The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency (ebook reader 8 inch .txt) 📕

created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments

Legal system:

based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Michaelle JEAN (since 27 September 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Stephen 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 is automatically designated prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (105 seats; members appointed by the governor general with the advice of the prime minister and serve until reaching 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 five-year terms starting in 2009 elections) elections: House of Commons - last held 14 October 2008 (next to be held 19 October 2009) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative Party 37.6%, Liberal Party 26.2%, New Democratic Party 18.2%, Bloc Quebecois 10%, Greens 6.8%, other 1%; seats by party - Conservative Party 143, Liberal Party 76, New Democratic Party 37, Bloc Quebecois 50, other 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Justice)

Political parties and leaders:

Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Conservative Party of Canada
[Stephen HARPER] (a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the
Progressive Conservative Party); Green Party [Elizabeth MAY];
Liberal Party [Stephane DION]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: agricultural sector; automobile industry; business groups; chemical industry; commercial banks; communications sector; energy industry; environmentalists; public administration groups; steel industry; trade unions

International organization participation:

ACCT, ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), APEC,
Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS,
C, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), FAO,
G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAFTA, NAM (guest),
NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF
(partner), SECI (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael WILSON chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740 FAX: [1] (202) 682-7701 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson consulate(s): Anchorage, Houston, Philadelphia, Princeton (New Jersey), Raleigh, San Jose (California)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador David H. WILKINS embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburgh, NY 13669-0430; P.O. Box 866, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5T1 telephone: [1] (613) 688-5335 FAX: [1] (613) 688-3082 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg

Flag description:

two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width), with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square; the official colors of Canada are red and white

Economy
Canada

Economy - overview:

As an affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Top-notch fiscal management has produced consecutive balanced budgets since 1997, although public debate continues over the equitable distribution of federal funds to the Canadian provinces. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the US, which absorbs 80% of Canadian exports each year. Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power. During 2007, Canada enjoyed good economic growth, moderate inflation, and the lowest unemployment rate in more than three decades.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.271 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.432 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$38,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.1% industry: 28.8% services: 69.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

17.95 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 2%, manufacturing 13%, construction 6%, services 76%, other 3% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

10.8%; 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 (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 24.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

32.1 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

22.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $569.3 billion expenditures: $556.2 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

64.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.1% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$391.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.381 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.382 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish

Industries:

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

Industrial production growth rate:

0.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

612.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

530 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

50.12 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

19.66 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 28% hydro: 57.9% nuclear: 12.9% other: 1.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

3.425 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.371 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.225 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1.229 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

178.6 billion bbl note: includes oil sands (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

187 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

92.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

107.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

13.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.648 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$12.67 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$431.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

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

Exports - partners:

US 78.9%, UK 2.8%, China 2.1% (2007)

Imports:

$386.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

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

Imports - partners:

US 54.1%, China 9.4%, Mexico 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $3.9 billion (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$41.08 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$758.6 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$527.4 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$514.7 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.481 trillion (2005)

Currency (code):

Canadian dollar (CAD)

Currency code:

CAD

Exchange rates:

Canadian dollars (CAD) per US dollar - 1.0724 (2007), 1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.301 (2004), 1.4011 (2003)

Communications
Canada

Telephones - main lines in use:

21 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

18.749 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent service provided by modern technology domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations international: country code - 1; submarine cables provide links to the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean, and 2 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004)

Radios:

32.3 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

80 (plus many repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

21.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ca

Internet hosts:

5.119 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

760 (2000 est.)

Internet users:

28 million (2007)

Transportation
Canada

Airports:

1,343 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 509 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 149 914 to 1,523 m: 248 under 914 m: 78 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 834 1,524 to 2,437 m: 68 914 to 1,523 m: 356 under 914 m: 410 (2007)

Heliports:

11 (2007)

Pipelines:

crude and refined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980 km (2006)

Railways:

total: 48,068 km standard gauge: 48,068 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 1,042,300 km paved: 415,600 km (includes 17,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 626,700 km (2006)

Waterways:

636 km note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 175 by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 13, carrier 1, chemical tanker 10, combination ore/oil 1, container 2, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 64, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 6 foreign-owned: 17 (Germany 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 3, US 10) registered in other countries: 206 (Australia 9, Bahamas 84, Barbados 9, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 44, Liberia 7, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 6, Norway 7, Norway 3, Panama 18, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1, Spain 3, Taiwan 2, Vanuatu 5) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Fraser River Port, Halifax, Hamilton, Montreal, Port-Cartier, Quebec
City, Saint John (New Brunswick), Sept-Isles, Vancouver

Military
Canada

Military branches:

Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command (LFC), Maritime Command (MARCOM), Air Command (AIRCOM), Canada Command (homeland security) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (with parental consent); 16 years of age for reserve and military college applicants; Canadian citizenship or permanent residence status required; maximum 34 years of age; service obligation 3-9 years (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,072,010 females age 16-49: 7,813,462 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,646,281 females age 16-49: 6,417,924 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 227,435 female: 215,556 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues
Canada

Disputes - international:

managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Gulf of Maine including the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; Canada, the US, and other countries dispute the status of the