CanadaCanada is the northernmost country in North America. It is a decentralized federation of 10 provinces, plus 3 territories, joined together through a process called confederation and governed as a constitutional monarchy. It is bordered by the United States to the south and to the northwest. 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 ceremonial head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. A former French and British colony, Canada is geographically the largest member of both La Francophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations. Canada is the world's second-largest country in total area after Russia. However, it has an extremely low population density of 3 people per square kilometre as there are only 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 has traditionally relied heavily on its abundance of natural resources, although the modern Canadian economy has become widely diversified.
Provincial GovernmentsThe 10 provinces have unicameral, elected legislatures with governments headed by a premier who is chosen in the same fashion as the federal prime minister. Every province also has figurehead lieutenant governor representing the Queen, appointed by the Prime Minister. Most provinces' political climates include provincial counterparts to the three national federal parties. However, provincial parties are not normally formally linked to the federal parties, with the exception of the NDP. Some provinces have regional political parties, such as the Saskatchewan Party or the Labrador Party. The provincial political climate of Quebec is quite different, with the main split being between separatism, represented by the Parti Québécois, and federalism, represented by the Parti libéral du Québec. As interest in the sovereignty debate diminishes, however, the relevance of this party division is coming into question. Two smaller parties, the right-wing Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ) and the left-wing Union des forces progressistes (UFP), are trying to break into the two-party system and do not focus primarily on the sovereignty question. However, of the two, only the ADQ has yet elected members to the National Assembly (Quebec's legislature).Territorial governmentsTerritories have fewer political powers than provinces, being created by act of Parliament rather than enshrined in the Constitution. As a result of having fewer political powers , many people say that the Canadian territories have not received \nproper and equal representation in the Canadian Parliament . The three territories' heads of state are termed commissioners. Though they are analogous to the lieutenant-governors of the provinces, they are not formal representatives of the Queen. They are appointed by the federal governments. The Yukon has a unicameral legislature operated the same as the provincial legislatures, but the other two territories use a consensus government system with no parties, in which each member runs as an independent, and the premier is elected by and from the members. Relations between the Federal government and the territorial governments have been tense . Many of the disputes between the two governments have been between the usuage of resources and funding . As a result , the poverty rate in the territories have been constantly large .Economy\nMain article: Economy of Canada As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the United States 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. The ongoing uncertainty creates confusion about who will be responsible for the Canadian debt, what trading relationships will look like, and a host other issues. However, as fears of separation have waned, the economy has become stronger, notably in Quebec. 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 high-tech opportunities. Simultaneously, a largely under-recognized Brain Gain is occurring, as educated immigrants continue to enter Canada in the late 20th and early 21st centuries [1]. As in many western countries, however, the benefits of this phenomenon are limited by problems with acceptance of foreign qualifications; many educated and highly skilled immigrants work in unskilled positions in Canada, because their credentials are not recognised by government, employers, and some professional organizations, such as the Canadian Medical Association, which forces foreign-trained doctors from undertake extensive retraining to practise in Canada. Transparency International ranks Canada as the perceived 11th least corrupt country in the world.Provinces and territories\nMain 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 Dominion government, while the territories have somewhat less. It is the provinces that are responsible for most of Canada's social programs (such as healthcare, education, and welfare) and together collect more revenue than the federal government, a fairly unique structure among federations in the world. The federal government can initiate national policies that the provinces can opt out of, but at a risk of losing federal money. Transfer payments are made to ensure that reasonably uniform standards of services are kept between the richer and poorer provinces. Criminal law is one of the few areas that is strictly the responsibility of the federal government, and crime and punishment is uniform throughout most of Canada. The provinces and territories each have their own unicameral legislatures. See also: List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbolsLanguagesCanada's two official languages are English and French. 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 at the federal level. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms lays down that:
Demographics\nMain article: Demographics of Canada In the 2001 Canadian census, respondents reported their ethnicity using the following self-identifications[1]:
Culture\nMain 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 and following the Canadian Centennial in 1967. The Canada-U.S. border is the world's longest undefended border. 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 2003 Iraq War, moved toward legalizing same-sex marriage, and took steps towards decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Many international observers saw these developments as distinguishing Canada as more socially liberal than its southern neighbour. See also:\n*Music of Canada\n*Canadian literature\n*Theatre in Canada\n*Art in Canada\n*Holidays in CanadaNational Anthem & Royal AnthemCanada's national anthem is O Canada. Although it was first performed on June 24, 1880, at a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet in Quebec City, it did not become Canada's official national anthem until July 1, 1980. Before that God Save the Queen functioned as the national anthem, but both O Canada and God Save the Queen were usually sung together. God Save the Queen is now Canada's Royal Anthem. It is officially played in the presence of the Queen or other members of the royal family. The first six bars are also used part of the Vice Regal Salute which is played in the presence of the Governor General. Out of tradition, God Save the Queen is often sung at the end of extremely formal state occasions (e.g. state funerals, and Remembrance Day services). It is also sung at many military events, and some Universities close their convocations with it.Miscellaneous topics
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