In which provinces does the RCMP NOT serve as the provincial police?
Citizenship Test overview
Citizenship Test: The justice system
Due 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.
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- 13 questions
- Topic drill
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Study reference: Discover Canada (IRCC online edition, 2026), Ch. 7 The Justice System — Courts, Police, Getting legal help
All 13 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
In which provinces does the RCMP NOT serve as the provincial police?
- Ontario and Quebec
- Nova Scotia and PEI
- British Columbia and Alberta
- Manitoba and Saskatchewan
You are unhappy with how a police officer treated you. What can you do?
- Question the police about their conduct
- Nothing, police cannot be questioned
- Refuse to obey any police officer
- Only complain to your MP
Which of these situations does the guide list as a reason to ask the police for help?
- You want to change your riding
- You need a passport renewed
- You want a building permit
- Someone you know has gone missing
What is Canada's highest court?
- The Federal Court of Canada
- The Senate
- The provincial court of appeal
- The Supreme Court of Canada
What does the RCMP do throughout Canada?
- Collects customs duties
- Enforces federal laws
- Runs the federal courts
- Writes the Criminal Code
What is the role of the courts in Canada?
- To choose the Prime Minister
- To enforce traffic rules on the road
- To settle disputes
- To make new laws
A neighbour owes you a small sum of money and will not pay. Which court handles civil cases like this?
- Small claims court
- Traffic court
- The Supreme Court of Canada
- The Federal Court of Canada
What does the presumption of innocence mean?
- The accused must prove innocence
- Only citizens are presumed innocent
- Everyone is innocent until proven guilty
- Police decide who is guilty
Which federal trial court handles judicial review of many immigration and other federal administrative decisions?
- The Federal Court of Canada
- Small claims court
- The Supreme Court of Canada
- Family court
In the Canadian justice system, what is due process?
- Judges must follow the Prime Minister
- Police may search without a warrant
- The government must respect a person's legal rights
- Courts must decide every case within a week of the charge
Does Canadian law apply to judges, politicians and the police?
- No, they are exempt while on duty
- Only to police, not to judges
- Only after they leave office
- Yes, the law applies to everyone
What does the blindfolded Lady Justice symbolize?
- That the accused cannot see the jury
- The impartial way laws are administered
- That trials are held in secret
- That judges cannot read the law
You need a lawyer but cannot afford one. What does the guide say is available in most communities?
- A court-appointed relative
- A lawyer paid by your employer
- Legal aid, free or at low cost
- No help at all
The justice system: 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 ↗
introduction
- The justice system guarantees everyone due process under the law.
- Founded on the presumption of innocence in criminal matters: innocent until proven guilty.
- Legal heritage: rule of law, freedom under the law, democratic principles, due process.
- Due process = the government must respect all the legal rights a person is entitled to under the law.
- Laws are written rules made by elected representatives; courts settle disputes; police enforce laws.
- Law applies to everyone, including judges, politicians and police.
- Purpose of laws: order in society, a peaceful way to settle disputes, express Canadians' values and beliefs.
- Blindfolded Lady Justice symbolizes impartial administration of the law.
Courts
- Supreme Court of Canada = highest court.
- Federal Court of Canada = matters concerning the federal government.
- Most provinces: an appeal court and a trial court.
- Also provincial courts for lesser offences, family courts, traffic courts, and small claims courts for civil cases involving small sums of money.
Police
- Police keep people safe and enforce the law; you can ask them for help (accident, theft, assault, a crime in progress, a missing person).
- Provincial police forces in Ontario and Quebec; municipal police in all provinces.
- RCMP enforce federal laws throughout Canada and serve as provincial police in all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec, and in some municipalities.
- You can question the police about their service or conduct; almost all forces have a complaints process.
Getting legal help
- Lawyers help with legal problems and act for you in court.
- If you cannot pay a lawyer, most communities have legal aid, free or at low cost.
- Prisons punish criminals and deter crime (caption).
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.
- 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.
- Honours and national holidaysThe 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.
- 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.