Canada

Canada , second largest country in the world in area after Russia , occupying roughly the northern two-fifths of the continent of North America. In addition, Canada harbours and exports a wealth of natural resources and intellectual capital equaled by few other countries. 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 to , included all the French possessions along the St.

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Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9. Canada's capital is Ottawa , and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto , Montreal , and Vancouver. Various indigenous peoples inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years before European colonization. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast.

As a consequence of various armed conflicts , France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in In , with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation , Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of and culminated in the Canada Act of , which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.

Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition , with a monarch and a prime minister who serves as the chair of the Cabinet and head of government. The country is a realm within the Commonwealth of Nations , a member of the Francophonie and officially bilingual at the federal level.

It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom , and education. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture.

A developed country , Canada has the seventeenth-highest nominal per-capita income globally as well as the thirteenth-highest ranking in the Human Development Index.

Its advanced economy is the tenth-largest in the world , relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. While a variety of theories have been postulated for the etymological origins of Canada , the name is now accepted as coming from the St.

Lawrence Iroquoian word kanata , meaning "village" or "settlement". From the 16th to the early 18th century " Canada " referred to the part of New France that lay along the Saint Lawrence River. Laurent ended the practice of using Dominion in the statutes of Canada in In , the passage of the Canada Act , bringing the Constitution of Canada fully under Canadian control, referred only to Canada , and later that year the name of the national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day.

The first inhabitants of North America are generally hypothesized to have migrated from Siberia by way of the Bering land bridge and arrived at least 14, years ago. The Indigenous population at the time of the first European settlements is estimated to have been between , [29] and two million, [30] with a figure of , accepted by Canada's Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

Although not without conflict, European Canadians ' early interactions with First Nations and Inuit populations were relatively peaceful. In approximately AD, the Norse built a small encampment that only lasted a few years at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland. John's, Newfoundland , as the first North American English colony.

The English established additional settlements in Newfoundland , beginning in and the Thirteen Colonies to the south were founded soon after.

John's Island now Prince Edward Island became a separate colony in After the successful American War of Independence, the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the newly formed United States and set the terms of peace, ceding British North American territories south of the Great Lakes and east of the Mississippi River to the new country.

Many moved to Canada, particularly Atlantic Canada, where their arrival changed the demographic distribution of the existing territories. New Brunswick was in turn split from Nova Scotia as part of a reorganization of Loyalist settlements in the Maritimes which led to the incorporation of Saint John, New Brunswick to become Canada's first city.

Peace came in ; no boundaries were changed. Immigration resumed at a higher level, with over , arrivals from Britain between and The desire for responsible government resulted in the abortive Rebellions of Following several constitutional conferences, the Constitution Act officially proclaimed Canadian Confederation on July 1, , initially with four provinces: Ontario , Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

To open the West to European immigration, parliament also approved sponsoring the construction of three transcontinental railways including the Canadian Pacific Railway , opening the prairies to settlement with the Dominion Lands Act , and establishing the North-West Mounted Police to assert its authority over this territory. Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in Because Britain still maintained control of Canada's foreign affairs under the Constitution Act, , its declaration of war in automatically brought Canada into World War I.

The Great Depression in Canada during the early s saw an economic downturn, leading to hardship across the country. The delay underscored Canada's independence. The first Canadian Army units arrived in Britain in December In all, over a million Canadians served in the armed forces during World War II and approximately 42, were killed and another 55, were wounded. The Canadian economy boomed during the war as its industries manufactured military materiel for Canada, Britain, China , and the Soviet Union.

The financial crisis of the Great Depression had led the Dominion of Newfoundland to relinquish responsible government in and become a crown colony ruled by a British governor. Canada's post-war economic growth, combined with the policies of successive Liberal governments, led to the emergence of a new Canadian identity , marked by the adoption of the Maple Leaf Flag in , [88] the implementation of official bilingualism English and French in , [89] and the institution of official multiculturalism in Finally, another series of constitutional conferences resulted in the Canada Act , the patriation of Canada's constitution from the United Kingdom, concurrent with the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

At the same time, Quebec underwent profound social and economic changes through the Quiet Revolution of the s, giving birth to a secular nationalist movement.

Attempts to accommodate Quebec nationalism constitutionally through the Meech Lake Accord failed in In addition to the issues of Quebec sovereignty, a number of crises shook Canadian society in the late s and early s. Canada sent troops to Afghanistan in , but declined to join the U. By total area including its waters , Canada is the second-largest country in the world, after Russia.

By land area alone, however, Canada ranks fourth , due to having the world's largest proportion of fresh water lakes. Ontario and Quebec also send most of their shipping traffic through the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Canada is home to the world's northernmost settlement, Canadian Forces Station Alert , on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island —latitude Since the end of the last glacial period , Canada has consisted of eight distinct forest regions , including extensive boreal forest on the Canadian Shield.

Canada is geologically active, having many earthquakes and potentially active volcanoes, notably Mount Meager massif , Mount Garibaldi , Mount Cayley massif , and the Mount Edziza volcanic complex.

Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary from region to region. Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. Canada is described as a " full democracy ", [] with a tradition of liberalism , [] and an egalitarian , [] moderate political ideology.

At the federal level, Canada has been dominated by two relatively centrist parties practicing "brokerage politics", [b] [] [] [] the centre-left Liberal Party of Canada and the centre-right Conservative Party of Canada or its predecessors. Canada has a parliamentary system within the context of a constitutional monarchy —the monarchy of Canada being the foundation of the executive, legislative , and judicial branches.

The person who is the Canadian monarch is the same as the British monarch , although the two institutions are separate. The direct participation of the monarch and the governor general in areas of governance is limited. The governor general or monarch may, though, in certain crisis situations exercise their power without ministerial advice. Each of the members of parliament in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in an electoral district or riding. General elections must be called by the governor general, either on the advice of the prime minister or if the government loses a confidence vote in the House.

The members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, serve until age Canada's federal structure divides government responsibilities between the federal government and the ten provinces.

Provincial legislatures are unicameral and operate in parliamentary fashion similar to the House of Commons. The Bank of Canada is the central bank of the country. In addition, the minister of finance and minister of industry utilize the Statistics Canada agency for financial planning and economic policy development.

The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law of the country, and consists of written text and unwritten conventions. Canada's judiciary plays an important role in interpreting laws and has the power to strike down Acts of Parliament that violate the constitution.

All judges at the superior and appellate levels are appointed after consultation with non-governmental legal bodies. The federal Cabinet also appoints justices to superior courts in the provincial and territorial jurisdictions. Common law prevails everywhere except in Quebec, where civil law predominates.

Criminal law is solely a federal responsibility and is uniform throughout Canada. The Indian Act , various treaties and case laws were established to mediate relations between Europeans and native peoples.

The role of the treaties and the rights they support were reaffirmed by Section Thirty-five of the Constitution Act, Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in international affairs with a tendency to pursue multilateral solutions. Canada and the United States co-operate on military campaigns and exercises, and are each other's largest trading partner.

Pearson eased tensions by proposing the inception of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force , for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In , Canada deployed troops to Afghanistan as part of the U. The nation employs a professional, volunteer military force of approximately 79, active personnel and 32, reserve personnel.

The Canadian Forces will acquire 88 fighter planes and 15 naval surface combatants, the latter as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. Canada is a federation composed of ten provinces and three territories. 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 reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces. Canadian exports []. Since the early 20th century, the growth of Canada's manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy to an urbanized, industrial one. Canada is one of the few developed nations that are net exporters of energy.

Canada also has a sizeable manufacturing sector centred in southern Ontario and Quebec, with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries. Some of the most notable scientific developments in Canada include the creation of the alkaline battery and the polio vaccine , along with the discovery of the atomic nucleus. The Canadian Space Agency operates a highly active space program, conducting deep-space, planetary, and aviation research, and developing rockets and satellites.

The Canadian Census enumerated a total population of 35,,, an increase of around 5. Canada has one of the highest per-capita immigration rates in the world, [] driven mainly by economic policy and, to a lesser extent, family reunification.

Canada's population density, at 3.

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the. Geographical and historical treatment of Canada, including maps and statistics as well as a survey of its people, economy, and government.

A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in , while retaining ties to the British crown. Canada repatriated its constitution from the UK in , severing a final colonial tie. Economically and technologically, the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across the world's longest international border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care, education, social services, and economic competitiveness, as well as responding to the particular concerns of predominantly francophone Quebec.

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Canadian border guards are silhouetted as they replace each at the Douglas border crossing in Surrey, B. Freeland says traffic over the shared border is bound to increase as states and provinces reopen shuttered businesses and ease restrictions on personal mobility, even if the current Canada-U. That agreement, which has allowed essential workers and trade shipments to continue to move back and forth between the two countries, was first imposed in March and is set to expire on May Freeland says discussions about when and how to begin easing those restrictions are ongoing, both between Canada and the U. She says Canada will adhere to the same prudent and sensible approach that has guided it throughout the COVID outbreak. Provincial health officer Dr. It would make no sense to have visitors travelling either from Canada to the U. Search Search CP24 X.

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Statistics Canada is responding to the COVID challenge by collecting information vital to the economy and society—remotely and safely. Our employees are working hard to support critical government operations with data, analytics and methodological expertise. Statistics Canada is the national statistical office. The agency ensures Canadians have the key information on Canada's economy, society and environment that they require to function effectively as citizens and decision makers.

Travel and tourism

Information on how to have a safe and enjoyable journey whether you are travelling in Canada or abroad. An official global travel advisory is in effect: Avoid non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice. Check our Travel Advice and Advisories for more information. Free admission for youth 17 and under to Canada's national parks and historic sites! Discover Canada's museums and enjoy unforgettable experiences. Find out if you need a visa to visit or transit through Canada, and how to extend your stay as a visitor. A regularly updated list of wait times at border ports of entry for drivers coming to Canada from the U. You will not receive a reply. For enquiries, please contact us. Travel and tourism Information on how to have a safe and enjoyable journey whether you are travelling in Canada or abroad. Follow: Twitter Facebook Instagram. Most requested Consular services and assistance for Canadians in China Travel Advice and Advisories Recommended consent letter for children travelling abroad Canada - U. Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Go!

Increased border traffic likely as Canada, U.S. economies reopen: Freeland

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9. Canada's capital is Ottawa , and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto , Montreal , and Vancouver. Various indigenous peoples inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years before European colonization. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast. As a consequence of various armed conflicts , France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in In , with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation , Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of and culminated in the Canada Act of , which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition , with a monarch and a prime minister who serves as the chair of the Cabinet and head of government.