Ottawa’s Citizenship & Immigration Minister Jason Kennedy announced a new, more comprehensive citizenship guidebook for prospective immigrants yesterday. This updated version is a 62-page guidebook titled Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, emphasizing the idea that with citizenship rights also come duties. The guidebook includes the values which define Canadians as well as a more detailed history of Canada and other information which newcomers use to prepare for their citizenship test.

Discover Canada will be given to the estimated 250,000 newcomers (Statistics Canada) who arrive in Canada each year to be used to prepare for the citizenship test. Applicants between the ages of 18 and 54 are required to write a test to demonstrate their knowledge of Canada before they are granted citizenship. Included in this revised version of the guidebook is Canadian history, multiculturalism, gender equality and even sports: “It’s NHL hockey, CFL football then curling. In that order. Knowing this will place would-be Canadians one step closer to passing…” (The Globe and Mail online, 11/12/2009).

For the full version of the guidebook please go to Canada’s Citizenship & Immigration website at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp .

By Kirsten Youngs, BA
Red Seal Immigration