A Profile on Canada

Canada profile:

• Full name: Canada
• Population: 34.7 million (UN, 2012)
• Capital: Ottawa
• Largest city: Toronto
• Area: 9.9 million sq km (3.8 million sq miles)
• Major languages: English, French (both official)
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 79 years (men), 83 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Canadian dollar = 100 cents
• Main exports: Machinery and equipment, automotive products, metals and plastics, forestry products, agricultural and fishing products, energy products
• GNI per capita: US $45,550 (World Bank, 2011)

Canada was tenanted by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of year with diverse cultures and some major linguistic group. (Trevor W. Harrison, John W. Friesen; Trevor Harrison; John W. Friesen, 2010). Beginning of 15th century European traders, particularly French and British expeditions; missionaries, soldiers and colonists sailed to Canada and highly altered the inherent lifestyle of native. However, Aboriginals and Europeans shaped a strong socio economic, religious and cultural bonds in the first 200 years of cohabitation which placed the foundations of Canada [8]. Constitution Act, 1867 combined three colonies into a one country named Canada within British Empire [9]. In the same year, Sir John Alexander Macdonald, turn into Canada’s first Prime Minister who is best known as the Father of Confederation [8]. As per land area Canada is now the second largest country in the world. Approximately 90% of people of Canada live within 200km of the border with the USA [1]. Canada encompasses with 10 provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan) and 3 territories (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon) [14] Cultural Environment: Canada is usually considered as a very progressive, diverse, and multicultural country. (Anne-Marie Mooney Cotter, 2011, p. 176). Like many other country, Canadian culture is embrace with its historical background, geographical factors and political system. Value: Canadian values express as freedom, respect for religious and cultural differences and pledge to social justice. Canadian values include: Equality— respect everyone’s rights. Governments must treat everyone with equal right and respect. Respect for cultural differences— understanding and appreciation of all different cultures, norms and traditions of all, either they were born in Canada or came here from another part of the world. Freedom—freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of peaceful association. Peace—non-violent society and international role as peacekeepers. Law and order—respectful to democratic decision and respectful to law and order [10] Language: English and French are the mother language of 56.9% and 21.3% respectively, although usages of French language declining steadily by Canadians and new immigrants. More than 85% of Canadians have working knowledge of English, on the other hand only 30.1% have a working knowledge of French. [3] Some of the most common non official first languages are Chinese (1,072,555); Punjabi (430,705); Spanish (410,670); German (409,200); and Italian (407,490) [13] FIG: language graph of Canada Religion: In terms of religious stand, Canada is highly diverse. As per Canadian census report, 2011 population count 33,121,175 individuals of whom 67.3% are Christians, Around 23.9% of state no religious attachment, Islam (3.2%), Hinduism (1.5%), Sikhism (1.4%) Buddhism (1.1%) and Judaism (1.0%) [11]. Canadian cuisine / Food: Canadian cuisine varies extensively depending on the regions of the country. Earliest traditional food of Canada came from First Nations, English, Scottish and French roots [5]. According to an unofficial study by the Globe and Mail directed through Facebook from collected comment, users well-thought-out the following to be the Canadian National dish. (Allemang, John, 2010) 1.Poutine (51%) 2.Montreal-style bagels (14%) 3.Salmon jerky (dried smoked salmon) (11%) 4.Perogy (10%) 5.Ketchup chips (7%) 6.Nova Scotian Donair (4%) 7.California roll (1%) Canadian cultural events: Largest by attendance – • Montreal International Jazz Festival (Montreal) 2.5 million • Winterlude (Ottawa) 1.6 million • Celebration of Light (Vancouver) 1.6 million • Just For Laughs (Montreal) 1.5 million • Canadian National Exhibition (Toronto) 1.3 million Jason (2009) (Buckland Jason, 2009, Money.ca.msn.com) Political and Legal Environment: Political environment of Canada established in some extent as a mirror image of North American and European politics, which emphasizes constitutional law, freedom of religion, liberty, and regional independence. Peace, order, and good government are the specified goals of the Canadian government. [15] Canada government known as federal parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and head of government. (Stephen, 2007) Legal system: English common law for all matters within federal jurisdiction and in all provinces and territories except Quebec, which is based on the civil law. [15] Monarchy: Head of state: Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada (since February 6, 1952). [15] Viceroy: MichaA«lle Jean, Governor General of Canada (since September 27, 2005). [15] Executive Power: Head of government: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (since February 6, 2006). [15] Cabinet: Ministers selected by Prime Minister and appointed by the Governor General to lead different ministries and agencies, generally with regional representation. [15] Elections: The monarchy is hereditary. The Governor General is chosen by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister for a non-specific term, though it is traditionally around five years. Following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is usually designated by the Governor General to become Prime Minister. [15] Legislative Power: The bicameral Parliament of Canada consists of three parts: the monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons. Currently, the Senate, frequently described as providing "regional" representation, has 105 members appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister to serve until age 75. The House of Commons currently has 308 members elected in single-member districts in a plurality voting system. [15] Judiciary Power: The highest court in Canada is the Supreme Court of Canada. It is the final court of appeal in the justice system. The court is composed of nine judges, eight Puisne Justices and the Chief Justice of Canada. Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada are appointed by the Governor in Council [15] Political parties: In Canada major political parties are Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Green Party, Le Bloc Quebecois, and New Democratic Party [16] Reference: URL: 1 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-16841111 2 https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Culture_of_Canada.html 3 https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/lang/Pages/highlight.cfm?TabID=1&Lang=E&Asc=0&PRCode=01&OrderBy=2&View=1&tableID=401&queryID=1&Age=1#TableSummary 4 https://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo11a-eng.html 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_cuisine 6 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/we-like-our-symbols-rooted-in-the-past-and-in-quebec/article1627365/ 7 https://money.ca.msn.com/savings-debt/gallery/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=24740236&page=1 8 https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-06.asp 9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Day 10 https://www.durhamimmigration.ca/creating community/Pages/WhatareCanadianValues.aspx 11 https://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm?HPA 12 https://canadaonline.about.com/od/statistics/a/languages-canada-2011-census.htm 13 https://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo11a-eng.htm 14 https://canada-brittanyleefries.blogspot.ca/2009/11/political-legal-and-regulatory.html 15 https://www.canadafaq.ca/what+are+the+main+political+parties+in+canada/ Authors: Anne-Marie Mooney Cotter (2011). Culture clash: an international legal perspective on ethnic discrimination. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 176 Trevor W. Harrison, John W. Friesen; Trevor Harrison; John W. Friesen (2010). Canadian Society in the Twenty-first Century: An Historical Sociological Approach. Canadian Scholars’ Press. p. 186. Anne-Marie Mooney Cotter, 2011, p. 176 Buckland, Jason (2009-02-14). "8. Quebec Winter Carnival - Biggest festivals in Canada". Money.ca.msn.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12 Stephen (2007). Canadian Democracy: An Introduction (5 ed.). Don Mills: Oxford University Press. pp. 233–234. Articles: Buckland, Jason (2009-02-14). "8. Quebec Winter Carnival - Biggest festivals in Canada". Money.ca.msn.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12

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