Canadian Citizenship and Ideology



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What does it mean to be a Canadian citizen and have the responsibilities of Canadian citizenship?

To instruct immigrants who wish to become Canadian citizens, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has produced Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship.

This brochure is a study guide for the citizenship examination that all citizenship applicants must complete successfully before taking the oath of citizenship to become legal citizens of Canada.

Regarding citizenship in Canada, the Discover Canada guide has this to say...

Canadian citizens enjoy many rights, but Canadians also have responsibilities. They must obey Canada's laws and respect the rights and freedoms of others.

– from Message to Our Readers, Discover Canada The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship; Citizenship and Immigration Canada; page


On page 9 of Discover Canada, the guide explains the responsibilities of citizenship in Canada:

    • Obeying the law

    • Taking responsibility for oneself and one's family

    • Serving on a jury

    • Voting in an election

    • Helping others in the community

    • Protecting and enjoying our heritage and environment

    • Defending Canada


On page 10, the guide explains the identity and beliefs and values (ideology) of Canadians:

Canada is known around the world as a strong and free country. Canadians are proud of their unique identity. We have inherited the oldest continuous constitutional tradition in the world. We are the only constitutional monarchy in North America. Our institutions uphold a commitment to Peace, Order and Good Government, a key phrase in Canada's original constitutional document in 1867, the British North America Act. A belief in ordered liberty, enterprise, hard work and fair play has enabled Canadians to build a prosperous society in a rugged environment from our Atlantic shores to the Pacific Ocean and to the Arctic Circle—so much so that poets and songwriters have hailed Canada as the "Great Dominion." To understand what it means to be Canadian, it is important to know about our three founding peoples—Aboriginal, French and British.

– from Who We Are, Discover Canada The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship; Citizenship and Immigration Canada; page 10

Also, the Discover Canada guide instructs those wishing to become citizens about Canadian

    • government and elections

    • justice system

    • economy

    • history and the diversity of its people

    • geography

 

Well worth your time! Take the time to read briefly the guide by Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship.

Give particular attention to the Study Questions on page 52-53 of the Discover Canada guide. If you are a Canadian citizen who was born in Canada, are you able to answer these questions?
 

What do you think?

  • Is it right that we require immigrants to understand Canadian ideology and these other things about Canada before they can become Canadian citizens? Why?

  • If new citizens must understand these things, is it important for citizens born in Canada to know these things, too? Why?

  • Is it important for Canadians to take their citizenship responsibilities seriously?


Read "Worldview, Ideology, and Citizenship" on pages 425-433 in your textbook, Understandings of Ideologies. These pages will further your understanding of the concept of how ideologies shape individual and collective citizenship.

You should make notes, either on paper or on your computer, about what you have read. You may want to read the tutorial How to Make Notes. When you are finished the tutorial, return here to continue this unit.