Environment—international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, 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-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
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 160 km of the US/Canada border
People
Population: 31,006,347 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 20% (male 3,105,944; female 2,960,171)
15–64 years: 68% (male 10,587,553; female 10,461,455)
65 years and over: 12% (male 1,652,044; female 2,239,180) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.06% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 11.86 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 7.26 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 5.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.47 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.37 years male: 76.12 years female: 82.79 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (1999 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%
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada
Data code: CA
Government type: federation with parliamentary democracy
Capital: Ottawa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 3 territories*;
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland,
Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince
Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*
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 (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Romeo Le BLANC (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 monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a
five-year term; 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 (301
seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Commons—last held 2 June 1997 (next to be held
by NA June 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party—Liberal Party 38%, Reform
Party 19%, Tories 19%, Bloc Quebecois 11%, New Democratic Party 11%,
other 2%; seats by party—Liberal Party 155, Reform Party 60, Bloc
Quebecois 44, New Democratic Party 21, Progressive Conservative
Party 20, independents 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the prime
minister through the governor general
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN];
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, APEC, AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE (observer), CP,
EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G- 7, 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, MINURCA, MIPONUH, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS,
OECD, OPCW, 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
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas,
Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle
consulate(s): Miami, Princeton, San Francisco, and San Jose
Diplomatic representation from