Canadian driving licence glossary: G1, Class 7, IRS, DSR and more

Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Every Canadian province and territory has its own licence names, test names and penalty schemes, so the same idea can have five different labels. This glossary explains the terms new drivers meet in all 13 jurisdictions, from G1 and Class 7 to IRS, DSR and the Driving Record Assessment, plus the French terms used in Quebec and New Brunswick. Each entry names the jurisdiction it belongs to and links to the full guide.

Key facts

• There is no national driver’s licence in Canada. Each province and territory issues its own.
• “Class 5” is the usual car licence across Canada. “Class 7” is the learner licence in most western, northern and Atlantic provinces.
• Ontario uses letters instead (G1, G2, G), and Quebec uses “learner’s licence” and “probationary licence”.
• Manitoba and Saskatchewan rate drivers on a scale linked to insurance, rather than relying only on a demerit total.

Licence stages by province: the quick decoder

Minimum ages and timelines for each stage are in learning to drive in Canada.

A to D

• Accompanying driver, co-driver, supervising driver. The fully licensed adult who must sit beside a learner. Ontario calls them the accompanying driver, Yukon and PEI the co-driver or co-pilot, and most other provinces the supervising driver. Requirements differ: see supervising a learner driver in Canada.
• Accompanying rider (Quebec). The SAAQ’s term for the person who rides with a learner. They must have held a licence for at least 2 years. See Quebec learner’s licence rules.
• Autoplan broker (BC). The insurance broker where you register, license and insure a vehicle with ICBC.
• BAC. Blood alcohol concentration. New drivers in every Canadian jurisdiction must have a BAC of zero. See impaired driving in Canada for new drivers.
• BDE (Ontario). Beginner Driver Education, the government-approved course that can cut the G1 stage from 12 to 8 months. See is the Ontario BDE course worth it?
• Circle check. A walk around the outside of the vehicle before driving, checking lights, tires and body. Manitoba’s handbook has a section on it.
• Class 5. The standard licence for cars and light trucks in most of Canada.
• Class 7. The learner licence in BC (7L and 7), Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, the NWT and Nunavut. Yukon’s handbook also uses the name Class 7.
• Class 5-GDL (Alberta). The probationary licence after you pass the road test. You need 24 months on it, with no suspensions, demerit convictions or other listed violations (including any alcohol or drug penalty) in the last 12 months, to exit. See Alberta Class 5 GDL rules.
• Crossroad delineator (Saskatchewan). A sign type covered in the SGI handbook’s signs chapter, so expect it on the signs part of the written test. See SGI written test.
• Declaration of Highway Driving Experience (Ontario). The form you sign before the G road test confirming highway practice on roads with limits of at least 80 km/h. See Ontario G road test.
• Demerit points. Points added to your record when you are convicted of certain offences. Thresholds for new drivers are much lower than for full licence holders. See Ontario, Alberta, Quebec.
• DRA, Driving Record Assessment (BC). Since 19 October 2026, ICBC checks an N driver’s record instead of giving a Class 5 road test. See BC drops the Class 5 road test.
• DRP, Driver Risk Premium (BC). An extra yearly ICBC charge for serious convictions, such as excessive speeding or two device convictions in three years. See BC penalty points and DRP.
• DPP, Driver Penalty Point premium (BC). The ICBC bill you get with four or more penalty points at the end of a 12-month period.
• DriveTest (Ontario). The centres that run Ontario’s knowledge and road tests.
• DriveON (Ontario). The licensed Vehicle Inspection Centres that issue Safety Standards Certificates.
• DSR, Driver Safety Rating (Manitoba). MPI’s merit and demerit scale. Your level sets what you pay for your licence and vehicle insurance. See Manitoba Driver Safety Rating.

E to M

• Excessive speeding. A speed far over the limit that brings roadside penalties. Thresholds start at 40 km/h over in Ontario (roads under 80 km/h), BC and Quebec (zones of 60 km/h or less). See excessive speeding across Canada.
• GDL, graduated driver licensing. The staged system every province and territory uses: learner, novice, full. BC calls it the GLP (Graduated Licensing Program). See Canadian graduated licensing compared.
• GDL Improvement program (Saskatchewan). SGI’s steps for new drivers who get convictions, at-fault collisions or suspensions: a warning letter, then education courses, then suspensions of 30, 90 and 180 days. See SGI GDL Improvement program.
• Immediate family. Relatives who do not count towards passenger limits in some provinces. Saskatchewan’s list includes spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, step-relatives, foster relatives and in-laws.
• Impoundment. Police seizing the vehicle you are driving, even if you do not own it. Saskatchewan impounds for 30 days for stunting or for going 50 km/h or more over the limit.
• IPDE (Saskatchewan). Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute: SGI’s hazard-spotting method. See IPDE and eye lead time.
• IRS, Immediate Roadside Sanctions (Alberta). Penalties applied at the roadside for impaired driving. Any alcohol or drug for a Class 7 or Class 5-GDL driver brings a 30-day suspension.
• Knowledge test. The written or computer test of rules and signs that gets you a learner licence. Also called the written test (SGI, Newfoundland and Labrador) or learner’s test (Nova Scotia). See knowledge tests compared across Canada.
• L sign, N sign (BC). The signs learner and novice drivers display on the back of the car. Yukon learners show an L sign, PEI Stage 1 drivers a yellow L decal, and Newfoundland and Labrador novices a “NOVICE DRIVER” sign.
• Learn to Drive Smart (BC). ICBC’s official driving guide. Tuning Up for Drivers is its practice companion, also used in Yukon.
• Mandatory driver education. Required only in Saskatchewan and Quebec. Elsewhere it is optional but shortens the learner stage.
• Motor licence issuer (Saskatchewan). The offices that sell SGI licences and registrations. Alberta’s equivalent is a registry agent.
• Move over law. The rule to slow down and change lanes for stopped emergency vehicles, tow trucks and highway equipment. Saskatchewan sets 60 km/h. See slow down, move over.
• MVID (Alberta). Motor Vehicle Identification number, the 9-digit number near the barcode on your licence. You need it to book a road test.

N to R

• NDES, Novice Driver Escalating Sanctions (Ontario). Extra suspensions for G1 and G2 drivers who break a licence condition or commit a 4-point offence: 30 days, then 90 days, then cancellation.
• New West Partnership (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba). An agreement that can exempt a car moving between these provinces from a new safety inspection.
• Novice Driver Course (PEI). The course you must finish before the Stage 1 road test. See PEI knowledge test and Novice Driver Course.
• No-Zone. The blind spots around large trucks and buses. Manitoba and PEI handbooks use the term. See PEI rules of the road.
• PAII, Personal Auto Injury Insurance (Saskatchewan). Part of SGI’s plate insurance. See SGI auto insurance for new drivers.
• Penalty points (BC). ICBC’s name for demerit points. A speeding ticket carries 3.
• PESR (Quebec). Programme d’éducation à la sécurité routière, the mandatory Road Safety Education Program: 24 hours of theory and 15 in-car sessions. See Quebec’s mandatory driving course.
• Probationary licence. The restricted stage after the road test in Quebec, Alberta (Class 5-GDL) and the NWT (5P). In Quebec it lasts 24 months and is lost at 4 demerit points. See Quebec probationary licence.
• Prohibition (BC). A court or ICBC order banning you from driving. In the N stage it resets your N time to zero.
• Registry agent (Alberta). Private offices that issue licences and registrations and book road tests.
• Restricted licence (Nunavut). A licence with a B endorsement (drive in Nunavut only) or a G endorsement (drive within 100 km of your home community). See Nunavut restricted licence.
• Road test. The on-road driving exam that moves you out of the learner stage. Ontario has two (G2 and G). See road test day checklist.

S to Z

• SAAQ (Quebec). Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, which runs licensing and public auto insurance in Quebec.
• SDR, Safe Driver Recognition (Saskatchewan). SGI’s scale that gives insurance discounts for each incident-free year and charges $50 per point in the Penalty Zone, up to $1,000 for most incidents.
• See-Think-Do (BC). ICBC’s hazard perception method. See See Think Do explained.
• SGI (Saskatchewan). Saskatchewan Government Insurance, which runs licensing and basic auto insurance.
• SSC, Safety Standards Certificate (Ontario). Proof a used vehicle passed inspection. Valid for 36 days, and needed to plate a used car. See buying your first car in Canada.
• Stunt driving. In Ontario, includes driving 40 km/h over on a road posted under 80 km/h, or 50 km/h over anywhere, with a 30-day roadside suspension and a 14-day impoundment. See Ontario stunt driving.
• Two-point turn (Saskatchewan). A turnaround manoeuvre on the SGI road test. See SGI road test.
• Traffic Safety Act. The main traffic law in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Nova Scotia’s Traffic Safety Act is explained in Nova Scotia Traffic Safety Act.
• UVIP, Used Vehicle Information Package (Ontario). The package a private seller must give a buyer. It shows liens and includes a bill of sale section.
• Zero tolerance. No alcohol (and in most places no drugs) at all while driving. Some provinces extend it by age: 21 and under in Ontario and Saskatchewan, and under 22 in Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI and the NWT.

French terms used in Quebec and New Brunswick

New Brunswick is Canada’s only officially bilingual province, so expect French and English terms on its forms; ask Service New Brunswick which languages its tests are offered in. Quebec’s signs are in French or use symbols. See Quebec road signs in French and taking the SAAQ tests in English.

Common questions

What does Class 7 mean in Canada?

In most provinces outside Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador, Class 7 is the learner licence you get after the knowledge test. BC uses 7L for learners and Class 7 for the N stage.

Is a G2 the same as an N?

They play the same role: both are the novice stage after your first road test. G2 is Ontario’s name. N is BC’s. The rules are different.

What is the difference between demerit points and penalty points?

None in principle. BC calls them penalty points and adds an ICBC premium. Most other provinces say demerit points. Manitoba and Saskatchewan add insurance-linked rating scales (DSR and SDR).

Does “probationary” mean the same everywhere?

No. In Quebec it is a 24-month stage with a 4-point limit. In Alberta it is the Class 5-GDL stage. Always read your own province’s rules.

What is a full licence called in Ontario?

A G licence. You get it by passing the G road test after at least 12 months on a G2.

Sources

• Government of Ontario, “Official MTO Driver’s Handbook” (ontario.ca)
• Government of Ontario, “Safety Standards Certificate” and “Buy or sell a used vehicle in Ontario” (ontario.ca)
• ICBC, “Learn to Drive Smart” and “Preparing for your driver licensing tests”, form MV2022 (icbc.com)
• ICBC, “Register a vehicle in B.C.” (icbc.com)
• Government of Alberta, “Get a driver’s licence: steps” and “Driver’s road test” (alberta.ca)
• Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, “Passenger vehicle licence” and “Demerit points” (saaq.gouv.qc.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• SGI, “Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook 2026-27” (sgi.sk.ca)
• Service Nova Scotia, “Learner’s (Beginner’s) Licence” (novascotia.ca)
• Government of New Brunswick, “Graduated licences” (gnb.ca)
• Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, “Graduated Driver Licensing Program” (gov.nl.ca)
• Government of Prince Edward Island, “Driver’s Handbook”, February 2022 (princeedwardisland.ca)
• Government of Yukon, “Get a driver’s licence” (yukon.ca)
• Government of the Northwest Territories, “NWT Driver’s Manual” (inf.gov.nt.ca)
• Government of Nunavut, “Apply for a driver’s licence” (gov.nu.ca)