Portal:Canada

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P:CA

Monday, September 23, 2024

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Introduction

Flag and Arms of Canada

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. It is a sparsely inhabited country of just over 41 million people, the vast majority residing south of the 55th parallel in urban areas. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

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 gender equality. 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, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Recognized as a middle power, Canada's strong support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign relations policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries. Canada is part of multiple international organizations and forums. (Full article...)

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The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing, and First Nations exhibitions. In 2008, the Calgary Stampede was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. (Full article...)

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Crosby with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019

Sidney Patrick Crosby OC ONS (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed "The Next One", he was selected first overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Born and raised in Halifax, Crosby was considered one of the most lauded prospects in ice hockey history and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time. (Full article...)

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See also: historically significant biographies

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Panoramic view of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec

Credit: Acarpentier (Alain Carpentier)

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Men's field lacrosse game between North Carolina and Duke

Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively modified by European colonists, reducing the violence, to create its current collegiate and professional form. (Full article...)

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Toronto, the financial centre of Canada, and one of the largest in the world

The economy of Canada is a highly developed mixed economy, with the world's tenth-largest economy as of 2023^[update], and a nominal GDP of approximately US$2.117 trillion. Canada 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. 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 tenth-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, listing over 1,500 companies with a combined market capitalization of over US$3 trillion. (Full article...)

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Barred Owl, Whitby, Ontario
Credit: Mdf

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Current events

September 20, 2024 –: Three people are injured in a stabbing attack at a mosque in Châteauguay, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The perpetrator is arrested and charged. (CTV News)
September 9, 2024 –: Finnish-Canadian sportswear mogul Peter Nygård is sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexual assault. (CBC News)
September 4, 2024 –: In Canada, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh announces that he has terminated the confidence and supply agreement his party made with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government in 2022. (CBC News)
August 27, 2024 – Canada–Mexico relations, Mexico–United States relations: Mexico suspends all interactions with the Canadian and American embassies in Mexico City due to claimed interference with its independence and internal affairs after both ambassadors criticized reform plans for members of the judiciary, up to and including Supreme Court justices, to be elected by popular vote. (Reuters)
August 26, 2024 – Canada–China relations: Canada announces a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. (AP)
August 22, 2024 – 2024 Canada railway shutdown: Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City lock out roughly 10,000 unionized railroad workers in Canada, leading to a railway stoppage that impacts many North American supply chains and may cost the economy of Canada C$341 million per day. (Reuters)

Past Canadian events

Did you know - show another

... that more than one million applications for the Canadian Dental Care Plan were approved in its first three months?
... that La Poutine Week is the world's largest poutine festival, with 700 restaurants serving 350,000 people?
... that Sheila Egoff, Canada's first professor of children's literature, returned to her library work immediately after retirement?
... that as of 2019, inclusion in the International Register of Electors no longer requires residency in Canada in the preceding five years?
... that the mainland portion of Lake of the Woods Provincial Park in northwestern Ontario, Canada, was deregulated as part of a First Nations land claim settlement?
... that Canadian poets Milton Acorn, Margaret Atwood, and Gwendolyn MacEwen performed at the Bohemian Embassy on the same bill as burlesque dancer Libby Jones?
... that Canadian painter Ethel Ogden was central to developing china painting within the Fine Arts Department at the Mount Allison Ladies' College?

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The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways in the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the Autoroute system of neighbouring Quebec, and are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO). The 400-series designations were introduced in 1952, although Ontario had been constructing divided highways for two decades prior. Initially, only Highways 400, 401 and 402 were numbered; other designations followed in the subsequent decades. To this day, not all controlled-access highways in Ontario are a part of the 400-series highway network. The network is situated almost entirely in Southern Ontario, although Highway 400 extends into the more remote northern portion of the province. (Full article...)