CANADA Official name: Canada Location: North America International organisations: The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Forum, The Commonwealth of Nations, The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, The Organisation of American States, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation Borders: United States of America Coastline: Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean Land area: 9,976,140 Km2

Population: 31,900,000
Ethnicity: About 70% of Canadians are of entirely European descent, the largest groups being those of British (28%) and French (23%) descent. About 4% are of Asian descent and about 2% are Amerindian. The remainder are of other or mixed background.
Languages: English and French are the official languages of the national government, and in all the provinces except Quebec, where French alone is official. About 23% speak French as their first language, nearly all in Quebec. Outside Quebec, English is the language of government, business and communications. 15% of the population speak a language other than English and French.
Religion: Canada is one of the most secular countries in the world, but over 80% are at least nominally Christian (Catholic 46%, Protestant 36%). Quebec is traditionally Catholic. There are growing communities of Moslems, Hindus and Buddhists.
Form of government: Constitutional monarchy, federal parliamentary democracy. Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories, all of which have elected legislatures and constitutional automomy.

Capital: Ottawa Constitution: The Canadian constitution consists of two documents. The Constitution Act of 1867 (until 1982 known as the British North America Act) is the foundational document of the Canadian federation. The Constitution Act of 1982 incorporates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and creates a mechanism for amending the Constitution. Before 1982 the British North America Act was an Act of the British Parliament and could not be amended within Canada. Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. The Queen came to the British throne on 6 February 1952, and has held the title Queen of Canada since 28 May 1953. The Queen's functions in Canada are excercised by a Governor-General, appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The current Governor-General, Michaëlle Jean, took office on 27 September 2005.

Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the Governor-General. The Prime Minister is the leader of the largest party in the legislature and is accountable to it.
Legislature: The Parliament of Canada / Parlement du Canada is a bicameral legislature, although only one house is elected. The House of Commons or Chambre des Communes has 301 members, elected for five-year terms from single-member constituencies. The Senate or Sénat has 104 members appointed by the government.
Electoral authority: Canadian elections are controlled by Elections Canada
Freedom House 2005 rating: Political Rights 1, Civil Liberties 1

Political history

British and French settlement of the east coast of Canada began in the early 17th century. In 1760 the British captured Quebec from the French, but the province remained French in language and character. All the Canadian colonies gained internal self-government with elected assemblies in the early 19th century. French resentment at British rule broke out in an unsuccessful rebellion in 1837. This led to the report by Lord Durham on Canadian self-government.

In 1841 Quebec was united with the English-speaking colony of Ontario as the Province of Canada, but this arrangement was not a success. As a result, in 1867 Quebec, Ontario and the maritime provinces became the Dominion of Canada, with an elected federal legislature, and all the provinces retaining their autonomy. This satisfied Quebec opinion until the 1960s. The Statute of Westminister of 1931 gave Canada full legislative independence from Britain, but the link to the British Crown remained. Newfoundland joined the Canadian confederation in 1949.

Quebec nationalism began to resurface in the 1960s. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, himself a Quebecker, negotiated a new constitutional arrangment that placed the Constitution under Canadian control, established official bilingualism and enlarged the autonomy of the provinces, especially Quebec. This did not satisfy Quebec nationalists, but the people of Quebec have twice rejected referendum proposals for independence.

The Liberal Party of Canada has dominated the politics of modern Canada, producing two long-serving prime ministers in W L Mackenzie King (1921-26, 1926-30, 1935-48) and Pierre Trudeau (1968-79, 1980-84). The Liberals are a moderate centre party. Their current leader, Paul Martin, has been Prime Minister since December 2003, but faces a difficult election January 2006.

The Liberals' great rivals, the moderately conservative Progressive Conservative Party, suffered a terrible defeat in 1993, after nine years in government, from which they have not recovered. Their base in the western provinces was lost to the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, a militantly right-wing party. The Canadian electoral system ensures that the Liberals will retain office as long as the right is divided.

The most important minor parties are the Quebec Bloc, which favours independence for Quebec, and the New Democratic Party, a declining socialist party which retains some support in the west.