Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; nearly 90% of the population is concentrated within 161 km of the US/Canada border
@Canada:People
Population: 30,337,334 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0–14 years: 20% (male 3,101,968; female 2,957,927) 15–64 years: 68% (male 10,333,085; female 10,201,996) 65 years and over: 12% (male 1,583,643; female 2,158,715) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.13% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 12.4 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 7.23 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population : 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.96 years male: 75.61 years female: 82.48 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian
Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other
European 20%, Amerindian 1.5%, other, mostly Asian 11.5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 45%, United Church 12%, Anglican 8%, other 35% (1991)
Languages: English (official), French (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% (1986 est.) male : NA% female: NA%
@Canada:Government
Country name: conventional long form : none conventional short form: Canada
Data code: CA
Government type: confederation with parliamentary democracy
National 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* note: the Northwest Territories will be split in two as of April 1999; the eastern section will be renamed Nunavut, the west is as yet unnamed
Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)
National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
Constitution: 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the machinery of the government was set up in the British North America Act of 1867; 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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Romeo LeBLANC (since 8 February 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November 1993) cabinet : Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is automatically designated by the governor general to become prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (a body whose members are appointed to serve until reaching 75 years of age by the governor general and selected on the advice of the prime minister; its normal limit is 104 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (295 seats; note - number of seats will rise to 301 at the time of the next election; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Commons - last held 25 October 1993 (next to be held by 3 November 1998) election results: percent of votes by party - Liberal Party 41%, Reform Party 19%, Tories 16%, Bloc Quebecois 14%, New Democratic Party 7%, other 3%; seats by party - Liberal Party 177, Bloc Quebecois 53, Reform Party 52, New Democratic Party 9, Progressive Conservative Party 2, independents 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN]; Bloc
Quebecois [Michel GAUTHIER (until March 1997)]; Reform Party [Preston
MANNING]; New Democratic Party [Alexa MCDONOUGH]; Progressive
Conservative Party [Jean CHAREST]
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer),
APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE
(observer), EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G- 7, G-
8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Raymond A. J. CHRETIEN chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (202) 682–1740 FAX: [1] (202) 682–7726 consulate(s) general : Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle consulate(s): Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy : 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa mailing address: P. O. Box 866, Ogdensburg, NY 13669–0430 telephone : [1] (613) 238–5335, 4470 FAX: [1] (613) 238–5720 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver
Flag description: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
Economy
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