Canadian-Citizenship Practice Test - Modern Canada 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)?
- To prosecute perpetrators of residential school abuses in criminal court
- To document the history and impacts of the Indian Residential School system and provide a path toward healing and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians (Correct answer)
- To draft new treaty agreements between the federal government and First Nations
- To investigate land claim disputes between provinces and Indigenous nations
Correct answer: To document the history and impacts of the Indian Residential School system and provide a path toward healing and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008–2015) documented the experiences of residential school survivors and issued 94 Calls to Action. Its final report recognized what happened as cultural genocide and called for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
Question 2: What year did Canada adopt the Clarity Act, and what does it address?
- 1982 — it defines how to amend the Constitution
- 2000 — it sets conditions under which the federal government would negotiate secession of a province following a clear majority vote on a clear question in a referendum (Correct answer)
- 1995 — it responded to the Quebec referendum on sovereignty
- 1999 — it defines the powers of the Senate
Correct answer: 2000 — it sets conditions under which the federal government would negotiate secession of a province following a clear majority vote on a clear question in a referendum
The Clarity Act (2000), enacted after the Supreme Court's Reference re Secession of Quebec opinion, establishes that the House of Commons must assess whether a referendum question is clear and whether the result represents a clear majority before the government engages in secession negotiations.
Question 3: Which Canadian Prime Minister introduced the National Energy Program in 1980, and what was its main goal?
- John A. Macdonald — to build the transcontinental railway
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau — to increase Canadian ownership of the oil industry and redistribute energy revenues (Correct answer)
- Brian Mulroney — to privatize Crown corporations in the energy sector
- Jean Chrétien — to reduce Canada's dependence on foreign oil
Correct answer: Pierre Elliott Trudeau — to increase Canadian ownership of the oil industry and redistribute energy revenues
Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's National Energy Program (1980) aimed to increase Canadian ownership of the oil and gas industry, keep oil prices below world market levels for Canadian consumers, and redistribute oil revenues between the federal government and oil-producing provinces (mainly Alberta).
Question 4: Canada signed CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) with which major trading partner?
- China
- Japan
- The European Union (Correct answer)
- India
Correct answer: The European Union
CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union, provisionally came into force in 2017. It eliminated most tariffs and expanded market access for goods and services between Canada and EU member states.
Question 5: What is the significance of the 1995 Quebec referendum?
- Quebec voted to become a bilingual province
- Quebec voted on whether to pursue sovereignty from Canada; the "No" side won by less than 1% of the vote (Correct answer)
- Quebec agreed to sign the Constitution Act, 1982
- Quebec voted to adopt English as a co-official language
Correct answer: Quebec voted on whether to pursue sovereignty from Canada; the "No" side won by less than 1% of the vote
The 1995 Quebec independence referendum asked Quebecers whether Quebec should become sovereign. The "No" side won by only 50.58% to 49.42% — a margin of fewer than 50,000 votes. It was the closest the country came to breaking apart.
Question 6: Canada was a founding member of which major international security organization established in 1949?
- The United Nations (UN)
- The Commonwealth of Nations
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (Correct answer)
- The Organization of American States (OAS)
Correct answer: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Canada was a founding member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in 1949. Canada has been a strong supporter of multilateral defence and peacekeeping and has contributed troops to NATO missions around the world.
Canadian-Citizenship Practice Test - Modern Canada 3
What is the mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)?