Discover Canada: the official citizenship study guide

Where to get it

The audio runs about 2 hours 53 minutes, in English or French. You can play it on the page or download it as one MP3 file of about 156 MB. The “Get a copy” page also explains how to order a printed booklet.

What’s inside

At the end there are a few sample questions with answers, plus a list of study questions. The answers to those are in the guide itself.

• Rights and responsibilities of citizenship
• Who we are: Indigenous peoples, English and French, and newcomers
• Canada’s history, from the first Europeans to modern Canada
• How Canadians govern themselves, and federal elections
• The justice system
• Canadian symbols
• Canada’s economy
• Canada’s regions, province by province

Where the guide is out of date

The guide dates from 2012, and only parts of it have been updated online. Learn what it says, but know these newer facts too:

• The Sovereign is now King Charles III. Much of the guide still describes Queen Elizabeth II
• There are 343 electoral districts today. The guide says 308
• The test is 45 minutes long, not 30, and it doesn’t test your English or French
• O Canada now says “in all of us command”, not “in all thy sons command”
• September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, has been a federal holiday since 2021
• The territory is now just called Yukon

Learn your own province too

Some answers depend on where you live. Know your province or territory’s capital, your Premier and your MP and riding. These people change, so check official websites close to your test date.

Is there a new guide coming?

IRCC has been working on a new study guide for years, but as of October 2026 it hasn’t been released. Discover Canada is still the official guide. Watch out for other books or sites that say they’re the “new” version. IRCC says if you use other study material, it’s at your own risk.