Why was 1967 a fitting year to create the Order of Canada?
Citizenship Test overview
Citizenship Test: Honours and national holidays
The Order of Canada, the Victoria Cross and its Canadian recipients, and the dates of national public holidays and other important days such as Vimy Day, Canada Day and Remembrance Day.
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- 18 questions
- Topic drill
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Study reference: Discover Canada (IRCC online edition, 2026), Ch. 8 Canadian Symbols — The Order of Canada and other honours, The Victoria Cross, National public holidays
All 18 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
Why was 1967 a fitting year to create the Order of Canada?
- It was the year of the Charter
- It was the centennial of Confederation
- It was the year of the new flag
- It was the end of the Second World War
On what date is Remembrance Day observed?
- December 26
- July 1
- April 9
- November 11
Which flying ace from Owen Sound, Ontario, earned the Victoria Cross in the First World War?
- Robert Hampton Gray
- Arthur Currie
- Paul Triquet
- Billy Bishop
On what date is Canada Day celebrated?
- June 24
- July 1
- May 24
- November 11
Captain Paul Triquet of Cabano, Quebec, earned the Victoria Cross in which country?
- France
- The Netherlands
- Italy
- Belgium
Who was the first Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross?
- William Hall
- Alexander Roberts Dunn
- Billy Bishop
- Filip Konowal
Corporal Filip Konowal, born in Ukraine, earned the Victoria Cross at which battle?
- Balaclava
- Casa Berardi
- Hill 70
- Vimy Ridge
Who was the first black man to be awarded the Victoria Cross?
- Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray
- Able Seaman William Hall
- Captain Paul Triquet
- Corporal Filip Konowal
On what date is Vimy Day?
- August 8
- June 6
- April 9
- November 11
In what year did Canada start its own honours system with the Order of Canada?
- 1867
- 1967
- 1917
- 1982
For what is the Victoria Cross awarded?
- Long service in the public service
- Outstanding lifetime achievement in the arts or sciences
- Winning an Olympic gold medal
- Conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy
How many Canadian Victoria Cross recipients does Discover Canada list?
- 16
- 96
- 250
- 1,000
Which navy pilot from Trail, B.C., was the last Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross, as stated in the guide?
- Brigadier Paul Triquet
- Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray
- Able Seaman William Hall
- Captain Billy Bishop
When is Victoria Day, the Sovereign's birthday holiday?
- May 1 every year
- The third Monday of April
- The Monday preceding May 25
- The first Monday of June
The Fête Nationale in Quebec on June 24 is also the feast of which saint?
- St. John the Baptist
- St. Andrew
- St. Patrick
- St. George
When is Thanksgiving Day in Canada?
- The second Monday of October
- The third Monday of October
- The fourth Thursday of November
- The first Monday of September
Which date is listed in the guide as Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day?
- June 24
- January 11
- July 1
- November 20
What is the highest honour available to Canadians?
- The Victoria Cross
- The Stanley Cup
- The Order of Canada
- The Governor General's Medal
Honours and national holidays: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
The Order of Canada and other honours
- Official awards are called honours: orders, decorations and medals.
- After using British honours for many years, Canada started its own system with the Order of Canada in 1967, the centennial of Confederation.
- Citizens may nominate fellow citizens for honours.
The Victoria Cross
- The Victoria Cross (V.C.) is the highest honour available to Canadians: 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.
- Awarded to 96 Canadians since 1854.
- Lt Alexander Roberts Dunn (born in present-day Toronto): Charge of the Light Brigade, Balaclava 1854 (Crimean War) — first Canadian V.C.
- Able Seaman William Hall of Horton, N.S. (parents American slaves): first black man awarded the V.C., Siege of Lucknow, 1857.
- Corporal Filip Konowal (born in Ukraine): Battle of Hill 70, 1917 — first member of the Canadian Corps not born in the British Empire to get the V.C.
- Captain Billy Bishop (born Owen Sound, Ontario): flying ace, Royal Flying Corps, First World War; later honorary Air Marshal of the RCAF.
- Captain Paul Triquet (Cabano, Quebec): attack on Casa Berardi, Italy, 1943; later a Brigadier.
- Lt Robert Hampton Gray (navy pilot, Trail, B.C.): killed sinking a Japanese warship in August 1945; last Canadian V.C. to date (per guide).
National public holidays and other important dates
- New Year's Day Jan 1; Sir John A. Macdonald Day Jan 11; Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday); Easter Monday; Vimy Day April 9; Victoria Day = Monday preceding May 25 (Sovereign's birthday); Fête Nationale (Quebec) June 24 (Feast of St. John the Baptist); Canada Day July 1; Labour Day first Monday of September; Thanksgiving second Monday of October; Remembrance Day Nov 11; Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day Nov 20; Christmas Dec 25; Boxing Day Dec 26.
Study the Honours and national holidays rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- Rights and freedomsWhere Canadian rights come from: Magna Carta, English common law and the French civil code, the four fundamental freedoms, habeas corpus, the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms, mobility, Aboriginal and language rights, multiculturalism and the equality of women and men.
- Citizenship responsibilities and the OathThe responsibilities that come with citizenship (obeying the law, jury duty, voting, helping others, protecting heritage and environment), defending Canada, the Oath of Citizenship, and what happens at the citizenship ceremony.
- Who we are: founding peoples and diversityThe three founding peoples, First Nations, Inuit and Métis, residential schools, English and French Canada, Acadians and Quebecers, and the diversity of languages, religions and origins in Canada today.
- History: first peoples to 1791Aboriginal ways of life, the Vikings, John Cabot and Jacques Cartier, Champlain and New France, the fur trade and the Hudson's Bay Company, the Plains of Abraham, the Quebec Act, the Loyalists and the first elected assemblies.
- History: 1791 to ConfederationThe abolition of slavery, the early economy, the War of 1812, the Rebellions of 1837–38, responsible government, the Fathers of Confederation and the birth of the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867.
- History: the Dominion and the World WarsExpansion of the Dominion, Sir John A. Macdonald, Louis Riel and the Métis, the North West Mounted Police, the Canadian Pacific Railway, western settlement, the First World War, women's right to vote, the Depression and the Second World War.
- Modern Canada since 1945Postwar prosperity and social programs, NATO, NORAD and the United Nations, the Quiet Revolution, official languages and the Quebec referendums, the extension of the vote, refugees and multiculturalism.
- Arts, sports, science and inventionsCanadian writers, painters and filmmakers, sports heroes such as Terry Fox and Wayne Gretzky, Nobel Prize-winning scientists, and great Canadian discoveries and inventions from insulin to the Canadarm.
- How Canadians govern themselvesCanada as a federal state, a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy: federal and provincial powers, the three parts of Parliament, how a bill becomes law, the Sovereign, the Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, Premiers and Commissioners.
- Federal elections and votingWhen federal elections are held, electoral districts and candidates, who may vote, the voters' list and voter information card, the secret ballot, majority and minority government, the Cabinet and opposition, voting procedures and municipal government.
- The justice systemDue process and the presumption of innocence, the rule of law, the Supreme Court and other courts, the RCMP and provincial and municipal police, questioning police conduct, lawyers and legal aid.
- Canadian symbolsThe Crown, the national flag and the Red Ensign, the maple leaf, the fleur-de-lys, the coat of arms and motto, the Parliament Buildings, national sports, the beaver, the official languages and the national and royal anthems.
- Canada's economyCanada as a trading nation, free trade with the United States and Mexico, the three main types of industries (service, manufacturing, natural resources) and the Canada–U.S. trading relationship.
- Regions: geography, the capital and Atlantic CanadaCanada's size, oceans and five regions, provinces, territories and capital cities, Ottawa as the national capital, and the four Atlantic provinces.
- Regions: Central Canada, the Prairies, the West Coast and the NorthQuebec and Ontario, the Great Lakes, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, with their resources, cities and landmarks.