Key facts to know for the test
These are the testable points from this chapter, tagged by how often they appear on the citizenship test:
Canada's system: Federal State, Parliamentary Democracy, Constitutional Monarchyhigh frequency
Head of State: The Sovereign (King Charles III), represented in Canada by the Governor Generalhigh frequency
Head of Government: The Prime Minister - leads the government and chooses Cabinet ministershigh frequency
Parliament has three parts: The Sovereign (represented by Governor General), the Senate (appointed), and the House of Commons (elected)high frequency
House of Commons: Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected by citizens in each electoral district (riding)high frequency
Senate: Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister to provide 'sober second thought'high frequency
Federal Government responsibilities: national defence, foreign policy, currency, banking, criminal law, citizenship, postal service, trade regulationhigh frequency
Provincial Government responsibilities: education, health care, highways, natural resources, property and civil rights, provincial policinghigh frequency
Municipal Government responsibilities: local policing, firefighting, snow removal, garbage collection, bylaws, public transit, water/sewagehigh frequency
Governor General: Represents the Sovereign in Canada; gives Royal Assent to bills; on advice of PM, summons and dissolves Parliamenthigh frequency
Lieutenant Governors: Represent the Sovereign in each province; perform similar duties as Governor General at the provincial levelmedium frequency
Cabinet: Ministers chosen by the PM, responsible for specific government departments; together they form the Cabinetmedium frequency
Official Opposition: The party with the second most seats; their role is to oppose or improve government proposalshigh frequency
Majority government: The ruling party holds more than half the seats in the House of Commonshigh frequency
Minority government: The ruling party holds fewer than half the seats and must cooperate with other partieshigh frequency
How a bill becomes law: Passed by House of Commons, then Senate, then receives Royal Assent from Governor Generalhigh frequency
Confederation: Powers are divided between federal and provincial governments by the Constitutionmedium frequency
First Nations governance: Band chiefs and councillors govern First Nations reserveslow frequency
Throne Speech: Delivered by the Governor General at the opening of Parliament, outlines the government's agendamedium frequency
Responsible government means the government must have the confidence (support) of the majority of MPs in the House of Commonshigh frequency
The PM and Cabinet must retain the 'confidence of the House' - if they lose a confidence vote, they must resign or call an electionmedium frequency
How to study this chapter
- Read the chapter in the official Discover Canada guide.
- Review the key facts above — prioritize the high-frequency ones.
- Test yourself with chapter practice questions until you consistently score 80%+.
- Add tricky facts to flashcards and re-review before test day.
The real test has 20 questions from all chapters combined; you need 15 correct to pass. Chapter weightings above reflect the distribution in our 514-question bank, modelled on the official guide's emphasis.
Start practicing free → Try 10 free questions
← Ch. 5: Modern Canada | Ch. 7: Federal Elections →