Where was 'O Canada' first sung in 1880?

Discover Canada records this in one direct sentence. The guide writes: O Canada was proclaimed as the national anthem in 1980. It was first sung in Québec City in 1880. French and English Canadians sing different words to the national anthem. The city the test wants is therefore Québec City.

The 1880 first performance fits Québec City's deep historical role. Discover Canada places Québec City at the heart of French-Canadian heritage: "in 1608 Champlain built a fortress at what is now Québec City," making the city one of the oldest European-founded settlements in North America. So the city's choice as the venue for the first singing of O Canada in 1880 reflects a community with the deepest French-Canadian cultural roots in the country.

Two languages, one melody. Discover Canada writes that "French and English Canadians sing different words to the national anthem." The original 1880 version was in French — a Québec City debut for a Francophone song. The English version came later, as the song spread to English-speaking parts of the country. Today both versions are sung at official events, with the same melody and different lyrics.

The proclamation came 100 years later. Discover Canada commits to 1980 as the year the song was formally "proclaimed as the national anthem" — exactly a century after its first performance in Québec City. So the 1880 Québec City debut is the song's birth point, while 1980 is its formal national-anthem date. Québec City — the historic capital of Quebec, founded by Champlain in 1608 — remains the site that gave Canada its anthem.

The question is testing whether new citizens know where O Canada was first sung. Discover Canada commits to one city: Québec City. The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each pick a different Canadian city. Toronto is the largest city in Canada, but is not where O Canada was first sung. Ottawa is the national capital — but the song debut was in Québec City, not in Ottawa. Montreal is Canada's second largest city — but the source places the first performance in Québec City. Only Québec City matches.