Many citizenship test questions ask “How many…?”, and many others use a number as one of the options. This page collects the numbers from Discover Canada that are worth knowing, grouped by theme, with a short note on what each one means. At the end you will find the numbers people mix up most, and some tips to remember them.
Years are a separate topic. For those, see our key dates timeline. This page also leaves out numbers that change over time, such as Canada’s population or the number of seats in the House of Commons. If you want the current figures, Statistics Canada and Elections Canada publish them on their websites.
The test itself
| Number | What it is |
|---|
| 20 | Questions on the citizenship test |
| 45 | Minutes you have to answer them |
| 15 | Correct answers you need to pass (75%) |
| 5 | Questions you can get wrong and still pass |
| 18–54 | Ages at which you must take the test (your age on the day you sign your application) |
| 3 | Attempts in total, all inside one 30-day test period |
| 1,095 | Days you must have been physically present in Canada in the 5 years before you apply (three full years) |
These numbers are IRCC rules for the application and the test, not facts from Discover Canada. For how the online test works, read what happens on test day.
Canada on the map
| Number | What it is |
|---|
| 10 | Provinces |
| 3 | Territories: Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut |
| 13 | Provinces and territories in total. Each one has its own capital city |
| 5 | Regions: the Atlantic provinces, Central Canada, the Prairie provinces, the West Coast and the North |
| 4–2–3–1–3 | How many provinces or territories are in each region, from east to west |
| 3 | Oceans on Canada’s borders: the Pacific (west), the Atlantic (east) and the Arctic (north) |
| 2nd | Canada’s rank in size among the countries of the world (about 10 million square kilometres) |
| About one-third | Share of Canada’s land covered by the three territories |
| 1 | Officially bilingual province: New Brunswick |
| 24 hours | Daylight in the North in midsummer, which is why it is called the “Land of the Midnight Sun” |
| −63°C | Canada’s coldest recorded temperature, in Yukon |
Government and Parliament
| Number | What it is |
|---|
| 3 | Terms that describe Canada’s system: a federal state, a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy |
| 3 | Parts of Parliament: the Sovereign, the Senate and the House of Commons |
| 2 | Chambers (houses) of Parliament: the elected House of Commons and the appointed Senate |
| 3 | Levels of government: federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal |
| 2 | Levels of government created at Confederation in 1867: federal and provincial |
| 10 | Lieutenant Governors, one for each province |
| 3 | Commissioners, one for each territory (the territories do not have Lieutenant Governors) |
| About 5 years | Normal term of a Governor General (Lieutenant Governors also serve about five years) |
| 75 | Age until which senators may serve |
| 3 | Readings a bill goes through in the House of Commons. The Senate follows a similar process before Royal Assent |
Elections and voting
| Number | What it is |
|---|
| 18 | Minimum age to vote in a federal election (on election day). It is also the minimum age to be a candidate |
| 4 years | Normal time between federal elections, on the third Monday in October. An earlier election can still be called |
| 1 | Member of Parliament elected by each riding (electoral district) |
In each riding, the candidate with the most votes wins, even with less than 50% of the votes. Only Canadian citizens can vote, so permanent residents cannot vote until they become citizens.
Peoples and languages
| Number | What it is |
|---|
| 3 | Founding peoples: Aboriginal, French and British |
| 3 | Aboriginal (Indigenous) groups: First Nations, Inuit and Métis. First Nations are the largest group and the Inuit the smallest |
| 2 | Official languages: English and French |
| About 8,500 | French settlers of the 1600s and 1700s from whom most Quebecers descend |
| More than two-thirds | Share of the Acadians forced from their homeland in the Great Upheaval (1755–1763) |
| More than 40,000 | United Empire Loyalists who moved north after the American colonies declared independence in 1776 |
| About 3,000 | Black Loyalists, who were part of that group |
| About 12,000 | Métis at Red River, who were not consulted when Canada took over the North-West |
| About one-third | Share of Canadians in the 1960s whose origins were neither British nor French |
| About 37,000 | Hungarian refugees who came to Canada in 1956 |
| More than 50,000 | Vietnamese refugees who came to Canada after 1975 |
Canadians at war
| War | Served or volunteered | Killed |
|---|
| South African (Boer) War, 1899–1902 | More than 7,000 | More than 260 |
| First World War, 1914–1918 | More than 600,000 | About 60,000 |
| Second World War, 1939–1945 | More than 1 million Canadians and Newfoundlanders | About 44,000 |
| Korean War, 1950–1953 | — | About 500 (and about 1,000 wounded) |
| Number | What it is |
|---|
| About 8 million | Canada’s population at the time of the First World War, which makes 600,000 soldiers a very large share |
| About 15,000 | Canadian troops who captured Juno Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944 |
| About 30 km | How far Laura Secord walked in 1813 to warn of an American attack |
| About 460 and about 4,000 | Charles de Salaberry’s soldiers, and the American invaders they turned back at Châteauguay in 1813 |
| 11 a.m. | Time on November 11 when people stop for a moment of silence on Remembrance Day |
For the story behind these numbers, read Canada at war.
Economy, symbols and history
| Number | What it is |
|---|
| 3 | Main types of industry: service, manufacturing and natural resources |
| More than three-quarters | Share of working Canadians who have jobs in service industries |
| 7 | Countries in the G7, a group of leading industrialized economies that includes Canada (older editions of the guide say G8) |
| 2 | National sports: hockey in winter and lacrosse in summer |
| 2 | Anthems: O Canada (the national anthem) and God Save the King (the royal anthem) |
| 5 cents | The coin that shows the beaver |
| About 800 years | Age of Canada’s tradition of ordered liberty, which goes back to Magna Carta in 1215 |
| About 1,000 years ago | When the Vikings reached Newfoundland and Labrador |
| More than 1,000 years | How long the fleur-de-lys was a symbol of French royalty |
| 3 | Voyages Jacques Cartier made for France, between 1534 and 1542 |
Two years to know by heart
| Year | Why it matters |
|---|
| 1867 | Confederation on July 1: four provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) form the Dominion of Canada |
| 1982 | The Constitution Act, 1982 adds the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the Constitution |
Two more round numbers help: the Order of Canada was created in 1967, 100 years after Confederation, and O Canada became the national anthem in 1980, 100 years after it was first sung in 1880.
Numbers people mix up
- About 5 years, 75 and 4 years. A Governor General serves about five years. Senators may serve until age 75. Federal elections are normally every four years. Three numbers, three different jobs.
- 10, 3, 13 and 5. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories (13 in all), grouped into 5 regions. A question about regions is not asking about territories.
- 10 Lieutenant Governors, not 13. Only provinces have Lieutenant Governors. The three territories have Commissioners.
- 3 parts of Parliament, 2 chambers, 3 levels of government. Parliament has three parts (the Sovereign, the Senate and the House of Commons) but only two chambers, because the Sovereign is not a chamber. The three levels of government are federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal.
- 3 founding peoples vs 3 Aboriginal groups. The founding peoples are Aboriginal, French and British. The Aboriginal groups are First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
- 600,000, 60,000, 1 million and 44,000. More than 600,000 served in the First World War and about 60,000 were killed. More than 1 million served in the Second World War and about 44,000 were killed.
- 40,000 vs 3,000. More than 40,000 Loyalists came north; about 3,000 of them were Black Loyalists.
- 500 vs 1,000 in Korea. About 500 Canadians were killed and about 1,000 were wounded.
- 18 vs 21. Today the voting age is 18. The number 21 belongs to history: in 1918 most women aged 21 and over won the right to vote in federal elections.
- G7 vs the Group of Seven. The G7 is a group of leading economies. The Group of Seven were Canadian painters who painted wilderness landscapes.
- Second largest, not largest. Canada is the second-largest country in the world.
Memory tips
- Collect the threes. Three oceans, three territories, three parts of Parliament, three levels of government, three founding peoples, three Aboriginal groups and three types of industry. When a question asks “which three…?”, check that all three items belong to the same list.
- Count the regions from east to west: 4–2–3–1–3. Four Atlantic provinces, two in Central Canada, three Prairie provinces, one on the West Coast and three northern territories. They add up to 13.
- Turn the test format into a plan. 45 minutes for 20 questions is a little over 2 minutes each, and you can miss 5 and still pass.
- Give each war number a partner. First World War: 600,000 served and 60,000 died, the same digits with one zero less. Second World War: more than a million served.
- Say the number in a sentence. “Senators can stay until 75” is easier to remember than “75” alone. Read the sentence out loud a few times.
- Check the question word. “How many provinces?” and “How many provinces and territories?” have different answers. Read to the end of the question before you choose.
For other facts that look alike, read facts people mix up. Then check your numbers with Practice Test 1.