Citizen

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Study Guide – Discover Canada – The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship
|https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/discover-canada.html

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 (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.
The difference between an oath and an affirmation is that the oath is a religious commitment whereas an affirmation is non-religious.

Between 1534 and 1542, Jacques Cartier made three voyages across the Atlantic, claiming the land for King Francis I of France. Cartier heard two captured guides speak the Iroquoian word kanata, meaning “village.”

The Dominion of Canada was officially born on July 1, 1867.

Until 1982, July 1 was celebrated as “Dominion Day” to commemorate the day that Canada became a self-governing Dominion. Today it is officially known as Canada Day.
In 1867, Sir John Alexander Macdonald, a Father of Confederation, became Canada’s first Prime Minister.
When Canada took over the vast northwest region from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1869, the 12,000 Métis of the Red River were not consulted. In response, Louis Riel led an armed uprising and seized Fort Garry, the territorial capital.
Some of Canada’s most colourful heroes, such as MajorGeneral Sir Sam Steele, came from the ranks of the Mounties.

British Columbia joined Canada in 1871 after Ottawa promised to build a railway to the West Coast. On November 7, 1885, a powerful symbol of unity was completed when Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona), the Scottish-born director of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), drove the last spike. The project was financed by British and American investors and built by both European and Chinese labour.

Afterwards the Chinese were subject to discrimination, including the Head Tax, a race-based entry fee.
The railway made it possible for immigrants, including 170,000 Ukrainians, 115,000 Poles and tens of thousands from Germany, France, Norway and Sweden to settle in the West before 1914 and develop a thriving agricultural sector

The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in April 1917, with 10,000 killed or wounded, securing the Canadians’ reputation for valour as the “shock troops of the British Empire.”

Regrettably, from 1914 to 1920, Ottawa interned over 8,000 former Austro-Hungarian subjects, mainly Ukrainian men, as “enemy aliens” in 24 labour camps across Canada, even though Britain advised against the policy.

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 Stowe, the first Canadian woman to practice medicine in Canada.

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.

Economics: The Bank of Canada, a central bank to manage the money supply and bring stability to the financial system, was created in 1934. Immigration dropped and many refugees were turned away, including Jews trying to flee Nazi Germany in 1939.

More than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders (Newfoundland was a separate British entity) served in the Second World War,…)

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, Estevan Point lighthouse on Vancouver Island, launched fire balloons over B.C. and the Prairies, and grossly maltreated Canadian prisoners of war captured at Hong Kong.

Regrettably, the state of war and public opinion in B.C. led to the forcible relocation of Canadians of Japanese origin by the federal government and the sale of their property without compensation.

The discovery of oil in Alberta in 1947 began Canada’s modern energy industry. In 1951, for the first time, a majority of Canadians were able to afford adequate food, shelter and clothing.

Quebec experienced an era of rapid change in the 1960s known as the Quiet Revolution. Many Quebecers sought to separate from Canada.

The movement for Quebec sovereignty gained strength but was defeated in a referendum in the province in 1980 and again defeated in a second referendum in 1995

Most Canadians of Asian descent had in the past been denied the vote in federal and provincial elections.

In 1948 the last of these, the Japanese-Canadians, gained the right to vote. Aboriginal people were granted the vote in 1960.
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.

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.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier 7th Prime Minister of Canada

The first French Canadian prime minister, his 15-year tenure remains the longest unbroken term of office among Canadian prime ministers and his nearly 45 years of service in the House of Commons is a record for the House. Laurier is best known for his compromises between English and French Canada.

Basketball was invented by Canadian James Naismith in 1891.
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,”
In 1985, fellow British Columbian Rick Hansen circled the globe in a wheelchair to raise funds for spinal cord research.

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?

There are three key facts about Canada’s system of government: our country is a federal state, a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.

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.
- 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.

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.

Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75.

As a constitutional monarchy, Canada’s head of State is a hereditary Sovereign (Queen or King), who reigns in accordance with the Constitution: the rule of law.

The Royal Family’s example of lifelong service to the community is an encouragement for citizens to give their best to their country.
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 is 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 lieutenant Governor, who is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, also normally for five years.
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.
Canada is divided into 308 electoral districts, also known as ridings or constituencies.

Canada has been a constitutional monarchy in its own right since Confederation in 1867 during Queen Victoria’s reign.

A new Canadian flag was raised for the first time in 1965.

Millions of Canadians and Americans cross every year and in safety what is traditionally known as “the world’s longest undefended border.”

Canada is the second largest country on earth—10 million square kilometres.
- Canada has ten provinces and three territories.
Canada has a population of about 34 million people.
P.E.I. is the birthplace of Confederation, connected to mainland Canada by one of the longest continuous multispan bridges in the world, the Confederation Bridge.
- At more than 12 million, the people of Ontario make up more than one-third of Canadians.
Saskatchewan, once known as the “breadbasket of the world” and the “wheat province,” has 40% of the arable land in Canada and is the country’s largest producer of grains and oilseeds.
About one-half of all the goods produced in B.C. are forestry products, including lumber, newsprint, and pulp and paper products
The Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon contain one-third of Canada’s land mass but have a population of only 100,000.
Nunavut, meaning “our land” in Inuktitut, was established in 1999 from the eastern part of the Northwest Territories
- The population is about 85% Inuit, and Inuktitut is an official language and the first language in schools.

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Canadians take pride in their identity and have made sacrifices to defend their way of life
Canada’s openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, “honour killings,” female genital mutilation, forced marriage or other gender-based violence.
Taking responsibility for oneself and 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 selfrespect, and to Canada’s prosperity
Voting in elections — The right to vote comes with a responsibility to vote in federal, provincial or territorial and local elections.

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To understand what it means to be Canadian, it is important to know about our three founding peoples: Aboriginal, French, and British.

Today, the term Aboriginal peoples refers to three distinct groups: Indian refers to all Aboriginal people who are not Inuit or Métis.
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.
Believing it would be easy to conquer Canada, the United States launched an invasion in June 1812. The Americans were mistaken.

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You are becoming part of a great tradition that was built by generations of pioneers before you
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.
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.

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18/20. So, not just Canadian, eh, but a Canadian A+.

Canada and California have about the same population.
They both legalized euthanasia in 2016.

In 2021 in California, 486 people died using the state’s assisted suicide program.
In 2021, there were 10,064 MAID provisions reported in Canada, accounting for 3.3% of all deaths in Canada.
- The number of cases of MAID in 2021 represents a growth rate of 32.4% over 2020. All provinces continue to experience a steady year over year growth.

Pullman, D. (2023, May 11). Slowing the Slide Down the Slippery Slope of Medical Assistance in Dying:Mutual Learnings for Canada and the US. The American Journal of Bioethics, 23(11), 64-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2023.2201190