A federation of former British colonies, Canada follows the British pattern of parliamentary democracy. Ties with the US are now vital, especially in terms of trade, but Canada often goes its own way. In western Canada, the Mackenzie River flows from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean.
The word Canadian originally applied, in its French form, Canadien, to the colonists residing in the northern part of New France13— in Quebec, and Ontario—during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. The French colonists in Maritime Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island), were known as Acadians. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Canadian.
Canada
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.
Language selection
The country’s largest self-reported ethnic origin is Canadian (accounting for 32 percent of the population), with substantial numbers of English, Scottish, French, Irish, and German populations, and smaller numbers of Chinese, Italian, First Nations, Indian, and Ukrainian. There are 600 recognized First Nations governments or bands encompassing over 1 million people. 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.
National Seniors Day 2025
- 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.
- It has also been influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two countries.
- 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.
- Canada opts not to join the US-led coalition against Iraq, sparking fierce domestic political debate.
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. 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. 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 Demographics
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. 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. Canada also has a sizable manufacturing sector centered in southern Ontario and Quebec, with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries. Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary depending on the location.
Canada’s official national sports are ice hockey (winter) and lacrosse (summer).32 Hockey is a national pastime and the most popular spectator sport in the country. 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).
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. Canada is officially bilingual in English and French, reflecting the country’s history as ground once contested by two of Europe’s great powers. The word Canada is derived from the Huron-Iroquois kanata, meaning a village or settlement. In the 16th century, French explorer Jacques Cartier used the name Canada to refer to the area around the settlement that is now Quebec city. Later, Canada was used as a synonym for New France, which, from 1534 to 1763, included all the French possessions along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.
- This was reflected in 1982 with the renaming of the national holiday from Dominion Day to Canada Day.
- Under Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, continental European immigrants settled the prairies, and Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905.
- Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years.
- 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.
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 canadian forex review guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories.
In 1769, Saint John’s Island (now Prince Edward Island) became a separate colony. Approximately 50,000 United Empire Loyalists fled the United States to Canada.12 New Brunswick was split from Nova Scotia as part of a reorganization of 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. 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.
A federation now comprising ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with King Charles III 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. The mandatory school age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years, contributing to an adult literacy rate of 99 percent. 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. Under successive Liberal governments of Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, a new Canadian identity emerged.
This falls by 40-80% after European colonization, due to repeated outbreaks of European infectious diseases, conflicts, loss of land and a subsequent loss of self-sufficiency. Trump has promised to impose a tax of 25% on imported Canadian goods – which economists have warned would significantly hurt Canada’s economy. Trudeau’s personal unpopularity with Canadians had become an increasing drag on his party’s fortunes in advance of federal elections later in 2025.