Canada

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Canada
A mari usque ad mare
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General information

• Population 33,212,696 (July 2008 est.)
• Land Size 9,984,670 km² (2nd)
• Currency Canadian Dollar ()
• Established 1 July 1867 (union of British North
  American colonies) 11 December 1931 (recognized
  by UK)
• Capital Ottawa
• Largest City Toronto

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General information

• Border countries US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km
  with Alaska)
• Climate varies from temperate in south to
  subarctic and arctic in north
• Ethnic groups British Isles origin 28, French
  origin 23, other European 15, Amerindian 2,
  other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6, mixed
  background 26
• Languages English (official) 59.3, French
  (official) 23.2, other 17.5
• Recognized regional languages Inuktitut,
  Inuinnaqtun, Cree, Dëne Suliné, Gwichin,
  Inuvialuktun, Slavey, Tlicho Yatiì

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Climate

• Blizzard
• Ice-storm
• Cold snap
• Chinook
• Snow tires / all-season radials
• Traction mats
• Galoshes / rubbers
• Skidoo boots
• Tuque

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General information

• The name "Canada" is believed to have originated
  from a Huron-Iroquoian word, Kanata meaning
  "village" or "settlement" or "collection of huts
• Canada is the world's second-largest country in
  total area after Russia. However, it has an
  extremely low population density of 3 people per
  square kilometer, as there are roughly 33 million
  Canadians. While Canada covers a larger
  geographic area than the neighboring United
  States it has only one-ninth of the population.
• Canada is a modern and technologically advanced
  country and is energy self-sufficient. Its
  economy has traditionally relied heavily on its
  abundance of natural resources, although the
  modern Canadian economy has become widely
  diversified.

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General information

• Anthem "O Canada"
• Royal anthem "God Save the Queen
• Religions Roman Catholic 42.6, Protestant 23.3
  (including United Church 9.5, Anglican 6.8,
  Baptist 2.4, Lutheran 2), other Christian 4.4,
  Muslim 1.9, other and unspecified 11.8, none
  16 (2001 census)
• Canada is divided into six time zones

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Government and Politics

• Canada is a constitutional monarchy with
  Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, as head of state
  and the Prime Minister as the head of the
  government (Stephen HARPER since 6 February 2006)
• The country is a parliamentary democracy with a
  federal system of parliamentary government and
  strong democratic traditions.

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History

• Canada, which has been inhabited by aboriginal
  peoples, known in Canada, as the First Nations,
  for about 10,000 years, was first visited by
  Europeans around 1000, when the Vikings briefly
  settled at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.
  More permanent European visits came in the 16th
  and 17th century, as the French began settling
  there.
• In 1763, at the end of the Seven Years' War,
  France chose to keep its Caribbean Islands and to
  leave its North American colony, New France, to
  Britain. However when the French left Canada many
  of the French settlers choose to stay which is
  why there are many French-speaking Canadians
  today.

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History

• The Seven Years' War was the first "world war"
  most major European nations were involved, and
  the conflict spanned the globe with different
  theaters on the European continent, as well as in
  present day Canada, the United States, India,
  coastal Africa, Philippines and the Caribbean.
• In the second half of the 20th century, some
  citizens of the mainly French-speaking province
  of Quebec sought independence in two votes held
  in 1980 and 1995. In both votes, the separatist
  cause was defeated with 60 and 50.6 opposed to
  independence, respectively.

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Aboriginal peoples

• 600,000 First Nations People (4.4 of the
  population)
• Fifty surviving native languages
• Northernmost regions of Canada
• The term Eskimo is no longer used, at their
  request (45,000 people)
• The Métis descendants of the children of
  primarily French fur traders and native women in
  what is now Manitoba
• Michif mix of French and Cree
• Distinctive culture a nation
• More than 300,000 people

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La Francophonie

• A former French and British colony, Canada is a
  member of both La Francophonie and the
  Commonwealth of Nations.
• La Francophonie is a term made up in 1880 by
  French geographer Onésime Reclus to designate the
  community of people and countries using French,
  is an international organization of
  French-speaking countries and governments. Some
  50 States and governments are members of the
  organization and 6 others (Belgium, Lithuania,
  Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia)
  are invited observers of its Summits. French is
  at least a minor language in all its member
  states, and is in fact the sole major language of
  only a few.

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La Francophonie

• represents one of the biggest linguistic zones in
  the world. Its members share more than just a
  common language. They also share the humanist
  values promoted by the French language. The
  French language and its humanist values represent
  the two cornerstones on which the International
  Organisation of La Francophonie is based.
• The International Organisation of La Francophonie
  was created in 1970. Its mission is to embody the
  active solidarity between its 70 member states
  and governments (56 members and 14 observers),
  which together represent over one-third of the
  United Nations member states and account for a
  population of over 870 million people, including
  200 million French speakers.

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Québec

• Québec is a province in the central part of
  Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a
  predominantly French-speaking population and the
  only one whose sole official language is French
  at the provincial level.

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• Other elements of French tradition, such as the
  civil law legal system, also remain strong in
  Québec.
• Québec is Canada's largest province by area and
  its second-largest administrative division

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• Québec is the second most populated province,
  after Ontario.

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Geography

• Canada has over 2 million lakes covering 7 of
  the landmass.
• It is estimated that Canada is home to
  one-seventh of the world's fresh water.
• Canada has a reputation for cold temperatures
  (Southwestern British Columbia is a well-known
  exception.). Indeed, the winters can be harsh in
  many regions of the country, with risks of snow
  and ice storms.

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Economy

• Canada resembles the United States in its
  market-oriented economic system, pattern of
  production, and high living standards
• primarily industrial and urban economy
• Energy self-sufficient
• vast deposits of natural and an excess of other
  natural resources
• a dramatic increase in trade and economic
  integration with the US
• Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of
  energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric
  power.

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Economy

• fear of a flow south to the US of professionals
  referred to as the Brain Drain, lured by higher
  pay, lower taxes, and high-tech opportunities.
• Simultaneously, a largely under-recognized Brain
  Gain is occurring, as educated immigrants
  continue to enter Canada.
• Many educated and highly skilled immigrants work
  in unskilled positions in Canada

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Demographics

• Canada is a multicultural society whose ethnic
  makeup has been shaped over time by different
  waves of immigrants and their descendents, as
  well as by the Aboriginal peoples of the country.
• The ethno-cultural make-up of the population
  varied considerably according to the number of
  generations an individual's ancestors had lived
  in Canada, reflecting the origins of various
  waves of immigrants who have settled in Canada
  over time.

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Language

• A multitude of languages are spoken in Canada.
  According to the 2006 census, English and French
  are the preferred language ("home language", or
  language spoken most often in the home) of 67.1
  and 21.5 of the population, respectively.
• English and French are recognized by the
  Constitution of Canada as "official languages,"
  which means that all laws of the federal
  government are enacted in both English and French
  and that federal government services are required
  to be available in both languages.
• The five most widely-spoken non-official
  languages are Chinese (the home language of 2.6
  of Canadians), Punjabi (0.8), Spanish (0.7),
  Italian (0.6), and Arabic (0.5).

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Canadian English

• Canadian English is the form of English used in
  Canada, spoken as a first language by more than
  19 million people (as of 2003).
• In many respects, the spelling of Canadian
  English is intermediate between British English
  and American English. However, the spoken
  language is much closer to American English than
  British English. It is also influenced by
  Canadian French, as Canada has both English and
  French as official languages.

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Canadian English

• There is no universally accepted standard of
  Canadian spelling. In general, Canadians agree
  with British. In some cases, British and American
  spellings may be mixed in different contexts.
• Where Canadian English shares vocabulary with
  other English dialects, it also tends to be with
  American more than British English.

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Canadian English

• Cold Out, Eh?
• Sorry? Oh, Sorry. Sorry!
• Some Canadianisms
• Allaphone
• Canucks
• Loonie
• Parkade
• Toonie
• Skidoo
• Duplex
• Humongous

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Not Bad Words in Canada

• To do dick, or dick all, means to do nothing, to
  hang around
• Homo milk is homogenized milk.
• To be pissed is to be drunk.
• To be pissed off is to be annoyed (Also used by
  Americans, this expression is not considered to
  be vulgar as it is in Britain.)
• A suck is a whiner, or crybaby.

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Cultural Diversity

• Canada is culturally diverse. This goes back to
  the 1890s when it began inviting people from all
  over the world to settle in the country to help
  it develop and grow.
• Canadian immigration policy was historically
  open, welcoming and egalitarian in its
  philosophy. This has also manifest into the
  psyche of the nation where people are encouraged
  and to retain their cultural identities,
  traditions, languages and customs.

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Multiculturalism Act

• 1988
• Equal rights for all Canadians, regardless of
  their culture of origin, religion, gender, etc.
• melting pot vs. multicultural mosaic

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Culture

• Canadians are generally a tolerant, polite and
  extremely community-oriented people. Although
  they are individualistic in terms of their basic
  cultural traits, they nevertheless place a great
  deal of emphasis on the individual's
  responsibility to the community. This is seen as
  giving balance and a good quality of life.
• Most Canadians have a strong allegiance to their
  province or region, sometimes more so than to the
  country.

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Culture

• While Canadian culture is heavily influenced by
  British and American culture and traditions, it
  retains many unique characteristics.
• In the past few decades, a more robust and
  distinct Canadian culture has developed,
  partially because of the independence that spread
  through Canada in the years leading up to and
  following their independence from Britain in
  1867.

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Culture

• The Canada-U.S. border is the world's longest
  undefended border
• As Canada and the United States have grown
  closer, many Canadians have developed complex
  feelings and concerns regarding what makes Canada
  a "distinct" nation within North America.
• The large American cultural presence in Canada
  has prompted some fears of a "cultural takeover,"
  and has initiated the establishment of many laws
  and government institutions to protect Canadian
  culture.

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Culture

• Much of Canadian culture remains defined in
  contrast to American culture. For example,
  Canadians see their country as an assortment of
  unique immigrant cultures, a large picture made
  up of many distinct pieces, rather than
  everything being mixed together.
• The creation and preservation of distinctly
  Canadian culture are 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).

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Taboos

• Criticizing Canada and highlighting the
  similarities between Canadians and Americans
• Pointing out how Canadas Native Peoples have not
  been treated equally despite the countrys
  dedication to multicultural principles
• Questioning the quality and cost of Canadas
  health care system
• Questioning someones religious beliefs

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Sports

• Canada's official national sports are ice hockey
  in the winter and lacrosse in the summer.
• Ice hockey is a national pastime and the most
  popular spectator sport in the country. It is the
  most popular sport Canadians play, with 1.65
  million active participants in 2004.
• After hockey, other popular spectator sports
  include curling and football the latter is
  played professionally in the Canadian Football
  League (CFL). Golf, baseball, skiing, soccer,
  volleyball, and basketball are widely played at
  youth and amateur levels, but professional
  leagues and franchises are not as widespread.

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Crime rate

• One of the lowest crime rates in the world.
• In 2005, Canada showed the lowest crime rate in
  twenty-five years with 7,761 reported incidents
  per 100,000 people.
• Through 2005, the murder rate in the United
  States was three times higher than it was in
  Canada, and the American rate for aggravated
  assault was double the Canadian rate. The rate
  for robberies was 65 higher in the United
  States.

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National Holidays

• Remembrance day Nov 11, 2008
• Christmas Dec 25, 2008
• Boxing Day Dec 26, 2008
• New Years Day Jan 1, 2009
• Good Friday April 10, 2009
• Easter Monday April 13, 2009
• Victoria Day May 18, 2009
• Canada Day (Dominion Day) July 1, 2009
• Labour Day Sep 7, 2009
• Thanksgiving Day Oct 12, 2009
• La Fête Nationale du Québec June 24

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Boxing Day

• The day after Christmas, the Feast of St.
  Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is better
  known as Boxing Day. The term may come from the
  opening of church poor boxes that day maybe from
  the earthenware boxes with which boy apprentices
  collected money at the doors of their masters'
  clients.
• Nowadays, we often see, in certain families,
  gifts (boxes) given to those who provide services
  throughout the year.
• "Boxing Day" is listed in the Canada Labour Code
  as a holiday.

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Remembrance Day

• Remembrance Day also known as Poppy Day,
  Armistice Day (the event it commemorates), or
  Veterans Day is a day to commemorate the
  sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of
  civilians in times of war, specifically since the
  First World War.
• It is observed on 11 November to recall the end
  of World War I on that date in 1918. The day was
  specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7
  November 1919, to the observance of members of
  the armed forces who were killed during war.

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Some facts

• Canada has the world's longest coastline 202
  080 kilometers.
• Niagara Falls (on the Niagara River) is
  acknowledged as one of the world's greatest
  cataracts because of its height and its estimated
  mean annual flow of 6000 cubic meters per second.
• The world's largest island in a freshwater lake
  is Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, 2765 square
  kilometers.
• The Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie
  and Ontario - are the largest group of freshwater
  lakes in the world.
• The largest non-polar ice field in the world can
  be found in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon
  Territory.