Alberta · Grade 9
Social Studies 9
Alberta’s Grade 9 social studies course, from Issues for Canadians: Governance and Rights to Issues for Canadians: Economic Systems.
- Units
- 2
- Lessons
- 8
- Skills
- 22
- Provincial exam
- Yes
- Official curriculum
- Alberta Education
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 13 skills
Issues for Canadians: Governance and Rights
Canada’s Federal Political System
How laws are passed and the three branches
I can outline how a bill becomes law and explain the three branches of government.
Skill 1.1
Choosing and accountability of MPs and Senators
I can describe how MPs and Senators come to hold their positions and to whom they answer.
Skill 1.2
Parties, media and lobby groups
I can explain how parties, the media and lobby groups influence government.
Skill 1.3
Citizens and the Justice System
How citizens take part in justice
I can explain how citizens and organizations take part in Canada’s justice system, and their legal responsibilities.
Skill 1.4
The Youth Criminal Justice Act
I can explain the intention of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Skill 1.5
The Charter and Individual Rights
How the Charter protects individual rights
I can assess how the Charter protects individual rights and how rights relate to responsibilities.
Skill 1.6
The Charter in the workplace
I can assess how the Charter has affected conditions in the workplace.
Skill 1.7
Collective Rights
Collective rights and language rights
I can explain collective rights and the language rights of Francophone minorities.
Skill 1.8
The Indian Act and the numbered treaties
I can assess how the Indian Act and the numbered treaties recognize the rights of Aboriginal peoples.
Skill 1.9
Métis rights and the Alberta Settlements
I can assess how legislation recognizes Métis cultures and rights.
Skill 1.10
Immigration and Policy
What shapes immigration policy
I can assess the factors that shape immigration policy and how it reflects world issues.
Skill 1.11
Provincial and Québec immigration policy
I can explain how provinces, and Québec in particular, shape immigration.
Skill 1.12
Immigration’s impacts and benefits
I can assess the impacts of immigration and the extent to which Canada benefits.
Skill 1.13
The official wording · 13 outcomes
- 1.1
- the structure of Canada's federal political system
- 1.2
- What processes are used to determine Members of Parliament (MPs) and Senators
- 1.3
- the role of political parties within Canada’s federal political system
- 1.4
- the role that citizens and organizations play in Canada's justice system
- 1.5
- the intention of the Youth Criminal Justice Act
- 1.6
- the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms fostered recognition of individual rights in Canada
- 1.7
- the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms affected conditions in the workplace
- 1.8
- the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms fostered recognition of collective rights in Canada
- 1.9
- the Indian Act recognize the status and identity of Aboriginal peoples
- 1.10
- governments recognize Métis cultures and rights through legislation
- 1.11
- What factors influence immigration policies in Canada
- 1.12
- provincial governments able to influence and implement immigration policies
- 1.13
- What impact does increasing immigration have on Aboriginal peoples and communities
Key ideas
A bill passes through readings in the House of Commons and the Senate, then receives royal assent to become law.
Citizens participate through jury duty, knowing and obeying the law, reporting crime, and advocacy; organizations like the John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Societies support people in the system.
The Charter guarantees individual rights (fundamental freedoms, legal, equality, mobility and democratic rights) and is part of the Constitution — the highest law — so a law that violates it can be struck down.
Collective rights belong to groups because of their historical and constitutional place in Canada, not to individuals who simply want them.
Immigration policy is shaped by economic needs (skills, labour), political values, and health and security considerations — factors that can pull in different directions.
Watch out for
- Thinking the Prime Minister simply "makes" laws alone.
- Thinking only lawyers and judges are part of the justice system.
- Thinking the Charter is just an ordinary law that Parliament can easily override.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 9 skills
Issues for Canadians: Economic Systems
Market and Mixed Economies
Market economy principles and the consumer
I can describe the principles of a market economy and the role of the consumer.
Skill 2.1
Why Canada is a mixed economy
I can explain why Canada is a mixed economy and how unions affect it.
Skill 2.2
Comparing Canada and the United States
I can compare how Canada and the United States intervene in their economies.
Skill 2.3
Consumerism and Quality of Life
Quality of life and consumer behaviour
I can assess indicators of quality of life and how consumer behaviour affects it.
Skill 2.4
Marketing and consumer power
I can explain how marketing drives consumerism and how consumers act as a collective.
Skill 2.5
Regional views and social programs
I can assess regional views on quality of life and the values behind social programs.
Skill 2.6
Politics and the Economy
Party platforms and philosophy
I can compare parties’ economic platforms and connect them to philosophy.
Skill 2.7
The underground economy and taxes
I can assess how the underground economy affects taxes and social programs.
Skill 2.8
Government decisions on the environment
I can assess how government decisions on the environment affect quality of life.
Skill 2.9
The official wording · 9 outcomes
- 2.1
- the principles of a market economy
- 2.2
- Why is Canada viewed as having a mixed economy
- 2.3
- similarities and differences in the way governments in Canada and the United States intervene in the market economies
- 2.4
- the indicators of quality of life
- 2.5
- How does marketing impact consumerism
- 2.6
- What societal values underlie social programs in Canada and the United States
- 2.7
- the economic platforms of political parties differ from one another
- 2.8
- the underground economy impact the federal and provincial tax base and social programs
- 2.9
- government decisions on environmental issues impact quality of life
Key ideas
In a market economy, prices are set by supply and demand, businesses compete, and property is privately owned — decisions are made by individual buyers and sellers, not government.
Quality of life includes more than income — health, education, environment, safety and well-being all count.
Parties differ on economic questions — how much to tax, how much to spend, how much government should be involved — and these show up in their platforms.
Consumers drive the market through their choices, and those choices can reflect individual and collective identity (what people value and buy).
Individual consumer choices can raise or lower quality of life, including environmental effects on oneself and others.
Watch out for
- Thinking a "market economy" means a physical marketplace.
- Thinking quality of life is measured only by wealth or possessions.
- Thinking all parties have basically the same economic plan.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows Alberta’s own curriculum for Social Studies 9.
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Social Studies 9 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Social Studies 9 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 22
- Fillable fields
- 1,195
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Social Studies 9
What is Social Studies 9?
Alberta’s Grade 9 social studies course: 2 units and 22 skills, from Issues for Canadians: Governance and Rights to Issues for Canadians: Economic Systems.
What units are in Social Studies 9?
1. Issues for Canadians: Governance and Rights and 2. Issues for Canadians: Economic Systems.
Is there a provincial exam for Social Studies 9?
Yes. The Grade 9 Social Studies Provincial Achievement Test is written in Alberta. Next sitting: January 27, 2027.
What comes after Social Studies 9?
Social Studies 10-1 and Social Studies 10-2.
Can MapleMind help with Social Studies 9?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Social Studies 9, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for Social Studies 9
Practise every skill of Social Studies 9 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
