Notes from Discover Canada - Preparation for the Citizenship Test

[rajkamalmohanram]

Introduction​

• Sources of Canadian Law = 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
• Combined all above = Magna Carta / Great Charter of Freedoms (1215 AD)
• Habeas corpus = Right to challenge unlawful detention by the state (English Common Law)
• Constitution of Canada amended to include Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982)
• Fundamental freedoms + Additional rights
• Mobility rights, Aboriginal People's Rights, Official Language Rights and Minority Language Educational Rights, Multiculturalism
• Responsibilities = Obeying the law, taking responsibility for oneself and one’s family, serving on jury, Voting, Volunteering, Protecting/Enjoying heritage and environment
• Defending Canada = foreces.ca / cadets.ca for young people

History of Canada (Part 1 / 2)​

• Peace, Order, and Good Government comes from British North America Act (1867)
• Songwriters called Canada "Great Dominion"
• Founding peoples = Aboriginal, French, British
• Aboriginal people migrated from Asia thousands of years ago.
• Territorial rights were first guaranteed through the Royal Proclamation of 1763 by King George III
• 1800 - 1980 => Aboriginal children in residential schools, Schools were poorly funded, students abused, Aboriginal language and cultural practices were prohibited. In 2008, Ottawa formally apologized to former students.
• Aboriginal people = 3 groups | First Nations (65%), Metis (30%), Inuit (4%)
• 'Indian' refers to all Aboriginal people who are not Inuit or Métis. Term no longer used. Now they are called 'First Nations'.
• About half of First Nations people live on reserve land in about 600 communities | Remaining off the reserve in urban centers
• Inuit, means "The People" in Inuktitut language live in Arctic. Knowledgeable about land, sea, wildlife
• Metis = people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry. Majority in Prairie provinces. Their dialect = Michif (French + English speaking backgrounds).
• John Buchan | 1st Baron Tweedsmuir | popular Governor General of Canada (1935-40) | Said "Immigrant groups should retain their individuality and each make its contribution to the national character." at Canadian Club of Halifax, 1937.
• Today, Anglophones = 18 million, 7 million Francophones (majority live in Quebec) - 1 million live in Ontario, NB & Manitoba
• NB is the only official bilingual province
• Acadians = descendants of French colonists, began settling in the Maritime provinces in 1604.
• Between 1755 and 1763 (war b/w Britain and France), 2/3rd of Acadians were deported from their homeland. This is known as "Great Upheaval".
• Quebecers = People of Quebec (French speaking majority). Descendants of 8500 French settlers
• The House of Commons recognized in 2006 that the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada.
• One million Anglo-Quebecers have a heritage of 250 years | vibrant part of Quebec fabric
• basic way of life in English-speaking areas established by English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish settlers, soldiers and migrants from the 1600s to 20th century
• Canada = "Land of immigrants"
• From 1970s, most immigrants have come from Asian countries.
• Chinese is second most 2nd most spoken at home.
• Vancouver = 13% speak Chinese at home | Toronto = 7% speak Chinese at home
• Majority of Canadians = Christians
• Canada's diversity includes gay, lesbian | All protection under the law including marriage
• Marjorie Turner-Bailey of Nova Scotia = Olympian, descendant of black Loyalists, escaped slaves & free men, fled to Canada in 1780s from America.
• Huron-Wendat of the Great Lakes region, like the Iroquois = farmers and hunters
• Cree and Dene of the Northwest = hunter-gatherers
• Sioux = Nomadic, following bison herds.
• Inuit = Lived off Arctic wildlife
• West Coast natives = preserved fish by drying and smoking
• Warfare was common among Aboriginal groups for resources, land & prestige
• Many aboriginals died because of European diseases they didn't have immunity to
• Vikings from Iceland, colonized Greenland 1000 years go reached Newfoundland & Labrador
• The remains of their settlement L’Anse aux Meadows = World heritage site
• European exploration began 1497
• John Cabot = first to draw a map of Canada’s East Coast.
• Jacques Cartier, voyages across Atlantic, claiming land for King Francis I of France
• Jacques Cartier = first European to explore St. Lawrence River, set eyes on present-day Québec City & Montreal
• Iroquoian word 'Kanata' means village
• By 1550s, name "Canada" began appearing on maps
• Samuel de Champlain = In 1608, built a fortress in Quebec City
• French and the Iroquois made peace in 1701
• French and Aboriginal people collaborated in the vast fur-trade economy, demand for beaver pelts in Europe
• Jean Talon, Bishop Laval, and Count Frontenac built a French Empire from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico
• Sir Guy Carleton (Lord Dorchester) defeated American invasion of Quebec in 1775
• King Charles II of England = In 1670, granted Hudson’s Bay Company exclusive trading rights over the watershed draining into Hudson Bay
• Voyageurs / coureurs des bois = Montreal-based traders | men who travelled by canoe | formed strong alliances with First Nations
• Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Québec City = 1759 | British defeated French marking the end of France’s empire in America
• Commander of both Armies (Brigadier James Wolfe and the Marquis de Montcalm) were killed in the war
• After the war, Britain renamed the colony the “Province of Quebec.”
• Canadiens / Habitants = French speaking Catholic people
• Quebec Act = 1774 | Passed by British parliament | allowed religious freedom for Catholics and permitted them to hold public office
• Quebec Act restored French civil law while maintaining British criminal law
• In 1776, 13 British colonies to the south of Quebec declared independence and formed the United States.
• People loyal to the Crown = “Loyalists" fled oppression and moved to Nova Scotia and Quebec
• Joseph Brant led thousands of Loyalist Mohawk Indians to Canada
• In 1792, some black Nova Scotians were given poor land, moved on to establish Freetown, Sierra Leone

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

History of Canada (Part 2 / 2)​

• First representative assembly in Halifax, NS in 1758 | PEI in 1773 | NB in 1785
• Constitutional Act = 1791 | divided Province of Quebec to Upper Canada (Ontario) & Lower Canada (Quebec)
• Constitutional Act of 1791 granted, for the first time to the Canadas, legislative assemblies elected by the people
• "Canada" became the official name of the land in 1791
• Atlantic colonies and the two Canadas were known collectively as British North America
• First elected Assembly of Lower Canada | in Quebec City on Jan 21 1793 | debated whether to use both French and English
• Upper Canada in 1793 | led by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe | became the first province in the Empire to move toward abolition
• 1807 = British Parliament prohibited buying and selling slaves
• 1833 = Abolished slavery throughout the empire
• Slaves escaped from US, followed “the North Star” and settled in Canada via the Underground Railroad, a Christian anti-slavery network
• Fort Garry is in Winnipeg | Fort Langley is in Vancouver
• Montreal Stock Exchange opened in 1832
• The War of 1812 | Americans lost | United States launched an invasion in June 1812
• In July, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock captured Detroit | Died when defending against an American attack at Queenston Heights, Niagara Falls
• In 1813, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles de Salaberry | turned back 4,000 American invaders at Chateauguay, south of Montreal
• In 1813 the Americans burned Government House and the Parliament Buildings in York (now Toronto)
• In 1814, as a retaliation, Major-General Robert Ross led an expedition from Nova Scotia that burned down the White House and other public buildings in Washington | the American attempt to conquer Canada had failed
• Present Day Canada - US border is partly an outcome of the War of 1812, which ensured that Canada would remain independent of the United States
• In 1814, Duke of Wellington sent some of his best soldiers to defend Canada. He chose Ottawa (Bytown) as endpoint of Rideau Canal (network of forts to prevent USA from invading Canada again). He defeated Napoleon in 1815, founded the national capital.
• In 1813, Laura Secord (pioneer wife and mother of five children) made a dangerous 19-mile (30 km) journey on foot to warn Lieutenant James Fitz Gibbon of planned American Attack. Her bravery contributed to victory at the Battle of Beaver Dams.
• Lord Durham - English reformer, recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be merged and given responsible government
• Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché, Sir George-Étienne Cartier, Sir John Alexander Macdonald = Fathers of confederation
• In 1840, Upper & Lower Canada united as 'Province of Canada'.
• Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, Robert Baldwin, Joseph Howe (NS) worked with British governors towards responsible government
• In 1847 - 48, Nova Scotia was the first North American colony to attain full responsible government
• In 1848–49 the governor of United Canada, Lord Elgin introduced responsible government
• La Fontaine, a champion of democracy and French language rights, became the first leader of a responsible government in the Canadas
• 1864 - 1867 | representatives from NS, NB & Province of Canada formed a new country.
• Federal & provincial governments were created
• Province of Canada split into Ontario and Quebec
• 1867 = British North America Act
• July 1, 1867 = Dominion of Canada was born
• The term "Dominion of Canada" was used for 100 years
• July 1 = Dominion Day (until 1982) | Today, it is called "Canada day"
• Sir Leonard Tilley | suggested the term "Dominion of Canada" | “dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.”

• When provinces joined Canada
• 1867 — Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick
• 1870 — Manitoba, Northwest Territories (N.W.T.)
• 1871 — British Columbia
• 1873 — Prince Edward Island
• 1880 — Transfer of the Arctic Islands (to N.W.T.)
• 1898 — Yukon Territory
• 1905 — Alberta, Saskatchewan
• 1949 — Newfoundland and Labrador
• 1999 — Nunavut

• Sir John Alexander Macdonald - Canada's first Prime Minister | Father of Confederation
• Jan 11 = Sir John A Macdonald day
• His portrait is on $10 bill
• Sir George-Étienne Cartier | key architect of Confederation from Quebec | He led Quebec into confederation | Helped negotiate entry of NWT. Manitoba & BC into Canada
• In 1869 - Louis Riel from Manitoba led an armed uprising and seized Fort Garry (territorial capital)
• Riel fled to US and Canada established a new province: Manitoba
• Louis Riel = a defender of Métis rights and the father of Manitoba.
• Major General Sir Sam Steele | A great frontier hero, Mounted Policeman, and soldier of the Queen
• Gabriel Dumont was the Métis’ greatest military leader
• British Columbia joined Canada in 1871 after Ottawa promised to build a railway to the West Coast.
• Chinese were subject to 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 Canadian Pacific Railway’s “ribbons of steel” fulfilled a national dream.
• Sir Wilfrid Laurier = First French-Canadian prime minister
• Over 7,000 fought in Boer War (1899–1902) in South Africa
• More than 600,000 Canadians served in the war
• The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in April 1917, securing the Canadians’ reputation for valour as the “shock troops of the British Empire.”
• April 9 = Vimy Day
• General Sir Arthur Currie = Canada’s greatest soldier | Commander of the Canadian Corps
• Victory in Battle of Amiens on August 8, 1918 ("Black Day of the German Army")
• 60,000 Canadians were killed and 170,000 wounded
• Agnes MacPhail (farmer and teacher) became the first woman MP in 1921
• Women’s suffrage movement = effort by women to achieve the right to vote
• In 1918, most Canadian female citizens aged 21 and over were granted the right to vote in federal elections
• Quebec granted women the vote in 1940
• November 11 = Remembrance Day | Canadians wear the red poppy
• Remembering the sacrifices of millions of brave men and women who served / died for the nation
• Stock Market Crash of 1929 led to great depression
• Bank of Canada was created in 1934
• Immigration dropped and refugees (including Jews fleeing Nazi Germany) were turned away
• June 6, 1944 | D-Day invasion at Normandy
• 15000 Canadian troops captured Juno beach on June 6, 1944 as a part of D-Day invasion
• More than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders served in World War 2
• Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) took part in the Battle of Britain | provided a high proportion of Commonwealth aircrew in bombers and fighter planes over Europe
• The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) saw its finest hour in the Battle of the Atlantic protecting convoys of merchant ships against German submarines
• The discovery of oil in Alberta in 1947 began Canada’s modern energy industry
• 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 in as 1927. Quebec Pension Plans was created in 1965.
• Canada joined with other countries of the West to form a military alliance -the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• Canada joined with US and formed North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD)
• Quiet Revolution in 1960s = an era of rapid change in Quebec
• In 1963 Parliament established the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism
• Official Languages Act was passed in 1969
• In 1970 | La Francophonie was founded | It is an international association of French-speaking countries
• Movement for Quebec sovereignty | Referendum defeated in 1982 AND 1995

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Notable Canadian figures​

• Novelists / Poets = Stephen Leacock, Louis Hémon, Sir Charles G.D. Roberts, Pauline Johnson, Émile Nelligan, Robertson Davies, Margaret Laurence and Mordecai Richler
• Musicians = Sir Ernest MacMillan and Healey Willan
• Writers = Joy Kogawa, Michael Ondaatje and Rohinton Mistry
• Group of Seven | Found in 1920 | style of painting to capture the rugged wilderness landscapes
• Emily Carr painted the forests and Aboriginal artifacts of the West Coast
• Pioneers of Modern Abstract Art in 1950s = Les Automatistes (most notably Jean-Paul Riopelle)
• Sculptor = Louis-Philippe Hébert (Quebec) (of historical figures)
• Modern Inuit art with etchings, prints and soapstone sculptures = Kenojuak Ashevak
• Filmmakers = Denys Arcand (Quebec), Norman Jewison and Atom Egoyan
• Marshall McLuhan and Harold Innis = Thinkers
• Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891
• Donovan Bailey became a world record sprinter and double Olympic gold medallist
• Chantal Petitclerc became a world champion wheelchair racer and Paralympic gold medalist
• Wayne Gretzky = One of the greatest hockey players of all time played for the Edmonton Oilers from 1979 to 1988.
• Catriona Le May Doan = Won gold medal is speed skating | 2002 Olympic Winter games
• Terry Fox from BC = Lost a leg to cancer at age 18 | went on a cross-country run, the “Marathon of Hope,” to raise money for cancer research
• Rick Hansen from BC = circled the globe in a wheelchair to raise funds for spinal cord research.
• Nobel prize winning scientists = Gerhard Herzberg (refugee from Nazi Germany), John Polanyi, Sidney Altman, Richard E. Taylor, Michael Smith and Bertram Brockhouse

Discoveries and inventions

• Sir Frederick Banting of Toronto and Charles Best discovered Insulin, a hormone to treat diabetes that has saved 16 million lives world
• Alexander Graham Bell — hit on the idea of the telephone at his summer house in Canada.
• Joseph-Armand Bombardier — invented the snowmobile, a light-weight winter vehicle.
• Sir Sandford Fleming — invented the world system of standard time zones.
• Mathew 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.”
• Dr. John A. Hopps — invented the first cardiac pacemaker, used today to save the lives of people with heart disorders.
• SPAR Aerospace / National Research Council — invented the Canadarm, a robotic arm used in outer space.
• Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie — of Research in Motion (RIM) — a wireless communications company known for its most famous invention, the BlackBerry.

Government of Canada (1/2)​

• Canada is a Federal State, a Parliamentary Democracy and a Constitutional Monarchy
• Federal government = matters of national and international concern (defence, foreign policy, interprovincial trade and communications, currency, navigation, criminal law and citizenship)
• Provincial Government = education, health, natural resources, property and civil rights, and highways
• Federal government and the provinces share jurisdiction over agriculture and immigration
• 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 = people elect members to the House of Commons in Ottawa and to the provincial and territorial legislatures
• Representatives are responsible for passing laws, approving and monitoring expenditures, and keeping the government accountable
• Cabinet ministers 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 (Queen or King), the Senate and the House of Commons
• Provincial legislatures comprise the Lieutenant Governor and the elected Assembly.
• Prime Minister selects the Cabinet ministers and is responsible for the operations and policy of the government
• House of Commons is the representative chamber, made up of members of Parliament elected by the people (every 4 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 (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.

How a bill becomes law — The Legislative Process

• STEP 1 First Reading — The bill is considered read for the first time and is printed.
• STEP 2 Second Reading — Members debate the bill’s principle.
• STEP 3 Committee Stage — Committee members study the bill clause by clause.
• STEP 4 Report Stage — Members can make other amendments.
• STEP 5 Third Reading — Members debate and vote on the bill.
• STEP 6 Senate — The bill follows a similar process in the Senate.
• STEP 7 Royal Assent — The bill receives royal assent after being passed by both Houses.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Government of Canada (2/2)​

• Constitutional Monarchy = Head of State is a hereditary Sovereign (Queen or King), who reigns in accordance with the Constitution: the rule of law
• Governor General represents the sovereign | Appointed by the sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister for 5 years
• Lieutenant Governor represents the sovereign in provinces | Appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister for 5 years
• Branches of government = Executive, Legislative and Judicial
• Members of the legislature are called Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) OR Members of National Assembly (MNAs) OR Members of the Provincial Parliament (MPPs) OR Members of the House of Assembly (MHAs) depending on the province
• Premier = Head of provincial government
• Commissioner = Plays a ceremonial role in the territories
• Municipal (local) government led by Mayor or Reeve | Councillors or Aldermen. Takes care of snow removal, policing, Firefighting, Emergency services etc.
• First Nations have band chiefs and councillors who have major responsibilities on First Nations reserves, including housing, schools and other services
• Federal elections must be held on the third Monday in October every four years
• The Prime Minister may ask the Governor General to call an earlier election.
• 308 electoral districts in Canada (also called ridings / constituencies)
• An electoral district is represented by a MP
• Canadian citizens who are 18 years old or older may run in a federal election
• The people in each electoral district vote for the candidate and political party of their choice. The candidate who receives the most votes become the MP for that electoral district.
• To vote in federal election or a cast ballot in federal referendum, one must be:
• a Canadian citizen; and
• at least 18 years old on voting day; and
• on the voters’ list.
• Voter information card = lists when and where you vote and the number to call if you require an interpreter or other special services.
• Secret Ballot = his 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 has the right to insist that you tell them how you voted.
• Voter information card = This confirms that your name is on the voters’ list and states when and where you vote
• I did not get a card = call your local elections office OR call Elections Canada, in Ottawa, at 1-800-463-6868
• Advance poll and special ballot = If you cannot or do not wish to vote on election day, you can vote at the advance polls or by special ballot
• On election day = Go to your polling station + Bring voter card and proof of identity and address to the polling station
• Marking the ballot = Mark an “X” in the circle next to the name of the candidate of your choice
• Voting is secret = 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.
• 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
• The election results = every ballot is counted and the results are made public
• After election, political party with the most seats in the House of Commons is invited by the Governor General to form the government. Leader of this party becomes PM.
• If party in power holds less than 50% of seats in house of commons, it is called minority government. Otherwise, it is called Majority government.
• If a majority of the members of the House of Commons vote against a major government decision, party in power is defeated, PM asks Governor general to call an election
• PM chooses ministers of the crown (most of them from house of commons).
• PM + Cabinet Ministers = Cabinet
• Opposition parties = Parties not in power
• Role of opposition parties = Peacefully oppose / try to improve government proposals
• Conservative party, Liberal party and New Democratic party = Represented in House of Commons
• Justice system founded on the presumption of innocence in criminal matters, meaning everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
• The courts settle disputes and the police enforce the laws
• The law in Canada applies to everyone, including judges, politicians and the police.
• The Supreme Court of Canada is our country’s highest court.
• 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 offences, family courts, traffic courts and small claims courts for civil cases involving small sums of money
• 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
• There are provincial police forces in Ontario and Quebec and municipal police departments in all provinces
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) enforce federal laws throughout Canada, and serve as the provincial police in all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec
• You can also question the police about their service or conduct if you feel you need to
• 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.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Symbols of Canada​

• The Crown has been a symbol of the state in Canada for 400 years
• The Crown is a symbol of government, including Parliament, the legislatures, the courts, police services and the Canadian Forces.
• The red-white-red pattern comes from the flag of the Royal Military College, Kingston, founded in 1876
• Red and white are national colours of Canada since 1921
• The Union Jack is our official Royal Flag
• Canadian National Flag is red maple leaf in a white background and 2 red borders on the side
• The Maple Leaf is Canada’s best-known symbol
• They are carved into the headstones of our fallen soldiers buried overseas and in Canada.
• The Fleur-de-lys was adopted by the French king in the year 496
• Symbol of French royalty for more than a thousand years, including the colony of New France
• In 1948 Quebec adopted its own flag, based on the Cross and the fleur-de-lys.
• Coat of Arms and Motto = A Mari Usque Ad Mare, which in Latin means “from sea to sea.”
• Parliament Buildings completed in 1860s
• Central block was destroyed in accidental fire in 1916 | Rebuilt in 1922
• The Peace Tower was completed in 1927 in memory of the First World War
• he 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
• Legislatures of the other provinces (except Quebec) are Baroque, Romanesque and neoclassical, reflecting the Greco-Roman heritage of Western civilization in which democracy originated.
• The Quebec National Assembly is built in the French Second Empire style
• Hockey is Canada’s most popular sport | It is also the national winter sport
• Ice hockey was developed in Canada in the 1800s
• 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 is awarded for women’s hockey
• Canadian football is the second most popular sport
• Curling, an ice game introduced by Scottish pioneers, is popular
• Lacrosse is the official summer sport (an ancient sport first played by Aboriginals)
• Soccer has the most registered players of any game in Canada.
• The Beaver was adopted centuries ago as a symbol of the Hudson’s Bay Company
• In 1834, it became an emblem of the St. Jean Baptiste Society, a French-Canadian patriotic association
• This industrious rodent can be seen on 5 cent coin, coat of arms of Saskatchewan & Alberta and cities of Montreal and Toronto
• In 1969, Official Languages Act was passed
• This ensured:
• 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.
• Canada was proclaimed as the National Anthem in 1980
• First sung in Québec City in 1880
• French and English Canadians sing different words to the National Anthem
• Royal Anthem = “God Save the Queen (or King)”
• The Victoria Cross = highest honour available to Canadians and is awarded for the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.

National Public Holidays and Other Important Dates

• New Year’s Day — January 1
• Sir John A. Macdonald Day — January 11
• National Flag of Canada day — February 15
• Good Friday — Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday
• Easter Monday — Monday immediately following Easter Sunday
• Vimy Day — April 9
• Victoria Day — Monday preceding May 25 (Sovereign’s Birthday)
• Fête National (Quebec) — June 24 (Feast of St. John the Baptist)
• Canada Day — July 1
• Labour Day — First Monday of September
• Thanksgiving Day — Second Monday of October
• Remembrance Day — November 11
• Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day — November 20
• Christmas Day — December 25
• Boxing Day — December 26

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Economy of Canada​

• In 1988, Canada enacted North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with US. Mexico joined in 1994.
• Service (75% of Canadians), Manufacturing, Natural Resources = Canada’s Three Main Types of Industries
• Largest trading partner = USA
• Canada and US have the world's largest undefended border.
• Over 3/4th of Canadian exports is for the USA
• The Peace Arch, inscribed with the words “children of a common mother” and “brethren dwelling together in unity,” for US/Canada ties

Regions of Canada​

Regions

• The Atlantic Provinces
• Central Canada
• The Prairie Provinces
• The West Coast
• The Northern Territories
• National Capital Region (NCR) = Ottawa (located on Ottawa River).
• Ottawa = 4th largest metropolitan area (4700 sq km)
• 10 provinces and 3 territories
• Population of Canada ~ 34 million people

Atlantic region = Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John’s), Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown), Nova Scotia (Halifax), New Brunswick (Fredericton)

Central Canada = Ontario (Toronto), Quebec (Quebec City)

Prairie Provinces = Manitoba (Winnipeg), Alberta (Edmonton), Saskatchewan (Regina)

West Coast = British Columbia (Victoria)

North = Nunavut (Iqaluit), Northwest Territories (Yellowknife), Yukon Territory (Whitehorse)

Newfoundland and Labrador:

• Most easterly point in North America
• Has its own time zone
• Oldest colony of British Empire
• Fisheries, Coastal Village Fishing
• Off-shore oil and gas extraction
• Labrador has hydro-electric resources

Prince Edward Island:

• Smallest Province
• Known for beaches, red soil, agriculture (potatoes)
• Birthplace of confederation
• Connected to Canada by longest multi-spam bridge in the world (Confederation bridge)

Nova Scotia:

• Most populous Atlantic province
• Rich history as "Gateway to Canada"
• Shipbuilding, Fisheries, Shipping
• Halifax is the largest East coast port
• Halifax is Important in Atlantic trade, defence
• Halifax has Canada's largest Naval base
• Celtic and Gaelic traditions sustain a vibrant culture in the province

New Brunswick:

• Situated in the Appalachian Range
• Founded by United Empire Loyalists
• Second largest river system on North America's Atlantic coastline - St. John River system
• Saint John is the largest city
• Only official bi-lingual province
• 1/3rd of the population is French

Quebec:

• 8 million people in Quebec
• St. Lawrence River
• 3/4th speak French as first language
• Main producer of pulp and paper
• Largest producer of hydro electricity
• Pharmaceuticals and aeronautics industries
• Montreal = largest French speaking city in the world after Paris
• Quebec films and works of art have international stature in La Francophonie (association of French-speaking nations)

Ontario:

• More than 12 million people
• Toronto = largest city in Canada AND country's main financial center
• Many work in Service or manufacturing industries
• Niagara region is known for vineyards, wines, fruit crops
• Founded by United Empire loyalists
• Ontario has the largest French speaking population outside of Quebec
• 5 great lakes = Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior (largest freshwater lake in the world)

Manitoba:

• Agriculture, Mining, Hydro-electric power generation
• Most populous city = Winnipeg
• Most famous street intersection in Canada = Portage and Main
• 14% of Ukrainian origins and over 15% of Aboriginal population

Saskatchewan:

• Once known as "Breadbasket of the world" | "Wheat Province"
• 40% of arable land in Canada
• Largest producer of grains and oilseed
• World's richest deposits of Uranium, Potash
• Regina (Capital) = Training Academy of RCMP
• Saskatoon (largest city in Saskatchewan) = Headquarters of mining industry, educational, research & Tech center

Alberta:

• Most populous prairie province
• Largest producer of oil and gas
• Lake Louise in the Rocky Mountains
• Province and the lake named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (4th daughter of Queen Victoria)
• 5 National Parks including Banff (est. in 1885)
• Rugged badlands have world's richest deposits of prehistoric fossil and dinosaur finds
• Also known for agriculture, vast cattle ranches, one of the world's major beef producers

British Columbia

• Canada’s western most province
• Population of 4 million
• Port of Vancouver = Gateway to Asia-Pacific
• 1/2 of goods produced are forestry, lumber, newsprint, pulp & paper products
• Also known for mining, fishing, fruit orchards, wine industry
• Most extensive park system with over 600 parks
• Largest Asian communities (Chinese and Punjabi are most spoken after English)
• Victoria is capital, a tourist center and headquarters of Navy's pacific fleet

Yukon:

• Thousands of miners came to the Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s
• The White Pass and Yukon Railway opened in 1900
• White pass and Yukon railway operates from Alaska to Whitehorse
• Coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada (-63 degrees C)
• Mt. Logan = Highest Mountain in Canada (named after William Logan, geologist)
• William Logan is one of the greatest scientists of Canada

Northwest Territories:

• Made from Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory.
• Capital = Yellowknife (population 20,000)
• Yellowknife is called "Diamond Capital of North America"
• More than 1/2 of population is aboriginal (Dene, Inuit and Métis)
• Mackenzie River (4200hm) is the second largest river in North America after Mississippi and drains an area of 1.8 million square km

Nunavut:

• Nunavut means "our land' in Inuktitut language
• Established in 1999
• The capital is Iqaluit
• The 19-member Legislative Assembly chooses a premier and ministers by consensus.
• The population is about 85% Inuit
• Inuktitut is an official language and the first language in schools.

-rajkamalmohanram

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

There might be some formatting issues, sorry. But, I've done my best to summarize the entire Discover Canada book for the purpose of citizenship test. Good luck and all the very best!

While I have taken care to double check the information I have posted, there might be some errors that might have inadvertently crept in. Please use this as a supplement to the Discover Canada book.

Read the book once and then go through my notes in this thread. That'll help you quickly revise as you don't have to read the entire book again.

 

[Doda]

Mods, Sticky Please!
Thanks @rajkamalmohanram for all your efforts helping this forum.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Mods, Sticky Please!
Thanks @rajkamalmohanram for all your efforts helping this forum.

You'll have to click the 'Report' button on my post and request the mods to make it sticky so that the message reaches them.

You're welcome!

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Others who are reading this, please click 'Report' on my first post here and then request the mods to make this a sticky thread so that it can be found with ease!

 

[Doda]

You'll have to click the 'Report' button on my post and request the mods to make it sticky so that the message reaches them.

You're welcome!

Will do!

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

@admin / mods, please make this sticky.

 

[mhd10]

Amazing work. Thank you for all your effort and time.

 

[Goldenita]

Thank you! Really useful and well compiled!

 

[nathaniel_d]

Thank you for your time and effort.