MPs or members of the House of Assembly or ma chaise some responsibilities at this level of government include education health care Natural Resources highways policing in Ontario and Quebec property and civil rights at the municipal or local government level the elected officials are called counselors or aldermen and the senior elected official is called a mayor or Reeve some responsibilities at this level of government include social and Community Health recycling programs transportation and utilities snow removal policing firefighting emergency services caption image of the Provincial Assembly in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island how much do you know about your government the following are some questions that you can use to test your knowledge about your government at the federal government level who is Canada's head of state what is the name of the representative of the queen of Canada the governor-general what is the name of the Prime Minister the head of government what is the name of the political party in power what is the name of the leader of the Opposition what is the name of the party representing Her Majesty's loyal opposition what are the names of the other opposition parties and leaders who is your member of parliament or MP in Ottawa what is your federal electoral district called at the provincial government level who is the leftenant governor the representative of the Queen in your province who is your premier or head of government what is the name of the provincial party in power what are the names of the provincial opposition parties and leaders who is your provincial representative at the territorial government level what is the name of the commissioner who represents the federal government in your territory what is the name of the premier what is the name of your territorial representative at the municipal government level what is the name of the municipality where you live who is the head of the municipal government mayor or Reeve caption image of the Quebec City Hall constructed in 1895 - 1896 the justice system the Canadian justice system guarantees everyone due process under the law our judicial system is founded on the presumption of innocence in criminal matters meaning everyone is innocent until proven guilty Canada's legal system is based on a heritage that includes the rule of law freedom under the law democratic principles and due process due process is the principle that the government must respect all of the legal rights a person is entitled to under the law Canada is governed by an organized system of laws these laws are the written rules intended to guide people in our society they're made by elected representatives the courts settle disputes and the police enforce the laws the law in Canada applies to everyone including judges politicians and the police our laws are intended to provide order in society and a peaceful way to settle disputes and to express the values and beliefs of Canadians caption image of the scales of justice from the Vancouver law courts with the caption the blindfolded lady justice symbolizes the impartial manner in which our laws are administered blind to all considerations but the facts caption image of a border guard with a sniffer dog inspecting the trunk of a car at the canada-us border courts the Supreme Court of Canada is our country's highest court the Federal Court of Canada deals with matters concerning the federal government in most provinces there is an appeal court and a trial court sometimes called the Court of Queen's Bench or the Supreme Court there are also provincial courts for lesser offenses family courts traffic courts and small claims courts for civil cases involving small sums of money police the police are there to keep people safe and to enforce the law you can ask the police for help in all kinds of situations if there's been an accident if someone has stolen something from you if you're a victim of assault if you see a crime taking place or if someone you know has gone missing there are different types of police in Canada there are provincial police forces in Ontario and Quebec and municipal police departments in all provinces the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP enforce federal laws throughout Canada and serve as the provincial police in all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec as well as in some municipalities remember the police are there to help you you can also question the police about their service or conduct if you feel you need to almost all police forces in Canada have a process by which you can bring your concerns to the police and seek action getting legal help lawyers can help you with legal problems and act for you in court if you cannot pay for a lawyer in most communities there are legal aid services available free of charge or at a low cost captions image of jury benches image of a police constable helping a young boy image of a prison with caption prisons have an essential role in punishing criminals and deterring crime Canadian symbols Canada has many important symbols objects events and people that have special meaning together they help explain what it means to be Canadian and express our national identity important Canadian symbols have been discussed throughout this booklet the Canadian crown the crown has been a symbol of the state in Canada for 400 years Canada has been a constitutional monarchy in its own right since Confederation in 1867 during Queen Victoria's reign queen elizabeth ii who has been queen of Canada 19:52 marked her Golden Jubilee in 2002 and celebrates her Diamond Jubilee or sixty years as sovereign in 2012 the crown is a symbol of government including Parliament the legislators the courts police services and the Canadian Forces caption image of the mace of the House of Commons in all law flags in Canada a new Canadian flag was raised for the first time in 1965 the red white red pattern comes from the flag of the Royal Military College Kingston founded in 1876 red and white had been colors of France and England since the Middle Ages and the national colours of Canada since 1921 the Union Jack is our official royal flag the Canadian Red Ensign served as the Canadian flag for about 100 years the provinces and territories also have flags that embody their distinct traditions captions image of the Canadian flag of 1965 image of the Canadian Red Ensign with caption the Canadian Red Ensign served as the national flag for a hundred years and has been carried officially by veterans since 2005 the maple leaf the maple leaf is Canada's best-known symbol maple leaves were adopted as a symbol by French Canadians in the 1700s have appeared on Canadian uniforms and insignia since the 1850s and are carved into the headstones of our fallen soldiers buried overseas and in Canada the fleur-de-lys it is said that the lily flower fleur-de-lys was adopted by the French King in the year 496 it became a symbol of French royalty for more than a thousand years including the colony of New France revived at Confederation the fleur de lys was included in the Canadian Red Ensign in 1948 Quebec adopted its own flag based on the cross and the fleur-de-lis coat of arms and model as an expression of national pride after the first world war Canada adopted an official coat of arms and a national motto Amaury a squad Maori which in Latin means from sea to sea the arms contain symbols of England France Scotland and Ireland as well as red maple leaves today the arms can be seen on dollar bills government documents and public buildings captions image of the Royal Arms of Canada and of the Parliament image of the snowbirds with caption the snowbirds are a Canadian icon the image shows 431 air demonstration squadron parliament buildings the towers arches sculptures and stained-glass of the parliament buildings embody the French English and Aboriginal traditions and the Gothic Revival architecture popular in the time of Queen Victoria the buildings were completed in the 1860s the centre block was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1916 and rebuilt in 1922 the library is the only part of the original building remaining the Peace Tower was completed in 1927 in memory of the First World War the memorial chamber within the tower contains the books of remembrance in which are written the names of soldiers sailors and airmen who died serving Canada in wars or while on duty the provincial legislatures are architectural treasures the Quebec National Assembly is built in the French Second Empire style while the Legislature's of the other provinces are Baroque Romanesque and neoclassical reflecting the greco-roman heritage of Western civilization in which democracy originated popular sports hockey is Canada's most popular spectator sport and is considered to be the national winter sport ice hockey was developed in Canada in the 1800s the National Hockey League plays for the championship Stanley Cup donated by Lord Stanley the governor-general in 1892 the Clarkson Cup established in 2005 by Adrienne Clarkson the 26th governor-general and the first of Asian origin is awarded for women's hockey many young Canadians play hockey at school in a hockey league or on quiet streets road hockey or street hockey and are taken to the hockey rink by their parents Canadian children have collected hockey cards for generations Canadian football is the second most popular sport curling an ice game introduced by Scottish pioneers is popular lacrosse an ancient sport first played by aboriginals is the official summer sport soccer has the most registered players of any game in Canada caption image of the Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup champions in 1978 the beaver the beaver was adopted centuries ago as a symbol of the Hudson's Bay Company it became an emblem of the san jaun Battiste society a french-canadian patriotic Association in 1834 and was also adopted by other groups this industrious rodent can be seen on the 5 cent coin on the coats of arms of Saskatchewan and Alberta and of cities such as Montreal and Toronto caption image of a beaver Canada's official languages English and French are the two official languages and are important symbols of identity English speakers Anglophones and French speakers francophones have lived together in partnership and creative tension for more than 300 years you must have adequate knowledge of English or French to become a Canadian citizen adult applicants 55 years of age and over are exempted from this requirement Parliament passed the official languages act in 1969 it has three main objectives establish equality between French and English in Parliament the Government of Canada and institutions subject to the act maintain and develop official language minority communities in Canada and promote equality of French and English in Canadian society caption image of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ottawa national anthem o Canada was proclaimed as the national anthem in 1980 it was first sung in Quebec City in 1880 French and English Canadians sing different words to the national anthem o Canada our home and native land true patriot love in all thy sons command with glowing hearts we see thee rise the True North strong and free from far and wide o Canada we stand on guard for thee God keep our land glorious and free o Canada we stand on guard for thee o Canada we stand on guard for thee O Canada tejada no Ziya Tong voice and a flick on Gloria Carlton watch a post LEP it said post a Lacroix Tony Stratton a poppy de pluie Briones explore a tavola the fwop a protester on ofoia Inagua protégés ha no FOIA a no dois royal anthem the royal anthem of canada god save the queen or king can be played or sung on any occasion when Canadians wish to honor the sovereign God saved the Queen god save our gracious Queen long live our noble Queen god save the queen send her victorious happy and glorious long to reign over us god save the queen jerkwater schlafen Jupiter's la fin de semana su van vivre Levin Khurana Gloria long a Victoria wants all perk her vivre Levin the Order of Canada and other honors all countries have ways to recognize outstanding citizens official awards are called honours consisting of orders decorations and medals after using British honours for many years Canada started its own honours system with the Order of Canada in 1967 the centennial of Confederation if you know of fellow citizens who you think are worthy of recognition you are welcome to nominate them information on nominations for many of these honours can be found at wwg GCA / document dot aspx question mark ID equals 70 question mark ampersand L am equals Eng caption image of Oscar Peterson with caption jazz pianist Oscar Peterson receives the Order of Canada from Roland Michener the 20th Governor General in 1973 in the centre are Nora Michener and a portrait of Vincent Massey the 18th Governor General the Victoria Cross the Victoria Cross VC is the highest honor available to Canadians and is awarded for the most conspicuous bravery a daring or preeminent act of valor or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy the VC has been awarded to 96 Canadians since 1854 six recipients are included below with their images then leftenant Alexander Roberts Dunn born in present-day Toronto served in the British Army in the charge of the Light Brigade at balaclava 1854 in the Crimean War and was the first Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross Able Seaman William Hall Horton Nova Scotia whose parents were American slaves was the first black man to be awarded the VC for his role in the siege of Lucknow during the Indian rebellion of 1857 corporal Philip Connell wall born in Ukraine showed exceptional courage in the Battle of Hill 70 in 1917 and became the first member of the Canadian Corps not born in the British Empire to be awarded the VC flying ace captain Billy Bishop born in Owen Sound Ontario earned the VC in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War and was later an honorary air marshal of the Royal Canadian Air Force captain Paul trek' of cabana Quebec earned the VC leading his men and a handful of tanks in the attack on Castle Berardi in Italy in 1943 during the Second World War and was later a brigadier leftenant Robert Hampton gray a Navy pilot born in Trail BC was killed while bombing and sinking a Japanese warship in August 1945 a few days before the end of the Second World War and was the last Canadian to receive the VC to date national public holidays and other important dates the following are some national holiday and important dates in Canada New Year's Day is January 1st sir Johnny McDonald day is January 11th good Friday is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday Easter Monday is the Monday immediately following Easter Sunday Vimy day is April 9th Victoria Day is the Monday preceding May 25th which is the sovereigns birthday fête nationale is a holiday celebrated in Quebec on June 24th which is the feast of st. John the Baptist Canada Day is July 1st Labor Day is the first Monday of September Thanksgiving Day is the second Monday of October Remembrance Day is November 11th sir wilfrid laurier day is November 20th Christmas day is December 25th Boxing Day is December 26 Canada's economy a trading nation Canada has always been a trading nation and commerce remains the engine of economic growth as Canadians we could not maintain our standard of living without engaging in trade with other nations in 1988 Canada enacted free trade with the United States Mexico became a partner in 1994 in the broader north american free trade agreement NAFTA with over four hundred and forty four million people and over 1 trillion dollars in merchandise trade in 2008 today canada has one of the 10 largest economies in the world and is part of the g8 group of leading industrialized countries with the united states Germany the United Kingdom Italy France Japan and Russia Canada's economy includes three main types of industries service industries provide thousands of different jobs in areas like transportation education health care construction banking communications retail services tourism and government more than 75 percent of working Canadians now have jobs in service industries manufacturing industries make products to sell in Canada and around the world manufactured products include paper high technology equipment aerospace technology automobiles machinery food clothing and many other goods our largest international trading partner is the United States natural resources industries include forestry fishing agriculture mining and energy these industries have played an important part in the country's history and development today the economy of many areas of the country still depends on developing natural resources and a large percentage of Canada's exports our natural resources commodities caption images of a lumber truck of oil pump jacks in Alberta of Atlantic lobster and of a hydroelectric dam on the saguenay River Quebec Canada enjoys close relations with the United States and each is the other's largest trading partner over three-quarters of Canadian exports are destined for the USA in fact we have the biggest bilateral trading relationship in the world integrated Canada USA supply chains compete with the rest of the world Canada exports billions of dollars worth of energy products industrial goods machinery equipment automotive agricultural fishing and forestry products and consumer goods every year millions of Canadians and Americans cross every year and in safety what is traditionally known as the world's longest undefended border at Blayne in the state of Washington the Peace Arch inscribed with the words children of a common mother and brethren dwelling together in unity symbolizes our close ties and common interests caption images of a car assembly plant in Oakville Ontario of the Port of Vancouver of a research laboratory of rims blackberry device and of ice wine grapes in the Niagara Region in Ontario Canada's regions Canada is the second largest country on earth with ten million square kilometres three oceans line Canada's frontiers the Pacific Ocean in the West the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Arctic Ocean to the north along the southern edge of Canada lies the Canada United States boundary both Canada and the USA are committed to a safe secure and efficient frontier the regions of Canada Canada includes many different geographical areas and five distinct regions which are the Atlantic provinces central Canada the prairie provinces the west coast and the northern territories the national capital Ottawa located on the Ottawa River was chosen as the capital in 1857 by Queen Victoria the great-great-grandmother of queen elizabeth ii today it is canada's fourth largest metropolitan area the National Capital Region 4,700 square kilometres surrounding Ottawa preserves and enhances the areas built heritage and natural environment caption image of the Ottawa's Rideau Canal with caption Ottawa's Rideau Canal once a military waterway is now a tourist attraction and winters gateway provinces and territories Canada has ten provinces and 3 territories each province and territory has its own capital city you should know the capital of your province or territory as well as that of Canada population Canada has a population of about 34 million people while the majority live in cities Canadians also live in small towns rural areas and everywhere in between caption images of the Banff National Park in Alberta and of Peggy's Cove harbour in Nova Scotia the following list identifies the capital cities in each province and territory in the Atlantic provinces st. John's is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador Charlottetown is the capital of Prince Edward Island Halifax is a capital of Nova Scotia and Fredericton is the capital of New Brunswick in central Canada Quebec City is the capital of Quebec Toronto is the capital of Ontario in the prairie provinces Winnipeg is the capital of Manitoba Regina is the capital of Saskatchewan and Edmonton is the capital of Alberta on the west coast Victoria is the capital of British Columbia in the Northern Territories Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories and Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon Territory the Atlantic provinces Atlantic Canada's coasts and natural resources including fishing farming forestry and mining have made these provinces an important part of Canada's history and development the Atlantic Ocean brings cool winters and cool humid summers Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly point in North America and has its own time zone in addition to its natural beauty the province has a unique heritage linked to the sea the oldest colony of the British Empire and a strategic prize in Canada's early history the province has long been known for its fisheries coastal fishing villages and distinct culture today offshore oil and gas extraction contributes a substantial part of the economy Labrador also has immense hydroelectric resources Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Pei is the smallest province known for its beaches red soil and agriculture especially potatoes Pei is the birthplace of Confederation connected to mainland Canada by one of the longest continuous multi span bridges in the world the Confederation bridge and of Green Gables said in PEI by Lucy Maud Montgomery is a much-loved story about The Adventures of a little redheaded orphan girl Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is the most populous Atlantic province with a rich history as the gateway to Canada known for the world's highest tides in the Bay of Fundy the provinces identity is linked to shipbuilding fisheries and shipping as Canada's largest East Coast port deep water and ice-free the capital Halifax has played an important role in Atlantic trade and defense and is home to Canada's largest naval base Nova Scotia has a long history of coal mining forestry and agriculture today there is also offshore oil and gas X raishin the provinces Celtic and Gaelic traditions sustain a vibrant culture nova scotia is home to over 700 annual festivals including the spectacular Military Tattoo in Halifax New Brunswick situated in the Appalachian range the province was founded by the United Empire Loyalists and has the second largest river system on North America's Atlantic coastline the st. John River system forestry agriculture fisheries mining food processing and tourism are the principal industries st. John is the largest city port and manufacturing center Moncton is the principal francophone Acadian center and Fredericton the historic capital New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province and about one-third of the population lives and works in French the province is pioneer loyalist and French cultural heritage and history come alive in street festivals and traditional music central Canada more than half the people in Canada live in cities and towns near the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River in southern Quebec and Ontario known as central Canada and the Industrial and manufacturing heartland southern Ontario and Quebec have cold winters and warm humid summers together Ontario and Quebec produce more than three-quarters of all Canadian manufactured goods Quebec nearly eight million people live in Quebec the vast majority along or near the st. Lawrence River more than three-quarters speak French as their first language the resources of the Canadian Shield have helped Quebec to develop important industries including forestry energy and mining Quebec is Canada's main producer of pulp and paper the provinces huge supply of freshwater as made at Canada's largest producer of hydroelectricity Quebecers are leaders in cutting-edge industries such as pharmaceuticals and aeronautics Quebec films music literary works and food have international stature especially in La Francophonie an association of french-speaking nations Montreal Canada's second largest city and the second largest mainly french-speaking city in the world after Paris is famous for its cultural diversity Ontario at more than 12 million the people of Ontario make up more than one-third of Canadians the large and culturally diverse population natural resources and strategic location contribute to a vital economy Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the country's main financial center many people work in this service or manufacturing industries which produce a large percentage of Canada's exports the Niagara region is known for its vineyards wines and fruit crops Ontario farmers raise dairy and beef cattle poultry and vegetable and grain crops founded by United Empire Loyalists Ontario also has the largest french-speaking population outside of Quebec with a proud history of preserving their language and culture there are five Great Lakes located between Ontario and the United States Lake Ontario Lake Erie Lake Huron Lake Michigan in the USA and Lake Superior the largest freshwater lake in the world prairie provinces Manitoba Saskatchewan and Alberta are the prairie provinces rich in energy resources and some of the most fertile farmland in the world the region is mostly dry with cold winters and hot summers Manitoba Manitoba's economies based on agriculture mining and hydroelectric power generation the provinces most populous city is Winnipeg whose exchange district includes the most famous street intersection in Canada Portage and Main Winnipeg's French Quarter sin Boniface has Western Canada's largest francophone community at 45,000 people Manitoba is also an important center of Ukrainian culture with 14 percent reporting Ukrainian origins and the largest Aboriginal population of any province at over 15 percent Saskatchewan Saskatchewan once known as the breadbasket of the world and the wheat province has 40 percent of the arable land in Canada and is the country's largest producer of grains and oil seeds it also boasts the world's richest deposits of uranium and potash used in fertilizer and produces oil and natural gas Regina the capital is home to the training academy of the Royal Canadian Mounted police Saskatoon the largest city is the headquarters of the mining industry and an important educational research and Technology Centre Alberta Alberta is the most populous Prairie province the province and the world-famous Lake Louise in the rocky mountains were both named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta fourth daughter of Queen Victoria Alberta has five national parks including Banff National Park established in 1885 the rugged Badlands house some of the world's richest deposits of prehistoric fossils and dinosaur finds Alberta is the largest producer of oil and gas and the oil sands in the north are being developed as a major energy source Alberta is also renowned for agriculture especially for the vast cattle ranches that make Canada one of the world's major beef producers the west coast British Columbia is known for its majestic mountains and as Canada's Pacific gateway the Port of Vancouver Canada's largest and busiest handles billions of dollars in goods traded around the world warm air streams from the Pacific Ocean gives the BC coast a temperate climate British Columbia British Columbia or BC on the Pacific coast is Canada's westernmost province with a population of four million the Port of Vancouver is our gateway to the asia-pacific about 1/2 of all the goods produced in BC are forestry products including lumber newsprint and pulp and paper products the most valuable forestry industry in Canada BC is also known for mining fishing and the fruit orchards and wine industry of the Okanagan Valley BC has the most extensive park system in Canada with approximately 600 provincial parks the provinces large Asian communities have made Chinese and Punjabi the most spoken languages in the cities after English the capital of Victoria is a tourist center and headquarters of the Navy's Pacific Fleet the northern territories the Northwest Territories Nunavut and Yukon contain one-third of Canada's landmass but have a population of only 100,000 people there are Gold lead copper diamond and zinc mines oil and gas deposits are being developed the north is often referred to as the land of the Midnight Sun because at the height of summer daylight can last up to 24 hours in the winter the Sun disappears and darkness sets in for three months the northern territories of long cold winters and short cool summers much of the north is made up of tundra the vast rocky Arctic plain because of the cold arctic climate there are no trees on the tundra and the soil is permanently frozen some continue to earn a living by hunting fishing and trapping any wet art is sold throughout Canada and around the world Yukon thousands of miners came to the Yukon during the gold rush of the 1890s as celebrated in the poetry of Robert W service Mining remains a significant part of the economy the white pass in Yukon railway opened from Skagway in neighboring Alaska to the territorial capital Whitehorse in 1900 and provides a spectacular tourist excursion across precipitous passes and bridges Yukon holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada minus 63 degrees Celsius caption images of Mount Logan and Sir William Logan with caption Mount Logan located in the Yukon is the highest mountain in Canada it is named in honor of Sir William Logan a world-famous geologist born in Montreal in 1798 two Scottish immigrant parents Logan founded and directed the Geological Survey of Canada from 1842 to 1869 and is considered one of Canada's greatest scientists Northwest Territories the Northwest Territories NWT were originally made up in 1870 from Rupert's land in the northwestern territory the capital Yellowknife with a population of 20,000 is called the diamond capital of North America more than half the population is Aboriginal Danai Inuit and maytee the Mackenzie River at 4200 kilometers is the second longest river system in North America after the Mississippi and drains an area of 1.8 million square kilometres none of it none of it meaning our land in Inuktitut was established in 1999 from the eastern part of the Northwest Territories including all of the former district of Keewatin the capital is a kallu it formerly Frobisher Bay named after the English explorer Martin Frobisher who penetrated the Uncharted Arctic for Queen Elizabeth the first in 1576 the 19 member Legislative Assembly chooses a premier and ministers by consensus the population is about 85% Inuit and Inuktitut is an official language and the first language in schools captions image of an Inuit boy in Nunavut image of caribou with caption the caribou also called reindeer is a popular game for hunters and a symbol of Canada's north the Canadian Rangers Canada's vast North brings security and sovereignty challenges dealing with harsh weather conditions in an isolated region the Canadian Rangers part of the Canadian Forces reserves militia play a key role drawing on indigenous knowledge and experience the Rangers travel by snowmobile in the winter and all-terrain vehicles in the summer from resolute to the magnetic north pole and keep the flag flying in Canada's Arctic study questions one of the basic requirements of citizenship is to demonstrate that you have adequate knowledge of Canada the citizenship test is used to assess your knowledge of Canada and the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen in Canada all the citizenship test questions are based on information provided in this study guide you will be asked about facts and ideas presented in the guide the following questions are similar to the questions that are found on the citizenship test use these questions to prepare for your test all the answers can be found in this study guide what are the three responsibilities of citizenship a being loyal to Canada recycling newspapers serving in the Navy army or Air Force be obeying the law taking responsibility for oneself and one's family serving on a jury see learning both official languages voting in elections belonging to a union D buying Canadian products owning your own business using less water the correct answer is B obeying the law taking responsibility for oneself and one's family serving on a jury what is the meaning of the Remembrance Day poppy a to remember our sovereign queen elizabeth ii b to celebrate confederation c to honor prime ministers who have died d to remember the sacrifice of canadians who have served or died in wars up to the present day the correct answer is d to remember the sacrifice of canadians who have served or died in wars up to the present day 3 how are members of parliament chosen a they are appointed by the United Nations B they are chosen by the provincial premiers C they are elected by voters in their local constituency or riding D they are elected by landowners and police chiefs the correct answer is C they are elected by voters in their local constituency or riding other study questions the following are some other study questions that you can use to prepare for the citizenship test name two key documents that contain our rights and freedoms identify four rights the Canadians enjoy name four fundamental freedoms the Canadians enjoy what is meant by the Equality of women and men what are some examples of taking responsibility for yourself and your family who were the founding peoples of Canada who are the maytee what does the word Inuit mean what is meant by the term responsible government who is Sir Louie Eppolito lefante what did the Canadian Pacific Railway symbolize what does Confederation mean what is the significance of the discovery of insulin by Sir Frederick Banting and Charles best what does it mean to say that Canada is a constitutional monarchy what are the three branches of government what is the difference between the role of the Queen and that of the prime minister what is the highest honor the Canadians can receive when you go to vote on Election Day what do you do who is entitled to vote in Canadian federal elections in Canada are you obliged to tell other people how you voted after an election which party forms the government who is your member of parliament what are the three levels of government what is the role of the courts in Canada in Canada are you allowed to question the police about their service or conduct name to Canadian symbols what provinces are referred to as the Atlantic provinces what is the capital of the province or territory that you live in for more information about Canadian citizenship you can obtain citizenship application information and take advantage of the many resources that are available by telephone for all areas within Canada the toll-free call center number is 1-877-443-6276 published by Canadian Heritage a crown of maples published by Canadian Heritage Canada a people's history Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Canada's history published by Canada's National History Society kayak Canada's history magazine for kids published by Canada's National History Society for more information about federal programs and services you can obtain information about Canada by telephone or on the internet by telephone call toll-free 1-800 canada 1 862 6 2 3 2 or 1-800 465 77035 TTY internet the government of canada website contains information about many government programs and services it can be found at WWE Canada GCC a the following are other websites of interest that provide information on topics found in this guide websites about Canada the crown and governor-general WW GGC a canadian heritage wwp CH GCC a atlas of canada HTTP colon backslash backslash atlas dot n RCA n dot g c dot c a backslash SI te back slash index dot HTML teachers and youth corner WWC i cGCC a backslash english backslash games back slash index dot asp Parks Canada WW Parks Canada dot G C dot CA Institute for Canadian citizenship wwic see - I see C dot CA the historical Dominion Institute WWE history - Dominion dot CA the Canadian experience a civic literacy project for the new mainstream w w CDN experience dot CA websites about Canadian history Canadian Confederation ww collections Canada dot G C dot C a backslash Confederation backslash index - e dot html' confederation for kids www.confezzedmuzic.com dot G C dot C a backslash Prime Minister's virtual Museum of Canada wwo museum dot C a Canadian War Museum w-w-warm Museum see a Canadian black history WWC ICGC dot see a backslash English backslash games backslash Museum backslash main dot ASP websites about military history and remembrance a day of remembrance WWV AC - ACC dot G C dot C a backslash content backslash history backslash other backslash remember backslash Day remembrance dot PDF heroes and poppies an introduction to remembrance available in hard copy version only order at HTTP colon backslash backslash c our orders - command e SC SS . v IC - a CC dot g c dot c a backslash order dot PHP question mark m equal sign item underscore list ampersand see equal sign education kits Canada remembers WWV AC - a CC dot G C dot C a backslash remembers backslash su b dot c FM question mark source equal sign history backslash info sheets historical booklets WWV AC - a CC dot g c-- dot c a backslash remembers backslash su b dot c FM question mark source equal sign history backslash series websites about government Parliament of Canada wwp ARL GCC a I can vote WWI elections see a backslash content underscore youth dot ASP question mark section equal sign why th and % di are equal sign re s backslash GE n backslash CA n + % document equal sign index + % la ng equal sign e ampersand text only equal sign false Canada's system of justice ww justice GCSE a backslash ing backslash de PT - mi n backslash pu b back / ju st websites about geography geography quizzes HTTP colon backslash backslash atlas dot NRC a n dot g c dot c a backslash site backslash english backslash learning resources backslash quizzes back slash index dot HTML web sites about creating a greener canada sustainable development wwp cGCC a backslash docs backslash PC backslash str 80 backslash s DD - SDS - 2 0 0 7 back slash index underscore e dot ASP being energy efficient w WN r CA n dot g c dot c a backslash en ee + e backslash PFF PFF backslash index - ing dot php' websites about getting involved Bertie's the following are the legal authorities under which Canada's citizenship program is administered section 5 of the Citizenship Act section 5 so that's citizenship to any person has an ad of Canada and the responses and privileges ship knowledge of camp citizenship criteria section 15 sub a person is have an adequate knowledge of Canada questions prepared by the minister that they know the national symbols of Canada and have a general understanding following subjects a and military history be the doctor istic s' of Canadian social through history see cool and political geography e characteristics of the Canadian government as a constitute on our key a mystics of Canada all of the knows referred in paragraphs a section 15 Shinto is considered to have an adequate if they demonstrate behind the responses to questions prepared by them that they have a general understand the following subjects a participant be participation and Canadian society including volunteerism the environment and the protection heritage respect for the rights freedoms and obligations set out in the laws of K and a of citizen other than those refer to paragraphs a quotes Canada I want main the granite the in the oak and eight among the nation world Minister of Canada 1896 alien freedom way free right a free to choose over in my country all mankind Minister of Canada 19:50 63 these quotes do not the gold medal hockey Olympics in
