Canada's Royal Arms

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. Its border with the United States is the world's longest international land border. The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. With a population of over 41million people, it has widely varying population densities, with the majority residing in urban areas and large areas of the country being sparsely populated. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast. As a consequence of various armed conflicts, France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories resulting in the displacement of Indigenous populations, and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This increased sovereignty was highlighted by the ''Statute of Westminster, 1931'', and culminated in the ''Canada Act 1982'', which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition. The country's head of government is the prime minister, who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons and is appointed by the governor general, representing the monarch of Canada, the ceremonial head of state. The country is a Commonwealth realm and is officially bilingual (English and French) in the federal jurisdiction. It is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency, quality of life, economic competitiveness, innovation, education and human rights. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration. Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its history, economy, and culture.

A developed country, Canada has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world by nominal GDP, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Recognized as a middle power, Canada's support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign relations policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries. Canada promotes its domestically shared values through participation in multiple international organizations and forums.

Etymology

While a variety of theories have been postulated for the etymological origins of ''Canada'', the name is now accepted as coming from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word , meaning "village" or "settlement". In 1535, Indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona. Cartier later used the word ''Canada'' to refer not only to that particular village but to the entire area subject to Donnacona (the chief at Stadacona); by 1545, European books and maps had begun referring to this small region along the Saint Lawrence River as ''Canada''.

From the 16th to the early 18th century, ''Canada'' referred to the part of New France that lay along the Saint Lawrence River. Following the British conquest of New France, this area was known as the British Province of Quebec from 1763 to 1791. In 1791, the area became two British colonies called Upper Canada and Lower Canada. These two colonies were collectively referred to as the Canadas until their union as the Province of Canada in 1841.

Upon Confederation in 1867, ''Canada'' was adopted as the legal name for the new country at the London Conference and the word ''dominion'' was conferred as the country's title. By the 1950s, the term ''Dominion of Canada'' was no longer used by the United Kingdom, which considered Canada a "realm of the Commonwealth".

The ''Canada Act 1982'', which brought the Constitution of Canada fully under Canadian control, referred only to ''Canada''. Later that year, the name of the national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day.

History

Indigenous peoples

The first inhabitants of North America are generally hypothesized to have migrated from Siberia by way of the Bering land bridge and arrived at least 14,000 years ago. The Paleo-Indian archeological sites at Old Crow Flats and Bluefish Caves are two of the oldest sites of human habitation in Canada. The characteristics of Indigenous societies included permanent settlements, agriculture, complex societal hierarchies, and trading networks. Some of these cultures had collapsed by the time European explorers arrived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and have only been discovered through archeological investigations. Indigenous peoples in present-day Canada include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, the last being of mixed descent who originated in the mid-17th century when First Nations people married European settlers and their offspring subsequently developed their own identity.

The Indigenous population at the time of the first European settlements is estimated to have been between 200,000 and two million, with a figure of 500,000 accepted by Canada's Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. As a consequence of European colonization, the Indigenous population declined by forty to eighty percent. The decline is attributed to several causes, including the transfer of European diseases, to which they had no natural immunity, conflicts over the fur trade, conflicts with the colonial authorities and settlers, and the loss of Indigenous lands to settlers and the subsequent collapse of several nations' self-sufficiency.

Although not without conflict, European Canadians' early interactions with First Nations and Inuit populations were relatively peaceful. First Nations and Métis peoples played a critical part in the development of European colonies in Canada, particularly for their role in assisting European coureurs des bois and voyageurs in their explorations of the continent during the North American fur trade. These early European interactions with First Nations would change from friendship and peace treaties to the dispossession of Indigenous lands through treaties. From the late 18th century, European Canadians forced Indigenous peoples to assimilate into a western Canadian society. Settler colonialism reached a climax in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A period of redress began with the formation of a reconciliation commission by the Government of Canada in 2008. This included acknowledgment of cultural genocide, settlement agreements, and betterment of racial discrimination issues, such as addressing the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

European colonization

It is believed that the first documented European to explore the east coast of Canada was Norse explorer Leif Erikson. In approximately 1000 AD, the Norse built a small short-lived encampment that was occupied sporadically for perhaps 20 years at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland. No further European exploration occurred until 1497, when seafarer John Cabot explored and claimed Canada's Atlantic coast in the name of Henry VII of England. In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence where, on July 24, he planted a cross bearing the words, "long live the King of France", and took possession of the territory New France in the name of King Francis I. The early 16th century saw European mariners with navigational techniques pioneered by the Basque and Portuguese establish seasonal whaling and fishing outposts along the Atlantic coast. In general, early settlements during the Age of Discovery appear to have been short-lived due to a combination of the harsh climate, problems with navigating trade routes and competing outputs in Scandinavia.

In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, by the royal prerogative of Queen Elizabeth I, founded St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St John's, Newfoundland, as the first North American English overseas possessions, English seasonal camp. In 1600, the French established their first seasonal trading post at Tadoussac along the Saint Lawrence. French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent year-round European settlements at Port-Royal (Acadia), Port Royal (in 1605) and Quebec City (in 1608). Among the French colonization of the Americas, colonists of New France, ''French Canadians, Canadiens'' extensively settled the Saint Lawrence River valley and Acadians settled the present-day The Maritimes, Maritimes, while fur traders and Catholic Church and the Age of Discovery, Catholic missionaries explored the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Mississippi watershed to Louisiana (New France), Louisiana. The Beaver Wars broke out in the mid-17th century over control of the North American fur trade.

The English established additional settlements in Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland in 1610 along with settlements in the Thirteen Colonies to the south. A series of French and Indian Wars, four wars erupted in colonial North America between 1689 and 1763; the later wars of the period constituted the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. Mainland Nova Scotia came under British rule with the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and Canada and most of New France came under British rule in 1763 after the Seven Years' War.

British North America

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 established First Nation treaty rights, created the Province of Quebec out of New France, and annexed Cape Breton Island to Nova Scotia. St John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) became a separate colony in 1769. To avert conflict in Quebec, the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act 1774, expanding Quebec's territory to the Great Lakes and Ohio River, Ohio Valley. More importantly, the Quebec Act afforded Quebec special autonomy and rights of self-administration at a time when the Thirteen Colonies were increasingly agitating against British rule. It re-established the French language, Catholic faith, and Law of France, French civil law there, staving off the growth of an independence movement in contrast to the Thirteen Colonies. The Proclamation and the Quebec Act in turn angered many residents of the Thirteen Colonies, further fuelling anti-British sentiment in the years prior to the American Revolution.

After the successful American War of Independence, the Treaty of Paris (1783), 1783 Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the newly formed United States and set the terms of peace, ceding British North American territories south of the Great Lakes and east of the Mississippi River to the new country. The American war of independence also caused a large out-migration of Loyalists, the settlers who had fought against American independence. Many moved to Canada, particularly Atlantic Canada, where their arrival changed the demographic distribution of the existing territories. New Brunswick was in turn split from Nova Scotia as part of a reorganization of Loyalist settlements in the Maritimes, which led to the incorporation of Saint John, New Brunswick, as Canada's first city. To accommodate the influx of English-speaking Loyalists in Central Canada, the Constitutional Act 1791, Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the province of Canada into French-speaking Lower Canada (later Quebec) and English-speaking Upper Canada (later Ontario#Canada West (1841–1867), Ontario), granting each its own elected legislative assembly.

The Canadas were the main front in the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. Peace came in 1815; no boundaries were changed. Immigration resumed at a higher level, with over arrivals from Britain between 1815 and 1850. New arrivals included refugees escaping the Great Irish Famine as well as Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic-speaking Scots displaced by the Highland Clearances. Infectious diseases killed between 25 and 33 percent of Europeans who immigrated to Canada before 1891.

The desire for responsible government resulted in the abortive Rebellions of 1837. The Durham Report subsequently recommended responsible government and the assimilation of French Canadians into English culture. The Act of Union 1840 merged the Canadas into a united Province of Canada and responsible government was established for all provinces of British North America east of Lake Superior by 1855. The signing of the Oregon Treaty by Britain and the United States in 1846 ended the Oregon boundary dispute, extending the border westward along the 49th parallel north, 49th parallel. This paved the way for British colonies on Colony of Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island (1849) and in Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866), British Columbia (1858). The Anglo-Russian Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1825) established the border along the Pacific coast, but, even after the US Alaska Purchase of 1867, disputes continued about the exact demarcation of the Alaska–Yukon and Alaska–British Columbia border.

Confederation and expansion

Following three constitutional conferences, the ''Constitution Act, 1867, British North America Act, 1867'' officially proclaimed Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, initially with four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Canada assumed control of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to form the Northwest Territories, where the Métis' grievances ignited the Red River Rebellion and the creation of the province of Manitoba in July 1870. British Columbia and Vancouver Island (which Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871), had been united in 1866) joined the confederation in 1871 on the promise of a transcontinental railway extending to Victoria in the province within 10 years, while Prince Edward Island joined in 1873. In 1898, during the Klondike Gold Rush in the Northwest Territories, Parliament created the Yukon Territory. Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905. Between 1871 and 1896, almost one quarter of the Canadian population emigrated south to the US.

To open Western Canada, the West and encourage European immigration, the Government of Canada sponsored the construction of three transcontinental railways (including the Canadian Pacific Railway), passed the ''Dominion Lands Act'' to regulate settlement and established the North-West Mounted Police to assert authority over the territory. This Post-Confederation Canada (1867–1914)#Expansion, period of westward expansion and National Policy, nation building resulted in the displacement of many Plains Indians, Indigenous peoples of the Canadian Prairies to "Indian reserves", clearing the way for ethnic European block settlements. This caused the collapse of the History of bison conservation in Canada#Plains bison, Plains Bison in western Canada and the introduction of European Agriculture in Canada, cattle farms and wheat fields dominating the land. The Indigenous peoples saw widespread famine and disease due to the loss of the bison and their traditional hunting lands. The federal government did provide emergency relief, on condition of the Indigenous peoples moving to the reserves. During this time, Canada introduced the ''Indian Act'' extending its control over the First Nations to education, government and legal rights.

Early 20th century

Because Britain still maintained control of Canada's foreign affairs under the British North America Act, 1867, its declaration of war in 1914 automatically brought Military history of Canada during World War I, Canada into the First World War. Volunteers sent to the Western Front (World War I), Western Front later became part of the Canadian Corps, which played a substantial role in the Battle of Vimy Ridge and other major engagements of the war. The Conscription Crisis of 1917 erupted when the Unionist Party (Canada), Unionist Cabinet's proposal to augment the military's dwindling number of active members with conscription was met with vehement objections from French-speaking Quebecers. In 1919, Canada joined the League of Nations independently of Britain, and the ''Statute of Westminster, 1931'', affirmed Canada's independence.

The Great Depression in Canada during the early 1930s saw an economic downturn, leading to hardship across the country. In response to the downturn, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in Saskatchewan introduced many elements of a welfare state (as pioneered by Tommy Douglas) in the 1940s and 1950s. On the advice of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, Declaration of war by Canada#Nazi Germany, war with Germany was declared effective September 10, 1939, by King George VI, seven days after the United Kingdom. The delay underscored Canada's independence.

The first Canadian Army units arrived in Britain in December 1939. In all, over a million Canadians served in the armed forces during the Second World War. Canadian troops played important roles in many key battles of the war, including the failed 1942 Dieppe Raid, the Allied invasion of Italy, the Normandy landings, the Operation Overlord, Battle of Normandy, and the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944. Canada provided asylum for the Dutch monarchy while that country was Reichskommissariat Niederlande, occupied and is credited by the Netherlands for major contributions to Liberation Day (Netherlands), its liberation from Nazi Germany. Despite another Conscription Crisis of 1944, conscription crisis in Quebec in 1944, Canada finished the war with a large army and strong economy.

Contemporary era

The financial crisis of the Great Depression led the Dominion of Newfoundland to relinquish responsible government in 1934 and become a Crown colony ruled by a British governor. After two 1948 Newfoundland referendums, referendums, Newfoundlanders voted to join Canada in 1949 as a province.

Canada's post-war economic growth, combined with the policies of successive Liberal governments, led to the emergence of a new Canadian identity, marked by the adoption of the Flag of Canada, maple leaf flag in 1965, the implementation of official bilingualism (English and French) in 1969, and the institution of Multiculturalism#Canada, official multiculturalism in 1971. Socially democratic programs were also instituted, such as Medicare (Canada), Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan, and Student financial aid in Canada, Canada Student Loans; though, provincial governments, particularly Quebec and Alberta, opposed many of these as incursions into their jurisdictions.

Finally, another series of constitutional conferences resulted in the ''Canada Act 1982'', the patriation of Canada's constitution from the United Kingdom, concurrent with the creation of the ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms''. Canada had established complete sovereignty as an independent country under Monarchy of Canada, its own monarchy.

At the same time, Quebec underwent profound social and economic changes through the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, giving birth to a secular Quebec nationalism, nationalist movement. The radical Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) ignited the October Crisis with a series of bombings and kidnappings in 1970, and the Quebec sovereignty movement, Parti Québécois was elected in 1976, organizing an 1980 Quebec referendum, unsuccessful referendum on sovereignty-association in 1980. Attempts to accommodate Quebec nationalism constitutionally through the Meech Lake Accord failed in 1990. This led to the formation of the Bloc Québécois in Quebec and the invigoration of the Reform Party of Canada in the West. A 1995 Quebec referendum, second referendum followed in 1995, in which sovereignty was rejected by a slimmer margin of 50.6 to 49.4 percent. In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada, Supreme Court ruled Reference Re Secession of Quebec, unilateral secession by a province would be unconstitutional, and the Clarity Act was passed by Parliament, outlining the terms of a negotiated departure from Confederation.

In addition to the issues of Quebec sovereignty, a number of crises shook Canadian society in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These included the explosion of Air India Flight 182 in 1985, the largest mass murder in Canadian history; the École Polytechnique massacre in 1989, a School shooting, university shooting targeting female students; and the Oka Crisis of 1990, the first of a number of violent confrontations between provincial governments and Indigenous groups. Canada joined the Gulf War in 1990 and was active in List of Canadian peacekeeping missions, several peacekeeping missions in the 1990s, including operations in the Balkans during and after the Yugoslav Wars, and in Somalia, resulting in an incident that has been described as "Somalia affair, the darkest era in the history of the Canadian military". Canada sent Canada in the War in Afghanistan, troops to Afghanistan in 2001, resulting in the largest amount of Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan, Canadian deaths for any single military mission since the Canada in the Korean War, Korean War in the early 1950s.

In 2011, Canadian forces participated in the NATO-led intervention into the First Libyan Civil War, Libyan Civil War and also became involved in battling the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq in the mid-2010s. The country celebrated 150th anniversary of Canada, its sesquicentennial in 2017; three years later, the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada began on January 27, 2020, causing widespread social and economic disruption. In 2021, an announcement of the discovery of Canadian Indian residential school gravesites, possible gravesites of over 200 Indigenous children found near a former Canadian Indian residential school system, Canadian Indian residential school, which aimed to assimilate Indigenous children for most of the 20th century, refocused media and public attention on the Canadian genocide of Indigenous peoples, cultural genocide carried out against Canada's Indigenous peoples. A 2025 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico, trade war involving the United States, Canada, and Mexico began on February 1, 2025, when U.S. president Donald Trump signed Second Trump tariffs, orders imposing tariffs on goods from the two countries entering the United States.

Geography

By total area (including its waters), Canada is the List of countries and dependencies by area, second-largest country. By land area alone, Canada List of countries and dependencies by area, ranks fourth, due to having the world's largest area of List of lakes of Canada, fresh water lakes. Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east, along the Arctic Ocean to the north, and to the Pacific Ocean in the west, the country encompasses of territory. Canada also has vast maritime terrain, with the world's longest coastline of . In addition to sharing Canada–United States border, the world's largest land border with the United States—spanning —Canada shares a land border with Greenland (and hence the Kingdom of Denmark) to the northeast, on Hans Island, and a maritime boundary with France's overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon to the southeast. Canada is also home to the world's northernmost settlement, CFS Alert, Canadian Forces Station Alert, on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—which lies from the North Pole. In latitude, Canada's most northerly point of land is Cape Columbia in Nunavut at 83°6′41″N, with its southern extreme at Middle Island (Lake Erie), Middle Island in Lake Erie at 41°40′53″N. In longitude, Canada's land extends from Cape Spear, Newfoundland, at 52°37'W, to Mount Saint Elias, Mount St. Elias, Yukon Territory, at 141°W.

Canada can be divided into seven physiographic regions: the Canadian Shield, the interior plains, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Appalachian Mountains, Appalachian region, the Pacific Cordillera (Canada), Western Cordillera, Hudson Bay Lowlands, and the Arctic Archipelago. Taiga, Boreal forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in Northern Canada, northern Arctic regions and through the Rocky Mountains, and the relatively flat Canadian Prairies in the southwest facilitate productive agriculture. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River (in the southeast) where the lowlands host much of Canada's economic output. Canada has over 2,000,000 lakes—563 of which are larger than —containing much of the world's fresh water. There are also fresh-water glaciers in the Canadian Rockies, the Coast Mountains, and the Arctic Cordillera. Geology of Canada, Canada is geologically active, having List of earthquakes in Canada, many earthquakes and Volcanism of Canada, potentially active volcanoes.

Climate

Average winter and summer high Temperature in Canada, temperatures across Canada vary from region to region. Winters can be harsh in many parts of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces, which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near , but can drop below with severe wind chills. In non-coastal regions, snow can cover the ground for almost six months of the year, while in parts of the north snow can persist year-round. Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. On the east and west coasts, average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C (70s °F), while between the coasts, the average summer high temperature ranges from , with temperatures in some interior locations occasionally exceeding .

Much of Northern Canada is covered by ice and permafrost. The future of the permafrost is uncertain because the Arctic has been warming at three times the global average as a result of climate change in Canada. Canada's annual average temperature over land has risen by , with changes ranging from in various regions, since 1948. The rate of warming has been higher across the North and in the Prairies. In the southern regions of Canada, Air pollution in Canada, air pollution from both Canada and the United States—caused by metal smelting, burning coal to power utilities, and vehicle emissions—has resulted in acid rain, which has severely impacted waterways, forest growth, and agricultural productivity. Canada is one of the largest List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gas emitters globally, with emissions increased by 16.5 percent between 1990 and 2022.

Biodiversity

Canada is divided into Ecozones of Canada, 15 terrestrial and five marine ecozones. These ecozones encompass over 80,000 classified species of Wildlife of Canada, Canadian wildlife, with an equal number yet to be formally recognized or discovered. Although Canada has a low percentage of Megadiverse countries, endemic species compared to other countries, due to human activities, Wildlife of Canada#Invasive species, invasive species, and Environmental issues in Canada, environmental issues in the country, there are currently more than List of Wildlife Species at Risk (Canada), 800 species at risk of being lost. About 65 percent of Canada's resident species are considered "Secure". Over half of Canada's landscape is intact and relatively free of human development. The boreal forest of Canada is considered to be the largest Intact forest landscape, intact forest on Earth, with approximately undisturbed by roads, cities or industry. Since the end of the last glacial period, Canada has consisted of Forests of Canada#Regions, eight distinct forest regions.

Approximately 12.1 percent of the nation's landmass and freshwater are National Wildlife Area, conservation areas, including 11.4 percent designated as Protected areas of Canada, protected areas. Approximately 13.8 percent of its territorial waters are conserved, including 8.9 percent designated as protected areas. Canada's first National Parks of Canada, National Park, Banff National Park established in 1885 spans . Canada's oldest provincial park, Algonquin Provincial Park, established in 1893, covers an area of . Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area is the world's largest freshwater protected area, spanning roughly . Canada's largest national wildlife region is the Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area which spans .

Government and politics

Canada is described as a "Democracy Index, full democracy", with a tradition of liberalism, and an Egalitarianism, egalitarian, Political moderate, moderate political ideology. An emphasis on social justice has been a distinguishing element of Canada's political culture. Peace, order, and good government, alongside an Implied Bill of Rights, are founding principles of Canadian federalism.

At the federal level, Canada has been dominated by two relatively Centrism, centrist parties practising "brokerage politics": the Centre-left politics, centre-left leaning Liberal Party of Canada and the centre-right leaning Conservative Party of Canada (or Conservative Party of Canada#Predecessors, its predecessors). The historically predominant Liberals position themselves at the centre of the political scale. Five parties had representatives elected to Parliament in the 2025 Canadian federal election, 2025 election—the Liberals, who formed a minority government; the Conservatives, who became the Official Opposition (Canada), Official Opposition; the Bloc Québécois; the New Democratic Party (occupying the Left-wing politics, left); and the Green Party of Canada, Green Party. Far-right and far-left politics have never been a prominent force in Canadian society.

Canada has a parliamentary system within the context of a constitutional monarchy—the monarchy of Canada being the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The reigning monarch is also monarch of Commonwealth realm, 14 other sovereign Commonwealth countries and Monarchy in the Canadian provinces, Canada's 10 provinces. The monarch appoints a representative, the governor general, on the Advice (constitutional law), advice of the prime minister, to carry out most of their ceremonial royal duties.

The monarchy is the source of Canadian sovereignty, sovereignty and authority in Canada. However, while the governor general or monarch may exercise their power without ministerial Advice (constitutional law), advice in rare Constitutional crisis, crisis situations, the use of the executive powers (or royal prerogative) is otherwise directed by the Cabinet of Canada, Cabinet, a committee of Minister of the Crown, ministers of the Crown responsible to the elected House of Commons and chosen and headed by the prime minister, the head of government. To ensure the stability of government, the governor general will usually appoint as prime minister the person who is the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a Majority rule, majority of members in the House. The Office of the Prime Minister (Canada), Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is one of the most powerful institutions in government, initiating most legislation for parliamentary approval and selecting for appointment by the Crown the governor general, Lieutenant Governor (Canada), lieutenant governors, senators, federal court judges, and heads of Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporations and government agencies. The leader of the party with the second-most seats usually becomes the Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada), leader of the Official Opposition and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check.

The Parliament of Canada passes all federal statute laws. It comprises the monarch, the House of Commons, and the Senate of Canada, Senate. While Canada inherited the British concept of parliamentary supremacy, this was later, with the enactment of the Constitution Act, 1982, all but completely superseded by the American notion of Supremacy Clause, the supremacy of the law.

Each of the 343 Member of Parliament (Canada), members of Parliament in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in an Electoral district (Canada), electoral district or riding. The ''Constitution Act, 1982'', requires that no more than five years pass between elections, although the ''Canada Elections Act'' limits this to four years with a "fixed" election date in October; Elections in Canada, general elections still must be called by the governor general and can be triggered by either the advice of the prime minister or a lost confidence vote in the House. The 105 members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, serve until age 75.

Canadian federalism divides government responsibilities between the federal government and the 10 provinces. Legislative assemblies of Canadian provinces and territories, Provincial legislatures are unicameral and operate in parliamentary fashion similar to the House of Commons. Canada's three territories also have legislatures, but these are not sovereign, have fewer constitutional responsibilities than the provinces, and differ structurally from their provincial counterparts.

Law

The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law of the country and consists of written text and unwritten conventions. The ''Constitution Act, 1867'' (known as the British North America Acts, British North America Act, 1867 prior to 1982), affirmed governance based on parliamentary precedent and divided powers between the federal and provincial governments. The ''Statute of Westminster, 1931'', granted full autonomy, and the ''Constitution Act, 1982'', ended all legislative ties to Britain, as well as adding a constitutional amending formula and the ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms''. The ''Charter'' guarantees basic Human rights in Canada, rights and freedoms that usually cannot be overridden by any government; a Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, notwithstanding clause allows Parliament and the provincial legislatures to override certain sections of the ''Charter'' for a period of five years.

Court system of Canada, Canada's judiciary interprets laws and has the power to strike down acts of Parliament that violate the constitution. The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court, final arbiter, and has been led since 2017 by Richard Wagner (judge), Richard Wagner, the Chief Justice of Canada. The governor general appoints the court's nine members on the advice of the prime minister and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, minister of justice. The federal Cabinet also appoints justices to superior courts in the provincial and territorial jurisdictions.

Law of Canada#Common law, Common law prevails everywhere except Quebec law, Quebec, where civil law predominates. Criminal law of Canada, Criminal law is solely a federal responsibility and is uniform throughout Canada. Law enforcement, including criminal courts, is officially a provincial responsibility, conducted by provincial and municipal police forces. In most rural and some urban areas, policing responsibilities are contracted to the federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Canadian Aboriginal law provides certain Aboriginal land title in Canada, constitutionally recognized rights to land and traditional practices for Indigenous groups in Canada. Various treaties and case laws were established to mediate relations between Europeans and many Indigenous peoples. The role of Aboriginal law and the rights they support were reaffirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. These rights may include provision of services, such as healthcare through the Indian Health Transfer Policy, and exemption from taxation.

Provinces and territories

Canada is a federation composed of 10 federated states, called provinces, and three federal territories. These may be grouped into List of regions of Canada, four main regions: Western Canada, Central Canada, Atlantic Canada, and Northern Canada (''Eastern Canada'' refers to Central Canada and Atlantic Canada together). Provinces and territories have responsibility for social programs such as Healthcare in Canada, healthcare, Education in Canada, education, and Social programs in Canada, social programs, as well as administration of justice (but not criminal law). Although the provinces collect more revenue than the federal government, equalization payments are made by the federal government to ensure reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces.

The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that provinces receive their sovereignty from the Crown and power and authority from the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', whereas territorial governments have powers delegated to them by the Parliament of Canada and the commissioners represent the King-in-Council, King in his federal Council, rather than the monarch directly. The powers flowing from the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', are divided between the federal government and the provincial governments to exercise exclusively and any changes to that arrangement require a Amendments to the Constitution of Canada, constitutional amendment, while changes to the roles and powers of the territories may be performed unilaterally by the Parliament of Canada.

Foreign relations

Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in global affairs with a tendency to pursue Multilateralism, multilateral and Internationalism (politics), international solutions. Canada is known for its commitment to international peace and security, as well as being a mediator in conflicts, and for providing Aid, aid to developing countries.

Canada–United States relations, Canada and the United States have a long and complex relationship; historically close allies, they co-operate regularly on military campaigns and humanitarian efforts. Canada also maintains historic and traditional Canada–United Kingdom relations, ties to the United Kingdom and Canada–France relations, to France, along with both countries' former colonies through its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and the . Canada is noted for having a positive Canada–Netherlands relations, relationship with the Netherlands, owing, in part, to its contribution to the Liberation of the Netherlands, Dutch liberation during the Second World War. List of diplomatic missions of Canada, Canada has diplomatic and consular offices in over 270 locations in approximately 180 foreign countries.

Canada promotes Canadian values , its domestically shared values through participating in International organisation membership of Canada, multiple international organizations. Canada and the United Nations, Canada was a founding member of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 and formed the North American Aerospace Defense Command together with the United States in 1958. The country has membership in the World Trade Organization, the Five Eyes, the G7 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The country was a founding member the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) in 1989 and joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1990. Canada ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, and seven principal UN human rights conventions and covenants since then.

Military and peacekeeping

Alongside many List of Canadian military operations#Domestic, domestic obligations, more than 3,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel are List of Canadian military operations#Foreign, deployed in multiple foreign military operations. The Canadian unified forces comprise the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. The nation employs a professional, volunteer force of approximately 68,000 active personnel and 27,000 reserve personnel—increasing to 71,500 and 30,000 respectively under "Strong, Secure, Engaged"—with a sub-component of approximately 5,000 Canadian Rangers. In 2022, Canada's military expenditure totalled approximately $26.9 billion, or around 1.2 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP)placing it 14th for List of countries by military expenditures, military expenditure by country.

Canadian peacekeeping, Canada's role in developing ''peacekeeping'' and its participation in major peacekeeping initiatives during the 20th century has played a major role in its positive global image. Peacekeeping is deeply embedded in Canadian culture and a distinguishing feature that Canadians feel sets their foreign policy apart from the United States. Canada has long been reluctant to participate in military operations that are not sanctioned by the United Nations, such as the Canada and the Vietnam War, Vietnam War or the Canada and the Iraq War, 2003 invasion of Iraq. Since the 21st century, Canadian direct participation in UN peacekeeping efforts has greatly declined. The large decrease was a result of Canada directing its participation to UN-sanctioned military Canada in NATO, operations through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, rather than directly through the UN. The change to participation via NATO has resulted in a shift towards more militarized and deadly missions rather than traditional peacekeeping duties.

Economy

Canada has a Developed country, highly developed Mixed-market, mixed-market economy, with the world's List of countries by GDP (nominal), ninth-largest nominal GDP , at approximately . It is one of the world's largest trading nations, with a highly globalized economy. In 2021, Canadian trade in goods and services reached $2.016 trillion.PDF version
. Canada's exports totalled over $637 billion, while its imported goods were worth over $631 billion, of which approximately $391 billion originated from the United States. In 2018, Canada had a trade deficit in goods of $22 billion and a trade deficit in services of $25 billion. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the ninth-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, listing over 1,500 companies with a combined market capitalization of over .

The Bank of Canada is the central bank of the country. The Minister of Finance (Canada), minister of finance and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, minister of innovation, science, and industry use data from Statistics Canada to enable financial planning and develop economic policy. Canada has a strong cooperative banking sector, with the world's highest per-capita membership in credit unions. It ranks low in the Corruption Perceptions Index (14th in 2023) and "is widely regarded as among the least corrupt countries of the world". It ranks high in the Global Competitiveness Report (19th in 2024). Canada's economy ranks above most Western nations on the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom and experiences a relatively low level of Economic inequality, income disparity. The country's average household disposable income per capita is "well above" the OECD average. Canada ranks among the lowest of the most developed countries for Affordable housing in Canada, housing affordability and foreign direct investment.

Since the early 20th century, the growth of Manufacturing in Canada, Canada's manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy to an urbanized, industrial one. The Canadian economy is dominated by the Tertiary sector of the economy, service industry, which employs about three-quarters of the country's workforce. Canada has an unusually important Primary sector of the economy, primary sector, of which the Forestry in Canada, forestry and Petroleum industry in Canada, petroleum industries are the most prominent components. Many towns in northern Canada, where agriculture is difficult, are sustained by nearby mines or sources of timber.

Canada's economic integration with the United States has increased significantly since the Second World War. The Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) of 1988 eliminated tariffs between the two countries, while the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) expanded the free-trade zone to include Mexico in 1994 (later replaced by the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement). As of 2023, Free trade agreements of Canada, Canada is a signatory to 15 free trade agreements with 51 different countries.

Canada is one of the few developed nations that are net exporters of energy. Offshore drilling in Atlantic Canada, Atlantic Canada possess vast offshore deposits of natural gas, and Alberta hosts the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world. The vast Athabasca oil sands and other oil reserves give Canada 13 percent of global oil reserves, constituting the world's List of countries by proven oil reserves, third- or fourth-largest. Canada is additionally one of the world's Agriculture in Canada, largest suppliers of agricultural products; the Canadian Prairies region is one of the most important global producers of wheat, canola, and other grains. List of exports of Canada, Canada's main exports are zinc, uranium, gold, nickel, Platinum group, platinoids, aluminum, steel, iron ore, coking coal, lead, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, and cadmium. Canada has a sizeable manufacturing sector centred in southern Ontario and Quebec, with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries. The Fishing industry in Canada, country's fishing industry is also a key contributor to the economy.

Science and technology

In 2020, Canada spent approximately $41.9 billion on domestic research and development, with supplementary estimates for 2022 at $43.2 billion. , the country has produced 15 List of Nobel laureates by country, Nobel laureates in Nobel Prize in Physics, physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, chemistry, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, medicine. The country List of countries by number of scientific and technical journal articles, ranks seventh in the worldwide share of articles published in scientific journals, according to the Nature Index, and is home to the headquarters of a number of global technology firms. Canada List of countries by number of Internet users, has one of the highest levels of Internet access in the world, with over 33 million users, equivalent to around 94 percent of its total population.

List of Canadian inventions, innovations, and discoveries, Canada's achievements in science and technology include the creation of the modern alkaline battery, the Insulin#Discovery, discovery of insulin, the development of the polio vaccine, and discoveries about the interior structure of the atomic nucleus. Other major Canadian scientific contributions include the artificial cardiac pacemaker, mapping the visual cortex, the development of the electron microscope, plate tectonics, deep learning, multi-touch technology, and the identification of the first black hole, Cygnus X-1. Canada has a long history of discovery in genetics, which include stem cells, site-directed mutagenesis, T-cell receptor, and the identification of the genes that cause Fanconi anemia, cystic fibrosis, and early-onset Alzheimer's disease, among numerous other diseases.

The Canadian Space Agency runs an active space program focused on deep-space, planetary, and aviation research, along with rockets and satellites. Canada launched its first satellite, Alouette 1, in 1962. It contributes to the International Space Station and is known for its robotic tools, such as multiple Canadarms. Canada has initiated many long-term projects, including the Radarsat, Radarsat satellite series and the Black Brant (rocket), Black Brant rocket series.

Demographics

The 2021 Canadian census enumerated a Population of Canada by year, total population of 36,991,981, an increase of around 5.2 percent over the 2016 figure. It is estimated that Canada's population surpassed 40,000,000 in 2023. The main drivers of population growth are Immigration to Canada, immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth. Canada has one of the highest per-capita immigration rates in the world, driven mainly by Economic impact of immigration to Canada, economic policy and Immigration categories (Canada), family reunification. A record 405,000 immigrants were admitted in 2021. Canada leads the world in Third country resettlement, refugee resettlement; it resettled more than 47,600 in 2022. New immigrants settle mostly in List of the largest population centres in Canada, major urban areas, such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Canada's population density, at , is among the lowest in the world, with approximately 95 percent of the population residing south of the 55th parallel north, 55th parallel north. About 80 percent of the population lives within of the border with the contiguous United States. Canada is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of the population living in urban centres. The majority of Canadians (over 70 percent ) live below the 49th parallel north, 49th parallel, with 50 percent of Canadians living south of 45°42′ (45.7 degrees) north. The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor in Southern Quebec and Southern Ontario along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

The majority of Canadians (81.1 percent) live in family households, 12.1 percent report living alone, and 6.8 percent live with other relatives or unrelated persons. Fifty-one percent of households are couples with or without children, 8.7 percent are single-parent households, 2.9 percent are multigenerational households, and 29.3 percent are single-person households.

Ethnicity

Respondents in the 2021 Canadian census self-reported over 450 "Ethnic origins of people in Canada, ethnic or cultural origins". The major Panethnicity, panethnic groups chosen were: Ethnic groups in Europe, European (), North American (), Ethnic groups in Asia, Asian (), Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous (), List of ethnic groups of Africa, African (), Latin America, Latin, Central and South American (), Caribbean people, Caribbean (), Oceanian people, Oceanian (), and other (). Over 60 percent of Canadians reported a single origin, and 36 percent reported having multiple ethnic origins, thus the overall total is greater than 100 percent.

The country's ten largest self-reported ethnic or cultural origins in 2021 were Canadian ethnicity, Canadian (accounting for 15.6 percent of the population), followed by English Canadians, English (14.7 percent), Irish Canadians, Irish (12.1 percent), Scottish Canadians, Scottish (12.1 percent), French Canadians, French (11.0 percent), German Canadians, German (8.1 percent), Chinese Canadians, Chinese (4.7 percent), Italian Canadians, Italian (4.3 percent), Indian Canadians, Indian (3.7 percent), and Ukrainian Canadians, Ukrainian (3.5 percent).

Of the 36.3million people enumerated in 2021, approximately 24.5million reported being "White people, White", representing 67.4 percent of the population. The Indigenous population representing 5 percent or 1.8million people, grew by 9.4 percent compared to the non-Indigenous population, which grew by 5.3 percent from 2016 to 2021. One out of every four Canadians or 26.5 percent of the population belonged to a non-White and non-Indigenous visible minority, the largest of which in 2021 were South Asian Canadians, South Asian (2.6million people; 7.1 percent), Chinese (1.7million; 4.7 percent), Black Canadians, Black (1.5million; 4.3 percent), Filipino Canadians, Filipinos (960,000 2.6 percent), Arab Canadians, Arabs (690,000; 1.9 percent), Latin Americans (580,000; 1.6 percent), Southeast Asian Canadians, Southeast Asians (390,000; 1.1 percent), West Asian Canadians, West Asians (360,000; 1.0 percent), Korean Canadians, Koreans (220,000; 0.6 percent) and Japanese Canadians, Japanese (99,000; 0.3 percent).

Between 2011 and 2016, the visible minority population rose by 18.4 percent. In 1961, about 300,000 people, less than two percent of Canada's population, were members of visible minority groups. The 2021 census indicated that 8.3million people, or almost one-quarter (23.0 percent) of the population, reported themselves as being or having been a Permanent residency in Canada, landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada—above the 1921 Canadian census, 1921 census previous record of 22.3 percent. In 2021, India, China, and the Philippines were the top three countries of origin for immigrants moving to Canada.

Languages

A multitude of languages are used by Canadians, with Canadian English, English and Canadian French, French (the official languages) being the First language, mother tongues of approximately 54 percent and 19 percent of Canadians, respectively. Official bilingualism in Canada, Canada's official bilingualism policies give citizens the right to receive federal government services in either English or French with official-Minority language, language minorities guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories.

Quebec's 1974 ''Official Language Act (Quebec), Official Language Act'' established French as the only official language of the province. Although more than 82 percent of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, there are substantial Francophone populations in Demographics of New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Franco-Albertans, Alberta, and Franco-Manitoban, Manitoba, with Franco-Ontarian, Ontario having the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec. New Brunswick, the only officially bilingual province, has an Acadian French minority constituting 33 percent of the population. There are also clusters of Acadians in southwestern Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island, and in central and western Prince Edward Island.

Other provinces have no official languages as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and for other government services, in addition to English. Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec allow for both English and French to be spoken in the provincial legislatures and laws are enacted in both languages. In Ontario, French has some legal status, but is not fully co-official. There are 11 Languages of Canada, Indigenous language groups, composed of more than 65 distinct languages and dialects. Several Indigenous languages have official status in the Northwest Territories. Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut and is one of three official languages in the territory.

As of the 2021 census, just over 7.8 million Canadians listed a non-official language as their first language. Some of the most common non-official first languages include Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin (679,255 first-language speakers), Punjabi language, Punjabi (666,585), Cantonese (553,380), Spanish (538,870), Arabic (508,410), Tagalog language, Tagalog (461,150), Italian (319,505), German (272,865), and Tamil language, Tamil (237,890). The country is also home to many sign languages, some of which are Indigenous. American Sign Language (ASL) is used across the country due to the prevalence of ASL in primary and secondary schools. Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) is used primarily in Quebec.

Religion

Canada is religiously diverse, encompassing a wide range of beliefs and customs. The Constitution of Canada refers to God; however, Canada has no official church and the government is officially committed to religious pluralism. Freedom of religion in Canada is a constitutionally protected right.

Rates of religious adherence have steadily decreased since the 1970s. With Christianity in decline after having once been central and integral to Canadian culture and daily life, Canada has become a Postchristianity, post-Christian, secular state. Although the majority of Canadians consider Importance of religion by country, religion to be unimportant in their daily lives, they still believe in God. The practice of religion is generally considered a private matter.

According to the 2021 census, Christianity in Canada, Christianity is the largest religion in Canada, with Roman Catholics representing 29.9 percent of the population having the most adherents. Christians overall representing 53.3 percent of the population, are followed by people reporting Irreligion in Canada, irreligion or having no religion at 34.6 percent. Other faiths include Islam in Canada, Islam (4.9 percent), Hinduism in Canada, Hinduism (2.3 percent), Sikhism in Canada, Sikhism (2.1 percent), Buddhism in Canada, Buddhism (1.0 percent), Judaism in Canada, Judaism (0.9 percent), and Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous spirituality (0.2 percent). Canada has the Sikhism by country, second-largest national Sikh population, behind Sikhism in India, India.

Health

Healthcare in Canada is delivered through the provincial and territorial systems of publicly funded health care, informally called Medicare (Canada), Medicare. It is guided by the provisions of the ''Canada Health Act'' of 1984 and is Universal health care, universal. Universal access to publicly funded health services "is often considered by Canadians as a fundamental value that ensures national healthcare insurance for everyone wherever they live in the country". Around 30 percent of Canadians' healthcare is paid for through the private sector. This mostly pays for services not covered or partially covered by Medicare, such as prescription drugs, dentistry and optometry. Approximately 65 to 75 percent of Canadians have some form of supplementary health insurance; many receive it through their employers or access secondary social service programs.

In common with many other developed countries, Canada is experiencing an increase in healthcare expenditures due to a Demographic transition, demographic shift toward an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2021, the average age in Canada was 41.9 years. Life expectancy is 81.1 years. A 2016 report by the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, chief public health officer found that 88 percent of Canadians, one of the highest proportions of the population among G7 countries, indicated that they "had good or very good health". Eighty percent of Canadian adults self-report having at least one major risk factor for chronic disease: smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating or excessive alcohol use. Canada has one of the highest rates of adult obesity among OECD countries, contributing to approximately 2.7 million cases of diabetes. Four chronic diseases—cancer (leading cause of death), cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and diabetes—account for 65 percent of deaths in Canada. There are approximately 8million people aged 15 and older with one or more Disability in Canada, disabilities in Canada.

In 2021, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported that healthcare spending reached $308billion, or 12.7 percent of Canada's GDP for that year. In 2022, Canada's per-capita spending on health expenditures ranked 12th among List of countries by total health expenditure per capita, health-care systems in the OECD. Canada has performed close to, or above the average on the majority of OECD health indicators since the early 2000s, ranking above the average on OECD indicators for wait-times and access to care, with average scores for quality of care and use of resources. The Commonwealth Fund, Commonwealth Fund's 2021 report comparing the healthcare systems of the 11 most developed countries ranked Canada second-to-last. Identified weaknesses were comparatively higher infant mortality rate, the prevalence of chronic conditions, long wait times, poor availability of after-hours care, and a lack of prescription drugs and dental coverage. An increasing problem in Canada's health system is a lack of healthcare professionals, and hospital capacity.

Education

Education in Canada is for the most part State school, provided publicly, funded and overseen by Government of Canada, federal, Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial, and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and a province's curriculum is overseen by its government. Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education, followed by Secondary education, secondary and Tertiary education, post-secondary education. Education in both English and French is available in most places across Canada. Canada has a large number of universities, almost all of which are publicly funded. Established in 1663, is the oldest post-secondary institution in Canada. The nation's three top ranking universities are the University of Toronto, McGill University, McGill, and the University of British Columbia. The largest university is the University of Toronto, which has over 85,000 students.

According to a 2022 report by the OECD, Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world; the country ranks first worldwide in the percentage of adults having tertiary education, with over 56 percent of Canadian adults having attained at least an undergraduate college or university degree. Canada spends an average of 5.3 percent of its GDP on education. The country invests heavily in tertiary education (more than per student). , 89 percent of adults aged 25 to 64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, compared to an OECD average of 75 percent.

The Compulsory education, mandatory education age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years, contributing to an adult literacy rate of 99 percent. Just over 60,000 children are Homeschooling in Canada, homeschooled in the country as of 2016. Canada is a well-performing OECD country in reading literacy, mathematics, and science, with the average student scoring 523.7, compared with the OECD average of 493 in 2015.

Culture

Historically, Canada has been influenced by Culture of the United Kingdom, British, French culture, French, and Indigenous cultures and traditions. During the 20th century, Canadians with African, Caribbean, and Asian nationalities have added to the Canadian identity and its culture.

Canada's culture draws influences from its broad range of constituent nationalities, and policies that promote a just society are constitutionally protected. Since the 1960s, Canada has emphasized Human rights in Canada, human rights and inclusiveness for all its people. Multiculturalism in Canada, The official state policy of multiculturalism is often cited as one of Canada's significant accomplishments and a key distinguishing element of Canadian identity. In Quebec, cultural identity is strong and there is a Culture of Quebec, French Canadian culture that is distinct from English Canadian culture. As a whole, Canada is in theory a cultural mosaic of regional ethnic subcultures.

Canada's approach to governance emphasizing multiculturalism, which is based on selective Economic migrant, immigration, social integration, and Dissent, suppression of far-right politics, has wide public support. Government policies such as publicly funded health care, Income taxes in Canada, higher taxation to redistribute wealth, the Capital punishment in Canada, outlawing of capital punishment, strong efforts to Poverty in Canada, eliminate poverty, Gun politics in Canada, strict gun control, a social liberal attitude toward Feminism in Canada, women's rights (like Abortion in Canada, pregnancy termination) and LGBT rights in Canada, LGBT rights, and legalized Euthanasia in Canada, euthanasia and Cannabis in Canada, cannabis use are indicators of Canada's political and cultural values. Canadians also identify with the country's foreign aid policies, peacekeeping roles, the National Parks of Canada, national park system, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Symbols

Themes of nature, pioneers, trappers, and traders played an important part in the early development of Canadian symbolism. Modern symbols emphasize the country's geography, cold climate, lifestyles, and the Canadianization of traditional European and Indigenous symbols. The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates to the early 18th century. The maple leaf is depicted on Canada's Flag of Canada, current and Canadian Red Ensign, previous flags and on the Arms of Canada. Canada's official tartan, known as the "Regional tartans of Canada, maple leaf tartan", reflects the colours of the maple leaf through the seasons—green in the Spring (season), spring, gold in the early autumn, red at the first frost, and brown after falling. The Arms of Canada are closely modelled after Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, those of the United Kingdom, with French and distinctive Canadian elements replacing or added to those derived from the British version.

Other prominent symbols include the national motto, "" ("From Sea to Sea"), the sports of ice hockey and lacrosse, the beaver, Canada goose, common loon, Canadian horse, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Rockies, and, more recently, the totem pole and Inuksuk. Canadian beer, maple syrup, tuques, canoes, nanaimo bars, butter tarts, and poutine are defined as uniquely Canadian. Canadian coins feature many of these symbols: the loon on the Loonie, $1 coin, the Arms of Canada on the 50-cent piece (Canadian coin), 50¢ piece, and the beaver on the Nickel (Canadian coin), nickel. An image of the monarch appears on Canadian dollar, $20 bank notes and the obverse of coins.

Literature

Canadian literature is often divided into French- and English-language literatures, which are rooted in the literary traditions of France and Britain, respectively. The earliest Canadian narratives were of travel and exploration. This progressed into three major themes of historical Canadian literature: nature, frontier life, and Canada's position within the world, all of which tie into the garrison mentality. In recent decades, Canada's literature has been strongly influenced by immigrants from around the world. By the 1990s, Canadian literature was viewed as some of the world's best.

Numerous List of Canadian writers, Canadian authors have accumulated international literary awards, including novelist, poet, and literary critic Margaret Atwood, who received two Booker Prizes; Alice Munro, who received a Nobel Prize in Literature; and Booker Prize recipient Michael Ondaatje, who wrote the novel ''The English Patient'', which was adapted as a The English Patient (film), film of the same name that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. L. M. Montgomery produced a series of children's novels beginning in 1908 with ''Anne of Green Gables''.

Media

Canada's media is Press Freedom Index, highly autonomous, Censorship by country, uncensored, Multicultural media in Canada, diverse, and very regionalized. The ''Broadcasting Act (1991), Broadcasting Act'' declares "the system should serve to safeguard, enrich, and strengthen the cultural, political, social, and economic fabric of Canada". Canada has a well-developed media sector, but its cultural output—particularly in Cinema of Canada, English films, Television in Canada, television shows, and List of Canadian magazines, magazines—is often overshadowed by imports from the United States. As a result, the preservation of a distinctly Canadian culture is 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).

Mass media in Canada, Canadian mass media, both Newspapers of Canada, print and Canadian online media, digital, and in both official languages, is largely dominated by a "Media ownership in Canada, handful of corporations". The largest of these corporations is the country's national public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which also plays a significant role in producing domestic cultural content, operating CBC Radio, its own radio and CBC Television, TV networks in both English and French. In addition to the CBC, some provincial governments offer their own public educational TV broadcast services as well, such as TVOntario and Télé-Québec.

Non-news media content in Canada, including film and television, is influenced both by local creators as well as by imports from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and France. In an effort to reduce the amount of foreign-made media, government interventions in television broadcasting can include both regulation of content and public financing. Taxation in Canada, Canadian tax laws limit foreign competition in magazine advertising.

Visual arts

Art in Canada is marked by thousands of years of habitation by Indigenous peoples, and, in later times, artists have combined British, French, Indigenous, and American artistic traditions, at times embracing European styles while working to promote nationalism. The nature of Canadian art reflects these diverse origins, as artists have taken their traditions and adapted these influences to reflect the reality of their lives in Canada.

Modern painting in Canada has been greatly influenced by several major movements that have emerged over the years. One of the most prominent movements is the Group of Seven (artists), Group of Seven, which was founded in 1920, aimed to capture the wilderness in their artwork. Associated with the group was Emily Carr, known for her landscapes and portrayals of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. The mid-20th century saw the rise of abstract art in Canada, with artists like Jean-Paul Riopelle and Paul-Émile Borduas. The 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of conceptual art, with artists such as Michael Snow and Ian Carr-Harris. This era also saw the emergence of Indigenous artists like Norval Morrisseau, who combined traditional Indigenous techniques with modern art styles. In more recent years, contemporary art has seen a revival of figurative art, with artists such as Kent Monkman and Shuvinai Ashoona.

Music

Canadian music reflects a Music of Canadian cultures, variety of regional scenes. Canada has developed a vast music infrastructure that includes church halls, Chamber music, chamber halls, Music school, conservatories, academies, performing arts center, performing arts centres, record company, record companies, radio stations, and television music video channels. Government support programs, such as the Canada Music Fund, assist a wide range of musicians and entrepreneurs who create, produce and market original and diverse Canadian music. As a result of its cultural importance, as well as government initiatives and regulations, the Canadian music industry is one of the largest in the world, producing internationally renowned List of Canadian composers, composers, List of Canadian musicians, musicians, and List of bands from Canada, ensembles. Music broadcasting in the country is regulated by the CRTC. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presents Canada's music industry awards, the Juno Awards. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements.

Anthems and nationalistic songs of Canada, Patriotic music in Canada dates back over 200 years. The earliest work of patriotic music in Canada, "The Bold Canadian", was written in 1812. "The Maple Leaf Forever", written in 1866, was a popular patriotic song throughout English Canada and, for many years, served as an unofficial national anthem. "O Canada" also served as an unofficial national anthem for much of the 20th century and was adopted as the country's official anthem in 1980.

Sports

Canada's official national sports are Ice hockey in Canada, ice hockey and Lacrosse in Canada, lacrosse. Other major professional games include curling, Basketball in Canada, basketball, Baseball in Canada, baseball, Soccer in Canada, soccer, and Canadian football, football. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by numerous "Halls of Fame" and museums, such as Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Canada shares several Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, major professional sports leagues with the United States. Canadian teams in these leagues include seven franchises in the National Hockey League, three Soccer in Canada#Major League Soccer, Major League Soccer teams, and one team in each of Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. Other popular professional competitions include the Canadian Football League, National Lacrosse League, the Canadian Premier League, and the curling tournaments hosted by Curling Canada. Canadians identified hockey as their preferred sport for viewing, followed by soccer and then basketball.

In terms of participation, swimming was the most commonly reported sport by over one-third (35 percent) of Canadians in 2023. This was closely followed by cycling (33 percent) and running (27 percent). The popularity of specific sports varies; in general, the Canadian-born population was more likely to have participated in winter sports such as ice hockey (the most popular young adult team sport), Ice skating, skating, skiing and snowboarding, compared with immigrants, who were more likely to have played soccer (the most popular youth team sport), tennis or basketball. Sports such as golf, Volleyball in Canada, volleyball, badminton, bowling, and martial arts are also widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels.

Canada has enjoyed success both Canada at the Winter Olympics, at the Winter Olympics and Canada at the Summer Olympics, at the Summer Olympics—particularly the Winter Games as a "winter sports nation"—and has hosted high-profile international sporting events such as the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1988 Winter Olympics, the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2015 Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games. The country is scheduled to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and the United States.

See also

* Index of Canada-related articles
* List of Canada-related topics by provinces and territories
* Outline of Canada

Notes

References

Further reading

Overview
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Culture
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Demography and statistics
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Economy
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Previous surveys

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Foreign relations and military
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Geography and environment
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Government and law
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History
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Social welfare
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External links

Overviews


from University of Colorado Boulder, UCB Libraries GovPubs

Canada profile
from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD

Key Development Forecasts for Canada
from International Futures

Government

Official website of the Government of Canada

Official website of the Governor General of Canada

Official website of the Prime Ministers of Canada

Travel

Canada's official website for travel and tourism

{{Coord, 60, N, 110, W, region:CA, display=title

Canada,
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