CANADA

CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

“O CANADA”

- Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories; Canada has 6 different time zones.

- The provinces consists of: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.

- The three territories are Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon.

- The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that provinces receive their power and authority from the Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly called the British North America Act, 1867), whereas territorial governments have powers delegated to them by the federal government. This means that while a change to the division of powers between the federal government and the provinces requires a constitutional amendment, a similar change affecting the territories can be performed unilaterally by the federal Parliament or government. Moreover, in modern Canadian constitutional theory, the provinces are considered to be co-sovereign divisions, and each province has its own "Crown" represented by the lieutenant governor, whereas the territories are not sovereign, but simply parts of the federal realm, and have a commissioner who represents the federal government.

- Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Covering 9.98 million square kilometers in total, Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area. Its common border with the United States forms the world's longest land border.

- Canada is a developed country and one of the wealthiest in the world, with the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally, and the eighth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. Canada is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, and is furthermore part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings, including NATO, the G8, the Group of Ten, the G20, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEADERS

-Bloc Quebecois [Daniel PAILLE] 

-Conservative Party of Canada [Stephen HARPER] 

-Green Party [Elizabeth MAY] 

-Liberal Party [Justin TRUDEAU] 

-New Democratic Party or NDP [Thomas MULCAIR]

GOVERNMENT-Type of government: a parliamentary democracy, a federation, and a constitutional monarchy

*Executive branch*

-head of state: Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General David Johnston (since 1 October 2010) 

head of government: Prime Minister Stephen Joseph Harper (since 6 February 2006) 

cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament 

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Commons generally designated prime minister by the governor general

GOVERNMENT CONT.

- Legislative Branch

-bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate (105 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and serve until 75 years of age) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (308 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve a maximum of four-year terms) 

-elections: House of Commons - last held on 2 May 2011 (next to be held no later than 19 October 2015) 

-election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative Party 39.6%, NDP 30.6%, Liberal Party 18.9%, Bloc Quebecois 6%, Greens 3.9%;

- seats by party - Conservative Party 166, NDP 103, Liberal Party 34, Bloc Quebecois 4, Greens 1

GOVERNMENT CONT.

-Judicial Branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Canada (consists of the chief justice and 8 judges) note - in 1949, Canada finally abolished all appeals beyond its Supreme Court to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office: chief justice and judges appointed by the prime minister in council; all judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 75 

subordinate courts: federal level: Federal Court of Appeal; Federal Court; Tax Court; federal administrative tribunals; courts martial; provincial/territorial: provincial superior, appeals, first instance, and specialized courts; in 1999, the Nunavut Court - a circuit court with the power of a superior court and the territorial courts - was established to serve isolated settlements

CANADIAN CONSTITUTION

The Canadian Constitution

In many countries formed by revolution or an act of independence – the United States is the best example – most constitutional law is contained in a single document. In a democracy with a written constitution, legislators cannot make just any laws they wish. A country’s constitution, among other things, defines the powers and limits of powers that can be exercised by the different levels and branches of government.

Canada, in contrast, became a country by an act of the Parliament of Great Britain. Consequently, the closest thing to a constitutional document would be the British North America Act of 1867 (the BNA Act, now known as the Constitution Act, 1867), by which the British colonies of Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united in a confederation called the Dominion of Canada. (Prince Edward Island, although a member of the team that shaped Confederation, did not join until later.)

Although there is no single constitution in Canadian law, the Constitution Act – a part of the Canada Act of 1982 – finally “patriated” or brought home from Great Britain Canada’s constitution as created by the BNA Act. The Constitution Act declares the Constitution of Canada to be the supreme law of Canada and includes some 30 acts and orders that are part of it. It reaffirms Canada’s dual legal system by stating provinces have exclusive jurisdiction over property and civil rights. It also includes Aboriginal rights, those related to the historical occupancy and use of the land by Aboriginal peoples, treaty rights, agreements between the Crown and particular groups of Aboriginal people.

Economy

GDP (purchasing power) - $1.518 trillion (2013 est.) 

$1.494 trillion (2012 est.) $1.469 trillion (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP ( real growth rate) 1.6% (2013 est.)  1.7% (2012 est.)  2.5% (2011 est.)

GDP (per capita)$43,100 (2013 est.) $42,900 (2012 est.) $42,700 (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

Population below poverty9.4%  15.1% (2010 est.) note: this figure is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), a calculation that results in higher figures than found in many comparable

economies; Canada does not have an official poverty line (2008)

U.S. $16.72 trillion (2013 est.) $16.47 trillion (2012 est.) $16.02 trillion (2011 est.)

1.6% (2013 est.) 2.8% (2012 est.) 1.8% (2011 est.)

$52,800 (2013 est.) $52,400 (2012 est.) $51,400 (2011 est.) 

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

7.1% (2013 EST.) 7.3% (2012 EST.)

Labor Force 19.08 million (2013 est.)

Labor force by occupation

agriculture: 2% manufacturing: 13% construction: 6% services: 76% other: 3% (2006 est.)

U.S. 155.4 million 

note: includes unemployed(2013)

farming, forestry, and fishing: 0.7% manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts: 20.3% managerial, professional, and technical: 37.3% sales and office: 24.2% other services: 17.6% 

note: figures exclude the unemployed (2009)

7.3% (2013 est.) 8.1% (2012 est.)

Budget

revenues: $687.8 billion 

expenditures: $740.8 billion (2013 est.)

U.S.

revenues: $2.849 trillion 

expenditures: $3.517 trillion 

note: for the US, revenues exclude social contributions of approximately $1.0 trillion; expenditures exclude social benefits of approximately $2.3 trillion (2013 est.)

Industries transportation equipment, chemicals,

processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum, natural gas

Industrial growth rate

1.4% (2013 est.)

U.S. highly diversified, world leading,

high-technology innovator, second largest industrial output in world; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles,

aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining

2.5% (2013 est.)

EXPORT PARTNERS

US 74.5%, CHINA 4.3%, UK 4.1% (2012) CANADA 18.9%, MEXICO 14%, CHINA 7.2%, JAPAN4.5% (2012)

Agriculture/Products wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits,

vegetables; dairy products; fish; forest products

Exports

$458.7 billion (2013 est.) $462.9 billion (2012 est.)

motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum

U.S. wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables,

cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products

$1.575 trillion (2013 est.) $1.561 trillion (2012 est.)

agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0%

Imports $471 billion (2013 est.) 

$474.9 billion (2012 est.)

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods

Import partners

US 50.6%, China 11%, Mexico 5.5% (2012)

U.S. $2.273 trillion (2013 est.) 

$2.303 trillion (2012 est.)

agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys)

China 19%, Canada 14.1%, Mexico 12%, Japan 6.4%, Germany 4.7% (2012)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 14.3% male: 15.9% female: 12.6% (2012)

U.S. total: 17.3% 

male: 18.7% female: 15.7% (2011)

Demographics Population: 34,834,841 (July 2014

est.)

0-14 years: 15.5% (male 2,764,691/female 2,628,413) 

15-24 years: 12.7% (male 2,267,210/female2,142,085)

 25-54 years: 41% (male 7,244,109/female 7,052,512) 

55-64 years: 13.5% (male 2,336,202/female 2,380,703)

 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 2,670,482/female 3,348,434) (2014 est.)

U.S. 318,892,103 (July 2014 est.)

0-14 years: 19.4% (male 31,580,349/female 30,221,106) 

15-24 years: 13.7% (male 22,436,057/female 21,321,861) 

25-54 years: 39.9% (male 63,452,792/female 63,671,631) 

55-64 years: 12.6% (male 19,309,019/female 20,720,284)

 65 years and over: 14.5% (male 20,304,644/female 25,874,360) (2014 est.)

Life Expectancy total population: 81.67 years 

male: 79.07 years 

female: 84.42 years (2014 est.)

U.S. total population: 79.56 years 

male: 77.11 years 

female: 81.94 years (2014 est.)

Ethnic Groups Canadian 32.2%, English 19.8%,

French 15.5%, Scottish 14.4%, Irish 13.8%, German 9.8%, Italian 4.5%, Chinese 4.5%, North American Indian 4.2%, other 50.9% 

note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic origin (2011 est.)

U.S. white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian

4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate) 

note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American origin living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic

Religion Catholic 40.6% (includes Roman Catholic 38.8%

Orthodox 1.6%

other Catholic .2%)

Protestant 20.3% (includes United Church 6.1%

Anglican 5%

Baptist 1.9%

Lutheran 1.5%

Pentecostal 1.5%

Presbyterian 1.4%, other Protestant 2.9%), other Christian 6.3%

Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 1.5%, Sikh 1.4%, Buddhist 1.1%, Jewish 1%, other 0.6%, none 23.9% (2011 est.)

U.S. Protestant 51.3%

Roman Catholic 23.9%

Mormon 1.7%

other Christian 1.6%

Jewish 1.7%

Buddhist 0.7%

Muslim 0.6%

other or unspecified 2.5%

unaffiliated 12.1%

none 4% (2007 est.)

Education U.S. Education expenditures

Canada= 5.4% GDP (2011)

U.S.= 5.4% GDP (2010)

Education Education in Canada is for the most part provided publicly, funded and overseen

by federal, provincial, and local governments.Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province.

Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education, followed by secondary education and post-secondary. Within the provinces under the ministry of education, there are district school boards administering the educational programs.Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in every province in Canada, except for Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick, where the compulsory age is 18, or as soon as a high school diploma has been achieved.

In some provinces early leaving exemptions can be granted under certain circumstances at 14. Canada generally has 190 (180 in Quebec) school days in the year, officially starting from September (after Labor Day) to the end of June (usually the last Friday of the month, except in Quebec when it is just before June 24 – the provincial holiday).

Crime http://www.nationmaster.com/coun

try-info/compare/Canada/United-States/Crime

U.S.

Health Health Expenditures

10.9% GDP(2012)

Every Canadian citizen is covered by the national health care system

In Canada, the federal government is committed to providing funding support to its provincial governments for health care expenditures as long as the province in question abides by accessibility guarantees as set out in the Canada Health Act, which explicitly prohibits billing end users for procedures that are covered by Medicare.

U.S. 16.9% GDP (2012)

In the US, direct government funding of health care is limited to Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program(SCHIP), which cover eligible senior citizens, the very poor, disabled persons, and children. The federal government also runs the Veterans Administration, which provides care to retired or disabled veterans, their families, and survivors through medical centers and clinics.

In the U.S., the federal government does not guarantee universal health care to all its citizens, but publicly funded health care programs help to provide for the elderly, disabled, the poor, and children.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act or EMTALA also ensures public access to emergency services. The EMTALA law forces emergency health care providers to stabilize an emergency health crisis and cannot withhold treatment for lack of evidence of insurance coverage or other evidence of the ability to pay. EMTALA does not absolve the person receiving emergency care of the obligation to meet the cost of emergency health care not paid for at the time and it is still within the right of the hospital to pursue any debtor for the cost of emergency health care provided.

In Canada, emergency room treatment for legal Canadian residents is not charged to the patient at time of service but is met by the government.