Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. Its border with the United States is the world's longest international land border. The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. With a population of just over 41 million people, it has widely varying population densities, with the majority residing in urban areas and large areas of the country being sparsely populated. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Canada | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Motto: A mari usque ad mare (Latin) "From Sea to Sea" | |
| Anthem: "O Canada" Royal anthem: "God Save the King" | |
 | |
| Capital | Ottawa 45°24′N 75°40′W / 45.400°N 75.667°W |
| Largest city | Toronto |
| Official languages |
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| Demonym(s) | Canadian |
| Government | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
• Governor General | Mary Simon |
• Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| House of Commons | |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• Confederation | July 1, 1867 |
• Statute of Westminster, 1931 | December 11, 1931 |
• Patriation | April 17, 1982 |
| Area | |
• Total area | 9,984,670 km2 (3,855,100 sq mi) (2nd) |
• Water (%) | 11.76 (2015) |
• Total land area | 9,093,507 km2 (3,511,023 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2024 Q4 estimate |  41,465,298 (36th) |
• 2021 census | 36,991,981 |
• Density | 4.2/km2 (10.9/sq mi) (236th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total |  $2.582 trillion (16th) |
• Per capita | $62,766 (30th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $2.215 trillion (9th) |
• Per capita | $53,834 (19th) |
| Gini (2024) |  29.2low inequality |
| HDI (2022) | 0.935 very high (18th) |
| Currency | Canadian dollar ($) (CAD) |
| Time zone | UTC−3.5 to −8 |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−2.5 to −7 |
| Calling code | +1 |
| Internet TLD | .ca |
Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years. 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 1763. In 1867, 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 resulting in the displacement of Indigenous populations, and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This increased sovereignty was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster, 1931, and culminated in the Canada Act 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition. The country's head of government is the prime minister, who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons and is appointed by the governor general, representing the monarch of Canada, the ceremonial head of state. The country is a Commonwealth realm and is officially bilingual (English and French) in the federal jurisdiction. It is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency, quality of life, economic competitiveness, innovation, education and human rights. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration. Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its history, economy, and culture.
A developed country, Canada has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world by nominal GDP, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Recognized as a middle power, Canada's strong support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign relations policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries. Canada is part of multiple international organizations and forums.
Etymology
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". In 1535, Indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona. Cartier later used the word Canada to refer not only to that particular village but to the entire area subject to Donnacona (the chief at Stadacona); by 1545, European books and maps had begun referring to this small region along the Saint Lawrence River as Canada.
From the 16th to the early 18th century, Canada referred to the part of New France that lay along the Saint Lawrence River. Following the British conquest of New France, this area was known as the British Province of Quebec from 1763 to 1791. In 1791, the area became two British colonies called Upper Canada and Lower Canada. These two colonies were collectively named the Canadas until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841.
Upon Confederation in 1867, Canada was adopted as the legal name for the new country at the London Conference and the word dominion was conferred as the country's title. By the 1950s, the term Dominion of Canada was no longer used by the United Kingdom, which considered Canada a "realm of the Commonwealth".
The Canada Act 1982, which brought the Constitution of Canada fully under Canadian control, referred only to Canada. Later that year, the name of the national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day.
History
Indigenous peoples
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 14,000 years ago. The Paleo-Indian archeological sites at Old Crow Flats and Bluefish Caves are two of the oldest sites of human habitation in Canada. The characteristics of Indigenous societies included permanent settlements, agriculture, complex societal hierarchies, and trading networks. Some of these cultures had collapsed by the time European explorers arrived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and have only been discovered through archeological investigations.Indigenous peoples in present-day Canada include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, the last being of mixed descent who originated in the mid-17th century when First Nations people married European settlers and subsequently developed their own identity.
The Indigenous population at the time of the first European settlements is estimated to have been between 200,000 and two million, with a figure of 500,000 accepted by Canada's Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. As a consequence of European colonization, the Indigenous population declined by forty to eighty percent. The decline is attributed to several causes, including the transfer of European diseases, to which they had no natural immunity, conflicts over the fur trade, conflicts with the colonial authorities and settlers, and the loss of Indigenous lands to settlers and the subsequent collapse of several nations' self-sufficiency.
Although not without conflict, European Canadians' early interactions with First Nations and Inuit populations were relatively peaceful. First Nations and Métis peoples played a critical part in the development of European colonies in Canada, particularly for their role in assisting European coureurs des bois and voyageurs in their explorations of the continent during the North American fur trade. These early European interactions with First Nations would change from friendship and peace treaties to the dispossession of Indigenous lands through treaties. From the late 18th century, European Canadians forced Indigenous peoples to assimilate into a western Canadian society.Settler colonialism reached a climax in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A period of redress began with the formation of a reconciliation commission by the Government of Canada in 2008. This included acknowledgment of cultural genocide,settlement agreements, and betterment of racial discrimination issues, such as addressing the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
European colonization
It is believed that the first documented European to explore the east coast of Canada was Norse explorer Leif Erikson. In approximately 1000 AD, the Norse built a small short-lived encampment that was occupied sporadically for perhaps 20 years at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland. No further European exploration occurred until 1497, when seafarer John Cabot explored and claimed Canada's Atlantic coast in the name of Henry VII of England. In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence where, on July 24, he planted a 10-metre (33 ft) cross bearing the words, "long live the King of France", and took possession of the territory New France in the name of King Francis I. The early 16th century saw European mariners with navigational techniques pioneered by the Basque and Portuguese establish seasonal whaling and fishing outposts along the Atlantic coast. In general, early settlements during the Age of Discovery appear to have been short-lived due to a combination of the harsh climate, problems with navigating trade routes and competing outputs in Scandinavia.
In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, by the royal prerogative of Queen Elizabeth I, founded St John's, Newfoundland, as the first North American English seasonal camp. In 1600, the French established their first seasonal trading post at Tadoussac along the Saint Lawrence. French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent year-round European settlements at Port Royal (in 1605) and Quebec City (in 1608). Among the colonists of New France, Canadiens extensively settled the Saint Lawrence River valley and Acadians settled the present-day Maritimes, while fur traders and Catholic missionaries explored the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Mississippi watershed to Louisiana. The Beaver Wars broke out in the mid-17th century over control of the North American fur trade.
The English established additional settlements in Newfoundland in 1610 along with settlements in the Thirteen Colonies to the south. A series of four wars erupted in colonial North America between 1689 and 1763; the later wars of the period constituted the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. Mainland Nova Scotia came under British rule with the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and Canada and most of New France came under British rule in 1763 after the Seven Years' War.
British North America
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 established First Nation treaty rights, created the Province of Quebec out of New France, and annexed Cape Breton Island to Nova Scotia. St John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) became a separate colony in 1769. To avert conflict in Quebec, the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act 1774, expanding Quebec's territory to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. More importantly, the Quebec Act afforded Quebec special autonomy and rights of self-administration at a time when the Thirteen Colonies were increasingly agitating against British rule. It re-established the French language, Catholic faith, and French civil law there, staving off the growth of an independence movement in contrast to the Thirteen Colonies. The Proclamation and the Quebec Act in turn angered many residents of the Thirteen Colonies, further fuelling anti-British sentiment in the years prior to the American Revolution.
After the successful American War of Independence, the 1783 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. The American war of independence also caused a large out-migration of Loyalists, the settlers who had fought against American independence. 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, as Canada's first city. To accommodate the influx of English-speaking Loyalists in Central Canada, the Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the province of Canada into French-speaking Lower Canada (later Quebec) and English-speaking Upper Canada (later Ontario), granting each its own elected legislative assembly.
The Canadas were the main front in the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. Peace came in 1815; no boundaries were changed. Immigration resumed at a higher level, with over 960,000 arrivals from Britain between 1815 and 1850. New arrivals included refugees escaping the Great Irish Famine as well as Gaelic-speaking Scots displaced by the Highland Clearances. Infectious diseases killed between 25 and 33 percent of Europeans who immigrated to Canada before 1891.
The desire for responsible government resulted in the abortive Rebellions of 1837. The Durham Report subsequently recommended responsible government and the assimilation of French Canadians into English culture. The Act of Union 1840 merged the Canadas into a united Province of Canada and responsible government was established for all provinces of British North America east of Lake Superior by 1855. 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. This paved the way for British colonies on Vancouver Island (1849) and in British Columbia (1858). The Anglo-Russian Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1825) established the border along the Pacific coast, but, even after the US Alaska Purchase of 1867, disputes continued about the exact demarcation of the Alaska–Yukon and Alaska–BC border.
Confederation and expansion
Following three constitutional conferences, the British North America Act, 1867 officially proclaimed Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, initially with four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Canada assumed control of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to form the Northwest Territories, where the 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 been united in 1866) joined the confederation in 1871 on the promise of a transcontinental railway extending to Victoria in the province within 10 years, while Prince Edward Island joined in 1873. In 1898, during the Klondike Gold Rush in the Northwest Territories, Parliament created the Yukon Territory. Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905. Between 1871 and 1896, almost one quarter of the Canadian population emigrated south to the US.
To open the West and encourage European immigration, the Government of Canada sponsored the construction of three transcontinental railways (including the Canadian Pacific Railway), passed the Dominion Lands Act to regulate settlement and established the North-West Mounted Police to assert authority over the territory. This period of westward expansion and nation building resulted in the displacement of many Indigenous peoples of the Canadian Prairies to "Indian reserves", clearing the way for ethnic European block settlements. This caused the collapse of the Plains Bison in western Canada and the introduction of European cattle farms and wheat fields dominating the land. The Indigenous peoples saw widespread famine and disease due to the loss of the bison and their traditional hunting lands. The federal government did provide emergency relief, on condition of the Indigenous peoples moving to the reserves. During this time, Canada introduced the Indian Act extending its control over the First Nations to education, government and legal rights.
Early 20th century
Because Britain still maintained control of Canada's foreign affairs under the British North America Act, 1867, its declaration of war in 1914 automatically brought Canada into the First World War. Volunteers sent to the Western Front later became part of the Canadian Corps, which played a substantial role in the Battle of Vimy Ridge and other major engagements of the war. The Conscription Crisis of 1917 erupted when the Unionist Cabinet's proposal to augment the military's dwindling number of active members with conscription was met with vehement objections from French-speaking Quebecers. In 1919, Canada joined the League of Nations independently of Britain, and the Statute of Westminster, 1931, affirmed Canada's independence.
The Great Depression in Canada during the early 1930s saw an economic downturn, leading to hardship across the country. In response to the downturn, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in Saskatchewan introduced many elements of a welfare state (as pioneered by Tommy Douglas) in the 1940s and 1950s. On the advice of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, war with Germany was declared effective September 10, 1939, by King George VI, seven days after the United Kingdom. The delay underscored Canada's independence.
The first Canadian Army units arrived in Britain in December 1939. In all, over a million Canadians served in the armed forces during the Second World War. Canadian troops played important roles in many key battles of the war, including the failed 1942 Dieppe Raid, the Allied invasion of Italy, the Normandy landings, the Battle of Normandy, and the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944. Canada provided asylum for the Dutch monarchy while that country was occupied and is credited by the Netherlands for major contributions to its liberation from Nazi Germany.
The Canadian economy boomed during the war as its industries manufactured military materiel for Canada, Britain, China, and the Soviet Union. Despite another Conscription Crisis in Quebec in 1944, Canada finished the war with a large army and strong economy.
Contemporary era
The financial crisis of the Great Depression led the Dominion of Newfoundland to relinquish responsible government in 1934 and become a Crown colony ruled by a British governor. After two referendums, Newfoundlanders voted to join Canada in 1949 as a province.
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 1965, the implementation of official bilingualism (English and French) in 1969, and the institution of official multiculturalism in 1971.Socially democratic programs were also instituted, such as Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan, and Canada Student Loans; though, provincial governments, particularly Quebec and Alberta, opposed many of these as incursions into their jurisdictions.
Finally, another series of constitutional conferences resulted in the Canada Act 1982, the patriation of Canada's constitution from the United Kingdom, concurrent with the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canada had established complete sovereignty as an independent country under its own monarchy. In 1999, Nunavut became Canada's third territory after a series of negotiations with the federal government.
At the same time, Quebec underwent profound social and economic changes through the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, giving birth to a secular nationalist movement. The radical Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) ignited the October Crisis with a series of bombings and kidnappings in 1970, and the sovereigntist Parti Québécois was elected in 1976, organizing an unsuccessful referendum on sovereignty-association in 1980. Attempts to accommodate Quebec nationalism constitutionally through the Meech Lake Accord failed in 1990. This led to the formation of the Bloc Québécois in Quebec and the invigoration of the Reform Party of Canada in the West. A second referendum followed in 1995, in which sovereignty was rejected by a slimmer margin of 50.6 to 49.4 percent. In 1997, the Supreme Court ruled unilateral secession by a province would be unconstitutional, and the Clarity Act was passed by Parliament, outlining the terms of a negotiated departure from Confederation.
In addition to the issues of Quebec sovereignty, a number of crises shook Canadian society in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These included the explosion of Air India Flight 182 in 1985, the largest mass murder in Canadian history; the École Polytechnique massacre in 1989, a university shooting targeting female students; and the Oka Crisis of 1990, the first of a number of violent confrontations between provincial governments and Indigenous groups. Canada joined the Gulf War in 1990 and was active in several peacekeeping missions in the 1990s, including operations in the Balkans during and after the Yugoslav Wars, and in Somalia, resulting in an incident that has been described as "the darkest era in the history of the Canadian military". Canada sent troops to Afghanistan in 2001, resulting in the largest amount of Canadian deaths for any single military mission since the Korean War in the early 1950s.
In 2011, Canadian forces participated in the NATO-led intervention into the Libyan Civil War and also became involved in battling the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq in the mid-2010s. The country celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2017, three years before the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada began on January 27, 2020, with widespread social and economic disruption. In 2021, the possible graves of hundreds of Indigenous people were discovered near the former sites of Canadian Indian residential schools. Administered by various Christian churches and funded by the Canadian government from 1828 to 1997, these boarding schools attempted to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture.
Geography
By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second-largest country. By land area alone, Canada ranks fourth, due to having the world's largest area of fresh water lakes. Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east, along the Arctic Ocean to the north, and to the Pacific Ocean in the west, the country encompasses 9,984,670 km2 (3,855,100 sq mi) of territory. Canada also has vast maritime terrain, with the world's longest coastline of 243,042 kilometres (151,019 mi). In addition to sharing the world's largest land border with the United States—spanning 8,891 km (5,525 mi)—Canada shares a land border with Greenland (and hence the Kingdom of Denmark) to the northeast, on Hans Island, and a maritime boundary with France's overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon to the southeast. Canada is also home to the world's northernmost settlement, Canadian Forces Station Alert, on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—which lies 817 kilometres (508 mi) from the North Pole. In latitude, Canada's most northerly point of land is Cape Columbia in Nunavut at 83°6′41″N, with its southern extreme at Middle Island in Lake Erie at 41°40′53″N. In longitude, Canada's land extends from Cape Spear, Newfoundland, at 52°37'W, to Mount St. Elias, Yukon Territory, at 141°W.
Canada can be divided into seven physiographic regions: the Canadian Shield, the interior plains, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Appalachian region, the Western Cordillera, Hudson Bay Lowlands, and the Arctic Archipelago.Boreal forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in northern Arctic regions and through the Rocky Mountains, and the relatively flat Canadian Prairies in the southwest facilitate productive agriculture. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River (in the southeast) where the lowlands host much of Canada's economic output. Canada has over 2,000,000 lakes—563 of which are larger than 100 km2 (39 sq mi)—containing much of the world's fresh water. There are also fresh-water glaciers in the Canadian Rockies, the Coast Mountains, and the Arctic Cordillera.Canada is geologically active, having many earthquakes and potentially active volcanoes.
Climate
Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary from region to region. Winters can be harsh in many parts of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces, which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near −15 °C (5 °F), but can drop below −40 °C (−40 °F) with severe wind chills. In non-coastal regions, snow can cover the ground for almost six months of the year, while in parts of the north snow can persist year-round. Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. On the east and west coasts, 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 (77 to 86 °F), with temperatures in some interior locations occasionally exceeding 40 °C (104 °F).
Much of Northern Canada is covered by ice and permafrost. The future of the permafrost is uncertain because the Arctic has been warming at three times the global average as a result of climate change in Canada. Canada's annual average temperature over land has risen by 1.7 °C (3.1 °F), with changes ranging from 1.1 to 2.3 °C (2.0 to 4.1 °F) in various regions, since 1948. The rate of warming has been higher across the North and in the Prairies. In the southern regions of Canada, air pollution from both Canada and the United States—caused by metal smelting, burning coal to power utilities, and vehicle emissions—has resulted in acid rain, which has severely impacted waterways, forest growth, and agricultural productivity. Canada is one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters globally, with emissions increased by 16.5 percent between 1990 and 2022.
Biodiversity
Canada is divided into 15 terrestrial and five marine ecozones. These ecozones encompass over 80,000 classified species of Canadian wildlife, with an equal number yet to be formally recognized or discovered. Although Canada has a low percentage of endemic species compared to other countries, due to human activities, invasive species, and environmental issues in the country, there are currently more than 800 species at risk of being lost. About 65 percent of Canada's resident species are considered "Secure". Over half of Canada's landscape is intact and relatively free of human development. The boreal forest of Canada is considered to be the largest intact forest on Earth, with approximately 3,000,000 km2 (1,200,000 sq mi) undisturbed by roads, cities or industry. Since the end of the last glacial period, Canada has consisted of eight distinct forest regions.
Approximately 12.1 percent of the nation's landmass and freshwater are conservation areas, including 11.4 percent designated as protected areas. Approximately 13.8 percent of its territorial waters are conserved, including 8.9 percent designated as protected areas. Canada's first National Park, Banff National Park established in 1885 spans 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi). Canada's oldest provincial park, Algonquin Provincial Park, established in 1893, covers an area of 7,653.45 square kilometres (2,955.01 sq mi).Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area is the world's largest freshwater protected area, spanning roughly 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi). Canada's largest national wildlife region is the Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area which spans 11,570.65 square kilometres (4,467.45 sq mi).
Government and politics
Canada is described as a "full democracy", with a tradition of liberalism, and an egalitarian,moderate political ideology. An emphasis on social justice has been a distinguishing element of Canada's political culture.Peace, order, and good government, alongside an Implied Bill of Rights, are founding principles of Canadian federalism.
At the federal level, Canada has been dominated by two relatively centrist parties practising "brokerage politics": the centre-left leaning Liberal Party of Canada and the centre-right leaning Conservative Party of Canada (or its predecessors). The historically predominant Liberals position themselves at the centre of the political scale. Five parties had representatives elected to the Parliament in the 2021 election—the Liberals, who formed a minority government; the Conservatives, who became the Official Opposition; the New Democratic Party (occupying the left); the Bloc Québécois; and the Green Party.Far-right and far-left politics have never been a prominent force in Canadian society.
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 reigning monarch is also monarch of 14 other sovereign Commonwealth countries and Canada's 10 provinces. The monarch appoints a representative, the governor general, on the advice of the prime minister, to carry out most of their ceremonial royal duties.
The monarchy is the source of sovereignty and authority in Canada. However, while the governor general or monarch may exercise their power without ministerial advice in rare crisis situations, the use of the executive powers (or royal prerogative) is otherwise directed by the Cabinet, a committee of ministers of the Crown responsible to the elected House of Commons and chosen and headed by the prime minister, the head of government. To ensure the stability of government, the governor general will usually appoint as prime minister the individual who is the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a majority of members in the House. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is one of the most powerful institutions in government, initiating most legislation for parliamentary approval and selecting for appointment by the Crown the governor general, lieutenant governors, senators, federal court judges, and heads of Crown corporations and government agencies. The leader of the party with the second-most seats usually becomes the leader of the Official Opposition and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check.
The Parliament of Canada passes all federal statute laws. It comprises the monarch, the House of Commons, and the Senate. While Canada inherited the British concept of parliamentary supremacy, this was later, with the enactment of the Constitution Act, 1982, all but completely superseded by the American notion of the supremacy of the law.
Each of the 338 members of Parliament in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in an electoral district or riding. The Constitution Act, 1982, requires that no more than five years pass between elections, although the Canada Elections Act limits this to four years with a "fixed" election date in October; general elections still must be called by the governor general and can be triggered by either the advice of the prime minister or a lost confidence vote in the House. The 105 members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, serve until age 75.
Canadian federalism divides government responsibilities between the federal government and the 10 provinces. Provincial legislatures are unicameral and operate in parliamentary fashion similar to the House of Commons. Canada's three territories also have legislatures, but these are not sovereign, have fewer constitutional responsibilities than the provinces, and differ structurally from their provincial counterparts.
Law
The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law of the country and consists of written text and unwritten conventions. The Constitution Act, 1867 (known as the British North America Act, 1867 prior to 1982), affirmed governance based on parliamentary precedent and divided powers between the federal and provincial governments. The Statute of Westminster, 1931, granted full autonomy, and the Constitution Act, 1982, ended all legislative ties to Britain, as well as adding a constitutional amending formula and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter guarantees basic rights and freedoms that usually cannot be overridden by any government; a notwithstanding clause allows Parliament and the provincial legislatures to override certain sections of the Charter for a period of five years.
Canada's judiciary interprets laws and has the power to strike down acts of Parliament that violate the constitution. The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court, final arbiter, and has been led since 2017 by Richard Wagner, the Chief Justice of Canada. The governor general appoints the court's nine members on the advice of the prime minister and minister of justice. The federal Cabinet also appoints justices to superior courts in the provincial and territorial jurisdictions.
Common law prevails everywhere except Quebec, where civil law predominates.Criminal law is solely a federal responsibility and is uniform throughout Canada. Law enforcement, including criminal courts, is officially a provincial responsibility, conducted by provincial and municipal police forces. In most rural and some urban areas, policing responsibilities are contracted to the federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Canadian Aboriginal law provides certain constitutionally recognized rights to land and traditional practices for Indigenous groups in Canada. Various treaties and case laws were established to mediate relations between Europeans and many Indigenous peoples. The role of Aboriginal law and the rights they support were reaffirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. These rights may include provision of services, such as healthcare through the Indian Health Transfer Policy, and exemption from taxation.
Provinces and territories
Canada is a federation composed of 10 federated states, called provinces, and three federal territories. These may be grouped into four main regions: Western Canada, Central Canada, Atlantic Canada, and Northern Canada (Eastern Canada refers to Central Canada and Atlantic Canada together). Provinces and territories have responsibility for social programs such as healthcare, education, and social programs, as well as administration of justice (but not criminal law). Although the provinces collect more revenue than the federal government, 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.
The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that provinces receive their sovereignty from the Crown and power and authority from the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territorial governments have powers delegated to them by the Parliament of Canada and the commissioners represent the King in his federal Council, rather than the monarch directly. The powers flowing from the Constitution Act, 1867, are divided between the federal government and the provincial governments to exercise exclusively and any changes to that arrangement require a constitutional amendment, while changes to the roles and powers of the territories may be performed unilaterally by the Parliament of Canada.
Foreign relations
Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in global affairs with a tendency to pursue multilateral and international solutions. Canada is known for its commitment to international peace and security, as well as being a mediator in conflicts, and for providing aid to developing countries.
Canada and the United States have a long and complex relationship; they are close allies, co-operating regularly on military campaigns and humanitarian efforts. Canada also maintains historic and traditional ties to the United Kingdom and to France, along with both countries' former colonies through its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Canada is noted for having a positive relationship with the Netherlands, owing, in part, to its contribution to the Dutch liberation during the Second World War.Canada has diplomatic and consular offices in over 270 locations in approximately 180 foreign countries.
Canada is a member of various international organizations and forums.Canada was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945 and formed the North American Aerospace Defense Command together with the United States in 1958. The country has membership in the World Trade Organization, the Five Eyes, the G7 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The country was a founding member the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) in 1989 and joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1990. Canada ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and seven principal UN human rights conventions and covenants since then.
Military and peacekeeping
Alongside many domestic obligations, more than 3,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel are deployed in multiple foreign military operations. The Canadian unified forces comprise the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. The nation employs a professional, volunteer force of approximately 68,000 active personnel and 27,000 reserve personnel—increasing to 71,500 and 30,000 respectively under "Strong, Secure, Engaged"—with a sub-component of approximately 5,000 Canadian Rangers. In 2022, Canada's military expenditure totalled approximately $26.9 billion, or around 1.2 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) – placing it 14th for military expenditure by country.
Canada's role in developing peacekeeping and its participation in major peacekeeping initiatives during the 20th century has played a major role in its positive global image. Peacekeeping is deeply embedded in Canadian culture and a distinguishing feature that Canadians feel sets their foreign policy apart from the United States. Canada has long been reluctant to participate in military operations that are not sanctioned by the United Nations, such as the Vietnam War or the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Since the 21st century, Canadian direct participation in UN peacekeeping efforts has greatly declined. The large decrease was a result of Canada directing its participation to UN-sanctioned military operations through NATO, rather than directly through the UN. The change to participation via NATO has resulted in a shift towards more militarized and deadly missions rather than traditional peacekeeping duties.
Economy
Canada has a highly developed mixed-market economy, with the world's ninth-largest economy as of 2023[update], and a nominal GDP of approximately US$2.221 trillion. It is one of the world's largest trading nations, with a highly globalized economy. In 2021, Canadian trade in goods and services reached $2.016 trillion. Canada's exports totalled over $637 billion, while its imported goods were worth over $631 billion, of which approximately $391 billion originated from the United States. In 2018, Canada had a trade deficit in goods of $22 billion and a trade deficit in services of $25 billion. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the ninth-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, listing over 1,500 companies with a combined market capitalization of over US$2 trillion.
The Bank of Canada is the central bank of the country. The minister of finance and minister of innovation, science, and industry use data from Statistics Canada to enable financial planning and develop economic policy. Canada has a strong cooperative banking sector, with the world's highest per-capita membership in credit unions. It ranks low in the Corruption Perceptions Index (14th in 2023) and "is widely regarded as among the least corrupt countries of the world". It ranks high in the Global Competitiveness Report (19th in 2024). Canada's economy ranks above most Western nations on the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom and experiences a relatively low level of income disparity. The country's average household disposable income per capita is "well above" the OECD average. Canada ranks among the lowest of the most developed countries for housing affordability and foreign direct investment.
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. The Canadian economy is dominated by the service industry, which employs about three-quarters of the country's workforce. Canada has an unusually important primary sector, of which the forestry and petroleum industries are the most prominent components. Many towns in northern Canada, where agriculture is difficult, are sustained by nearby mines or sources of timber.
Canada's economic integration with the United States has increased significantly since the Second World War. The Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) of 1988 eliminated tariffs between the two countries, while the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) expanded the free-trade zone to include Mexico in 1994 (later replaced by the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement). As of 2023, Canada is a signatory to 15 free trade agreements with 51 different countries.
Canada is one of the few developed nations that are net exporters of energy.Atlantic Canada possess vast offshore deposits of natural gas, and Alberta hosts the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world. The vast Athabasca oil sands and other oil reserves give Canada 13 percent of global oil reserves, constituting the world's third- or fourth-largest. Canada is additionally one of the world's largest suppliers of agricultural products; the Canadian Prairies region is one of the most important global producers of wheat, canola, and other grains. The country is a leading exporter of zinc, uranium, gold, nickel, platinoids, aluminum, steel, iron ore, coking coal, lead, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, and cadmium. Canada has a sizeable manufacturing sector centred in southern Ontario and Quebec, with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries. The fishing industry is also a key contributor to the economy.
Science and technology
In 2020, Canada spent approximately $41.9 billion on domestic research and development, with supplementary estimates for 2022 at $43.2 billion. As of 2023[update], the country has produced 15 Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry, and medicine. The country ranks seventh in the worldwide share of articles published in scientific journals, according to the Nature Index, and is home to the headquarters of a number of global technology firms. Canada has one of the highest levels of Internet access in the world, with over 33 million users, equivalent to around 94 percent of its total population.
Canada's achievements in science and technology include the creation of the modern alkaline battery, the discovery of insulin, the development of the polio vaccine, and discoveries about the interior structure of the atomic nucleus. Other major Canadian scientific contributions include the artificial cardiac pacemaker, mapping the visual cortex, the development of the electron microscope,plate tectonics, deep learning, multi-touch technology, and the identification of the first black hole, Cygnus X-1. Canada has a long history of discovery in genetics, which include stem cells, site-directed mutagenesis, T-cell receptor, and the identification of the genes that cause Fanconi anemia, cystic fibrosis, and early-onset Alzheimer's disease, among numerous other diseases.
The Canadian Space Agency runs an active space program focused on deep-space, planetary, and aviation research, along with rockets and satellites. Canada launched its first satellite, Alouette 1, in 1962. It contributes to the International Space Station and is known for its robotic tools, such as multiple Canadarms. Canada has initiated many long-term projects, including the Radarsat satellite series and the Black Brant rocket series.
Demographics
Top left: The Quebec City–Windsor Corridor is the most densely inhabited and heavily industrialized region.
The 2021 Canadian census enumerated a total population of 36,991,981, an increase of around 5.2 percent over the 2016 figure. It is estimated that Canada's population surpassed 40,000,000 in 2023. The main drivers of population growth are immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth. Canada has one of the highest per-capita immigration rates in the world, driven mainly by economic policy and family reunification. A record 405,000 immigrants were admitted in 2021. Canada leads the world in refugee resettlement; it resettled more than 47,600 in 2022. New immigrants settle mostly in major urban areas, such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Canada's population density, at 4.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sq mi), is among the lowest in the world, with approximately 95 percent of the population is found south of the 55th parallel north. About 80 percent of the population lives within 150 kilometres (93 mi) of the border with the contiguous United States. Canada is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of the population living in urban centres. The majority of Canadians (over 70 percent ) live below the 49th parallel, with 50 percent of Canadians living south of 45°42′ (45.7 degrees) north. The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor in Southern Quebec and Southern Ontario along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.
The majority of Canadians (81.1 percent) live in family households, 12.1 percent report living alone, and 6.8 percent live with other relatives or unrelated persons. Fifty-one percent of households are couples with or without children, 8.7 percent are single-parent households, 2.9 percent are multigenerational households, and 29.3 percent are single-person households.
Largest metropolitan areas in Canada 2021 Canadian census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Province | Pop. | Rank | Name | Province | Pop. | ||
| 1 | Toronto | Ontario | 6,202,225 | 11 | London | Ontario | 543,551 | ||
| 2 | Montreal | Quebec | 4,291,732 | 12 | Halifax | Nova Scotia | 465,703 | ||
| 3 | Vancouver | British Columbia | 2,642,825 | 13 | Niagara Region | Ontario | 433,604 | ||
| 4 | Ottawa–Gatineau | Ontario–Quebec | 1,488,307 | 14 | Windsor | Ontario | 422,630 | ||
| 5 | Calgary | Alberta | 1,481,806 | 15 | Oshawa | Ontario | 415,311 | ||
| 6 | Edmonton | Alberta | 1,418,118 | 16 | Victoria | British Columbia | 397,237 | ||
| 7 | Quebec City | Quebec | 839,311 | 17 | Saskatoon | Saskatchewan | 317,480 | ||
| 8 | Winnipeg | Manitoba | 834,678 | 18 | Regina | Saskatchewan | 249,217 | ||
| 9 | Hamilton | Ontario | 785,184 | 19 | Sherbrooke | Quebec | 227,398 | ||
| 10 | Waterloo Region | Ontario | 575,847 | 20 | Kelowna | British Columbia | 222,162 | ||
Ethnicity
Respondents in the 2021 Canadian census self-reported over 450 "ethnic or cultural origins". The major panethnic groups chosen were: European (52.5 percent), North American (22.9 percent), Asian (19.3 percent), North American Indigenous (6.1 percent), African (3.8 percent), Latin, Central and South American (2.5 percent), Caribbean (2.1 percent), Oceanian (0.3 percent), and other (6 percent). Over 60 percent of Canadians reported a single origin, and 36 percent reported having multiple ethnic origins, thus the overall total is greater than 100 percent.
The country's ten largest self-reported ethnic or cultural origins in 2021 were Canadian (accounting for 15.6 percent of the population), followed by English (14.7 percent), Irish (12.1 percent), Scottish (12.1 percent), French (11.0 percent), German (8.1 percent), Chinese (4.7 percent), Italian (4.3 percent), Indian (3.7 percent), and Ukrainian (3.5 percent).
Of the 36.3 million people enumerated in 2021, approximately 24.5 million reported being "White", representing 67.4 percent of the population. The Indigenous population representing 5 percent or 1.8 million individuals, grew by 9.4 percent compared to the non-Indigenous population, which grew by 5.3 percent from 2016 to 2021. One out of every four Canadians or 26.5 percent of the population belonged to a non-White and non-Indigenous visible minority, the largest of which in 2021 were South Asian (2.6 million people; 7.1 percent), Chinese (1.7 million; 4.7 percent), Black (1.5 million; 4.3 percent), Filipinos (960,000 2.6 percent), Arabs (690,000; 1.9 percent), Latin Americans (580,000; 1.6 percent), Southeast Asians (390,000; 1.1 percent), West Asians (360,000; 1.0 percent), Koreans (220,000; 0.6 percent) and Japanese (99,000; 0.3 percent).
Between 2011 and 2016, the visible minority population rose by 18.4 percent. In 1961, about 300,000 people, less than two percent of Canada's population, were members of visible minority groups. The 2021 census indicated that 8.3 million people, or almost one-quarter (23.0 percent) of the population, reported themselves as being or having been a landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada—above the 1921 census previous record of 22.3 percent. In 2021, India, China, and the Philippines were the top three countries of origin for immigrants moving to Canada.
Languages
A multitude of languages are used by Canadians, with English and French (the official languages) being the mother tongues of approximately 54 percent and 19 percent of Canadians, respectively.Canada's official bilingualism policies give citizens the right to receive federal government services in either English or French with official-language minorities guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories.
Quebec's 1974 Official Language Act established French as the only official language of the province. Although more than 82 percent of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, there are substantial Francophone populations in New Brunswick, Alberta, and Manitoba, with Ontario having the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec. New Brunswick, the only officially bilingual province, has an Acadian French minority constituting 33 percent of the population. There are also clusters of Acadians in southwestern Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island, and in central and western Prince Edward Island.
Other provinces have no official languages as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and for 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. There are 11 Indigenous language groups, composed of more than 65 distinct languages and dialects. Several Indigenous languages have official status in the Northwest Territories.Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut and is one of three official languages in the territory.
As of the 2021 census, just over 7.8 million Canadians listed a non-official language as their first language. Some of the most common non-official first languages include Mandarin (679,255 first-language speakers), Punjabi (666,585), Cantonese (553,380), Spanish (538,870), Arabic (508,410), Tagalog (461,150), Italian (319,505), German (272,865), and Tamil (237,890). The country is also home to many sign languages, some of which are Indigenous.American Sign Language (ASL) is used across the country due to the prevalence of ASL in primary and secondary schools.Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) is used primarily in Quebec.
Religion
Canada is religiously diverse, encompassing a wide range of beliefs and customs. The Constitution of Canada refers to God; however, Canada has no official church and the government is officially committed to religious pluralism.Freedom of religion in Canada is a constitutionally protected right.
Rates of religious adherence have steadily decreased since the 1970s. With Christianity in decline after having once been central and integral to Canadian culture and daily life, Canada has become a post-Christian, secular state. Although the majority of Canadians consider religion to be unimportant in their daily lives, they still believe in God. The practice of religion is generally considered a private matter.
According to the 2021 census, Christianity is the largest religion in Canada, with Roman Catholics representing 29.9 percent of the population having the most adherents. Christians overall representing 53.3 percent of the population, are followed by people reporting irreligion or having no religion at 34.6 percent. Other faiths include Islam (4.9 percent), Hinduism (2.3 percent), Sikhism (2.1 percent), Buddhism (1.0 percent), Judaism (0.9 percent), and Indigenous spirituality (0.2 percent). Canada has the second-largest national Sikh population, behind India.
Health
Healthcare in Canada is delivered through the provincial and territorial systems of publicly funded health care, informally called Medicare. It is guided by the provisions of the Canada Health Act of 1984 and is universal. Universal access to publicly funded health services "is often considered by Canadians as a fundamental value that ensures national healthcare insurance for everyone wherever they live in the country". Around 30 percent of Canadians' healthcare is paid for through the private sector. This mostly pays for services not covered or partially covered by Medicare, such as prescription drugs, dentistry and optometry. Approximately 65 to 75 percent of Canadians have some form of supplementary health insurance; many receive it through their employers or access secondary social service programs.
In common with many other developed countries, Canada is experiencing an increase in healthcare expenditures due to a demographic shift toward an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2021, the average age in Canada was 41.9 years. Life expectancy is 81.1 years. A 2016 report by the chief public health officer found that 88 percent of Canadians, one of the highest proportions of the population among G7 countries, indicated that they "had good or very good health". Eighty percent of Canadian adults self-report having at least one major risk factor for chronic disease: smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating or excessive alcohol use. Canada has one of the highest rates of adult obesity among OECD countries, contributing to approximately 2.7 million cases of diabetes. Four chronic diseases—cancer (leading cause of death), cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and diabetes—account for 65 percent of deaths in Canada. There are approximately 8 million individuals aged 15 and older with one or more disabilities in Canada.
In 2021, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported that healthcare spending reached $308 billion, or 12.7 percent of Canada's GDP for that year. In 2022, Canada's per-capita spending on health expenditures ranked 12th among health-care systems in the OECD. Canada has performed close to, or above the average on the majority of OECD health indicators since the early 2000s, ranking above the average on OECD indicators for wait-times and access to care, with average scores for quality of care and use of resources. The Commonwealth Fund's 2021 report comparing the healthcare systems of the 11 most developed countries ranked Canada second-to-last. Identified weaknesses were comparatively higher infant mortality rate, the prevalence of chronic conditions, long wait times, poor availability of after-hours care, and a lack of prescription drugs and dental coverage. An increasing problem in Canada's health system is a lack of healthcare professionals, and hospital capacity.
Education
Education in Canada is for the most part provided publicly, funded and overseen by federal, provincial, and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and a province's curriculum is overseen by its government. Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education, followed by secondary and post-secondary education. Education in both English and French is available in most places across Canada. Canada has a large number of universities, almost all of which are publicly funded. Established in 1663, Université Laval is the oldest post-secondary institution in Canada. The nation's three top ranking universities are the University of Toronto, McGill, and the University of British Columbia. The largest university is the University of Toronto, which has over 85,000 students.
According to a 2022 report by the OECD, Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world; the country ranks first worldwide in the percentage of adults having tertiary education, with over 56 percent of Canadian adults having attained at least an undergraduate college or university degree. Canada spends an average of 5.3 percent of its GDP on education. The country invests heavily in tertiary education (more than US$20,000 per student). As of 2022[update], 89 percent of adults aged 25 to 64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, compared to an OECD average of 75 percent.
The mandatory education age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years, contributing to an adult literacy rate of 99 percent. Just over 60,000 children are homeschooled in the country as of 2016. Canada is a well-performing OECD country in reading literacy, mathematics, and science, with the average student scoring 523.7, compared with the OECD average of 493 in 2015.
Culture
Historically, Canada has been influenced by British, French, and Indigenous cultures and traditions. During the 20th century, Canadians with African, Caribbean, and Asian nationalities have added to the Canadian identity and its culture.
Canada's culture draws influences from its broad range of constituent nationalities, and policies that promote a just society are constitutionally protected. Since the 1960s, Canada has emphasized human rights and inclusiveness for all its people.The official state policy of multiculturalism is often cited as one of Canada's significant accomplishments and a key distinguishing element of Canadian identity. In Quebec, cultural identity is strong and there is a French Canadian culture that is distinct from English Canadian culture. As a whole, Canada is in theory a cultural mosaic of regional ethnic subcultures.
Canada's approach to governance emphasizing multiculturalism, which is based on selective immigration, social integration, and suppression of far-right politics, has wide public support. Government policies such as publicly funded health care, higher taxation to redistribute wealth, the outlawing of capital punishment, strong efforts to eliminate poverty, strict gun control, a social liberal attitude toward women's rights (like pregnancy termination) and LGBT rights, and legalized euthanasia and cannabis use are indicators of Canada's political and cultural values. Canadians also identify with the country's foreign aid policies, peacekeeping roles, the national park system, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Symbols
Themes of nature, pioneers, trappers, and traders played an important part in the early development of Canadian symbolism. Modern symbols emphasize the country's geography, cold climate, lifestyles, and the Canadianization of traditional European and Indigenous symbols. The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates to the early 18th century. The maple leaf is depicted on Canada's current and previous flags and on the Arms of Canada. Canada's official tartan, known as the "maple leaf tartan", reflects the colours of the maple leaf through the seasons—green in the spring, gold in the early autumn, red at the first frost, and brown after falling. The Arms of Canada are closely modelled after those of the United Kingdom, with French and distinctive Canadian elements replacing or added to those derived from the British version.
Other prominent symbols include the national motto, "A mari usque ad mare" ("From Sea to Sea"), the sports of ice hockey and lacrosse, the beaver, Canada goose, common loon, Canadian horse, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Rockies, and, more recently, the totem pole and Inuksuk.Canadian beer, maple syrup, tuques, canoes, nanaimo bars, butter tarts, and poutine are defined as uniquely Canadian. Canadian coins feature many of these symbols: the loon on the $1 coin, the Arms of Canada on the 50¢ piece, and the beaver on the nickel. An image of the monarch appears on $20 bank notes and the obverse of coins.
Literature
Canadian literature is often divided into French- and English-language literatures, which are rooted in the literary traditions of France and Britain, respectively. The earliest Canadian narratives were of travel and exploration. This progressed into three major themes of historical Canadian literature: nature, frontier life, and Canada's position within the world, all of which tie into the garrison mentality. In recent decades, Canada's literature has been strongly influenced by immigrants from around the world. By the 1990s, Canadian literature was viewed as some of the world's best.
Numerous Canadian authors have accumulated international literary awards, including novelist, poet, and literary critic Margaret Atwood, who received two Booker Prizes;Nobel laureate Alice Munro, who has been called the best living writer of short stories in English; and Booker Prize recipient Michael Ondaatje, who wrote the novel The English Patient, which was adapted as a film of the same name that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.L. M. Montgomery produced a series of children's novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables.
Media
Canada's media is highly autonomous, uncensored, diverse, and very regionalized. The Broadcasting Act declares "the system should serve to safeguard, enrich, and strengthen the cultural, political, social, and economic fabric of Canada". Canada has a well-developed media sector, but its cultural output—particularly in English films, television shows, and magazines—is often overshadowed by imports from the United States. As a result, the preservation of a distinctly Canadian culture is 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).
Canadian mass media, both print and digital, and in both official languages, is largely dominated by a "handful of corporations". The largest of these corporations is the country's national public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which also plays a significant role in producing domestic cultural content, operating its own radio and TV networks in both English and French. In addition to the CBC, some provincial governments offer their own public educational TV broadcast services as well, such as TVOntario and Télé-Québec.
Non-news media content in Canada, including film and television, is influenced both by local creators as well as by imports from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and France. In an effort to reduce the amount of foreign-made media, government interventions in television broadcasting can include both regulation of content and public financing.Canadian tax laws limit foreign competition in magazine advertising.
Visual arts
Art in Canada is marked by thousands of years of habitation by Indigenous peoples, and, in later times, artists have combined British, French, Indigenous, and American artistic traditions, at times embracing European styles while working to promote nationalism. The nature of Canadian art reflects these diverse origins, as artists have taken their traditions and adapted these influences to reflect the reality of their lives in Canada.
Modern painting in Canada has been greatly influenced by several major movements that have emerged over the years. One of the most prominent movements is the Group of Seven, which was founded in 1920, aimed to capture the wilderness in their artwork. Associated with the group was Emily Carr, known for her landscapes and portrayals of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. The mid-20th century saw the rise of abstract art in Canada, with artists like Jean-Paul Riopelle and Paul-Émile Borduas. In the 1960s and 1970s, saw emergence of conceptual art, with artists such as Michael Snow and Ian Carr-Harris. This era also saw the emergence of Indigenous artists like Norval Morrisseau, who combined traditional Indigenous techniques with modern art styles. In more recent years, contemporary art has seen a revival of figurative art, with artists such as Kent Monkman and Shuvinai Ashoona.
Music
Canadian music reflects a variety of regional scenes. Canada has developed a vast music infrastructure that includes church halls, chamber halls, conservatories, academies, performing arts centres, record companies, radio stations, and television music video channels. Government support programs, such as the Canada Music Fund, assist a wide range of musicians and entrepreneurs who create, produce and market original and diverse Canadian music. As a result of its cultural importance, as well as government initiatives and regulations, the Canadian music industry is one of the largest in the world, producing internationally renowned composers, musicians, and ensembles. Music broadcasting in the country is regulated by the CRTC. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presents Canada's music industry awards, the Juno Awards. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements.
Patriotic music in Canada dates back over 200 years. The earliest work of patriotic music in Canada, "The Bold Canadian", was written in 1812. "The Maple Leaf Forever", written in 1866, was a popular patriotic song throughout English Canada and, for many years, served as an unofficial national anthem. "O Canada" also served as an unofficial national anthem for much of the 20th century and was adopted as the country's official anthem in 1980.
Sports
Canada's official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse. Other major professional games include curling, basketball, baseball, soccer, and football. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by numerous "Halls of Fame" and museums, such as Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Canada shares several major professional sports leagues with the United States. Canadian teams in these leagues include seven franchises in the National Hockey League, three Major League Soccer teams, and one team in each of Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. Other popular professional competitions include the Canadian Football League, National Lacrosse League, the Canadian Premier League, and the curling tournaments hosted by Curling Canada.
In terms of participation, swimming was the most commonly reported sport by over one-third (35 percent) of Canadians in 2023. This was closely followed by cycling (33 percent) and running (27 percent). The popularity of specific sports varies; in general, the Canadian-born population was more likely to have participated in winter sports such as ice hockey, skating, skiing and snowboarding, compared with immigrants, who were more likely to have played soccer (the most popular youth team sport),tennis or basketball. Sports such as golf, volleyball, badminton, bowling, and martial arts are also widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels.
Canada has enjoyed success both at the Winter Olympics and at the Summer Olympics—particularly the Winter Games as a "winter sports nation"—and has hosted high-profile international sporting events such as the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1988 Winter Olympics, the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2015 Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games. The country is scheduled to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and the United States.
See also
- Index of Canada-related articles
- List of Canada-related topics by provinces and territories
- Outline of Canada
Notes
- 6,416 km (3,987 mi) via the contiguous 48 states and 2,475 km (1,538 mi) via Alaska
- "Brokerage politics: A Canadian term for successful big tent parties that embody a pluralistic catch-all approach to appeal to the median Canadian voter ... adopting centrist policies and electoral coalitions to satisfy the short-term preferences of a majority of electors who are not located on the ideological fringe." "The traditional brokerage model of Canadian politics leaves little room for ideology."
- "The Royal Canadian Navy is composed of approximately 8,400 full-time sailors and 5,100 part-time sailors. The Army is composed of approximately 22,800 full-time soldiers, 18,700 reservists, and 5,000 Canadian Rangers. The Royal Canadian Air Force is composed of approximately 13,000 Regular Force personnel and 2,400 Air Reserve personnel."
- All citizens of Canada are classified as "Canadians" as defined by Canada's nationality laws. "Canadian" as an ethnic group has since 1996 been added to census questionnaires for possible ancestral origin or descent. "Canadian" was included as an example on the English questionnaire and "Canadien" as an example on the French questionnaire. "The majority of respondents to this selection are from the eastern part of the country that was first settled. Respondents generally are visibly European (Anglophones and Francophones) and no longer self-identify with their ethnic ancestral origins. This response is attributed to a multitude or generational distance from ancestral lineage."
- Indigenous peoples are not considered a visible minority in Statistics Canada calculations. Visible minorities are defined by Statistics Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour".
- Catholic Church (29.9%), United Church (3.3%), Anglican Church (3.1%), Eastern Orthodoxy (1.7%), Baptistism (1.2%), Pentecostalism and other Charismatic (1.1%) Anabaptist (0.4%), Jehovah's Witness (0.4%), Latter Day Saints (0.2%), Lutheran (0.9%), Methodist and Wesleyan (Holiness) (0.3%), Presbyterian (0.8%), and Reformed (0.2%). 7.6 percent simply identified as "Christians".
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Canada is a country in North America Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean making it the world s second largest country by total area with the world s longest coastline Its border with the United States is the world s longest international land border The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions With a population of just over 41 million people it has widely varying population densities with the majority residing in urban areas and large areas of the country being sparsely populated Canada s capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto Montreal and Vancouver CanadaFlag Coat of armsMotto A mari usque ad mare Latin From Sea to Sea Anthem O Canada source source source track track Royal anthem God Save the King source source track track track track track CapitalOttawa 45 24 N 75 40 W 45 400 N 75 667 W 45 400 75 667Largest cityTorontoOfficial languagesEnglishFrenchDemonym s CanadianGovernmentFederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy MonarchCharles III Governor GeneralMary Simon Prime MinisterJustin TrudeauLegislatureParliament Upper houseSenate Lower houseHouse of CommonsIndependence from the United Kingdom ConfederationJuly 1 1867 Statute of Westminster 1931December 11 1931 PatriationApril 17 1982Area Total area9 984 670 km2 3 855 100 sq mi 2nd Water 11 76 2015 Total land area9 093 507 km2 3 511 023 sq mi Population 2024 Q4 estimate41 465 298 36th 2021 census36 991 981 Density4 2 km2 10 9 sq mi 236th GDP PPP 2024 estimate Total 2 582 trillion 16th Per capita 62 766 30th GDP nominal 2024 estimate Total 2 215 trillion 9th Per capita 53 834 19th Gini 2024 29 2 low inequalityHDI 2022 0 935 very high 18th CurrencyCanadian dollar CAD Time zoneUTC 3 5 to 8 Summer DST UTC 2 5 to 7Calling code 1Internet TLD ca Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years 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 1763 In 1867 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 resulting in the displacement of Indigenous populations and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom This increased sovereignty was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster 1931 and culminated in the Canada Act 1982 which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition The country s head of government is the prime minister who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons and is appointed by the governor general representing the monarch of Canada the ceremonial head of state The country is a Commonwealth realm and is officially bilingual English and French in the federal jurisdiction It is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency quality of life economic competitiveness innovation education and human rights It is one of the world s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations the product of large scale immigration Canada s long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its history economy and culture A developed country Canada has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world by nominal GDP relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well developed international trade networks Recognized as a middle power Canada s strong support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign relations policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries Canada is part of multiple international organizations and forums EtymologyWhile 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 In 1535 Indigenous inhabitants of the present day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona Cartier later used the word Canada to refer not only to that particular village but to the entire area subject to Donnacona the chief at Stadacona by 1545 European books and maps had begun referring to this small region along the Saint Lawrence River as Canada From the 16th to the early 18th century Canada referred to the part of New France that lay along the Saint Lawrence River Following the British conquest of New France this area was known as the British Province of Quebec from 1763 to 1791 In 1791 the area became two British colonies called Upper Canada and Lower Canada These two colonies were collectively named the Canadas until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841 Upon Confederation in 1867 Canada was adopted as the legal name for the new country at the London Conference and the word dominion was conferred as the country s title By the 1950s the term Dominion of Canada was no longer used by the United Kingdom which considered Canada a realm of the Commonwealth The Canada Act 1982 which brought the Constitution of Canada fully under Canadian control referred only to Canada Later that year the name of the national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day HistoryIndigenous peoples 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 14 000 years ago The Paleo Indian archeological sites at Old Crow Flats and Bluefish Caves are two of the oldest sites of human habitation in Canada The characteristics of Indigenous societies included permanent settlements agriculture complex societal hierarchies and trading networks Some of these cultures had collapsed by the time European explorers arrived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and have only been discovered through archeological investigations Indigenous peoples in present day Canada include the First Nations Inuit and Metis the last being of mixed descent who originated in the mid 17th century when First Nations people married European settlers and subsequently developed their own identity A map of Canada showing the percent of self reported indigenous identity First Nations Inuit Metis by census division according to the 2021 Canadian census The Indigenous population at the time of the first European settlements is estimated to have been between 200 000 and two million with a figure of 500 000 accepted by Canada s Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples As a consequence of European colonization the Indigenous population declined by forty to eighty percent The decline is attributed to several causes including the transfer of European diseases to which they had no natural immunity conflicts over the fur trade conflicts with the colonial authorities and settlers and the loss of Indigenous lands to settlers and the subsequent collapse of several nations self sufficiency Although not without conflict European Canadians early interactions with First Nations and Inuit populations were relatively peaceful First Nations and Metis peoples played a critical part in the development of European colonies in Canada particularly for their role in assisting European coureurs des bois and voyageurs in their explorations of the continent during the North American fur trade These early European interactions with First Nations would change from friendship and peace treaties to the dispossession of Indigenous lands through treaties From the late 18th century European Canadians forced Indigenous peoples to assimilate into a western Canadian society Settler colonialism reached a climax in the late 19th and early 20th centuries A period of redress began with the formation of a reconciliation commission by the Government of Canada in 2008 This included acknowledgment of cultural genocide settlement agreements and betterment of racial discrimination issues such as addressing the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women European colonization Map of territorial claims in North America by 1750 Possessions of British America pink New France blue and New Spain orange California Pacific Northwest and Great Basin not indicated It is believed that the first documented European to explore the east coast of Canada was Norse explorer Leif Erikson In approximately 1000 AD the Norse built a small short lived encampment that was occupied sporadically for perhaps 20 years at L Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland No further European exploration occurred until 1497 when seafarer John Cabot explored and claimed Canada s Atlantic coast in the name of Henry VII of England In 1534 French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence where on July 24 he planted a 10 metre 33 ft cross bearing the words long live the King of France and took possession of the territory New France in the name of King Francis I The early 16th century saw European mariners with navigational techniques pioneered by the Basque and Portuguese establish seasonal whaling and fishing outposts along the Atlantic coast In general early settlements during the Age of Discovery appear to have been short lived due to a combination of the harsh climate problems with navigating trade routes and competing outputs in Scandinavia In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert by the royal prerogative of Queen Elizabeth I founded St John s Newfoundland as the first North American English seasonal camp In 1600 the French established their first seasonal trading post at Tadoussac along the Saint Lawrence French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent year round European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608 Among the colonists of New France Canadiens extensively settled the Saint Lawrence River valley and Acadians settled the present day Maritimes while fur traders and Catholic missionaries explored the Great Lakes Hudson Bay and the Mississippi watershed to Louisiana The Beaver Wars broke out in the mid 17th century over control of the North American fur trade The English established additional settlements in Newfoundland in 1610 along with settlements in the Thirteen Colonies to the south A series of four wars erupted in colonial North America between 1689 and 1763 the later wars of the period constituted the North American theatre of the Seven Years War Mainland Nova Scotia came under British rule with the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and Canada and most of New France came under British rule in 1763 after the Seven Years War British North America Benjamin West s The Death of General Wolfe 1771 dramatizes James Wolfe s death during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Quebec City The Royal Proclamation of 1763 established First Nation treaty rights created the Province of Quebec out of New France and annexed Cape Breton Island to Nova Scotia St John s Island now Prince Edward Island became a separate colony in 1769 To avert conflict in Quebec the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act 1774 expanding Quebec s territory to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley More importantly the Quebec Act afforded Quebec special autonomy and rights of self administration at a time when the Thirteen Colonies were increasingly agitating against British rule It re established the French language Catholic faith and French civil law there staving off the growth of an independence movement in contrast to the Thirteen Colonies The Proclamation and the Quebec Act in turn angered many residents of the Thirteen Colonies further fuelling anti British sentiment in the years prior to the American Revolution After the successful American War of Independence the 1783 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 The American war of independence also caused a large out migration of Loyalists the settlers who had fought against American independence 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 as Canada s first city To accommodate the influx of English speaking Loyalists in Central Canada the Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the province of Canada into French speaking Lower Canada later Quebec and English speaking Upper Canada later Ontario granting each its own elected legislative assembly War of 1812 heroine Laura Secord warning British commander James FitzGibbon of an impending American attack at Beaver Dams The Canadas were the main front in the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom Peace came in 1815 no boundaries were changed Immigration resumed at a higher level with over 960 000 arrivals from Britain between 1815 and 1850 New arrivals included refugees escaping the Great Irish Famine as well as Gaelic speaking Scots displaced by the Highland Clearances Infectious diseases killed between 25 and 33 percent of Europeans who immigrated to Canada before 1891 The desire for responsible government resulted in the abortive Rebellions of 1837 The Durham Report subsequently recommended responsible government and the assimilation of French Canadians into English culture The Act of Union 1840 merged the Canadas into a united Province of Canada and responsible government was established for all provinces of British North America east of Lake Superior by 1855 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 This paved the way for British colonies on Vancouver Island 1849 and in British Columbia 1858 The Anglo Russian Treaty of Saint Petersburg 1825 established the border along the Pacific coast but even after the US Alaska Purchase of 1867 disputes continued about the exact demarcation of the Alaska Yukon and Alaska BC border Confederation and expansion Animated map showing the growth and change of Canada s provinces and territories since Confederation in 1867 Following three constitutional conferences the British North America Act 1867 officially proclaimed Canadian Confederation on July 1 1867 initially with four provinces Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Canada assumed control of Rupert s Land and the North Western Territory to form the Northwest Territories where the Metis grievances ignited the Red River Rebellion and the creation of the province of Manitoba in July 1870 British Columbia and Vancouver Island which had been united in 1866 joined the confederation in 1871 on the promise of a transcontinental railway extending to Victoria in the province within 10 years while Prince Edward Island joined in 1873 In 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush in the Northwest Territories Parliament created the Yukon Territory Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905 Between 1871 and 1896 almost one quarter of the Canadian population emigrated south to the US To open the West and encourage European immigration the Government of Canada sponsored the construction of three transcontinental railways including the Canadian Pacific Railway passed the Dominion Lands Act to regulate settlement and established the North West Mounted Police to assert authority over the territory This period of westward expansion and nation building resulted in the displacement of many Indigenous peoples of the Canadian Prairies to Indian reserves clearing the way for ethnic European block settlements This caused the collapse of the Plains Bison in western Canada and the introduction of European cattle farms and wheat fields dominating the land The Indigenous peoples saw widespread famine and disease due to the loss of the bison and their traditional hunting lands The federal government did provide emergency relief on condition of the Indigenous peoples moving to the reserves During this time Canada introduced the Indian Act extending its control over the First Nations to education government and legal rights Early 20th century 1918 Canadian War bond posters depicting three French women pulling a plow that had been constructed for horsesFrench version of the poster roughly translates as They serve France Everyone can serve Buy Victory Bonds The same poster in English with subtle differences in text They serve France How can I serve Canada Buy Victory Bonds Because Britain still maintained control of Canada s foreign affairs under the British North America Act 1867 its declaration of war in 1914 automatically brought Canada into the First World War Volunteers sent to the Western Front later became part of the Canadian Corps which played a substantial role in the Battle of Vimy Ridge and other major engagements of the war The Conscription Crisis of 1917 erupted when the Unionist Cabinet s proposal to augment the military s dwindling number of active members with conscription was met with vehement objections from French speaking Quebecers In 1919 Canada joined the League of Nations independently of Britain and the Statute of Westminster 1931 affirmed Canada s independence The Great Depression in Canada during the early 1930s saw an economic downturn leading to hardship across the country In response to the downturn the Co operative Commonwealth Federation CCF in Saskatchewan introduced many elements of a welfare state as pioneered by Tommy Douglas in the 1940s and 1950s On the advice of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King war with Germany was declared effective September 10 1939 by King George VI seven days after the United Kingdom The delay underscored Canada s independence The first Canadian Army units arrived in Britain in December 1939 In all over a million Canadians served in the armed forces during the Second World War Canadian troops played important roles in many key battles of the war including the failed 1942 Dieppe Raid the Allied invasion of Italy the Normandy landings the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944 Canada provided asylum for the Dutch monarchy while that country was occupied and is credited by the Netherlands for major contributions to its liberation from Nazi Germany The Canadian economy boomed during the war as its industries manufactured military materiel for Canada Britain China and the Soviet Union Despite another Conscription Crisis in Quebec in 1944 Canada finished the war with a large army and strong economy Contemporary era The financial crisis of the Great Depression led the Dominion of Newfoundland to relinquish responsible government in 1934 and become a Crown colony ruled by a British governor After two referendums Newfoundlanders voted to join Canada in 1949 as a province 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 1965 the implementation of official bilingualism English and French in 1969 and the institution of official multiculturalism in 1971 Socially democratic programs were also instituted such as Medicare the Canada Pension Plan and Canada Student Loans though provincial governments particularly Quebec and Alberta opposed many of these as incursions into their jurisdictions A copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Finally another series of constitutional conferences resulted in the Canada Act 1982 the patriation of Canada s constitution from the United Kingdom concurrent with the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Canada had established complete sovereignty as an independent country under its own monarchy In 1999 Nunavut became Canada s third territory after a series of negotiations with the federal government At the same time Quebec underwent profound social and economic changes through the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s giving birth to a secular nationalist movement The radical Front de liberation du Quebec FLQ ignited the October Crisis with a series of bombings and kidnappings in 1970 and the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois was elected in 1976 organizing an unsuccessful referendum on sovereignty association in 1980 Attempts to accommodate Quebec nationalism constitutionally through the Meech Lake Accord failed in 1990 This led to the formation of the Bloc Quebecois in Quebec and the invigoration of the Reform Party of Canada in the West A second referendum followed in 1995 in which sovereignty was rejected by a slimmer margin of 50 6 to 49 4 percent In 1997 the Supreme Court ruled unilateral secession by a province would be unconstitutional and the Clarity Act was passed by Parliament outlining the terms of a negotiated departure from Confederation In addition to the issues of Quebec sovereignty a number of crises shook Canadian society in the late 1980s and early 1990s These included the explosion of Air India Flight 182 in 1985 the largest mass murder in Canadian history the Ecole Polytechnique massacre in 1989 a university shooting targeting female students and the Oka Crisis of 1990 the first of a number of violent confrontations between provincial governments and Indigenous groups Canada joined the Gulf War in 1990 and was active in several peacekeeping missions in the 1990s including operations in the Balkans during and after the Yugoslav Wars and in Somalia resulting in an incident that has been described as the darkest era in the history of the Canadian military Canada sent troops to Afghanistan in 2001 resulting in the largest amount of Canadian deaths for any single military mission since the Korean War in the early 1950s In 2011 Canadian forces participated in the NATO led intervention into the Libyan Civil War and also became involved in battling the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq in the mid 2010s The country celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2017 three years before the COVID 19 pandemic in Canada began on January 27 2020 with widespread social and economic disruption In 2021 the possible graves of hundreds of Indigenous people were discovered near the former sites of Canadian Indian residential schools Administered by various Christian churches and funded by the Canadian government from 1828 to 1997 these boarding schools attempted to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro Canadian culture GeographyA topographic map of Canada in polar projection for 90 W showing elevations shaded from green to brown higher By total area including its waters Canada is the second largest country By land area alone Canada ranks fourth due to having the world s largest area of fresh water lakes Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east along the Arctic Ocean to the north and to the Pacific Ocean in the west the country encompasses 9 984 670 km2 3 855 100 sq mi of territory Canada also has vast maritime terrain with the world s longest coastline of 243 042 kilometres 151 019 mi In addition to sharing the world s largest land border with the United States spanning 8 891 km 5 525 mi Canada shares a land border with Greenland and hence the Kingdom of Denmark to the northeast on Hans Island and a maritime boundary with France s overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon to the southeast Canada is also home to the world s northernmost settlement Canadian Forces Station Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island latitude 82 5 N which lies 817 kilometres 508 mi from the North Pole In latitude Canada s most northerly point of land is Cape Columbia in Nunavut at 83 6 41 N with its southern extreme at Middle Island in Lake Erie at 41 40 53 N In longitude Canada s land extends from Cape Spear Newfoundland at 52 37 W to Mount St Elias Yukon Territory at 141 W Canada can be divided into seven physiographic regions the Canadian Shield the interior plains the Great Lakes St Lawrence Lowlands the Appalachian region the Western Cordillera Hudson Bay Lowlands and the Arctic Archipelago Boreal forests prevail throughout the country ice is prominent in northern Arctic regions and through the Rocky Mountains and the relatively flat Canadian Prairies in the southwest facilitate productive agriculture The Great Lakes feed the St Lawrence River in the southeast where the lowlands host much of Canada s economic output Canada has over 2 000 000 lakes 563 of which are larger than 100 km2 39 sq mi containing much of the world s fresh water There are also fresh water glaciers in the Canadian Rockies the Coast Mountains and the Arctic Cordillera Canada is geologically active having many earthquakes and potentially active volcanoes Climate Koppen climate classification types of Canada Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary from region to region Winters can be harsh in many parts of the country particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces which experience a continental climate where daily average temperatures are near 15 C 5 F but can drop below 40 C 40 F with severe wind chills In non coastal regions snow can cover the ground for almost six months of the year while in parts of the north snow can persist year round Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate with a mild and rainy winter On the east and west coasts 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 77 to 86 F with temperatures in some interior locations occasionally exceeding 40 C 104 F Much of Northern Canada is covered by ice and permafrost The future of the permafrost is uncertain because the Arctic has been warming at three times the global average as a result of climate change in Canada Canada s annual average temperature over land has risen by 1 7 C 3 1 F with changes ranging from 1 1 to 2 3 C 2 0 to 4 1 F in various regions since 1948 The rate of warming has been higher across the North and in the Prairies In the southern regions of Canada air pollution from both Canada and the United States caused by metal smelting burning coal to power utilities and vehicle emissions has resulted in acid rain which has severely impacted waterways forest growth and agricultural productivity Canada is one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters globally with emissions increased by 16 5 percent between 1990 and 2022 Biodiversity Terrestrial ecozones and ecoprovinces of Canada Ecozones are identified with a unique colour Ecoprovinces are subdivisions of ecozones and are identified with a unique numeric code Canada is divided into 15 terrestrial and five marine ecozones These ecozones encompass over 80 000 classified species of Canadian wildlife with an equal number yet to be formally recognized or discovered Although Canada has a low percentage of endemic species compared to other countries due to human activities invasive species and environmental issues in the country there are currently more than 800 species at risk of being lost About 65 percent of Canada s resident species are considered Secure Over half of Canada s landscape is intact and relatively free of human development The boreal forest of Canada is considered to be the largest intact forest on Earth with approximately 3 000 000 km2 1 200 000 sq mi undisturbed by roads cities or industry Since the end of the last glacial period Canada has consisted of eight distinct forest regions Approximately 12 1 percent of the nation s landmass and freshwater are conservation areas including 11 4 percent designated as protected areas Approximately 13 8 percent of its territorial waters are conserved including 8 9 percent designated as protected areas Canada s first National Park Banff National Park established in 1885 spans 6 641 square kilometres 2 564 sq mi Canada s oldest provincial park Algonquin Provincial Park established in 1893 covers an area of 7 653 45 square kilometres 2 955 01 sq mi Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area is the world s largest freshwater protected area spanning roughly 10 000 square kilometres 3 900 sq mi Canada s largest national wildlife region is the Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area which spans 11 570 65 square kilometres 4 467 45 sq mi Government and politicsAerial view of Canadian Parliament Buildings and their surroundings Canada is described as a full democracy with a tradition of liberalism and an egalitarian moderate political ideology An emphasis on social justice has been a distinguishing element of Canada s political culture Peace order and good government alongside an Implied Bill of Rights are founding principles of Canadian federalism At the federal level Canada has been dominated by two relatively centrist parties practising brokerage politics the centre left leaning Liberal Party of Canada and the centre right leaning Conservative Party of Canada or its predecessors The historically predominant Liberals position themselves at the centre of the political scale Five parties had representatives elected to the Parliament in the 2021 election the Liberals who formed a minority government the Conservatives who became the Official Opposition the New Democratic Party occupying the left the Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party Far right and far left politics have never been a prominent force in Canadian society 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 reigning monarch is also monarch of 14 other sovereign Commonwealth countries and Canada s 10 provinces The monarch appoints a representative the governor general on the advice of the prime minister to carry out most of their ceremonial royal duties Charles III King of CanadaMary Simon Governor General of CanadaJustin Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada The monarchy is the source of sovereignty and authority in Canada However while the governor general or monarch may exercise their power without ministerial advice in rare crisis situations the use of the executive powers or royal prerogative is otherwise directed by the Cabinet a committee of ministers of the Crown responsible to the elected House of Commons and chosen and headed by the prime minister the head of government To ensure the stability of government the governor general will usually appoint as prime minister the individual who is the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a majority of members in the House The Prime Minister s Office PMO is one of the most powerful institutions in government initiating most legislation for parliamentary approval and selecting for appointment by the Crown the governor general lieutenant governors senators federal court judges and heads of Crown corporations and government agencies The leader of the party with the second most seats usually becomes the leader of the Official Opposition and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check The House of Commons in its temporary location the West Block The Parliament of Canada passes all federal statute laws It comprises the monarch the House of Commons and the Senate While Canada inherited the British concept of parliamentary supremacy this was later with the enactment of the Constitution Act 1982 all but completely superseded by the American notion of the supremacy of the law Each of the 338 members of Parliament in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in an electoral district or riding The Constitution Act 1982 requires that no more than five years pass between elections although the Canada Elections Act limits this to four years with a fixed election date in October general elections still must be called by the governor general and can be triggered by either the advice of the prime minister or a lost confidence vote in the House The 105 members of the Senate whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis serve until age 75 Canadian federalism divides government responsibilities between the federal government and the 10 provinces Provincial legislatures are unicameral and operate in parliamentary fashion similar to the House of Commons Canada s three territories also have legislatures but these are not sovereign have fewer constitutional responsibilities than the provinces and differ structurally from their provincial counterparts Law The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law of the country and consists of written text and unwritten conventions The Constitution Act 1867 known as the British North America Act 1867 prior to 1982 affirmed governance based on parliamentary precedent and divided powers between the federal and provincial governments The Statute of Westminster 1931 granted full autonomy and the Constitution Act 1982 ended all legislative ties to Britain as well as adding a constitutional amending formula and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The Charter guarantees basic rights and freedoms that usually cannot be overridden by any government a notwithstanding clause allows Parliament and the provincial legislatures to override certain sections of the Charter for a period of five years The Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa west of Parliament Hill Canada s judiciary interprets laws and has the power to strike down acts of Parliament that violate the constitution The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court final arbiter and has been led since 2017 by Richard Wagner the Chief Justice of Canada The governor general appoints the court s nine members on the advice of the prime minister and minister of justice The federal Cabinet also appoints justices to superior courts in the provincial and territorial jurisdictions Common law prevails everywhere except Quebec where civil law predominates Criminal law is solely a federal responsibility and is uniform throughout Canada Law enforcement including criminal courts is officially a provincial responsibility conducted by provincial and municipal police forces In most rural and some urban areas policing responsibilities are contracted to the federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police Canadian Aboriginal law provides certain constitutionally recognized rights to land and traditional practices for Indigenous groups in Canada Various treaties and case laws were established to mediate relations between Europeans and many Indigenous peoples The role of Aboriginal law and the rights they support were reaffirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act 1982 These rights may include provision of services such as healthcare through the Indian Health Transfer Policy and exemption from taxation Provinces and territories Political map of Canada showing its 10 provinces and 3 territories 190 Canada is a federation composed of 10 federated states called provinces and three federal territories These may be grouped into four main regions Western Canada Central Canada Atlantic Canada and Northern Canada Eastern Canada refers to Central Canada and Atlantic Canada together Provinces and territories have responsibility for social programs such as healthcare education and social programs as well as administration of justice but not criminal law Although the provinces collect more revenue than the federal government 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 The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that provinces receive their sovereignty from the Crown and power and authority from the Constitution Act 1867 whereas territorial governments have powers delegated to them by the Parliament of Canada and the commissioners represent the King in his federal Council rather than the monarch directly The powers flowing from the Constitution Act 1867 are divided between the federal government and the provincial governments to exercise exclusively and any changes to that arrangement require a constitutional amendment while changes to the roles and powers of the territories may be performed unilaterally by the Parliament of Canada Foreign relations Diplomatic missions of Canada Countries that host a Canadian Embassy or High Commission Interests section and other representations Countries that do not host Canadian diplomatic missions Canada Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in global affairs with a tendency to pursue multilateral and international solutions Canada is known for its commitment to international peace and security as well as being a mediator in conflicts and for providing aid to developing countries Canada and the United States have a long and complex relationship they are close allies co operating regularly on military campaigns and humanitarian efforts Canada also maintains historic and traditional ties to the United Kingdom and to France along with both countries former colonies through its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie Canada is noted for having a positive relationship with the Netherlands owing in part to its contribution to the Dutch liberation during the Second World War Canada has diplomatic and consular offices in over 270 locations in approximately 180 foreign countries Canada is a member of various international organizations and forums Canada was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945 and formed the North American Aerospace Defense Command together with the United States in 1958 The country has membership in the World Trade Organization the Five Eyes the G7 and the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development OECD The country was a founding member the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum APEC in 1989 and joined the Organization of American States OAS in 1990 Canada ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and seven principal UN human rights conventions and covenants since then Military and peacekeeping A Canadian McDonnell Douglas CF 18 Hornet in special markings used by the 2014 CF 18 Demonstration Team Alongside many domestic obligations more than 3 000 Canadian Armed Forces CAF personnel are deployed in multiple foreign military operations The Canadian unified forces comprise the Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force The nation employs a professional volunteer force of approximately 68 000 active personnel and 27 000 reserve personnel increasing to 71 500 and 30 000 respectively under Strong Secure Engaged with a sub component of approximately 5 000 Canadian Rangers In 2022 Canada s military expenditure totalled approximately 26 9 billion or around 1 2 percent of the country s gross domestic product GDP placing it 14th for military expenditure by country Canada s role in developing peacekeeping and its participation in major peacekeeping initiatives during the 20th century has played a major role in its positive global image Peacekeeping is deeply embedded in Canadian culture and a distinguishing feature that Canadians feel sets their foreign policy apart from the United States Canada has long been reluctant to participate in military operations that are not sanctioned by the United Nations such as the Vietnam War or the 2003 invasion of Iraq Since the 21st century Canadian direct participation in UN peacekeeping efforts has greatly declined The large decrease was a result of Canada directing its participation to UN sanctioned military operations through NATO rather than directly through the UN The change to participation via NATO has resulted in a shift towards more militarized and deadly missions rather than traditional peacekeeping duties EconomyThe Toronto financial district is the second largest financial centre in North America the seventh largest globally in employment and the heart of Canada s finance industry Canada has a highly developed mixed market economy with the world s ninth largest economy as of 2023 update and a nominal GDP of approximately US 2 221 trillion It is one of the world s largest trading nations with a highly globalized economy In 2021 Canadian trade in goods and services reached 2 016 trillion Canada s exports totalled over 637 billion while its imported goods were worth over 631 billion of which approximately 391 billion originated from the United States In 2018 Canada had a trade deficit in goods of 22 billion and a trade deficit in services of 25 billion The Toronto Stock Exchange is the ninth largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization listing over 1 500 companies with a combined market capitalization of over US 2 trillion The Bank of Canada is the central bank of the country The minister of finance and minister of innovation science and industry use data from Statistics Canada to enable financial planning and develop economic policy Canada has a strong cooperative banking sector with the world s highest per capita membership in credit unions It ranks low in the Corruption Perceptions Index 14th in 2023 and is widely regarded as among the least corrupt countries of the world It ranks high in the Global Competitiveness Report 19th in 2024 Canada s economy ranks above most Western nations on the Heritage Foundation s Index of Economic Freedom and experiences a relatively low level of income disparity The country s average household disposable income per capita is well above the OECD average Canada ranks among the lowest of the most developed countries for housing affordability and foreign direct investment 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 The Canadian economy is dominated by the service industry which employs about three quarters of the country s workforce Canada has an unusually important primary sector of which the forestry and petroleum industries are the most prominent components Many towns in northern Canada where agriculture is difficult are sustained by nearby mines or sources of timber Canada Countries and territories with free trade agreements Canada s economic integration with the United States has increased significantly since the Second World War The Canada United States Free Trade Agreement FTA of 1988 eliminated tariffs between the two countries while the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA expanded the free trade zone to include Mexico in 1994 later replaced by the Canada United States Mexico Agreement As of 2023 Canada is a signatory to 15 free trade agreements with 51 different countries Canada is one of the few developed nations that are net exporters of energy Atlantic Canada possess vast offshore deposits of natural gas and Alberta hosts the fourth largest oil reserves in the world The vast Athabasca oil sands and other oil reserves give Canada 13 percent of global oil reserves constituting the world s third or fourth largest Canada is additionally one of the world s largest suppliers of agricultural products the Canadian Prairies region is one of the most important global producers of wheat canola and other grains The country is a leading exporter of zinc uranium gold nickel platinoids aluminum steel iron ore coking coal lead copper molybdenum cobalt and cadmium Canada has a sizeable manufacturing sector centred in southern Ontario and Quebec with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries The fishing industry is also a key contributor to the economy Science and technology In 2020 Canada spent approximately 41 9 billion on domestic research and development with supplementary estimates for 2022 at 43 2 billion As of 2023 update the country has produced 15 Nobel laureates in physics chemistry and medicine The country ranks seventh in the worldwide share of articles published in scientific journals according to the Nature Index and is home to the headquarters of a number of global technology firms Canada has one of the highest levels of Internet access in the world with over 33 million users equivalent to around 94 percent of its total population The Canadian built Space Shuttle robotic arm left referred to as Canadarm transferred the P5 truss segment over to the Canadian built space station robotic arm referred to as Canadarm2 Canada s achievements in science and technology include the creation of the modern alkaline battery the discovery of insulin the development of the polio vaccine and discoveries about the interior structure of the atomic nucleus Other major Canadian scientific contributions include the artificial cardiac pacemaker mapping the visual cortex the development of the electron microscope plate tectonics deep learning multi touch technology and the identification of the first black hole Cygnus X 1 Canada has a long history of discovery in genetics which include stem cells site directed mutagenesis T cell receptor and the identification of the genes that cause Fanconi anemia cystic fibrosis and early onset Alzheimer s disease among numerous other diseases The Canadian Space Agency runs an active space program focused on deep space planetary and aviation research along with rockets and satellites Canada launched its first satellite Alouette 1 in 1962 It contributes to the International Space Station and is known for its robotic tools such as multiple Canadarms Canada has initiated many long term projects including the Radarsat satellite series and the Black Brant rocket series DemographicsCanada population density map 2014 Top left The Quebec City Windsor Corridor is the most densely inhabited and heavily industrialized region The 2021 Canadian census enumerated a total population of 36 991 981 an increase of around 5 2 percent over the 2016 figure It is estimated that Canada s population surpassed 40 000 000 in 2023 The main drivers of population growth are immigration and to a lesser extent natural growth Canada has one of the highest per capita immigration rates in the world driven mainly by economic policy and family reunification A record 405 000 immigrants were admitted in 2021 Canada leads the world in refugee resettlement it resettled more than 47 600 in 2022 New immigrants settle mostly in major urban areas such as Toronto Montreal and Vancouver Canada s population density at 4 2 inhabitants per square kilometre 11 sq mi is among the lowest in the world with approximately 95 percent of the population is found south of the 55th parallel north About 80 percent of the population lives within 150 kilometres 93 mi of the border with the contiguous United States Canada is highly urbanized with over 80 percent of the population living in urban centres The majority of Canadians over 70 percent live below the 49th parallel with 50 percent of Canadians living south of 45 42 45 7 degrees north The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City Windsor Corridor in Southern Quebec and Southern Ontario along the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence River The majority of Canadians 81 1 percent live in family households 12 1 percent report living alone and 6 8 percent live with other relatives or unrelated persons Fifty one percent of households are couples with or without children 8 7 percent are single parent households 2 9 percent are multigenerational households and 29 3 percent are single person households vte Largest metropolitan areas in Canada 2021 Canadian censusRank Name Province Pop Rank Name Province Pop 1 Toronto Ontario 6 202 225 11 London Ontario 543 5512 Montreal Quebec 4 291 732 12 Halifax Nova Scotia 465 7033 Vancouver British Columbia 2 642 825 13 Niagara Region Ontario 433 6044 Ottawa Gatineau Ontario Quebec 1 488 307 14 Windsor Ontario 422 6305 Calgary Alberta 1 481 806 15 Oshawa Ontario 415 3116 Edmonton Alberta 1 418 118 16 Victoria British Columbia 397 2377 Quebec City Quebec 839 311 17 Saskatoon Saskatchewan 317 4808 Winnipeg Manitoba 834 678 18 Regina Saskatchewan 249 2179 Hamilton Ontario 785 184 19 Sherbrooke Quebec 227 39810 Waterloo Region Ontario 575 847 20 Kelowna British Columbia 222 162 Ethnicity Respondents in the 2021 Canadian census self reported over 450 ethnic or cultural origins The major panethnic groups chosen were European 52 5 percent North American 22 9 percent Asian 19 3 percent North American Indigenous 6 1 percent African 3 8 percent Latin Central and South American 2 5 percent Caribbean 2 1 percent Oceanian 0 3 percent and other 6 percent Over 60 percent of Canadians reported a single origin and 36 percent reported having multiple ethnic origins thus the overall total is greater than 100 percent The top 168 ethnic or cultural origins self reported by Canadians in the 2021 census The country s ten largest self reported ethnic or cultural origins in 2021 were Canadian accounting for 15 6 percent of the population followed by English 14 7 percent Irish 12 1 percent Scottish 12 1 percent French 11 0 percent German 8 1 percent Chinese 4 7 percent Italian 4 3 percent Indian 3 7 percent and Ukrainian 3 5 percent Of the 36 3 million people enumerated in 2021 approximately 24 5 million reported being White representing 67 4 percent of the population The Indigenous population representing 5 percent or 1 8 million individuals grew by 9 4 percent compared to the non Indigenous population which grew by 5 3 percent from 2016 to 2021 One out of every four Canadians or 26 5 percent of the population belonged to a non White and non Indigenous visible minority the largest of which in 2021 were South Asian 2 6 million people 7 1 percent Chinese 1 7 million 4 7 percent Black 1 5 million 4 3 percent Filipinos 960 000 2 6 percent Arabs 690 000 1 9 percent Latin Americans 580 000 1 6 percent Southeast Asians 390 000 1 1 percent West Asians 360 000 1 0 percent Koreans 220 000 0 6 percent and Japanese 99 000 0 3 percent Between 2011 and 2016 the visible minority population rose by 18 4 percent In 1961 about 300 000 people less than two percent of Canada s population were members of visible minority groups The 2021 census indicated that 8 3 million people or almost one quarter 23 0 percent of the population reported themselves as being or having been a landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada above the 1921 census previous record of 22 3 percent In 2021 India China and the Philippines were the top three countries of origin for immigrants moving to Canada Languages Approximately 98 percent of Canadians can speak either or both English and French English 57 English and French 16 Bilingual belts French 21 Sparsely populated area lt 0 4 persons per km2 A multitude of languages are used by Canadians with English and French the official languages being the mother tongues of approximately 54 percent and 19 percent of Canadians respectively Canada s official bilingualism policies give citizens the right to receive federal government services in either English or French with official language minorities guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories Quebec s 1974 Official Language Act established French as the only official language of the province Although more than 82 percent of French speaking Canadians live in Quebec there are substantial Francophone populations in New Brunswick Alberta and Manitoba with Ontario having the largest French speaking population outside Quebec New Brunswick the only officially bilingual province has an Acadian French minority constituting 33 percent of the population There are also clusters of Acadians in southwestern Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island and in central and western Prince Edward Island Other provinces have no official languages as such but French is used as a language of instruction in courts and for 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 There are 11 Indigenous language groups composed of more than 65 distinct languages and dialects Several Indigenous languages have official status in the Northwest Territories Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut and is one of three official languages in the territory As of the 2021 census just over 7 8 million Canadians listed a non official language as their first language Some of the most common non official first languages include Mandarin 679 255 first language speakers Punjabi 666 585 Cantonese 553 380 Spanish 538 870 Arabic 508 410 Tagalog 461 150 Italian 319 505 German 272 865 and Tamil 237 890 The country is also home to many sign languages some of which are Indigenous American Sign Language ASL is used across the country due to the prevalence of ASL in primary and secondary schools Quebec Sign Language LSQ is used primarily in Quebec Religion Freedom of religion sculpture by Marlene Hilton Moore at the McMurtry Gardens of Justice in Toronto Canada is religiously diverse encompassing a wide range of beliefs and customs The Constitution of Canada refers to God however Canada has no official church and the government is officially committed to religious pluralism Freedom of religion in Canada is a constitutionally protected right Rates of religious adherence have steadily decreased since the 1970s With Christianity in decline after having once been central and integral to Canadian culture and daily life Canada has become a post Christian secular state Although the majority of Canadians consider religion to be unimportant in their daily lives they still believe in God The practice of religion is generally considered a private matter According to the 2021 census Christianity is the largest religion in Canada with Roman Catholics representing 29 9 percent of the population having the most adherents Christians overall representing 53 3 percent of the population are followed by people reporting irreligion or having no religion at 34 6 percent Other faiths include Islam 4 9 percent Hinduism 2 3 percent Sikhism 2 1 percent Buddhism 1 0 percent Judaism 0 9 percent and Indigenous spirituality 0 2 percent Canada has the second largest national Sikh population behind India HealthHealthcare in Canada is delivered through the provincial and territorial systems of publicly funded health care informally called Medicare It is guided by the provisions of the Canada Health Act of 1984 and is universal Universal access to publicly funded health services is often considered by Canadians as a fundamental value that ensures national healthcare insurance for everyone wherever they live in the country Around 30 percent of Canadians healthcare is paid for through the private sector This mostly pays for services not covered or partially covered by Medicare such as prescription drugs dentistry and optometry Approximately 65 to 75 percent of Canadians have some form of supplementary health insurance many receive it through their employers or access secondary social service programs Health expenditure and financing by country Total health expenditure per capita in US dollars PPP In common with many other developed countries Canada is experiencing an increase in healthcare expenditures due to a demographic shift toward an older population with more retirees and fewer people of working age In 2021 the average age in Canada was 41 9 years Life expectancy is 81 1 years A 2016 report by the chief public health officer found that 88 percent of Canadians one of the highest proportions of the population among G7 countries indicated that they had good or very good health Eighty percent of Canadian adults self report having at least one major risk factor for chronic disease smoking physical inactivity unhealthy eating or excessive alcohol use Canada has one of the highest rates of adult obesity among OECD countries contributing to approximately 2 7 million cases of diabetes Four chronic diseases cancer leading cause of death cardiovascular diseases respiratory diseases and diabetes account for 65 percent of deaths in Canada There are approximately 8 million individuals aged 15 and older with one or more disabilities in Canada In 2021 the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported that healthcare spending reached 308 billion or 12 7 percent of Canada s GDP for that year In 2022 Canada s per capita spending on health expenditures ranked 12th among health care systems in the OECD Canada has performed close to or above the average on the majority of OECD health indicators since the early 2000s ranking above the average on OECD indicators for wait times and access to care with average scores for quality of care and use of resources The Commonwealth Fund s 2021 report comparing the healthcare systems of the 11 most developed countries ranked Canada second to last Identified weaknesses were comparatively higher infant mortality rate the prevalence of chronic conditions long wait times poor availability of after hours care and a lack of prescription drugs and dental coverage An increasing problem in Canada s health system is a lack of healthcare professionals and hospital capacity EducationCanada by province and territory showing the percentage of the population aged 25 to 64 who had a bachelor s degree or higher and the percentage point change from 2016 to 2021 Education in Canada is for the most part provided publicly funded and overseen by federal provincial and local governments Education is within provincial jurisdiction and a province s curriculum is overseen by its government Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education followed by secondary and post secondary education Education in both English and French is available in most places across Canada Canada has a large number of universities almost all of which are publicly funded Established in 1663 Universite Laval is the oldest post secondary institution in Canada The nation s three top ranking universities are the University of Toronto McGill and the University of British Columbia The largest university is the University of Toronto which has over 85 000 students According to a 2022 report by the OECD Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world the country ranks first worldwide in the percentage of adults having tertiary education with over 56 percent of Canadian adults having attained at least an undergraduate college or university degree Canada spends an average of 5 3 percent of its GDP on education The country invests heavily in tertiary education more than US 20 000 per student As of 2022 update 89 percent of adults aged 25 to 64 have earned the equivalent of a high school degree compared to an OECD average of 75 percent The mandatory education age ranges between 5 7 to 16 18 years contributing to an adult literacy rate of 99 percent Just over 60 000 children are homeschooled in the country as of 2016 Canada is a well performing OECD country in reading literacy mathematics and science with the average student scoring 523 7 compared with the OECD average of 493 in 2015 CultureMonument to Multiculturalism by Francesco Pirelli in Toronto Historically Canada has been influenced by British French and Indigenous cultures and traditions During the 20th century Canadians with African Caribbean and Asian nationalities have added to the Canadian identity and its culture Canada s culture draws influences from its broad range of constituent nationalities and policies that promote a just society are constitutionally protected Since the 1960s Canada has emphasized human rights and inclusiveness for all its people The official state policy of multiculturalism is often cited as one of Canada s significant accomplishments and a key distinguishing element of Canadian identity In Quebec cultural identity is strong and there is a French Canadian culture that is distinct from English Canadian culture As a whole Canada is in theory a cultural mosaic of regional ethnic subcultures Canada s approach to governance emphasizing multiculturalism which is based on selective immigration social integration and suppression of far right politics has wide public support Government policies such as publicly funded health care higher taxation to redistribute wealth the outlawing of capital punishment strong efforts to eliminate poverty strict gun control a social liberal attitude toward women s rights like pregnancy termination and LGBT rights and legalized euthanasia and cannabis use are indicators of Canada s political and cultural values Canadians also identify with the country s foreign aid policies peacekeeping roles the national park system and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Symbols The mother beaver on the Canadian parliament s Peace Tower The five flowers on the shield each represent an ethnicity Tudor rose English Fleur de lis French thistle Scottish shamrock Irish and leek Welsh Themes of nature pioneers trappers and traders played an important part in the early development of Canadian symbolism Modern symbols emphasize the country s geography cold climate lifestyles and the Canadianization of traditional European and Indigenous symbols The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates to the early 18th century The maple leaf is depicted on Canada s current and previous flags and on the Arms of Canada Canada s official tartan known as the maple leaf tartan reflects the colours of the maple leaf through the seasons green in the spring gold in the early autumn red at the first frost and brown after falling The Arms of Canada are closely modelled after those of the United Kingdom with French and distinctive Canadian elements replacing or added to those derived from the British version Other prominent symbols include the national motto A mari usque ad mare From Sea to Sea the sports of ice hockey and lacrosse the beaver Canada goose common loon Canadian horse the Royal Canadian Mounted Police the Canadian Rockies and more recently the totem pole and Inuksuk Canadian beer maple syrup tuques canoes nanaimo bars butter tarts and poutine are defined as uniquely Canadian Canadian coins feature many of these symbols the loon on the 1 coin the Arms of Canada on the 50 piece and the beaver on the nickel An image of the monarch appears on 20 bank notes and the obverse of coins Literature Canadian literature is often divided into French and English language literatures which are rooted in the literary traditions of France and Britain respectively The earliest Canadian narratives were of travel and exploration This progressed into three major themes of historical Canadian literature nature frontier life and Canada s position within the world all of which tie into the garrison mentality In recent decades Canada s literature has been strongly influenced by immigrants from around the world By the 1990s Canadian literature was viewed as some of the world s best Numerous Canadian authors have accumulated international literary awards including novelist poet and literary critic Margaret Atwood who received two Booker Prizes Nobel laureate Alice Munro who has been called the best living writer of short stories in English and Booker Prize recipient Michael Ondaatje who wrote the novel The English Patient which was adapted as a film of the same name that won the Academy Award for Best Picture L M Montgomery produced a series of children s novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables Media A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC satellite truck used for live television broadcasts Canada s media is highly autonomous uncensored diverse and very regionalized The Broadcasting Act declares the system should serve to safeguard enrich and strengthen the cultural political social and economic fabric of Canada Canada has a well developed media sector but its cultural output particularly in English films television shows and magazines is often overshadowed by imports from the United States As a result the preservation of a distinctly Canadian culture is 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 Canadian mass media both print and digital and in both official languages is largely dominated by a handful of corporations The largest of these corporations is the country s national public broadcaster the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation which also plays a significant role in producing domestic cultural content operating its own radio and TV networks in both English and French In addition to the CBC some provincial governments offer their own public educational TV broadcast services as well such as TVOntario and Tele Quebec Non news media content in Canada including film and television is influenced both by local creators as well as by imports from the United States the United Kingdom Australia and France In an effort to reduce the amount of foreign made media government interventions in television broadcasting can include both regulation of content and public financing Canadian tax laws limit foreign competition in magazine advertising Visual arts The Jack Pine by Tom Thomson Oil on canvas 1916 in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada Art in Canada is marked by thousands of years of habitation by Indigenous peoples and in later times artists have combined British French Indigenous and American artistic traditions at times embracing European styles while working to promote nationalism The nature of Canadian art reflects these diverse origins as artists have taken their traditions and adapted these influences to reflect the reality of their lives in Canada Modern painting in Canada has been greatly influenced by several major movements that have emerged over the years One of the most prominent movements is the Group of Seven which was founded in 1920 aimed to capture the wilderness in their artwork Associated with the group was Emily Carr known for her landscapes and portrayals of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast The mid 20th century saw the rise of abstract art in Canada with artists like Jean Paul Riopelle and Paul Emile Borduas In the 1960s and 1970s saw emergence of conceptual art with artists such as Michael Snow and Ian Carr Harris This era also saw the emergence of Indigenous artists like Norval Morrisseau who combined traditional Indigenous techniques with modern art styles In more recent years contemporary art has seen a revival of figurative art with artists such as Kent Monkman and Shuvinai Ashoona Music Original publication of O Canada in English 1908 Canadian music reflects a variety of regional scenes Canada has developed a vast music infrastructure that includes church halls chamber halls conservatories academies performing arts centres record companies radio stations and television music video channels Government support programs such as the Canada Music Fund assist a wide range of musicians and entrepreneurs who create produce and market original and diverse Canadian music As a result of its cultural importance as well as government initiatives and regulations the Canadian music industry is one of the largest in the world producing internationally renowned composers musicians and ensembles Music broadcasting in the country is regulated by the CRTC The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presents Canada s music industry awards the Juno Awards The Canadian Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements Patriotic music in Canada dates back over 200 years The earliest work of patriotic music in Canada The Bold Canadian was written in 1812 The Maple Leaf Forever written in 1866 was a popular patriotic song throughout English Canada and for many years served as an unofficial national anthem O Canada also served as an unofficial national anthem for much of the 20th century and was adopted as the country s official anthem in 1980 Sports Our Game sculpture by Edie Parker outside the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto Canada s official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse Other major professional games include curling basketball baseball soccer and football Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by numerous Halls of Fame and museums such as Canada s Sports Hall of Fame Canada shares several major professional sports leagues with the United States Canadian teams in these leagues include seven franchises in the National Hockey League three Major League Soccer teams and one team in each of Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association Other popular professional competitions include the Canadian Football League National Lacrosse League the Canadian Premier League and the curling tournaments hosted by Curling Canada In terms of participation swimming was the most commonly reported sport by over one third 35 percent of Canadians in 2023 This was closely followed by cycling 33 percent and running 27 percent The popularity of specific sports varies in general the Canadian born population was more likely to have participated in winter sports such as ice hockey skating skiing and snowboarding compared with immigrants who were more likely to have played soccer the most popular youth team sport tennis or basketball Sports such as golf volleyball badminton bowling and martial arts are also widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels Canada has enjoyed success both at the Winter Olympics and at the Summer Olympics particularly the Winter Games as a winter sports nation and has hosted high profile international sporting events such as the 1976 Summer Olympics the 1988 Winter Olympics the 2010 Winter Olympics the 2015 FIFA Women s World Cup the 2015 Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games The country is scheduled to co host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and the United States See alsoCanada portalCountries portalIndex of Canada related articles List of Canada related topics by provinces and territories Outline of CanadaNotes6 416 km 3 987 mi via the contiguous 48 states and 2 475 km 1 538 mi via Alaska Brokerage politics A Canadian term for successful big tent parties that embody a pluralistic catch all approach to appeal to the median Canadian voter adopting centrist policies and electoral coalitions to satisfy the short term preferences of a majority of electors who are not located on the ideological fringe The traditional brokerage model of Canadian politics leaves little room for ideology The Royal Canadian Navy is composed of approximately 8 400 full time sailors and 5 100 part time sailors The Army is composed of approximately 22 800 full time soldiers 18 700 reservists and 5 000 Canadian Rangers The Royal Canadian Air Force is composed of approximately 13 000 Regular Force personnel and 2 400 Air Reserve personnel All citizens of Canada are classified as Canadians as defined by Canada s nationality laws Canadian as an ethnic group has since 1996 been added to census questionnaires for possible ancestral origin or descent Canadian was included as an example on the English questionnaire and Canadien as an example on the French questionnaire The majority of respondents to this selection are from the eastern part of the country that was first settled Respondents generally are visibly European Anglophones and Francophones and no longer self identify with their ethnic ancestral origins This response is attributed to a multitude or generational distance from ancestral lineage Indigenous peoples are not considered a visible minority in Statistics Canada calculations Visible minorities are defined by Statistics Canada as persons other than aboriginal peoples who are non Caucasian in race or non white in colour Catholic Church 29 9 United Church 3 3 Anglican Church 3 1 Eastern Orthodoxy 1 7 Baptistism 1 2 Pentecostalism and other Charismatic 1 1 Anabaptist 0 4 Jehovah s Witness 0 4 Latter Day Saints 0 2 Lutheran 0 9 Methodist and Wesleyan Holiness 0 3 Presbyterian 0 8 and Reformed 0 2 7 6 percent simply identified as Christians References Royal Anthem Government of Canada August 11 2017 Archived from the original on December 6 2020 Surface water 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Encyclopedia of Canada s Peoples University of Toronto Press p 1048 ISBN 978 0 8020 2938 6 Province of Quebec 1763 91 The Canadian Encyclopedia May 14 2020 Retrieved October 1 2024 An Act to Re write the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada and for the Government of Canada J C Fisher amp W Kimble 1841 p 20 O Toole Roger 2009 Dominion of the Gods Religious continuity and change in a Canadian context In Hvithamar Annika Warburg Margit Jacobsen Brian Arly eds Holy Nations and Global Identities Civil Religion Nationalism and Globalisation Brill p 137 ISBN 978 90 04 17828 1 Morra Irene 2016 The New Elizabethan Age Culture Society and National Identity after World War II I B Tauris p 49 ISBN 978 0 85772 867 8 McIntyre D 1998 British Decolonization 1946 1997 When Why and How did the British Empire Fall British History in Perspective Bloomsbury Publishing p 108 ISBN 978 1 349 26922 8 Buckner Philip ed 2008 Canada and the British Empire Oxford University Press pp 37 40 56 59 114 124 125 ISBN 978 0 19 927164 1 Dillehay Thomas D 2008 The Settlement of the Americas A New Prehistory Basic Books p 61 ISBN 978 0 7867 2543 4 Fagan Brian M Durrani Nadia 2016 World Prehistory A Brief Introduction Routledge p 124 ISBN 978 1 317 34244 1 Rawat Rajiv 2012 Circumpolar Health Atlas University of Toronto Press p 58 ISBN 978 1 4426 4456 4 Hayes Derek 2008 Canada An Illustrated History Douglas amp Mcintyre pp 7 13 ISBN 978 1 55365 259 5 Macklem Patrick 2001 Indigenous Difference and the Constitution of Canada University of Toronto Press p 170 ISBN 978 0 8020 4195 1 Sonneborn Liz January 2007 Chronology of American Indian History Infobase Publishing pp 2 12 ISBN 978 0 8160 6770 1 Graber Christoph Beat Kuprecht Karolina Lai Jessica C 2012 International Trade in Indigenous Cultural Heritage Legal and Policy Issues Edward Elgar Publishing p 366 ISBN 978 0 85793 831 2 Census Program Data Viewer dashboard Statistics Canada February 9 2022 Archived from the original on January 25 2024 Retrieved February 3 2024 Wilson Donna M Northcott Herbert C 2008 Dying and Death in Canada University of Toronto Press pp 25 27 ISBN 978 1 55111 873 4 Thornton Russell 2000 Population history of Native North Americans In Haines Michael R Steckel Richard Hall eds A population history of North America Cambridge University Press pp 13 380 ISBN 978 0 521 49666 7 O Donnell C Vivian 2008 Native Populations of Canada In Bailey Garrick Alan ed Indians in Contemporary Society Handbook of North American Indians Vol 2 Government Printing Office p 285 ISBN 978 0 16 080388 8 Marshall Ingeborg 1998 A History and Ethnography of the Beothuk McGill Queen s University Press p 442 ISBN 978 0 7735 1774 5 Collen Evelyn Jane Johar Angad Singh Teixeira Joao C Llamas Bastien August 5 2022 The immunogenetic impact of European colonization in the Americas Frontiers in Genetics 13 Frontiers Media SA 1 8 doi 10 3389 fgene 2022 918227 ISSN 1664 8021 PMC 9388791 PMID 35991555 True Peters Stephanie 2005 Smallpox in the New 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Indigenous and Northern Studies McGill Queen s University Press p 14 ISBN 978 0 2280 0317 5 Asch Michael 1997 Aboriginal and Treaty Rights in Canada Essays on Law Equity and Respect for Difference UBC Press p 28 ISBN 978 0 7748 0581 0 Commission de verite et reconciliation du Canada January 1 2016 Canada s Residential Schools The History Part 1 Origins to 1939 The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Volume I McGill Queen s University Press pp 3 7 ISBN 978 0 7735 9818 8 Lux M K 2016 Separate Beds A History of Indian Hospitals in Canada 1920s 1980s G Reference Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series University of Toronto Press p 7 ISBN 978 1 4426 1386 7 Kirmayer Laurence J Guthrie Gail Valaskakis 2009 Healing Traditions The Mental Health of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada UBC Press p 9 ISBN 978 0 7748 5863 2 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action PDF National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 2015 p 5 Archived from the original PDF on June 15 2015 Honouring the Truth Reconciling for the Future Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada PDF National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada May 31 2015 Archived PDF from the original on July 6 2016 Retrieved January 6 2019 Principles respecting the Government of Canada s relationship with Indigenous peoples Ministere de la Justice July 14 2017 Archived from the original on June 10 2023 Chapman Frederick T European Claims in North America in 1750 JSTOR community 15128627 Retrieved July 23 2023 Wallace Birgitta October 12 2018 Leif Eriksson The Canadian Encyclopedia Archived from the original on April 13 2021 Retrieved June 4 2020 Johansen Bruce E Pritzker Barry M 2007 Encyclopedia of American Indian History ABC CLIO pp 727 728 ISBN 978 1 85109 818 7 Cordell Linda S Lightfoot Kent McManamon Francis Milner George 2009 L Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site Archaeology in 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