Virtual course to help Haligonians prepare for citizenship test

Do you know who is Canada’s head of state?

Can you identify two important Canadian symbols?

What about this country’s major rivers? For, example, in which province is the St. Lawrence River situated?

And what was British Columbian Bill Reid known for during his lifetime?

The answers to the questions above may not be top of mind for many Canadians, but they are for newcomers who’ve applied for Canadian citizenship and are preparing for their citizenship test.

Public libraries, community groups and other organizations across Canada regularly coach immigrants getting ready for the multiple-choice test. Ottawa has an official study guide to help citizenship applicants prepare, material that covers such topics as history, geography, culture, laws and the workings of government.

In the Halifax region, Halifax Public Libraries’ next citizenship-preparation course is to start April 21, and is an online-only program due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s a six-week course; each class is scheduled for three hours.

People who’d like to take the course must register ahead of time. (The last class is set for June 2.) More details can be found here.

Not only is the citizenship course of the virtual variety, so are the eventual test-taking and swearing-in events, for those who pass, according to a federal government website.

Failing the test doesn’t mean the citizenship process ends. The government will refuse a citizenship application after a test taker fails three times, but “you can reapply to try again,” the website says.

Ottawa has cancelled all in-person citizenship ceremonies – a milestone moment for new Canadians – due to the COVID-19 situation, and is instead running “video oath” events.

Such ceremonies see citizenship judges administer the oath and address new Canadians about the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship.

The government says the pandemic means the checking and processing of citizenship applications have slowed, but it’s still accepting new applications.

As for those questions posed at the top of this item, the answers are as follows: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Canada’s head of state, the maple leaf and beaver are important Canadian symbols and the St. Lawrence River is in Quebec.

Haida artist Bill Reid was known for his Indigenous carvings, jewelry and other artwork.

Michael Lightstone is a freelance reporter living in Dartmouth