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The Best Country in the World
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The United Nations has rated Canada the top
country in the world for the past four years. Quality of life
in Canada is extremely high. Canada provides a comfortable
standard of living, good health care, social security, public
education, low crime rates, a stable and growing economy,
and a clean environment.
Canada is a free and democratic society. The Canadian constitution,
called the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, guarantees everyone
the rights to equality, mobility, freedom of speech, assembly
and association.
People around the world consider Canada a generous, peaceful
and compassionate nation. Canadians are viewed as honest,
friendly and polite. A 1997 survey of people in 20 countries
found that the majority placed Canada in the top ten list
of countries where they would like to live.
A Nation Built on Immigrants
Canada is a nation built on immigrants. Canada receives
approximately 200,000 to 250,000 immigrants a year. It is
a multicultural society that celebrates its differences. Canada
has two official languages, English and French. More than
17% of the population speaks a different language.
Unlike many countries, Canada accepts dual citizenship.
A Beautiful Country
As the second largest
country in the world, Canada is a land of great beauty. With
its Atlantic and Pacific costs, vast forests, mountain ranges,
lakes and vast prairie, Canada is rich in its natural
resources. Canada contains 38 national parks, 1000 provincial
parks, and approximately 50 territorial parks.
To obtain
further information on Canada:
Try
Statistics Canada
www.statcan.ca
Central
Intelligence Agency
www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ca.html
National
Atlas of Canada
atlas.gc.ca/english/
Parks
Canada
parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/
Atmospheric and Environmental Services
www.ec.gc.ca/
Canadian Politics
Canada is
an independent constitutional monarchy and has three tiers of
government: federal, provincial, and municipal (for towns and
cities).
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Federal Government
Canada's
head of state is the Queen of England. She is represented by
the Governor general in Canada and has a mainly symbolic role.
The
federal government is responsible for such national matters as
foreign affairs, national defense, trade and commerce. It
also shares many powers with the provincial governments.
The
political party with the most elected members forms the
federal government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister.
The party with the second largest number of elected members
becomes the Official Opposition, and its role is to offer
constructive criticism to the government. The four best known
political parties are:
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The
Progressive Conservative Party
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The
Liberal Party
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The
New Democratic Party
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The
Reform Party
The
federal government is based in the capital city of Ottawa,
Ontario and derives its power from three bodies:
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The
Cabinet, consisting of individuals or "Minister's
appointed by the Prime Minister, each responsible for a
government department (such as Finance or Immigration).
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The
House of Commons, composed of 295 publicly elected
representatives or "Members of Parliament" (MPs) from
different areas of the country.
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The
Senate, consisting of 104 individuals appointed by the
Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime
Minister.
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Provincial Government
The
Queen is represented in each province by the
Lieutenant-Governor.
The
provincial governments are responsible for such matters as
education, transportation, health, and social services.
The
provincial political party with the most elected members forms
the government and its leader becomes the Premier. The number
and names of parties vary according to province. Each
provincial capital city has a parliament (called the
Legislature everywhere except Quebec, which calls it the
National assembly), which functions similarly to the federal
House of Commons.
Each
elected member represents an area of his or her province and
is called an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) except in
Ontario (MPP - Member of Provincial Parliament) and Quebec (MNA
- Membre de l'Assemblee nationale). Although the number
varies, most provinces average about 75 members.
A
municipal government controls such local matters as police,
schools, garbage collection, and property taxes. Officials
are elected for the City Council, and various other boards
such as Education and Parks and Recreation. The leader of a
municipal government is called a mayor, and other
representatives are called councillors.
The
Court System
In Canada,
federal, provincial, and municipal governments pass laws. The
courts interpret and enforce the laws, but are separate from the
government. There are different types of courts dealing with
different areas of the law (Family Court, for example). The
Canadian court system consists of three levels: trial courts,
appeal courts, and the Supreme Court of Canada, which is the
court of final appeal.
Interpreters who speak your language are available upon request
to assist you in court.
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