(Redirected from Canadian)
'Canada' (
IPA: /
kæn.ə.də/) is a
country occupying most of northern
North America, extending from the
Atlantic Ocean in the east to the
Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the
Arctic Ocean. It is the
world's second largest country by total area,
[1] and shares
land borders with the
United States to the south and northwest.
The lands have been inhabited for millennia by
aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century,
British and
French expeditions explored and later settled the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of
its colonies in North America in 1763 after the
Seven Years War. In 1867, with the union of three
British North American colonies through
Confederation, Canada became a federal
dominion. The country rapidly expanded, and a gradual process of increased autonomy from the
United Kingdom culminated in the
Canada Act 1982, severing the last vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.
A
federation now comprising
ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a
parliamentary democracy and a
constitutional monarchy with
Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a
bilingual and
multicultural country, with both
English and
French as official languages at the federal level.
Technologically advanced and industrialized, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a
long and complex relationship.
Etymology
Main articles: Canada's name
The name ''Canada'' comes from a
St. Lawrence Iroquoian word meaning "village" or "settlement." In 1535, inhabitants of the present-day
Quebec City region used the word to direct explorer
Jacques Cartier toward the village of
Stadacona.
[2] Cartier used the word 'Canada' to refer to not only that village, but the entire area subject to
Donnacona, Chief at Stadacona. By 1545, European books and maps began referring to this region as Canada.
[3]
The French colony of
Canada referred to the part of
New France along the
Saint Lawrence River and the northern shores of the
Great Lakes. Later, it was split into two British colonies, called
Upper Canada and
Lower Canada until their union as the British
Province of Canada in 1841. Upon
Confederation in 1867, the name ''Canada'' was adopted for the entire country, and was frequently referred to as the ''
Dominion of Canada'' until the 1950s. As Canada asserted its political autonomy from
Britain, the federal government increasingly simply used ''Canada'' on legal state documents and treaties. The
Canada Act 1982 refers only to "Canada" and, as such, it is currently the only legal (and bilingual) name. This was reflected in 1982 with the renaming of the national holiday from
Dominion Day to
Canada Day.
History
Main articles: History of Canada,
Timeline of Canadian history,
Canadian Confederation,
Territorial evolution of Canada
The
fur trade was Canada's most important industry until the 1800s
Aboriginal and Inuit tradition holds that the
First Peoples inhabited parts of Canada since the dawn of time. Archaeological studies support a human presence in northern
Yukon from 26,500 years ago, and in southern
Ontario from 9,500 years ago.
[4][5] Europeans first arrived when the
Vikings settled briefly at
L'Anse aux Meadows circa AD 1000. The next Europeans to explore Canada's Atlantic coast included
John Cabot in 1497 for
England [6] and
Jacques Cartier in 1534 for
France[7]; seasonal
Basque whalers and fishermen would subsequently exploit the region between the
Grand Banks and
Tadoussac for over a century
[8].
French explorer
Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at
Port Royal in 1605 and
Quebec City in 1608. These would become respectively the capitals of Acadia and Canada. Among
French colonists of
New France, ''
Canadiens'' extensively settled the
St. Lawrence River valley,
Acadians settled the present-day
Maritimes, while
French fur traders and
Catholic missionaries explored the
Great Lakes,
Hudson Bay and the
Mississippi watershed to
Louisiana. The
French and Iroquois Wars broke out over control of the
fur trade.
The
English established fishing outposts in
Newfoundland around 1610 and
colonized the
Thirteen Colonies to the south. A series of four
Intercolonial Wars erupted between 1689 and 1763. Mainland
Nova Scotia came under British rule with the
Treaty of Utrecht (1713); the
Treaty of Paris (1763) ceded Canada and most of
New France to
Britain following the
Seven Years' War.
The
Royal Proclamation (1763) carved the
Province of Quebec out of
New France and annexed
Cape Breton Island to
Nova Scotia. It also restricted the language and religious rights of
French Canadians. In 1769, St. John's Island (now
Prince Edward Island) became a separate colony. To avert conflict in Quebec, the
Quebec Act of 1774 expanded Quebec's territory to the
Great Lakes and
Ohio Valley, and re-established the French language, Catholic faith, and French civil law in Quebec; it angered many residents of the Thirteen Colonies, helping to fuel the
American Revolution.
[9] The
Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded territories south of the
Great Lakes to the
Unites States. Approximately 50,000
United Empire Loyalists fled the
United States to Canada.
[10] New Brunswick was split from
Nova Scotia as part of a reorganization Loyalist settlements in the
Maritimes. To accommodate English-speaking Loyalists in
Quebec, the
Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the province into French-speaking
Lower Canada and English-speaking
Upper Canada, granting each their own elected Legislative Assembly.
Canada was a major front in the
War of 1812 between the United States and British Empire. Its defence contributed to a sense of unity among British North Americans. Large-scale immigration to Canada began in 1815 from Britain and Ireland. The
timber industry would also surpass the
fur trade in importance in the early 1800s.
The desire for
Responsible Government resulted in the aborted
Rebellions of 1837.
The Durham Report (1839) would subsequently recommend responsible government and the assimilation of French Canadians into British culture.
[11] The
Act of Union (1840) merged
The Canadas into a
United Province of Canada. French and English Canadians worked together in the Assembly to reinstate French rights.
Responsible government was established for all British North American provinces by 1849.
The signing of the
Oregon Treaty by Britain and the United States in 1846 ended the
Oregon boundary dispute, extending the border westward along the
49th parallel, and paving the way for British colonies on
Vancouver Island (1849) and in
British Columbia (1858). Canada launched a series of western exploratory expeditions to claim
Rupert's Land and the
Arctic region. The Canadian population grew rapidly because of high birth rates; British immigration was offset by emigration to the United States, especially by French Canadians moving to
New England.
Confederation
Animated map of evolution of the borders and names of Canada's provinces and territories.
Following several constitutional conferences, the
British North America Act brought about
Confederation creating "one Dominion under the name of
Canada" on July 1, 1867 with four provinces:
Ontario,
Quebec,
Nova Scotia, and
New Brunswick.
[12] Canada assumed control of
Rupert's Land and the
North-Western Territory to form the
Northwest Territories, where
Métis' grievances ignited the
Red River Rebellion and the creation of the province of
Manitoba in July 1870. British Columbia and Vancouver Island (which had
united in 1866) and the colony of
Prince Edward Island joined Confederation in 1871 and 1873, respectively.
Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's
Conservative Party established a
National Policy of
tariffs to protect nascent Canadian manufacturing industries. To open the West, the government sponsored construction of three trans-continental railways (most notably the
Canadian Pacific Railway), opened the prairies to settlement with the
Dominion Lands Act, and established the
North West Mounted Police to assert its authority over this territory. In 1898, after the
Klondike Gold Rush in the Northwest Territories, the Canadian government decided to create the
Yukon territory as a separate territory in the region to better control the situation. Under
Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, continental European immigrants settled the prairies, and
Alberta and
Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905.
Canada automatically entered the
First World War in 1914 with Britain's declaration of war, sending volunteers to the Western Front. The
Conscription Crisis of 1917 erupted when
conservative Prime Minister
Robert Borden brought in compulsory military service over the objection of French-speaking Quebecers. In 1919, Canada joined the
League of Nations independently of Britain; in 1931 the
Statute of Westminster affirmed Canada's independence.
The
Great Depression of 1929 brought economic hardship to all of Canada. In response, the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in Alberta and Saskatchewan presaged a welfare state as pioneered by
Tommy Douglas in the 1940s and 1950s. Canada
declared war on Germany independently during
World War II under Liberal Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King, three days after Britain. The first Canadian Army units arrived in Britain in December 1939.
[13] The economy boomed as industry manufactured military
materiel for Canada, Britain, China and the Soviet Union. Despite another
Conscription Crisis in Quebec, Canada finished the war with one of the largest militaries in the world.
During the
Second World War, Canada was the first Allied nation to attempt to gain a foothold on Axis occupied Europe in 1942 during the failed
Dieppe Raid, Canada played a major role in the
Battle of the Atlantic, took a major role in the invasion of Italy, and was responsible for the liberation of the
Netherlands from German occupying forces in 1945.
In 1949,
Newfoundland joined Confederation as Canada's 10th province. Post-war prosperity and economic expansion ignited a
baby boom and attracted immigration from war-ravaged European countries.
[14]
Quebec underwent profound social and economic changes during the
Quiet Revolution of the 1960s.
Québécois nationalists began pressing for greater provincial autonomy. The
separatist Parti Québécois first came to power in 1976. A
referendum on
sovereignty-association in
1980 was rejected by a solid majority of the population, and a second referendum in
1995 was rejected by a slimmer margin of just 50.6% to 49.4%.
[15] In 1997, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled
unilateral secession by a province to be unconstitutional; Quebec's sovereignty movement has continued nonetheless.
15
Under successive
Liberal governments of
Lester B. Pearson and
Pierre Trudeau, a new
Canadian identity emerged. Canada adopted its current
Maple Leaf Flag in 1965. In response to a more assertive
French-speaking Quebec, the federal government became
officially bilingual with the
Official Languages Act of 1969. Non-discriminatory
Immigration Acts were introduced in 1967 and 1976, and official
multiculturalism in 1971; waves of non-European immigration have changed the face of the country.
Social democratic programs such as
Universal Health Care, the
Canada Pension Plan, and
Canada Student Loans were initiated in the 1960s and consolidated in the 1970s; provincial governments, particularly Quebec, fought these as incursions into their jurisdictions. Finally, Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau pushed through the
patriation of the constitution from Britain, enshrining a
Charter of Rights and Freedoms based on
individual rights in the
Constitution Act of 1982.
Economic integration with the United States has increased significantly since World War II. The
Canada-United States Automotive Agreement (or Auto Pact) in 1965 and the
Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement of 1987 were defining moments in integrating the two economies.
Canadian nationalists continued to worry about their cultural autonomy as American television shows, movies and corporations became omnipresent.
[16] However, Canadians take special pride in their
system of universal health care and their commitment to multiculturalism.
[17]
Government and politics
Main articles: Government of Canada,
Politics of Canada,
Monarchy in Canada
Canada is a
constitutional monarchy with
Elizabeth II,
Queen of Canada, as head of state.
[18][19] The country is a
parliamentary democracy with a
federal system of
parliamentary government and strong democratic traditions.
Canada's constitution consists of written text and unwritten traditions and conventions.
[20] The
Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly the British North America Act) established governance based on Parliamentary precedent "similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom" and divided powers between the federal and provincial governments. The
Constitution Act, 1982 added a
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees basic rights and freedoms for Canadians that generally cannot be overridden by legislation of any level of government in Canada. However, a "
notwithstanding clause", allows the federal parliament and the provincial legislatures to override certain sections of the Charter temporarily, for a period of five years.
The position of
Prime Minister, Canada's
head of government, belongs to the
current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the
House of Commons. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers, all of whom are sworn into the
Queen's Privy Council for Canada to become Ministers of the Crown and
responsible to the elected
House of Commons. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are formally appointed by the
Governor General (who is the Monarch's representative in Canada). However, the Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, and by convention, the Governor General respects the Prime Minister's choices.
Cabinet ministers are traditionally drawn from elected members of the Prime Minister's party in the
House of Commons. The Prime Minister exercises vast political power, especially in the appointment of government officials and
civil servants.
Michaëlle Jean has served as Governor General since
September 27,
2005, and
Stephen Harper, leader of the
Conservative Party, has been Prime Minister since
February 6,
2006.
The
federal parliament is made up of the Queen and two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed
Senate. Each member in the House of Commons is elected by
simple plurality in a
"riding" or electoral district; general elections are called by the Governor General when the Prime Minister so advises. While there is no minimum term for a Parliament, a new election must be called within five years of the last general election. Members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, are chosen by the Prime Minister and formally appointed by the Governor General, and serve until age 75.
Canada's four major political parties are the
Conservative Party of Canada, the
Liberal Party of Canada, the
New Democratic Party (NDP), and the
Bloc Québécois. The current government is formed by the Conservative Party of Canada. While the
Green Party of Canada and other smaller parties do not have current representation in Parliament, the list of
historical parties with elected representation is substantial.
Law
Main articles: Law of Canada
Canada's
judiciary plays an important role in interpreting laws and has the power to strike down laws that violate the Constitution. The
Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court and final arbiter and is led by the Right Honourable Madam Chief Justice
Beverley McLachlin, P.C. Its nine members are appointed by the
Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. All judges at the superior and appellate levels are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the prime minister and minister of justice, after consultation with non-governmental legal bodies. The federal cabinet appoints justices to superior courts at the provincial and territorial levels. Judicial posts at the lower provincial and territorial levels are filled by their respective governments (see
Court system of Canada for more detail).
Common law prevails everywhere except in Quebec, where
civil law predominates.
Criminal law is solely a federal responsibility and is uniform throughout Canada. Law enforcement, including criminal courts, is a provincial responsibility, but in rural areas of all provinces except Ontario and Quebec, policing is contracted to the federal
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Foreign relations and military
Main articles: Foreign relations of Canada,
Canadian Forces,
Military history of Canada
Canada and the
United States share the world's longest undefended
border, co-operate on military campaigns and exercises, and are each other's largest trading partners. Canada has nevertheless maintained an independent foreign policy, most notably maintaining full relations with
Cuba and declining participation in the
Iraq War. Canada also maintains historic ties to the
United Kingdom and
France and to other former British and French colonies through Canada's membership in the
Commonwealth of Nations and
La Francophonie.
Canada currently employs a professional, volunteer military force of about 64,000 regular and 26,000 reserve personnel.
[21] The unified
Canadian Forces (CF) comprise the
army,
navy, and
air force. Major CF equipment deployed includes 1,400 armoured fighting vehicles, 34 combat vessels, and 861 aircraft.
[22]
Strong attachment to the
British Empire and Commonwealth in
English Canada led to major participation in British military efforts in the
Second Boer War, the
First World War, and the
Second World War. Since then, Canada has been an advocate for
multilateralism, making efforts to resolve global issues in collaboration with other nations.
[23][24] Canada joined the
United Nations in 1945 and became a founding member of
NATO in 1949. During the
Cold War, Canada was a major contributor to UN forces in the
Korean War, and founded the
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in cooperation with the
United States to defend against aerial attacks from the
Soviet Union.
Canada has played a leading role in UN peacekeeping efforts. During the
Suez Crisis of 1956,
Lester B. Pearson eased tensions by proposing the inception of the
United Nations Peacekeeping Force.
[25] Canada has since served in 50 peacekeeping missions, including every UN peacekeeping effort until 1989
[26]
and has since maintained forces in international missions in the former
Yugoslavia and elsewhere.
Canada joined the
Organization of American States (OAS) in 1990 and hosted the OAS General Assembly in Windsor in June 2000, and the third Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in April 2001. Canada seeks to expand its ties to
Pacific Rim economies through membership in the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC).
Since 2001, Canada has had troops deployed in
Afghanistan as part of the
US stabilization force and the UN-authorized, NATO-commanded
International Security Assistance Force. Canada's
Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has participated in three major relief efforts in the past two years; the two-hundred member team has been deployed in relief operations after the
December 2004 tsunami in South Asia, the
Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 and the
Kashmir earthquake in October 2005.
In February 2007, Canada, Italy, Britain, Norway, and Russia announced their funding commitments to launch a $1.5 billion project to help develop vaccines they said could save millions of lives in poor nations, and called on others to join them.
[27]
Provinces and territories
Main articles: Provinces and territories of Canada,
Canadian federalism
Canada is a
federation composed of ten
provinces and three
territories.
Western Canada consists of
British Columbia and three
Prairie Provinces (
Alberta,
Saskatchewan,
Manitoba).
Eastern Canada consists of
Central Canada (
Quebec and
Ontario) and the
Atlantic Provinces (
New Brunswick,
Prince Edward Island,
Nova Scotia, and
Newfoundland and Labrador). Three territories (the
Yukon, the
Northwest Territories, and
Nunavut) comprise
Northern Canada. Provinces have a
large degree of autonomy from the federal government, territories somewhat less. Each has its own
provincial or territorial symbols.
The provinces are responsible for most of Canada's social programs (such as
health care,
education, and
welfare) and together collect more revenue than the federal government, an almost unique structure among federations in the world. Using its spending powers, the federal government can initiate national policies in provincial areas, such as the
Canada Health Act; the provinces can opt out of these, but rarely do so in practice.
Equalization payments are made by the federal government to ensure that reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces.
All provinces have
unicameral, elected
legislatures headed by a
Premier selected in the same way as the Prime Minister of Canada. Each province also has a
Lieutenant-Governor representing the
Queen, analogous to the Governor General of Canada, appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada, though with increasing levels of consultation with provincial governments in recent years.
Geography and climate
Main articles: Geography of Canada,
Temperature in Canada
Canada occupies a major northern portion of
North America, sharing land borders with the
contiguous United States to the south and with the US state of
Alaska to the northwest, stretching from the
Atlantic Ocean in the east to the
Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the
Arctic Ocean. By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second largest country in the world, after
Russia, and largest on the
continent. By land area it ranks fourth, after Russia,
China, and the United States.
[28] Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60°W and 141°W
longitude,
[29] but this claim is not universally recognized. The northernmost settlement in Canada and in the world is
Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert on the northern tip of
Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—just 817 kilometres (450
nautical miles) from the North Pole.
[30] Canada has the longest coastline in the world: 243,000 kilometres.
[31]
The
population density, , is among the lowest in the world.
[32] The most densely populated part of the country is the
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor along the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River in the southeast.
[33]
To the north of this region is the broad
Canadian Shield, an area of rock scoured clean by the
last ice age, thinly soiled, rich in minerals, and dotted with lakes and rivers. Canada by far has more lakes than any other country and has a large amount of the world's freshwater.
[34][35]
The
Horseshoe Falls in Ontario is the largest component of
Niagara Falls, one of the world's most voluminous waterfalls,
[36] a major source of hydroelectric power, and a tourist destination.
In eastern Canada, the Saint Lawrence River widens into the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest
estuary, that contains the island of
Newfoundland. South of the Gulf, the
Canadian Maritimes protrude eastward along the
Appalachian Mountain range from northern
New England and the
Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec.
New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia are divided by the
Bay of Fundy, which experiences the world's largest tidal variations.
Ontario and
Hudson Bay dominate central Canada. West of Ontario, the broad, flat
Canadian Prairies spread toward the
Rocky Mountains, which separate them from
British Columbia.
Northern Canadian vegetation tapers from
coniferous forests to
tundra and finally to Arctic barrens in the far north. The northern Canadian mainland is ringed with a vast
archipelago containing some of the
world's largest islands.
Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary depending on the location. Winters can be harsh in many regions of the country, particularly in the Prairie provinces, where daily average temperatures are near −15 °
C (5 °
F) but can drop below −40 °C (−40 °F) with severe wind chills.
[37] Coastal British Columbia is an exception and enjoys a temperate climate with a mild and rainy winter.
On the east and west coast average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C (70s °F), while between the coasts the average summer high temperature ranges from 25 to 30 °C (75 to 85 °F) with occasional extreme heat in some interior locations exceeding 40 °C (104 °F).
[38][39] For a more complete description of climate across Canada see Environment Canada's Website.
[40]
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Canada,
Economic history of Canada,
Agriculture in Canada
Canada is one of the world's
wealthiest nations with a high per capita income, a member of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and
Group of Eight (G8). Canada is a
free market economy with slightly more government intervention than the United States, but much less than most European nations.
[41] Canada has traditionally had a lower per capita
gross domestic product (GDP) than its southern neighbour (whereas wealth has been more equally divided), but higher than the large western European economies
[42][43]. Since the early 1990's, the Canadian economy has been growing rapidly with low
unemployment and large government surpluses on the
federal level. Today Canada closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards.
[44] While
as of October 2006, Canada's national unemployment rate of 6.3% is among its lowest in 30 years, provincial unemployment rates vary from a low of 3.6% in Alberta to a high of 14.6% in Newfoundland and Labrador.
[45]
In the past century, the growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. As with other
first world nations, the Canadian economy is dominated by the
service industry, which employs about three quarters of Canadians.
[46] However, Canada is unusual among developed countries in the importance of the
primary sector, with the
logging and
oil industries being two of Canada's most important.
Canada is one of the few developed nations that is a net exporter of energy.
1 Atlantic Canada has vast offshore deposits of natural gas and large oil and gas resources are centred in
Alberta. The vast
Athabasca Tar Sands give Canada the world's second largest reserves of oil behind
Saudi Arabia.
[47] In Quebec, British Columbia, Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario and Manitoba,
hydroelectric power is a cheap and clean source of renewable energy.
Canada is one of the world's most important suppliers of agricultural products, with the Canadian Prairies one of the most important suppliers of
wheat,
canola and other grains.
[48] Canada is the world's largest producer of
zinc and
uranium and a world leader in many other natural resources such as
gold,
nickel,
aluminum, and
lead;
[49] many, if not most, towns in the northern part of the country, where agriculture is difficult, exist because of a nearby mine or source of timber. Canada also has a sizeable manufacturing sector centred in southern Ontario and Quebec, with
automobiles and
aeronautics representing particularly important industries.
Canada is highly dependent on
international trade, especially trade with the United States. 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 Since 2001, Canada has successfully avoided economic recession and has maintained the best overall economic performance in the G8.
[50] Since the mid 1990s, Canada's federal government has posted annual budgetary surpluses and has steadily paid down the national debt.
Demographics
Main articles: Demography of Canada,
List of cities in Canada,
List of Canadians by ethnicity,
Immigration to Canada
Canada's
2006 census counted 31,612,897, an increase of 5.4% since 2001.
[53] Population growth is due to
immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth. About three-quarters of Canada's population lives within 150 kilometres (90
mi) of the US border.
[54] A similar proportion live in
urban areas concentrated in the
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor (notably: the
Greater Golden Horseshoe anchored around
Toronto,
Montreal,
Ottawa, and their environs), the BC
Lower Mainland (
Vancouver and environs), and the
Calgary-Edmonton Corridor in Alberta.
[55]
According to the 2001 census, it has 34 ethnic groups with at least one hundred thousand members each, with 83% of the total population claiming they are white.
[56]
The largest ethnic group is
English (20.2%), followed by
French (15.8%),
Scottish (14.0%),
Irish (12.9%),
German (9.3%),
Italian (4.3%),
Chinese (3.7%),
Ukrainian (3.6%), and
First Nations (3.4%); 40% of respondents identified their ethnicity as "Canadian."
[57] Canada's
aboriginal population is growing almost twice as fast as the Canadian average. In 2001, 13.4% of the population belonged to non-aboriginal
visible minorities.
[58] In 2001, 49% of the
Vancouver population and 42.8% of
Toronto's population were
visible minorities. In March 2005,
Statistics Canada projected that the visible minority proportion will comprise a majority in both Toronto and Vancouver by 2012. According to Statistics Canada's forecasts, the number of visible minorities in Canada is expected to double by 2017.
Canada has the
highest per capita immigration rate in the world,
[59] driven by
economic policy and
family reunification; Canada also accepts large numbers of
refugees. Newcomers settle mostly in the major urban areas of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. By the 1990s and 2000s, almost all of Canada’s immigrants came from
Asia.
[60]
Canadians practice a
wide variety of religions. According to 2001 census,
[61] 77.1% of Canadians identified as being
Christians; of this,
Catholics make up the largest group (43.6% of Canadians). The largest
Protestant denomination is the
United Church of Canada; about 16.5% of Canadians declare no religious affiliation, and the remaining 6.3% were affiliated with religions other than Christianity, of which the largest is
Islam numbering 1.9%, followed by
Judaism: 1.1%.
Canadian provinces and territories are responsible for education. Each system is similar while reflecting regional history, culture and geography.
[62] The mandatory school age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years,
62 contributing to an adult literacy rate that is 99%.
1 Postsecondary education is also administered by provincial and territorial governments, who provide most of the funding; the federal government administers additional research grants, student loans and scholarships. In 2002, 43% of Canadians aged between 25 and 64 had post-secondary education; for those aged 25 to 34 the post-secondary attainment reaches 51%.
[63]
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Canada,
National symbols of Canada,
Sport in Canada
Canadian culture has historically been influenced by
British,
French, and
Aboriginal cultures and traditions. It has also been influenced by
American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two countries. American media and entertainment are popular if not dominant in Canada; conversely, many Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in the US and worldwide.
[64] Many cultural products are marketed toward a unified "North American" or global market.
The creation and preservation of distinctly Canadian culture are supported by federal government programs, laws and institutions such as the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the
National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
[65]
Canada is a geographically vast and ethnically diverse country. There are cultural variations and distinctions from province to province and region to region. Canadian culture has also been greatly influenced by immigration from all over the world. Many Canadians value
multiculturalism, and see Canadian culture as being inherently multicultural.
17 Multicultural heritage is enshrined in
Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
National symbols are influenced by natural, historical, and
First Nations sources. Particularly, the use of the
maple leaf, as a Canadian symbol, dates back to the early 18th century and is depicted on its
current and
previous flags, the
penny, and on the
coat of arms.
[66] Other prominent symbols include the
beaver,
Canada goose,
common loon,
the Crown, and the
RCMP.
Canada's official national sports are
ice hockey (winter) and
lacrosse (summer).
[67] Hockey is a
national pastime and the most popular spectator sport in the country. It is the most popular sport Canadians play, with 1.65 million active participants in 2004.
[ Survey: Most Popular Sports, by Type of Participation, Adult Population Conference Board of Canada ] Canada's six largest metropolitan areas - Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton - have franchises in the
National Hockey League (NHL), and there are more Canadian players in the league than from all other countries combined. After hockey, other popular spectator sports include
curling and
football; the latter is played professionally in the
Canadian Football League (CFL).
Golf,
baseball,
skiing,
soccer,
volleyball, and
basketball are widely played at youth and amateur levels,
but professional leagues and franchises are not as widespread. Canada recently hosted the
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and will host the
2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver and
Whistler,
British Columbia.
[68][69]
Language
Main articles: Language in Canada,
Bilingualism in Canada
Canada's two official languages are
English and
French.
Official Bilingualism in Canada is law, defined in the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the
Official Languages Act, and ''Official Language Regulations''; it is applied by the
Commissioner of Official Languages. English and French have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions. The public has the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French, and official language minorities are guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories.
[70]
English and French are the
mother tongues of 59.7% and 23.2% of the population respectively,
[71] and the languages most spoken at home by 68.3% and 22.3% of the population respectively.
[ First Official Language Spoken (7) and Sex (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories and Census Metropolitan Areas 1 , 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data ] 98.5% of Canadians speak English or French (English only: 67.5%, French only: 13.3%, both: 17.7%).
[72] English and French Official Language Communities, defined by First Official Language Spoken, constitute 73.0% and 23.6% of the population.
[73]
Although 85% of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, there are substantial Francophone populations in
Ontario,
Alberta and southern
Manitoba, with an
Acadian population in the northern and southeastern parts of
New Brunswick constituting 35% of that provinces population as well as concentrations in Southwestern
Nova Scotia and on
Cape Breton Island. Ontario has the largest French population outside Quebec. The
Charter of the French Language in Quebec makes French the official language in Quebec, and New Brunswick is the only province to have a statement of official bilingualism in the constitution.
[74] Other provinces have no official language(s) as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and other government services in addition to English. Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec allow for both English and French to be spoken in the provincial legislatures, and laws are enacted in both languages. In Ontario, French has some legal status but is not fully co-official. Several aboriginal languages have official status in Northwest Territories.
Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut, and one of three official languages in the territory.
Non-official languages are important in Canada, with 5,202,245 people listing one as a first language.
71 Some significant non-official first languages include
Chinese (853,745 first-language speakers),
Italian (469,485),
German (438,080), and
Punjabi (271,220).
71
International rankings
See also
Notes
1. The World Factbook: Canada Central Intelligence Agency
2. Handbook of North American Indians Volume 15, , Bruce G., Trigger, Smithsonian Institution, 1978, OCLC 58762737
3. Relation originale de Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier
4. On the significance of modified mammoth bones from eastern Beringia, , J., Cinq-Mars, The World of Elephants - International Congress, Rome, 2001
5. A History of the Native People of Canada: Early and Middle Archaic Complexes Wright, J.V
6. John Cabot = Encyclopædia Britannica Online
7. 'Cartier, Jacques', 'World book Encyclopedia' ISBN 071660101X
8. Basques The Canadian Encyclopedia
9. Wars on Our Soil, earliest times to 1885
10. The Loyalist: Revolution Exile Settlement, , Christopher, Moore, McClelland & Stewart, 1994, ISBN 0-7710-6093-9
11. Durham Report David Mills
12. Freedom Wears a Crown, , John, Farthing, Kingswood House, , ASIN B0007JC4G2
13. History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, , C.P., Stacey, Queen's Printer, 1948,
14. History of Immigration to Toronto Since the Second World War: From Toronto 'the Good' to Toronto 'the World in a City' Harold Troper
15. A Short History of Quebec, , John Alexander, Dickinson, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-7735-2450-9
16. Yankee Go Home: Canadians and Anti-Americanism, , J.L., Granatstein, HarperCollins, 1997, ISBN 0-00-638541-9
17. Canadian Politics, Bickerton, James & Gagnon, Alain-G & Gagnon, Alain (Eds)., , , Broadview Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55111-595-6
18. The Queen and Canada: 53 Years of Growing Together Heritage Canada
19. Role and Responsibilities of the Governor General Governor General of Canada
20. Constitution Acts 1867 to 1982 Department of Justice
21. The National Defence family Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs)
22. Canadian Forces Equipment Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs)
23.
Canada's international policy statement : a role of pride and influence in the world, Government of Canada, , , Government of Canada, 2005, ISBN 0-662-68608-X
24. Relocating Middle Powers: Australia and Canada in a Changing World Order, , Andrew Fenton, Cooper, UBC Press, 1993, ISBN 0-7748-0450-5
25. Lester B. Pearson Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
26. A Military History of Canada, , Desmond, Morton, McClelland & Stewart, 1999, ISBN 0-7710-6514-0
27. "Rich Nations Launch Vaccine Pact". Reuters. February 10, 2007.
28. World Factbook: Area Country Comparison Table
29. Territorial Evolution, 1927 National Resources Canada
30. Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert National Defence Canada
31. CoastWeb:
Facts about Canada's coastline Natural Resources Canada
32. Countries of the World (by lowest population density) WorldAtlas.com
33. Quebec - Windsor Corridor Jet Train, Canada railwaypeople.com
34. Drainage patterns The Atlas of Canada
35. Canada Encarta
36. Significant Canadian Facts Natural Resources Canada
37. Statistics, Regina SK The Weather Network
38. Statistics: Vancouver Int'l, BC The Weather Network
39. Statistics: Toronto Pearson Int'l The Weather Network
40. Canadian Climate Normals or Averages 1971–2000 Environment Canada
41. Index of Economic Freedome The Heritage Foundation
42. Canada and the Global Economy: The geography of Structural and Technological Change, , John NH, Britton, McGill-Queen's University Press, , ISBN 0-7735-0927-5
43. Canada's Productivity and Standard of Living: Past, Present and Future
44. The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, , , National Foreign Assessment Center, 2005, ISSN 1553-8133
45. Latest release from Labour Force Survey Statistics Canada
46. Employment by Industry
47. US oil addiction could make us sick Clarke, Tony; Campbell, Bruce; Laxer, Gordon
48. Agriculture and Food: Export markets The Canadian Encyclopedia
49. Canadian Mining The Canadian Encyclopedia
50. Notes for an Address by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on the Occasion of the Commonwealth Business Forum
51. 2006 Community Profiles Statistics Canada
52. 2006 Community Profiles Statistics Canada
53. We are 31,612,897 Beauchesne, Eric
54. Canada World View - Issue 24
55. Urban-rural population as a proportion of total population, Canada, provinces, territories and health regions Statistics Canada
56. Ethnic diversity of Canada
57. Population by selected ethnic origins, by provinces and territories Statistics Canada
58. Visible minority population, by province and territory (2001 Census) Statistics Canada
59. Canada's Immigration Program Benjamin Dolin and Margaret Young, Law and Government Division
60. Inflow of foreign-born population by country of birth, by year
61. Population by religion, by provinces and territories Statistics Canada
62. General Overview of Education in Canada Council of Ministers of Canada
63. Creating Opportunities for All Canadians Department of Finance
64. Culture High and Low
65. Mandate of the National Film Board National Film Board of Canada
66. Symbols of Canada, Canadian Heritage, , , Canadian Government Publishing, 2002, ISBN 0-660-18615-2
67. National Sports of Canada Act (1994)
68. Vancouver 2010 The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
69. FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 Canadian Soccer Association
70. Federal Legislation on Official Languages
71. Population by mother tongue, by province and territory Statistics Canada
72. Population by knowledge of official language, by province and territory Statistics Canada
73. Population by knowledge of official language, by province and territory Statistics Canada
74. Canadian Heritage
75. larger number indicates sustainability
References
;Origin and history of the name
★ Naming Canada: Stories of Canadian Place Names, , Alan, Rayburn, University of Toronto Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8020-8293-9
;History
★ History of Canada Since 1867, , Robert, Bothwell, Michigan State University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-87013-399-3
★ History of the Canadian Peoples, , J., Bumsted, Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-541688-0
★ Canada: A National History, , Margarat, Conrad, Longman, 2003, ISBN 0-201-73060-X
★ A Short History of Canada, , Desmond, Morton, M & S, 2001, ISBN 0-7710-6509-4
★ Canada, , W. Kaye, Lamb, The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2006
★ History of Canada Before 1867, , Gordon T., Stewart, Michigan State University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-87013-398-5
;Government and law
★ Canadian Politics, Bickerton, James & Gagnon, Alain-G & Gagnon, Alain (Eds)., , , Broadview Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55111-595-6
★ Canadian Democracy : An Introduction, , Stephen, Brooks, Oxford University Press Canada, 2000, ISBN 0-19-541503-5
★ How Canadians Govern Themselves, , Eugene A., Forsey, Canada, 2005, ISBN 0-662-39689-8
★ Secession and international law : conflict avoidance - regional appraisals, , Julie, Dahlitz, T.M.C. Asser Press, 2003, ISBN 90-6704-142-4
;Foreign relations and military
★ Quill and Canon: Writing the Great War in Canada, , Tim, Cook, American Review of Canadian Studies, 2005
★ In Defence of Canada, , James, Eayrs, University of Toronto Press, 1980, ISBN 0-8020-2345-2
★ Canada in World Affairs, , Annette Baker, Fox, Michigan State University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-87013-391-8
★ Where Do We, Should We, Or Can We Sit? A Review of the Canadian Foreign Policy Literature, , Molot Maureen, Appel, International Journal of Canadian Studies, 1990
★ Marching to Armageddon: Canadians and the Great War 1914–1919, , Desmond, Morton, Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1989, ISBN 0-88619-209-9
★ A Military History of Canada, , Desmond, Morton, McClelland & Stewart, 1999, ISBN 0-7710-6514-0
★ When Your Number's Up: The Canadian Soldier in the First World War, , Desmond, Morton, Random House of Canada, 1993, ISBN 0-394-22288-1
★ Discovering the Americas: The Evolution of Canadian Foreign Policy towards Latin America, , James, Rochlin, University of British Columbia Press, 1994, ISBN 0-7748-0476-9
;Provinces and territories
★ History of the Canadian Peoples, , J. M., Bumsted, Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-541688-0
|
;Geography and climate
★ National Atlas of Canada, , , Natural Resources Canada, Information Canada, 2005, ISBN 0-7705-1198-8
★ Canadian Oxford World Atlas, Stanford, Quentin H. (ed.), , , Oxford University Press (Canada), 2003, ISBN 0-19-541897-2
;Economy
★ The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, , , National Foreign Assessment Center, 2005, ISSN 1553-8133
★ A Geography of the Canadian Economy, , Iain, Wallace, Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-19-540773-3
★ Canada: An Economic History, , William L., Marr, Gage, 1980, ISBN 0-7715-5684-5
★ An Economic History of Canada, , Mary Quayle, Innis, Ryerson Press, 1943, ASIN B0007JFHBQ
;Demography and statistics
★ Canada Year Book, , , Statistics Canada, Queen of Canada, 2001, ISBN 0-660-18360-9
★ Historical statistics of Canada, Leacy, F. H. (ed.), , , Statistics Canada, 1983,
;Language
★ Federal Legislation on Official Languages Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
★ Population by mother tongue, by province and territory Statistics Canada
★ Population by knowledge of official language, by province and territory Statistics Canada
;Culture
★ Canadian Politics, Bickerton, James & Gagnon, Alain-G & Gagnon, Alain (Eds)., , , Broadview Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55111-595-6
★ Culture High and Low
★ Symbols of Canada, Canadian Heritage, , , Canadian Government Publishing, 2002, ISBN 0-660-18615-2 Similar publication online here.
★ Mandate of the National Film Board National Film Board of Canada
★ 100 years of Canadian football: The dramatic history of football's first century in Canada, and the story of the Canadian Football League, , Gordon, Currie, Pagurian Press, 1968, ASIN B0006CCK4G
★ Canada Curls: The Illustrated History of Curling in Canada, , Doug, Maxwell, Whitecap books, 2002, ISBN 1-55285-400-0
★ Brian McFarlane's History of Hockey, , Brian, McFarlane, Sports Publishing Inc, 1997, ISBN 1-57167-145-5
★ The European Roots Of Canadian Identity, , Philip, Resnick, Broadview Press, 2005, ISBN 1-55111-705-3
★ The Royal Canadian Mounted Police 1873–1987, Ross, David & Hook, Richard, , , Osprey, 1988, ISBN 0-85045-834-X
|
External links
; Government
★
Official website of the Government of Canada
★
Official website of the Prime Minister of Canada
★
Official website of the Governor General of Canada
★
Official website of the Canadian Forces
★
Official Government of Canada online Atlas of Canada
★
Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
;Crown corporations
★
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
★
Canada Post
★
Canadian Tourism Commission
;Other
★
Culture.ca - Canada's Cultural Gateway
★
Culturescope.ca - Canadian Cultural Observatory
★
Canadian Studies: A Guide to the Sources
★
Statistics Canada with Canada's population clock
★
The Canadian Atlas Online
★
Canada at ''
The World Factbook''
★ UN Human Development Program:
Country Fact Sheet: Canada,
Statistics - Country Sheet: Canada
★
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