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Canadian Citizenship Test

Chapter 1

Rights and responsibilities of citizenship

Where Canadian rights come from, the freedoms in the Charter, and the six responsibilities that come with citizenship.

Test yourself on this chapter

Where Canadian rights come from

Canadian rights did not appear all at once. They reach back to Magna Carta, sealed in England in 1215 and also called the Great Charter of Freedoms, and they arrive through several channels at once: statutes passed by Parliament and by the provincial legislatures, English common law, French civil law, and an unwritten constitution inherited from Britain. Between them these give Canadians an 800-year-old tradition of ordered liberty. Habeas corpus — being able to challenge detention by the state as unlawful — reaches Canada through English common law.

Testable facts

  • Magna Carta was signed in 1215 in England and is also known as the Great Charter of Freedoms
  • Sources of Canadian law: Acts of Parliament and of the provincial legislatures, English common law, French civil law, and Britain's unwritten constitution
  • Canadians have an 800-year-old tradition of ordered liberty
  • Habeas corpus, the right to challenge unlawful detention by the state, comes from English common law

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms

In 1982 the Constitution was amended to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Its opening words recognise the supremacy of God and the rule of law — a phrase pointing to the place of religious tradition in Canadian society and to the dignity and worth of the person. The Charter gathers up the fundamental freedoms and adds further rights on top. Four freedoms are named: conscience and religion; thought, belief, opinion and expression, which takes in free speech and a free press; peaceful assembly; and association.

Testable facts

  • The Constitution of Canada was amended in 1982 to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
  • The Charter begins with the words that Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law
  • Freedom of conscience and religion is a fundamental freedom in the Charter
  • Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of speech and of the press, is a fundamental freedom
  • Freedom of peaceful assembly is a fundamental freedom in the Charter
  • Freedom of association is a fundamental freedom in the Charter

Other rights in the Charter

Beyond the four freedoms, the Charter carries several rights the guide singles out. Mobility rights let Canadians live and work anywhere in the country, leave and re-enter it, and hold a passport. Aboriginal peoples' rights are protected: nothing guaranteed in the Charter may work against treaty or other rights already held by Aboriginal peoples. Official language rights and minority language educational rights give French and English equal standing in Parliament and across government. Multiculturalism is treated as a defining feature of Canadian heritage and identity.

Testable facts

  • Mobility rights mean Canadians can live and work anywhere they choose in Canada, enter and leave the country freely, and apply for a passport
  • The rights guaranteed in the Charter will not adversely affect any treaty or other rights or freedoms of Aboriginal peoples
  • Official language rights give French and English equal status in Parliament and throughout the government
  • Multiculturalism is a fundamental characteristic of the Canadian heritage and identity

Responsibilities of citizenship

Rights in Canada arrive attached to duties. Six are listed. Obeying the law comes first, because the rule of law is a founding principle: people and governments alike answer to law rather than to arbitrary power, and nobody stands above it. Taking responsibility for yourself and your family means finding work and providing for them, which the guide ties to personal dignity, self-respect and national prosperity. Jury service is compulsory once you are called. Voting is a duty at federal, provincial or territorial and local level. Helping others in your community and protecting the country's heritage and environment complete the list.

Testable facts

  • Obeying the law is a responsibility of citizenship, and one of Canada's founding principles is the rule of law
  • Individuals and governments are regulated by laws and not by arbitrary actions, and no person or group is above the law
  • Taking responsibility for oneself and one's family means getting a job, taking care of one's family and working hard
  • Work contributes to personal dignity and self-respect, and to Canada's prosperity
  • When called to serve on a jury you are legally required to serve
  • Serving on a jury is a privilege that makes the justice system work, because it depends on impartial juries made up of citizens
  • The right to vote comes with a responsibility to vote in federal, provincial or territorial and local elections
  • Helping others in the community is a responsibility of citizenship, and millions of volunteers freely donate their time
  • Protecting and enjoying Canada's heritage and environment is a responsibility of citizenship

The equality of women and men, and defending Canada

Men and women stand equal before the law in Canada. The guide is blunt that this equality sets a hard limit on what culture can excuse: spousal abuse, so-called honour killings, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and other gender-based violence are described as barbaric practices, and those who commit them are punished severely under criminal law. On defence, there is no conscription — nobody is obliged to serve — but the regular navy, army and air force are presented as an honourable contribution and a real career, alongside the part-time reserves, the cadets, the Coast Guard and local emergency services such as police and fire departments.

Testable facts

  • In Canada, men and women are equal under the law
  • Barbaric cultural practices fall outside Canada's generosity: spousal abuse, honour killings, female genital mutilation and forced marriage among them
  • Those guilty of gender-based violence are severely punished under Canada's criminal laws
  • There is no compulsory military service in Canada
  • Serving in the regular Canadian Forces, made up of the navy, army and air force, is a way to contribute to Canada
  • You can serve in the part-time navy, militia and air reserves
  • Cadets teach young people discipline, responsibility and skills
  • Other ways to serve: the Coast Guard, or local emergency services such as a fire department or police force

This is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorised by the government of Canada. Practice questions are written from the official study guide and are not the real exam questions. No government publishes those.