Canada
Official Name: Since July 1st 1867, Canada is known simply as “Canada”. The word “Canada” itself was inspired by the Aboriginal Iroquois word “kanata” meaning village.
Area: 9,984,670 km² (second largest country in the world after Russia)
Physical features: Canada is divided into five geographical regions, each distinct with its own climate and landscape. They are The Atlantic Provinces – Central Canada–– The Prairies - The West Coast – The Northern Territories.
The Atlantic Provinces: (Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) They are known for their rich natural resources, including fishing, farming, forestry and mining. The weather is known for its cool winters and warm summers.
Central Canada: ( Quebec and Ontario). Half of Canada’s population lives in Central Canada where the country providing the biggest portion of Canada’s exports. It’s a mountainous region rich in minerals with a huge supply in fresh water.
The Prairies: (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta). This region is rich in energy resources and has the most important agricultural land in the country. The climate is mostly dry with cold winters and very hot summers.
The West Coast: (British Columbia) It enjoys the mildest weather in the country. Known mostly for its mountains and is considered Canada’s Pacific gateway with the Canada’s largest port situated in the city of Vancouver. The province produces mostly forestry products.
The Northern Territories (the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories) This region consists of one-third of Canada’s land mass, but due to its harsh climate it is inhabited by only 100 000 people. It is rich in gold, lead, copper, diamond and zinc mines. It is often referred to as the “Land of the Midnight Sun” because in the summer, the sun doesn’t set for over 24 hours, and in the winter, darkness covers the land for than three months. As for vegetation, most of the land is tundra, the cast rocky arctic plain.
Highest Point: Mount Logan in the Yukon Territory at 5959 meters.
Languages: Canada has two official languages, English (59%) and French (23%). 17% of the population have another language as their ‘mother tongue’.
Religion: The Country is predominantly Christian with 43.2% belonging to the Roman Catholic faith, whereas the Muslim population constitutes about 2% of the population.
Flag:
The official ceremony inaugurating the new Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965, with Governor General Georges Vanier, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, the members of the Cabinet and thousands of Canadians in attendance.
Description: Two vertical bands of red with a white square between them, with an 11-pointed red maple leaf centered in the white square. The maple leaf has long been a Canadian symbol. The official colors of Canada are red and white as appointed by King George V in 1921.
National Anthem: O Canada
Canada’s motto: “From Sea … to Sea”
Population: Canada’s population today accounts for more than 34 million people, concentrated mostly in the Eastern cities of Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa Capital Region, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
Aboriginal Peoples:
The Canadian population has a rich cultural heritage and the aboriginals hold a special meaning to the land and to its history and culture. Aboriginals in Canada account for about 3% of the population. The Constitution Act of 1982 recognizes three aboriginal groups : North American Indian, Metis and Inuit.
Currency: Canadian Dollar
Capital: Ottawa
Head of State: The Queen of England is the head of state and head of the army, and the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper is the country’s Head of Government.
Highest Court: The Supreme Court of Canada
Provinces: Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories
Provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
Territories: Yukon Territories, Northwest Territories and Nunavut Territory.
Islamic side:
Islamic Affairs
Canada is known for its freedom of religion that is protected under the Canadian Charter of Freedoms and Rights. It allows the equal practice of all religions. The Canadian population is predominantly Christian(42% Roman Catholic, 23% Protestants) and 16% who call themselves non-believers. Canadian Schools today teach a course of religious diversity in Canada and there will be a new office on religious freedom operating under the authority of the Canadian Foreign Affairs ministry.
Muslims in Canada
Accounting for about 2% of the Canadian population, Muslim Canadians today are an integral part of Canadian society as witnessed by the following 2001 Census Table on the demographic distribution of Muslims in Canada. As of 2011, the Canadian government removed the religious affiliation question from the census and instead replaced it with a voluntary questionnaire distributed to 1/3 of the Canadian population named the National Household Survey.
Table 1: Muslim Population of Canada in 2001 (latest census on religion in Canada)
Province | Muslims | % |
Ontario | 352,530 | 3.1% |
Quebec | 108,620 | 1.5% |
British Columbia | 56,220 | 1.4% |
Alberta | 49,040 | 1.6% |
Manitoba | 5,095 | 0.4% |
Nova Scotia | 3,545 | 0.3% |
Saskatchewan | 2,230 | 0.2% |
New Brunswick | 1,275 | 0.1% |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 630 | 0.1% |
Prince Edward Island | 195 | 0.1% |
Northwest Territories | 180 | 0.4% |
Yukon | 60 | 0.2% |
Nunavut | 30 | 0.1% |
Canada | 579,640 | 2.0% |
Economical and Cultural Side:
GDP | $1.389 trillion (2011 est.) |
GDP per capita | $40,300 (2011 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7.3 (May 2012) |
Revenues | $660.2 billion (2011 est.) |
Expenditures | 747.8 billion (2011 est.) |
Agricultural products | wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; fish; forest products |
Industrial products | transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum and natural gas |
Oil production | 3.483 million bbl/day (2010 est.) |
External debt | $1.181 trillion (30 June 2011) |
Export Partners | U.S 74.9% , UK 4.7% |
Import Partners | US 50,4% China 11% and Mexico 5.5% |
Import commodities | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods |
Export Commodities | motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum |
Canada is a high-tech industrial society with a GDP of more than a trillion dollars. Ever since the Second World War, it was able to transform from a basically rural economy to an industrial and urban one. Its numerous economic agreements with its G-8 and G-20 partners, namely US-Canada Free Trade Agreement and the WTO, as well as several separate economic agreements like NAFTA helped Canada acquire an important trading role in the world`s economy. However, the U.S remains its biggest trade partner, which accounts for three fourth of its exports every year, by supplying it with oil, gas, uranium, and electric power.
At the same time, Canada has important natural resources reserves, highly skilled labor force and state of the art plant facilities, which helped in boosting its economic success. Lately, the country’s petroleum sector has been revitalized thanks to the renewed interest in Alberta’s oil sands sitting on important oil reserves, ranking third in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Canada’s sound economic policies paid off when it was among the very few countries in the world not to be so heavily affected by the latest world economic crisis. It was able to maintain its economy afloat and thanks to strong banking policies and regulations avoided the meltdown the U.S population and economy faced. It is expected that the Canadian economy will fully recover from the global recession in as early as 2015.
Cultural Affairs
Known for its multiculturalism, Canada has always been a safe haven for immigrants and refugees around the world. It counts hundreds of ethnic group and cultural denominations As a multicultural society, Canada is rich with cultural traditions from all over the world but particularly from an important English and French heritage that helped shape what Canada is today. Canada is also very proud of its cultural aboriginal heritage from First Nations People, who continue to inspire artists and poets all over the country. Cultural celebrations can be witnessed all throughout the calendar year with important cultural groups stating their pride to be Canadians while maintaining a link to the past with their rich history and traditions. The government, the country`s biggest employer, makes it a point to employ Canadians from all walks of life, cultural and religious backgrounds.
Political Side:
Canada has three key features to its government: it is a federal state, a parliamentary democracy, and a
constitutional monarchy.
A Federal State
Canada has federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments. The federal government deals with national and international affairs, mainly defence, foreign policy, interprovincial trade and communications, currency, navigation, criminal law and citizenship.
Provincial governments are responsible for municipal government, education, health, natural resources, government, education, health, national resources, property and civil rights as well as highways. The federal and provincial government share jurisdiction over immigration policies.
A Parliamentary Democracy
According to this system, the people elect members to the House of Commons in Ottawa and to the provincial and territorial legislatures. The Canadian Parliament has three parts, the Sovereign (the Queen or King of England), the House of Commons and the Senate. The Prime Minister selects the Cabinet ministers and is responsible for the operation and policy of the government. The House of Commons is the representative Chamber, with members called MP elected by the people every four years. Senators however are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister.
A Constitutional Democracy
The Head of State in Canada is the Queen or King of England, whereas the Head of Government is the Prime Minister. In other words, as part of the Commonwealth, Canada has chosen to retain the English Monarch as the Head of State, and at the same time the Head of the Armed Forces. The Monarch is an important symbol to Canada’s history and is a symbol of its sovereignty. The Canadian Monarch is represented by the Governor General in Canada who is appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister and has important duties to perform like the annual Speech to the Throne which outlines the government’s policies in the current Parliament. At the same time, no law is passed without receiving royal ascent.
The Federal Elections
Canada is divided into 308 electoral districts (or ridings), rising to 338 in the next election. Voters in each district elect one Member of Parliament (MP) to send to the House of Commons. There are two chambers in the Canadian Parliament (Bicameral) which consists of the House of Commons (308 seats) and the Senate (normally limited to 105 senators). The House of Commons is elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms. The Senate members are appointed to serve until reaching 75 years of age by the Governor General and selected on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Canadians elect members to the House of Commons and the political party with most seats is invited by the Governor General to lead the government.
The Political Parties
Canada has four official federal political parties:
The Conservative Party currently in power and headed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper
The New Democratic Party , president Thomas Mulcair is the Head of the Opposition
The Liberal Party, president interim Bob Rae
The Bloc Quebecois, president Daniel Paille is the party that represents the Quebecois interest at the federal level. The party is only represented in the Quebec Province.
PARTY STANDINGS
41st Parliament |
Province / Territory | C.P.C. | N.D.P. | Lib. | B.Q. | Green | Ind. | Vacant | Total |
Alberta | 25 | 1 | | | | 1 | 1 | 28 |
British Columbia | 21 | 12 | 2 | | 1 | | | 36 |
Manitoba | 11 | 2 | 1 | | | | | 14 |
New Brunswick | 8 | 1 | 1 | | | | | 10 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 1 | 2 | 4 | | | | | 7 |
Northwest Territories | | 1 | | | | | | 1 |
Nova Scotia | 4 | 3 | 4 | | | | | 11 |
Nunavut | 1 | | | | | | | 1 |
Ontario | 73 | 21 | 11 | | | 1 | | 106 |
Prince Edward Island | 1 | | 3 | | | | | 4 |
Quebec | 5 | 58 | 8 | 4 | | | | 75 |
Saskatchewan | 13 | | 1 | | | | | 14 |
Yukon | 1 | | | | | | | 1 |
TOTAL | 164 | 101 | 35 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 308 |
Last Update: June 6, 2012 |
Membership of international groupings/organisations: Member of the Commonwealth; North America Free Trade Association (NAFTA); North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO); Organisation of American States (OAS); G8; G20; World Trade Organisation (WTO); La Francophonie.
Human rights
Core Human Rights Treaties Canada is a signatory to:
