Citizenship Test: Who we are: founding peoples and diversity

The 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.

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Who we are: founding peoples and diversity · Question 1Score 0/0

What are the three distinct groups of Aboriginal peoples in Canada?

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Study reference: Discover Canada (IRCC online edition, 2026), Ch. 2 Who We Are — Aboriginal peoples, English and French, Diversity in Canada

All 27 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

What are the three distinct groups of Aboriginal peoples in Canada?
1. First Nations, Inuit and Métis
2. First Nations, Loyalists and Inuit
3. Inuit, Acadians and Métis
4. Cree, Dene and Haida
Which document first guaranteed Aboriginal territorial rights?
1. The Act of Union of 1840
2. The Royal Proclamation of 1763
3. The Quebec Act of 1774
4. The Constitutional Act of 1791
Where are the ancestors of Aboriginal peoples believed to have migrated from?
1. Europe
2. Asia
3. Africa
4. South America
Who are the three founding peoples of Canada?
1. French, Spanish and British
2. British, American and French
3. Aboriginal, Dutch and French
4. Aboriginal, French and British
In what year did Ottawa formally apologize to former students of residential schools?
1. 1988
2. 1982
3. 2008
4. 2015
Which phrase is a key part of the British North America Act of 1867?
1. Strength and Unity Forever
2. Peace, Order, and Good Government
3. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
4. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
What was the purpose of the residential schools where the federal government placed many Aboriginal children?
1. To train them as soldiers
2. To prepare them for farming in Europe
3. To teach them their own languages
4. To educate and assimilate them
In the population figures quoted in Discover Canada, about what share of Indigenous people are described as First Nations?
1. About 65%
2. About 90%
3. About 30%
4. About 4%
Which is the only officially bilingual province?
1. Manitoba
2. Quebec
3. Ontario
4. New Brunswick
What does federal law require of the Government of Canada regarding language?
1. Offer services in all languages spoken at home
2. Provide services in English and French under the applicable legal requirements
3. Use French only in Quebec and New Brunswick
4. Provide services in English outside Quebec only
In the 2021 Census, which Christian denomination had the largest affiliation in Canada?
1. Protestant
2. Muslim
3. Catholic
4. No religion
According to Discover Canada, who are the Métis?
1. A people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry
2. Loyalists who came from New York
3. An Inuit nation of the eastern Arctic
4. Descendants of French settlers in Acadia
In 2006, what did the House of Commons recognize about the Québécois?
1. Quebec is a separate country
2. They are exempt from federal law
3. They may hold a referendum every year
4. They form a nation within a united Canada
In Discover Canada’s published language-at-home figures, which language group is listed second after English in Vancouver and Toronto?
1. Italian
2. French
3. Punjabi
4. Chinese languages
In Canada's history, who are the Acadians?
1. French settlers who founded Montreal
2. A First Nation of the West Coast
3. Descendants of Scottish settlers in Ontario
4. Descendants of French colonists in the Maritimes
Most Quebecers are descendants of about how many French settlers from the 1600s and 1700s?
1. 85,000
2. 40,000
3. 8,500
4. 850
Which form of government does Canada have?
1. Absolute monarchy
2. One-party state
3. Constitutional monarchy
4. Federal republic
What is the deportation of the Acadians between 1755 and 1763 known as?
1. The Great Upheaval
2. The Quiet Revolution
3. The Great Migration
4. The Conquest
According to Parks Canada’s history of the residential school system, schools continued until which period?
1. The late 1990s
2. The 1860s
3. The 1950s
4. The 1920s
Which region does Discover Canada particularly associate with the Métis?
1. Southern Ontario
2. The Prairie provinces
3. Nunavut
4. The Atlantic provinces
What does the word Inuit mean in the Inuktitut language?
1. The people
2. The village
3. People of the north wind
4. Our land
What share of Acadians were deported from their homeland between 1755 and 1763?
1. More than two-thirds
2. About one-quarter
3. Less than half
4. About one-tenth
Which language is historically associated with the Métis?
1. Inuktitut
2. Cree
3. Michif
4. Gaelic
Under Canadian law, what protection do gay and lesbian Canadians have?
1. Protection at work but no marriage
2. Protection only in some provinces
3. Full protection, including civil marriage
4. No specific protection
In what decade did the term First Nations begin to be used?
1. The 1920s
2. The 1990s
3. The 1970s
4. The 1860s
A newcomer fled a country at war. According to the guide, what are newcomers expected to do?
1. Embrace democratic principles like the rule of law
2. Keep old conflicts alive in Canada
3. Avoid speaking about their past
4. Give up their culture, language and religion entirely
Since the 1970s, where have most immigrants to Canada come from?
1. European countries
2. African countries
3. The United States
4. Asian countries

Who we are: founding peoples and diversity: 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

Canada is a constitutional monarchy: the Sovereign is head of state and exercises the role within Canada’s constitutional system. Canada is also a parliamentary democracy and a federal state.
"Peace, Order, and Good Government" is a key phrase in the British North America Act of 1867, Canada's original constitutional document.
Poets and songwriters have called Canada the "Great Dominion".
Three founding peoples: Aboriginal, French and British.

Aboriginal peoples

Ancestors of Aboriginal peoples are believed to have migrated from Asia many thousands of years ago.
Aboriginal and treaty rights are in the Constitution. Territorial rights were first guaranteed by the Royal Proclamation of 1763 (King George III), the basis for treaty negotiations; treaties were not always fully respected.
Residential schools were used to assimilate Indigenous children, separating many from families and suppressing their languages and cultures. The system caused lasting harm and abuse. Parks Canada describes schools continuing into the late 1990s; it should not be taught as ending in the 1980s.
Three distinct groups:
Indian = Aboriginal people who are not Inuit or Métis; the term First Nations began to be used in the 1970s. The guide’s historical description refers to about half living on reserves in about 600 communities; these are not current census counts.
Inuit = "the people" in Inuktitut; small scattered communities across the Arctic.
Michif is a language associated with Métis history and culture. Canadian Heritage supports efforts to preserve and revitalize it. This does not mean every Métis person speaks the same language.
Discover Canada quotes approximately 65% First Nations, 30% Métis and 4% Inuit. These are figures in the study guide, not current census percentages.

Unity in diversity

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, Governor General 1935–40, said immigrant groups should keep their individuality and each contribute to the national character.

English and French

English and French have equal status in federal institutions. The right to receive federal services in either language applies in specified circumstances, including designated bilingual offices. It does not mean that every individual office must offer every service in both languages.
Most Francophones live in Quebec. The guide also describes Francophone communities in Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba; its population counts are historical.
New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province.
Acadians: descendants of French colonists who began settling the Maritimes in 1604. Between 1755 and 1763 (Britain–France war) more than two-thirds were deported: the "Great Upheaval".
Quebecers: most descend from 8,500 French settlers of the 1600s and 1700s. In 2006 the House of Commons recognized that the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada. The guide describes the long heritage of English-speaking Quebecers; its population count is historical.
English-speaking areas: way of life established by English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish settlers, soldiers and migrants from the 1600s to the 20th century.

Becoming Canadian

Experiences of war or conflict do not justify bringing violent, extreme or hateful prejudices to Canada; newcomers are expected to embrace democratic principles such as the rule of law.

Diversity in Canada

Most Canadians were born in Canada, true since the 1800s; still called a land of immigrants because millions of newcomers have arrived over the past 200 years.
Largest groups: English, French, Scottish, Irish, German, Italian, Chinese, Aboriginal, Ukrainian, Dutch, South Asian, Scandinavian. Since the 1970s most immigrants have come from Asian countries.
The guide lists Chinese languages and quotes 13% for Vancouver and 7% for Toronto. These are the guide’s published figures, not verified current city-language percentages.
Statistics Canada reports that Catholics were the largest Christian denomination in 2021, at 29.9%. People reporting no religious affiliation formed a larger overall category (34.6%), so “Catholic” should not be taught as the largest of every religious and non-religious category.
The state has traditionally partnered with faith communities (social welfare, schools, health care, refugee resettlement, religious freedom).
Gay and lesbian Canadians have full protection and equal treatment under the law, including civil marriage.
Black Loyalists, escaped slaves and freed people of African origin fled to Canada from America in the 1780s; slavery was abolished nationally in the U.S. by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.

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