Citizenship Test

The federal government is going to be trying out a new version of the citizenship test; one that looks more for an understanding of principles than just a knowledge of simple facts. They hope to encourage assimilation. (Bravo!) An excerpt from The Christian Science Monitor story:

Canada offers a test similar to the current US one. Other Western nations that are concerned about assimilation are now requiring tests, says Mr. Fonte, and some are taking it a step further. The Netherlands shows a video featuring gay men and beach-going women to ensure that newcomers - particularly Muslims - will be comfortable with the country's liberal social mores. Australia is reportedly considering a test with questions about the sport of cricket.

The changes in the US bring the test closer to the notion sweeping Europe that gaining citizenship requires subscribing to a set of shared values - though no one is likely to be quizzed about the ins and outs of baseball any time soon.

"The receiving nations have been more or less acquiescent - and in a certain sense dissuaded - from foisting expectations of robust civic attachment on the part of the newcomers. And that has had consequences," says John Keeley at the Center for Immigration Studies, citing the terror plots in Britain. "Now we are reconceptualizing what our expectations are."