Canada

Canada, the northernmost country on the North American continent, is a federation governed as a constitutional monarchy. It is bordered by the United States to the south as well as in the northwest. The Canada-U.S. border is often described as the world's longest undefended border. The country stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. Canada also reaches the Arctic Ocean in the north where Canada's territorial claim extends to the North Pole.

The capital of Canada is the city of Ottawa, where the nation's parliament is located, as is the residence of the Governor-General, who represents the country's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II.

Canada is the world's second-largest country in total area after Russia. However, it has a low population density, there being just 32 million Canadians. While Canada covers a larger geographic area than the neighbouring United States it has only one-ninth of the population. Canada is a modern and technologically advanced country and is energy self-sufficient. Its economy relies heavily on its abundance of natural resources.

Canada

Flag of Canada Canada Coat of Arms (In Detail) (In Detail)
National motto: A Mari Usque Ad Mare (From sea to sea)
Official languages	English and French
Capital	Ottawa, Ontario
Largest City	Toronto, Ontario
Queen	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	Adrienne Clarkson
Prime Minister	Paul Martin
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 2nd 9,984,670 km² 8.62%
Population  - Total (2003)  - Density	Ranked 35th 32,207,113 3/km²
Independence -BNA Act -St. of Westminster -Canada Act	From the UK: July 1, 1867 December 11, 1931 April 17, 1982
GDP (PPP)  - Total (2002)  - GDP/head	Ranked 12th $ 923 billion $ 29.40
Currency	Canadian dollar ($)
Time zone	UTC -3.5 to -8
National anthem	O Canada
Internet TLD	.CA
Calling Code	1

Origin of the name

The name Canada originated from a Huron-Iroquoian word, Kanata meaning "village" [1], referring to Stadacona, a settlement on the site of present-day Quebec City. Maps made by early European explorers show that the name River Canada was given to the Ottawa River, and the Saint Lawrence River below Montreal. A plausible hypothesis is that the river was named for the village on its banks, and the surrounding country for the river used to explore it.

The country's official name is simply Canada. In the country's early history, the term Dominion of Canada was used as the nation's formal political name. Some have argued that this term is still the country's "full" name, as the British North America Act, section 3, created "one Dominion under the name of Canada;" and while the 1982 Canadian Constitution does not use the term, neither does it amend the earlier usage. (The term "Dominion" was chosen to indicate Canada's pseudo-independence from Great Britain while still acknowledging political ties. Dominion was considered preferable to "Kingdom" to avoid antagonizing the United States.)

Starting in the 1950s (when Canada had regained almost all political authority from Britain) the federal government began to phase out the use of the word "Dominion." Official texts simply refer to the nation as "Canada." The last major change was renaming the national holiday from Dominion Day to Canada Day in 1982. The word 'Dominion' remains in older official documents, and is still used (though rarely) to distinguish the federal government from the provinces.

History

Main article: History of Canada

Canada, which has been inhabited by natives including the First Nations and the Inuit for about 10,000 years, was first visited by Europeans around 1000, when the Vikings briefly settled at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. More permanent European visits came in the 16th and 17th century, as the French settled here.

In 1763, at the end of the Seven Years' War, France decided to keep its Caribbean Islands and leave its North American colony, New France, to Britain. After the American Revolution, many British Loyalists settled in Canada. On July 1, 1867 with the passing of the British North America Act, the British government granted local self-government to a confederation of four of its North American colonies, Ontario (Formerly Upper Canada), Québec (Formerly Lower Canada), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, as the Dominion of Canada. In later years, other British colonies and territories joined the confederation. Full control over its affairs came in 1931 with the Statute of Westminster, and in 1982 with the patriation of Canada's constitution.

On July 7, 1969 French was made equal to English throughout the Canadian federal government. This started a process that led to Canada redefining itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation.

In the second half of the 20th century, some citizens of the French-speaking province of Quebec have sought independence in two referendums held in 1980 and 1995. In both cases, the referendums were defeated with 60% and 50.6% opposed to independence, respectively.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Canada

Canada is a constitutional monarchy, the head of state being a monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch's representative in Canada is the Governor-General, who fills the role of approving bills, and other state functions. For the most part, the monarch and the Governor General are figureheads, and what little real power they have is reserved for times of crisis.

The text of Canada's constitution can be found at this page. However, much of Canada's constitution is unwritten and the text has to be interpreted in light of various traditions and conventions. It should be noted that the province of Quebec has refused to ratify the Constitution Act, 1982, which contained procedures for amending the Constitution.

The Governor-General appoints the Prime Minister, generally the leader of the political party that holds the most seats in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister in turn appoints the Cabinet, drawn by convention from members of the Prime Minister's party in the House of Commons (thought not necessarily). The legislative branch of government consists of the Parliament, including the elected House of Commons and the Senate which is appointed by the Prime Minister. Canada has very strict party discipline which gives the Prime Minister very high levels of control over all legislation passed by parliament.

The 10 provinces have elected, unicameral provincial parliaments headed by a premier and a figurehead lieutenant governor representing the Queen, appointed by the Prime Minister.

Canada has three main national parties, the left-of-center Liberal Party of Canada, the right-of-center Conservative Party of Canada and the social democratic New Democratic Party (NDP). The Liberals are the Party of current Prime Minister Paul Martin, and his predecessor Jean Chretien who ruled for the last 10 years. The only other party to form government was the now-defunct Progressive Conservative Party, which in December 2003 merged with the Canadian Alliance to form the Conservative Party of Canada.

Quebec's political climate is quite different, and features two prominent separatist parties, as well as the other three. The Bloc Quebecois is the federal-level party and the Parti Quebecois is the provincial branch.

Canada is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, La Francophonie, NATO, the G8, and APEC.

See also: List of political parties in Canada

Provinces and territories

Main article: Canadian provinces and territories

Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories. The provinces have a reasonably large amount of autonomy from the federal government, while the territories have somewhat less. The provinces and territories each have their own unicameral legislatures.

The provinces are:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan

And the territories:

• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut
• Yukon

See also: List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols

Geography

Main article: Geography of Canada

File:Ca-map.jpg

Map of Canada

Eastern Canada is divided between boreal forest and the barren Canadian Shield in the north and the highly fertile Saint Lawrence River Valley in the south, where most of the country's population is concentrated. Large parts of south central Canada are covered by plains and prairies. The west of Canada mostly consists of rolling terrain on either side of the Rocky Mountains. The Hudson Bay sea arm cuts deep into the country.

A number of large lakes are located throughout Canada, including the Great Lakes, which form part of the border with the United States. And due to its highly-fractured nature featuring numerous inlets, Canada's coastline is the longest in the world.

The vast north of the country is mainly arctic lowlands with a polar climate, and is therefore extremely sparsely populated; for example, fewer than 30,000 people live in the territory of Nunavut, which is the size of Western Europe. Most of the major cities are located in the more temperate south, with largest concentration in the east. The largest cities are (in descending order pop. wise): Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; Vancouver, British Columbia; the Capital Region of Ottawa-Gatineau; Calgary, Alberta.

See also: List of Canadian Cities, Towns & Villages

Economy

Main article: Economy of Canada

As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. Energy self-sufficient, Canada has vast deposits of natural gas on the East Coast and in the three western provinces, and a plethora of other natural resources. The 1989 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which included Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. As a result of the close cross-border relationship, the economic downturn in the United States in 2001 had an a negative impact on the Canadian economy, but less than expected. Real growth averaged nearly 3% from 1993 to 2000, but declined in 2001. As of 2003, unemployment was up, with contraction in the manufacturing and natural resource sectors. Yet, Canada has successfully avoided economic recession after 2001 and has maintained the best economic growth rates in the G7 group of nations. With its great natural resources, skilled labour force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoys solid economic prospects.

Two shadows loom, the first being the continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas, (see article: Politics of Canada) which has been raising the possibility of a split in the federation. Another long-term concern is fears of a flow south to the US of professionals, referred to as the Brain Drain, lured by higher pay, lower taxes, and the immense high-tech infrastructure. However, "Brain Gain", a largely unrecognized phenomenon, is progressing simultaneously, cancelling out "Brain Drain" or even exceeding it, as educated immigrants enter Canada in the late 20th century and early 21st century. [2]

Transparency International ranks Canada as the perceived 11th least corrupt country in the world.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Canada

As of 2001, 66% of Canadians are of European descent (mostly British and French origins), 26% are of mixed backgrounds, and 6% are of solely non-European descent, mostly from Asia. Only 2% of the population is formed by the native population. Canada's two official languages are French and English; French is mostly spoken in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and the town of Saint Boniface (Manitoba).

Canada has a low total fertility rate similar to countries in western Europe. It relies on immigration to sustain and increase its population. Canada has developed a sophisticated and successful mechanism for finding appropriate immigrants and integrating them into its society without conflict. Fully one-sixth of Canadians are foreign-born, a percentage second only to Australia.

Most Canadians are Christian, with about 42% being Roman Catholic, and 38% Protestant. The largest Protestant denomination is the United Church of Canada.

Canada was ranked first for nine straight years on the United Nations Human Development Index from 1992 to 2000.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Canada

While Canadian culture is heavily influenced by British and American culture, it retains many unique characteristics. In the past few decades, a more robust and distinct Canadian culture has developed, partially because of the nationalism that pervaded Canada in the years leading up to the Canadian Centennial in 1967.

The province of Quebec has maintained a distinct French-language culture, which is protected by special laws and constitutional agreements. For example, Quebec uses civil law based on the Coutume de Paris (a pre-revolutionary French legal code), with subsequent amendments inspired by the Napoleonic code. The rest of the country uses common law derived from the British parliamentary tradition.

The large American cultural presence in Canada has prompted some fears of a "cultural takeover," and has initiated the establishment of many laws and government institutions to protect Canadian culture. Much of Canadian culture remains defined in contrast to American culture (See Canadian identity). For example, Canadians see their country as a mosaic of unique immigrant cultures, a large picture made up of many distinct pieces, rather than an American-style melting-pot.

Canadian culture was a topic of international discussion in 2003, when Canada refused to join the US-led war in Iraq, legalized same-sex marriage in some provinces, and took steps towards the decriminalization of marijuana. Many international observers saw these developments as distinguishing Canada as more socially progressive than its southern neighbour.

Holidays

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	New Year's Day, jour de l'an	Statutory.
(varies)	Good Friday	Good Friday, vendredi saint	Statutory. Typically celebrated in April; see Easter article for details.
(varies)	Easter Monday	Easter Monday, Pâques	Typically celebrated in April; see Easter article for details.
Monday preceding May 25	Victoria Day	Victoria Day; fête de la Reine	Celebration of the Queen's birthday. Statutory. In Quebec, Victoria Day and fête des patriotes (Commemoration of the Patriotes Rebellion) are celebrated on the same day.
July 1	Canada Day	Canada Day, fête du Canada	Statutory. Commemoration of Canada's 1867 Confederation.
First Monday in September	Labour Day	Labour Day, fête du travail	Statutory.
Second Monday in October	Thanksgiving	Thanksgiving, action de grâce	Statutory. Thanksgiving is not celebrated on the same day as it is in the U.S.
November 11	Remembrance Day	Remembrance Day, jour du souvenir	Commemoration of Canada's war dead.
December 25	Christmas	Christmas, Noël	Statutory.
December 26	Boxing Day	Boxing Day, lendemain de Noël	Statutory. Day when shops sell off excess Christmas inventory.

Note: Each province also has its own provincial holiday or holidays. See Canadian Heritage

See also:

• Music of Canada
• Canadian literature
• Theatre in Canada
• Art in Canada.

Miscellaneous topics

• List of Canada-related topics

• Black Canadian
• Canadian English
• Canadian French
• Canadian identity
• Communications in Canada
• Communication Canada (a ministry of the government)
• Education in Canada
• Foreign relations of Canada
• List of Canadian sports personalities
• List of Canadians
• List of cities in Canada
• Media in Canada
• Medicare (Canada)
• Military of Canada
• poutine, loonie and toonie, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, eh
• Same-sex marriage in Canada
• Slavery in Canada
• Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada
• Stamps and postal history of Canada
• Supreme Court of Canada
• Timeline of Canadian history
• Trans-Canada Highway
• Transportation in Canada
• Vimy Ridge - Canada's most important memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War I

References

• Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

External links

• Government of Canada
• Worldwide press freedom index Rank 5 out of 139 countries
• Gordie.ca reports Canadian News and Humour (XHTML 1.0 Strict Slashcode Variant)

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