When is Sir John A. Macdonald Day celebrated?

Discover Canada records this in two direct labels. The guide writes: Sir John A. Macdonald Day — January 11. The guide also writes elsewhere: Parliament recognized January 11 as Sir John A. Macdonald Day. The date the test wants is therefore January 11.

The date is precise and Parliament-recognised. Discover Canada commits Sir John A. Macdonald Day to a specific date — January 11 — and to a specific recognition: by Parliament. So the day was officially established by Parliament to honour Canada's first Prime Minister, the man the guide describes elsewhere as a Father of Confederation.

Macdonald is foundational to Canadian history. Discover Canada writes: "In 1867, Sir John Alexander Macdonald, a Father of Confederation, became Canada's first Prime Minister." So January 11 honours the founding Prime Minister — the political leader who guided Canada through the establishment of the Dominion in 1867 and the early consolidation of the country. The guide also notes that Macdonald was "a former member of the voluntary government militia in Upper Canada" who became one of the Fathers of Confederation alongside Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché and Sir George-Étienne Cartier.

Sir John A. Macdonald Day sits among the Canadian holidays. Discover Canada places January 11 in the National Public Holidays section between New Year's Day (January 1) and Good Friday (Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday). The full Canadian calendar runs from New Year's Day, Sir John A. Macdonald Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Vimy Day (April 9), Victoria Day (Monday preceding May 25 — the Sovereign's birthday), Fête nationale Quebec (June 24, Feast of St. John the Baptist), Canada Day (July 1), Labour Day (first Monday of September), Thanksgiving Day (second Monday of October), Remembrance Day (November 11), Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day (November 20), Christmas Day (December 25), and Boxing Day (December 26). January 11 is the third holiday of the year on the Canadian calendar — and the first one honouring a specific historical figure: Canada's founding Prime Minister.

The question is testing whether new citizens know the date of Sir John A. Macdonald Day. Discover Canada commits to one date: January 11. The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each pick a different date. "January 1" is New Year's Day, not Macdonald Day. "June 24" is Fête nationale (Quebec) — Feast of St. John the Baptist. "November 20" is Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day, honouring a different Prime Minister. Only January 11 — the date the guide explicitly names for Sir John A. Macdonald Day — matches.