When called to do so, what are you legally required to do?

The official Canadian citizenship study guide lists serving on a jury among the core responsibilities that come with Canadian citizenship. The guide states plainly that when called to do so, you are legally required to serve. This places jury duty in the same category as other binding civic obligations, distinguishing it from voluntary acts of citizenship like volunteering or donating. A summons to jury duty is not an invitation that can be politely declined — it is a legal directive issued through the courts, and citizens who receive one must respond and attend unless formally excused.

The guide explains the deeper purpose behind this requirement. It describes serving on a jury as a privilege that makes the justice system work, because Canadian justice depends on impartial juries made up of citizens. In serious criminal trials and certain civil matters, ordinary citizens — not judges alone — sit in judgment of the facts. The legitimacy of a verdict rests on the idea that a defendant is judged by peers drawn from the community, rather than by a single state official. Without willing and capable jurors, this central feature of Canada's legal tradition could not function.

The study guide groups jury duty alongside other responsibilities such as obeying the law, taking responsibility for oneself and one's family, and protecting and enjoying our heritage and environment. Each of these reflects a different way that citizens contribute to a functioning society. Jury duty is the responsibility that most directly involves citizens in the machinery of government, putting them temporarily in the seat of decision-makers. The guide presents this not as a burden imposed by the state, but as a shared duty that flows from membership in the Canadian community.

This responsibility matters on the citizenship test because it is one of the few civic duties that is both legally compulsory and tied to a constitutional right enjoyed by other people — the right of an accused person to a fair trial by jury. The test commonly pairs this idea with related responsibilities listed in the guide, such as obeying the law and taking responsibility for oneself and one's family. Understanding that jury service is described as both a privilege and a legal requirement helps test-takers correctly distinguish it from optional civic activities like volunteering, voting habits, or community service, which the guide treats differently.