Ethnic divisions: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%,
other European 20%, indigenous Indian and Eskimo 1.5%
Religion: Roman Catholic 46%, United Church 16%, Anglican 10%
Language: English and French (both official)
Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1981 est.)
Labor force: 13,380,000; services 75%, manufacturing 14%,
agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)
Organized labor: 30.6% of labor force; 39.6% of nonagricultural
paid workers
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: none
Type: confederation with parliamentary democracy
Capital: Ottawa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta,
British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland,
Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island,
Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*
Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)
Constitution: amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to
Canada 17 April 1982; charter of rights and unwritten customs
Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where
civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime
minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an
upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or House of Commons
(Chambre des Communes)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Raymond John HNATSHYN (since 29 January
1990);
Head of Government--Prime Minister (Martin) Brian MULRONEY (since
4 September 1984); Deputy Prime Minister Donald Frank MAZANKOWSKI (since
NA June 1986)
Political parties and leaders:
Progressive Conservative, Brian MULRONEY;
Liberal, Jean CHRETIEN;
New Democratic, Audrey McLAUGHLIN
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Commons--last held 21 November 1988 (next to be
held by November 1993);
results--Progressive Conservative 43.0%, Liberal 32%,
New Democratic Party 20%, other 5%;
seats--(295 total) Progressive Conservative 159, Liberal 80, New
Democratic Party 44, independent 12
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Derek BURNEY; Chancery at
1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202)
785-1400; there are Canadian Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston,
Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis,
New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle;
US--Ambassador Edward N. NEY; Embassy at 100 Wellington Street,
K1P 5T1, Ottawa (mailing address is P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY
13669-0430); telephone (613) 248-25256, 25106, 25271, and 25170; there
are US Consulates General in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto,
and Vancouver
Flag: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double
width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
ECONOMY
Overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada
today closely resembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented
economic system, and pattern of production. Since World War II the
impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has
transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily
industrial and urban. In the 1980s Canada registered one of the highest
rates of real growth among the OECD nations, averaging about 3.2%. With
its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital
plant, Canada has excellent economic prospects. In mid-1990, however, the
long-simmering problems between English- and French-speaking areas
became so acute that observers spoke openly of a possible split in the
confederation; foreign investors were becoming edgy.
GDP: $516.7 billion, per capita $19,500; real growth rate 0.9%
(1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.8% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 8.1% (1990)
Budget: revenues $105.8 billion; expenditures $131.6 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)
Exports: $126.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--newsprint, wood pulp, timber, grain, crude petroleum,
machinery, natural gas, ferrous and nonferrous ores, motor vehicles
and parts;
partners--US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, USSR
Imports: $116.3 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--processed foods, beverages, crude petroleum,
chemicals, industrial machinery, motor vehicles and parts, durable
consumer goods, electronic computers;
partners--US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico
External debt: $247 billion (1987)
Industrial production: growth rate - 2.7% (1990); accounts for 34%
of GDP
Electricity: 105,000,000 kW capacity; 500,000 million kWh produced,
18,840 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products,
wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish
products, petroleum and natural gas
Agriculture: accounts for about 3% of GDP; one of the world's major
producers and exporters of grain (wheat and barley); key source of US
agricultural imports; large forest resources cover 35% of total land
area; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric
tons, of which 75% is exported
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic
drug market; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant
large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors
Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $7.2
billion
Currency: Canadian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Canadian dollar
(Can$) = 100 cents
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 93,544 km total; two major transcontinental freight
railway systems--Canadian National (government owned) and Canadian
Pacific Railway; passenger service--VIA (government operated)
Highways: 884,272 km total; 712,936 km surfaced (250,023 km paved),
171,336 km earth
Inland waterways: 3,000 km, including Saint Lawrence Seaway
Pipelines: oil, 23,564 km total crude and refined; natural gas,
74,980 km
Ports: Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick),
Saint John's (Newfoundland), Toronto, Vancouver
Merchant marine: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 532,062
GRT/727,118 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 5 short-sea passenger, 2
passenger-cargo, 13 cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 1 refrigerated cargo, 8
roll-on/roll-off, 1 container, 27 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL)
tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 8 bulk; note--does not
include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes
Civil air: 636 major transport aircraft; Air Canada is the major
carrier
Airports: 1,397 total, 1,154 usable; 443 with permanent-surface
runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 328
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent service provided by modern media;
18.0 million telephones; stations--900 AM, 29 FM, 53 (1,400 repeaters)
TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; over 300 earth stations operating in
INTELSAT (including 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and domestic
systems
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Canadian Armed Forces (including Mobile Command,
Maritime Command, Air Command, Communications Command, Canadian Forces
Europe, Training Commands), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 7,243,909; 6,297,520 fit for
military service; 188,996 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: $11.3 billion, 2% of GDP (FY90)
