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1
- Political Status
Political Organization
Canada is a federal parliamentary state and a
member of the Commonwealth. The Prime Minister
holds the power and is reponsible to the House of
Commons. The House of Commons is made up
of 295 members elected for 5 years by general
election. The Senate is composed of 104 life
members proposed by the Prime Minister.
There
are 10 provinces and two territories. The Federal
State was founded by an Act of British Parliament,
the Act of British North America in 1867. Ottawa
deals with subjects of national interest and
importance while the provincial governments manage
natural resources, fiscality, education,
municipalities, property and civil rights. The
Queen of England, who is the Canadian Head of State
holds executive power which she delegates to the
Governor General. The Prime Minister is the head of
the party which gets the most seats in the House of
Commons.
The
legal system : Case law is constituted of
principals derived from English Common Law, which
is at the basis of the federal, provincial and
territorial laws, except in Quebec where the legal
tradition relies on written rules inspired by the
Napoleonic Code.
2 -Geographical situation
Geographical situation
A
little bit smaller than Russia (10 million square
kilometers), Canada is bounded by the Atlantic,
the Pacific and the Arctic.
There is a common border with the USA stretching
over 6000 kms and 5 fresh water lakes which are the
biggest in the world. Three quarters of Canada is
uninhabitable desert. On the west Pacific coast the
Canadian part of the coastline is fairly short,
Alaska (which is American) takes up most of it.
Canada
is divided into 10 provinces, each one having its
own capital : British Columbia, Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New
Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova
Scotia.
Alberta
produces 80% of the petrol and natural gas.
Agriculture is extremely important. Manitoba
produces cereals and food products and has a mining
industry. Ontaria is in step with the USA, it is a
province where the wealth comes from the automobile
industry as well as from its natural and
agricultural resources. New Brunswick developes its
forest and food products and has a very impressive
telecommunication network. Nova Scotia has very
well developed fishing industry. Alena is a free
exchange agreement with America which rules the
relationship with the USA in particular.
Economy and Statistics
Canada,
which is the 7th economic power in the world just
behind the UK, is recovering from an economic
crisis. There was a deficit in the balance of
payments from 1972 to 1992, and a recession in the
economy in 1990 and 1991.
In
Canada 4.2% of the population work in the
agricultural sector and 5% of the country is
covered in farmland. Agricultural land is
predominant in the west of the country. Forests
cover
3,417,000 km2 and are made up of
evergreens and deciduous trees. Canada is the 6th
biggest paper producer in the world.
The
French Chamber of Commerce in Canada gives out a
detailled list of the promising sectors in the
country, particularly in Quebec. As a member of
Alena, Canada touches a market of 360 million
consumers (1.3% of Canadian trade).
External
Trade :
The
57% rise in buying is due to the buying of ores
(paper, wood, aluminium etc...) and to the
under-evaluation of the Canadian dollar.
Canadian
growth was 4.5% in 1994 and fell by 2.2% in 1995,
explained by the record excess in exports of 28
billion dollars (+17%, that is 264 billion dollars
of exports).
External
trade is necessary to the Canadian economy.
Exportation of goods and services represent about
35% of the GDP, that is 3.9% of the world trade in
1995, and keep nearly 3 million Canadians in work
(3 out of 4 contribute to exports).
A
leader in energy sources :
Thanks
to the enormous variety of mining resources the
hydroelectric capacity is nearly illimited. Energy
production progressed by 5.1% in 1995, that is a
10% rise in exports, while internal demand rose by
1.7% . The huge road network, which is connected to
the American one gives a privileged access to the
whole of North America.
Industrial
growth slowed down in 1996, 1.8% instead of 2.2% in
1995. The unemployment rate stagnated at 9.5%
(1995). Purchasing power stabilized at 1.6% of
inflation in the beginning of 1996, catching up
with the drop in salaries.
The
Canadian level of living is one of the highest in
the world. More than 65% of the population owns his
own home.
Others
sectors of activity : aerospace equipment,
pharmaceutical products, information techniques,
electrical components and their commercialization,
metal and mineral conversion, petrochemicals, food
products, house building, fashion, textiles,
environment, medico-surgical production, industry,
consumer goods, tourism.
Economical
Index :
Rich
country, the GNP is 20,000 US$ per capita in
1993.
Working population : 14,832,000
GDP per capita : 26;347 $ Can.
Growth rate : 2.2%
Inflation : 2.1%
Unemployment : 10.4%
Exports (1995) : 264 billion $Can.
Imports (1995) : 225 billion $ Can.
French companies : approx. 300
ECONOMIC REGIONS
British Colombia
The
capital is Vancouver. British Columbia is the
Canadian gateway
Alberta
The
capital of Alberta is
Edmonton.
Manitoba
The
capital of Manitoba is
Winnipeg.
Prince Edward Island
The
capital of this island is
Charlottetown
Nova Scotia
The
capital is Halifax
Newfoundland
The
capital is Saint Jean. The main industry is
fishing, but its mining industries (iron, zinc,
asbestos, etc...) and the developement of its
natural resources explain its economic
expansion.
Ontario
With
Ottawa as the capital of Canada, and Toronto such
an important economic centre,
Ontario is a province turned to the US market. It
has great natural resources.
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