Ottawa, October 17, 2011 – Grade 10 students kicked off Citizenship Week today by participating in an interactive game-show quiz that pitted them against two Parliamentary Press Gallery members’ knowledge of citizenship and history.
The event, hosted by the Historica-Dominion Institute, challenged Colin Horgan (iPolitics/CTV) and Sonya Bell (iPolitics) to match wits with students from Immaculata High School at The Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney played host in this activity which featured knowledge-testing questions on Canadian citizenship and history. The series of 10 questions were based on Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Canadian Citizenship, the study guide for those preparing to meet the knowledge requirement to obtain Canadian citizenship. The questions also featured clips from the Historica-Dominion Institute’s renowned Heritage Minute series.
“Discover Canada is an excellent source for both newcomers and established Canadians to find out more about our history and the pioneers that helped to build this great country,” said Minister Kenney. “I’m pleased to participate in this challenge during Citizenship Week, and I’m very excited to announce the launch of the e-book and mobile application versions of Discover Canada, making the study guide content accessible for users of e-readers, smart phones and tablets,” he added.
“We believe that schools have a responsibility to prepare students to be the citizens of tomorrow,” said Jeremy Diamond, Director at The Historica-Dominion Institute. “The Canadian Citizenship Challenge is a fun and interactive way to help strengthen students’ understanding of the rights and responsibilities essential to active citizenship.”
This event was part of the Institute’s Canadian Citizenship Challenge, a program that invites high school students across Canada to take a mock citizenship quiz after studying the Canadian Citizenship Guide. Successfully completing the citizenship test is one of the requirements for obtaining Canadian citizenship, and the Institute is encouraging all Canadians to be able to answer questions about our country’s history, rights and symbols. Visit www.canadiancitzenshipchallenge.ca
The Historica-Dominion Institute is the largest charitable organization dedicated to Canadian history, identity and citizenship. Its mandate is to build active and informed citizens through a greater knowledge and appreciation of the history, heritage and stories of Canada. Visit www.historica-dominion.ca.
To access Discover Canada in its new electronic formats, visit the CIC website at www.cic.gc.ca/discovercanada.
For more information about Citizenship Week, visit the CIC website at www.cic.gc.ca/english/celebrate/citweek.asp.
Photo of Minister Kenney will be available later today at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/high-res/index.asp.
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For further information (media only), please contact:
Historica-Dominion Institute
Davida Aronovitch
Communications Coordinator
1.866.701.1867 x 222
CIC Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.