Canada's tradition of ordered liberty dates back to the signing of which document?
Citizenship Test overview
Citizenship Test: Rights and freedoms
Where 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.
- No sign-up
- Every answer explained
- Independent · not a government site
- 20 questions
- Topic drill
0/20
Study reference: Discover Canada (IRCC online edition, 2026), Ch. 1 Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship — Sources of law, Magna Carta, the Charter, Equality of women and men
All 20 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
Canada's tradition of ordered liberty dates back to the signing of which document?
- The Treaty of Paris
- The Constitution Act, 1867
- The Quebec Act
- Magna Carta
According to the Charter, how do the rights it guarantees affect the treaty rights of Aboriginal peoples?
- They suspend treaty rights in cities
- They replace all treaty rights
- They will not adversely affect them
- They apply only to treaties after 1982
Where does the right of habeas corpus come from?
- The Royal Proclamation of 1763
- The Quebec Act of 1774
- The civil code of France
- English common law
Which of these is one of the sources of Canadian law named in Discover Canada?
- Roman military law
- The constitution of Australia
- The civil code of France
- The laws of the United States
How does Canadian law treat forced marriage and other gender-based violence?
- As crimes that are severely punished
- As minor offences with small fines
- As acceptable if part of a tradition
- As private family matters
Which right in the Charter concerns the language in which children of official-language minorities are schooled?
- Freedom of association and of assembly
- Minority language educational rights
- Mobility rights
- Habeas corpus
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms begins by saying Canada is founded on principles that recognize what?
- The authority of the British Parliament
- The power of the provinces over Ottawa
- The supremacy of God and the rule of law
- The will of the majority in all things
Canada inherited an unwritten constitution from which country?
- The United States
- Great Britain
- The Netherlands
- France
Under mobility rights, what can Canadians do?
- Move to any country without a passport
- Skip customs when returning home
- Live and work anywhere they choose in Canada
- Vote in any province they visit
Freedom of conscience and religion is one of how many fundamental freedoms listed in Discover Canada?
- Six
- Two
- Ten
- Four
A Canadian citizen wants to apply for a passport and travel abroad. Which Charter rights cover entering and leaving Canada freely?
- Democratic rights
- Mobility rights
- Minority language rights
- Aboriginal peoples' rights
Which of these is one of the fundamental freedoms Canadians enjoy?
- Freedom from paying taxes
- Freedom of peaceful assembly
- Freedom to carry any weapon
- Freedom to ignore jury duty
Magna Carta is also known by which other name?
- The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- The Bill of Liberties
- The Great Charter of Freedoms
- The Royal Proclamation
What status do English and French have in Parliament and throughout the federal government?
- French is used only in Quebec
- Each is used on alternate days
- Equal status
- English comes first
How does Discover Canada describe multiculturalism?
- A fundamental characteristic of Canadian heritage
- A policy limited to large cities
- A rule that replaces official languages
- A temporary immigration program
In what year was the Constitution amended to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
- 1867
- 1931
- 1960
- 1982
Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are part of which fundamental freedom?
- Freedom of conscience and religion
- Freedom of peaceful assembly
- Freedom of association
- Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression
In what year was Magna Carta signed in England?
- 1608
- 1215
- 1497
- 1066
What does habeas corpus protect?
- The right to vote in every federal election
- The right to a free lawyer in civil cases
- The right to own property anywhere in Canada
- The right to challenge unlawful detention by the state
In Canada, how are men and women treated under the law?
- Men have more legal rights
- They are equal
- Rights depend on religion
- Women need a guardian to sign contracts
Rights and freedoms: 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
- Citizens' rights and responsibilities come from Canada's history, are secured by Canadian law and reflect shared traditions, identity and values.
- Canadian law draws on four sources: laws passed by Parliament and the provincial legislatures, English common law, the civil code of France, and the unwritten constitution inherited from Great Britain.
Magna Carta
- Together these sources secure an "ordered liberty" tradition about 800 years old, going back to Magna Carta, signed in England in 1215 (also called the Great Charter of Freedoms).
- The four fundamental freedoms listed: (1) conscience and religion; (2) thought, belief, opinion and expression, including speech and the press; (3) peaceful assembly; (4) association.
- Habeas corpus = the right to challenge unlawful detention by the state; it comes from English common law.
the Charter
- In 1982 the Constitution of Canada was amended to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- The Charter opens by saying Canada is founded on principles recognizing the supremacy of God and the rule of law (guide: shows the importance of religious traditions and the dignity and worth of the human person).
- The guide shows Queen Elizabeth II proclaiming the amended Constitution in Ottawa, 1982.
- The Charter summarizes fundamental freedoms and adds other rights. Most important, per the guide:
- Mobility rights: live and work anywhere in Canada, enter and leave the country freely, apply for a passport.
- Aboriginal peoples' rights: Charter rights will not adversely affect treaty or other rights or freedoms of Aboriginal peoples.
- Official language rights and minority language educational rights: French and English have equal status in Parliament and throughout the government.
- Multiculturalism: a fundamental characteristic of Canadian heritage and identity.
The equality of women and men
- Men and women are equal under the law in Canada.
- Canada does not tolerate spousal abuse, "honour killings", female genital mutilation, forced marriage or other gender-based violence; these are crimes severely punished under Canada's criminal laws.
Other topics
- 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.
- 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.