Canada is home to over 38 million people. The country comprises 10 provinces and three territories, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the East to the Pacific, where Western Canada is. The country occupies the northernmost third of the American continent and is rich in natural resources, such as gas. 

If you have not visited Canada yet, you might be asking, “What does Canada look like?”. Canada is a rich country, in every sense of the word. The rich topography and vast lands have something to offer to everybody: from mountains encircling the country, access to both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, to the flatlands in the middle – the basin of Canada. The rich plains provide enough opportunities to grow food and, coupled with rich resources of gas and biomass, make up for almost everything a country needs. Canada is also a big exporter, one of the biggest in the world when it comes to minerals. 

Here, we will deal with Canadian topography and other natural characteristics. We will also look at the Canadian population, religion, and language, and we will try to look at how history helped shape Canadian culture. In addition, we will look at how Canada’s natural resources have helped it become the strong economy it is today. 

What Does the Canadian Population Look Like

The 38 million Canadians are not evenly dispersed throughout the country. In fact, each province and territory is different in terms of position, land features, and population. In fact, most of Canadian society lives in a narrow stretch of land up to 150 miles from the US border. Here is a list of Canadian ten provinces and territories with their capital cities and population numbers: 

Province/Territory NameCapital CityPopulation or Province/Territory% of Total Population
Newfoundland – ProvinceSt. Johns521,0001.37%
Nova Scotia – ProvinceHalifax971,0002.56%
New Brunswick – ProvinceFredericton776,0002.04%
Prince Edward Island – ProvinceCharlottetown156,0000.41%
Quebec – Province (once divided into Upper and Lower Canada)Quebec City8,480,00022.32%
Ontario – ProvinceToronto14,570,00038.34%
Manitoba – ProvinceWinnipeg1,369,0003.60%
Saskatchewan – ProvinceRegina1,174,0003.09%
Alberta – ProvinceEdmonton4,371,00011.50%
British Columbia – ProvinceVictoria5,071,00013.34%
Yukon – TerritoryWhitehorse40,0000.11%
Northwest TerritoriesYellowknife44,0000.12%
Nunavut – TerritoryIqaluit38,0000.10%
Canada – Total Ottawa (Canada’s Capital City)~38,000,000

Land of Canada

As Canada occupies the northernmost portion of the North American continent, it is no wonder that it is very cold. However, some of its other characteristics amplify the cold weather and low temperatures, one of the two most common complaints visitors and residents have about the country. In fact, Canada is surrounded by mountain chains that do not allow the moderate-temperature air masses from the sea to penetrate deep into the continent. 

Basically, Canada is a basin. The Cordillera in the West prevents the air masses from penetrating the continent from the Pacific. The Appalachians (Southeast) do the same in Eastern Canada, while the northern Labrador Mountains, the Baffin Island Mountains in the Northeast, and the Innuitian Mountains in the North do the same. The Great Lakes allow for some temperature stabilization in the Southeast. 

Although basically a basin, Canadian geographic features are not blatant. Each of the mountain ranges is different, covered in different ecosystems, and with varied and vast expanses of land that allow for a gradual transition from one type of ecosystem to the next. The geography of Canada is, in fact, rich and is one of the biggest economic advantages the country has. There are six distinct geographic regions in Canada: 

  • The Canadian Shield (aka the Precambrian Shield)
  • The Interior Plaints 
  • The Great Lakes (St. Lawrence Lowlands)
  • The Appalachian Region
  • The Western Cordillera
  • The Arctic Archipelago. 

So, Canada’s land area is very varied. However, although Canada’s economy can benefit from the fact that its ten provinces are self-sufficient in terms of energy and food, this variety can be a curse as well: a vast majority of Canadians live in the 150-mile stretch from the USA-Canada border (this is where all the major cities are), the longest international border in the world, due to cold weather and inaccessible terrain. 

Canada Drainage System

A single look on a Canadian map pinpoints its abundant resources: forests and lakes. In fact, although less than 1% of the world’s population lives in Canada, the country has about 14.3% or 1/7 of the world’s fresh water. About three-quarters of this water drains into the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, and James Bay. 

Canada still does not cease to amaze with numbers: its largest river, the Mackenzie River, is 4,241km (2,635 miles) long and drains an incredible area of 1,800,000 sq km (690,000 sq mi). That’s roughly the area of Indonesia and larger than Turkey, France, Spain, Germany, and Sweden. The rivers of Fraser, Yukon, and Columbia River drain Canada to the Pacific Ocean. 

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Climate in Canada

We’ve mentioned before that due to its geographic location and peculiar landscape features, Canada is very cold. Canada has a continental climate: warm summers and long and cold winters are characteristic of this type of climate. Out of all the provinces and three territories, only the coastal regions (Pacific and Atlantic Coast) and the area around the Great Lakes have a more moderate climate. 

The more north you go, the colder the summers are. All the way in the northern regions of the country, the climate is typically Arctic, with very short summers and very long and cold winters. Very sparse vegetation and very few animal species are characteristic of this region, unlike the rest of Canada, which is very rich in both animal and plant species. 

This climate and rich biodiversity allow for a lot of timber export – timber and minerals being the most exported goods from Canada for over a century. St. Lawrence River region has characteristically rich soils and climate suited to agriculture and farmland management. The Southern Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta also have great conditions for agriculture. 

Rainfall

Canada also has a high precipitation rate, with some places experiencing more than 2,500mm (100 inches) of rain every year. This is a lot, but this is not the case in the entire country. Nunavut, for example, gets only about 250mm (10 inches) of precipitation per year, mostly as snow. 

On the other hand, orographic rain, caused when wet air masses hit a mountain range and deliver moisture on its steep sides in the form of rain, is the main cause behind massive rains on the West Coast and mountain areas. British Columbia, for example, gets around 2,500mm (100 inches) of rain a year, the city of Vancouver around 1,000mm (40 inches), while the interior plains and the North as little as 400mm (15 inches) per year. Spring and summer are generally wetter than autumn and winter. 

Snowfall

Some of this precipitation is delivered in the form of snow. Nunavut gets as little as 250mm (10 inches) of precipitation a year, while some areas, such as the Rocky Mountains, receive as much as 6,100mm (240 inches) of snow every winter. Snowfall is mostly observed in the interior of Canada – as elsewhere, the temperatures are just too high. 

The same goes for the coastal regions – they do get cold but receive very little snowfall due to higher temperatures. Contrary to popular belief, the northernmost areas of Canada receive little snowfall. The reason is the cold air masses – which are typically dry, having delivered most of their humidity content closer to the Pole and being on their way back to the Southern regions of the globe. 

Environmental Temperature

So, the rich Canadian landscape influences the temperatures and precipitation patterns across the country. Differences that can be seen in precipitation, East coast to West coast, and North to South, can also be observed in temperatures. Whereas the coasts and the area around the Great Lakes are more moderate, other regions experience a significant temperature shift between the winter and the summer. 

This shift can also be seen between the North and the South of the country, in particular, thanks to its sheer size. The Northern parts experience an arctic climate, with a lot of winds and a high chill factor. The Southern parts, although still colder than the US, experience milder climates and temperatures, which do not fluctuate as much. This is what allows for more diverse ecosystems and more biomass formation in general. 

In general, the further you go from large water bodies, the colder Canada gets. While Ontario, Quebec, and Vancouver enjoy mild temperatures, the interior planes experience an average January temperature of -18°C and an average July temperature of 19°C; the aforementioned regions observe a much lower gradient in temperature changes, with Vancouver having the average January temperature of 3°C and July of 18°C. 

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Canada was as low as negative 63°C and the highest at 45°C. The latter measurement was taken in Saskatchewan in 1937. Current issues with climate change make Canada a bit warmer overall, although more temperature extremes are to be expected. Changes in precipitation quantities and patterns can also be observed, and the damage to the arctic climate regions’ flora and fauna has already been observed. 

Plant and Animal Life in Canada

Rich landscapes and climate models are perfectly suited to the vast range of both plant and animal species living in the space that Canada occupies. Focusing on land species only, we can see that a number of ecosystems exist, following the natural landscape contours, with transition bands or lines between them. The fact that the demarcation lines between the ecosystems are not clear-cut but rather transient in nature allows for interesting mixtures and interactions between the species of both kingdoms. 

Land Regions in Canada

These ecosystems can be defined as systems with stable and complex interaction models between animals and plants. Although human activity does leave a mark on these, with roads, railroads, and cities having a particularly large footprint, low population density, and the focus of the Canadian population in the Southern parts of the country leave a lot of nature to be on its own. Tundras, forests, and grasslands are just examples of ecosystems existing in Canada to this day. 

Tundra

Tundra is one such type of ecosystem. It can be found in the northern portion of Canada, where the climate is harsh, with long and pronouncedly cold winters and very short summers, which are still quite cold. Although this is an ecosystem of its own, many consider tundras to be a transient zone between the arctic desert and more fruitful forest regions that lie more to the South. 

Tundra is characterized by low vegetation, mostly in the form of lichens and mosses, with a few berry-bearing bushes of low growth interspersed. These plants grow on a very shallow medium, with very little to no soil. The low biomass covers the entire region, reminding some of the green snow during the warmer part of the year. The cold arctic air brings very little precipitation, and climate change has pronounced effects: especially on permafrost, and few plant and animal species calling the regions their home. 

Forest Regions in Canada

The richness of the landscape is also reflected in the number and variety of forests that can be found in the Canadian territory. In fact, there are: 

  • North coniferous (boreal forest) 
  • The Taiga Shield – a mixture of boreal forest and tundra
  • Deciduous forests
  • Subalpine forests, etc. 

The North coniferous forests are also known as boreal forests. They can be found in the North, in regions where the short growing season limits the number of trees and tree varieties that can grow here. Black spruce, white birch, fir tree, and larch can be found here. The unique properties of these trees, their roots, and needles that fall to the ground make the soils in these regions somewhat acidic and reduce their agricultural value in the long run. 

A special mix of boreal forests and tundra is called the taiga shield. These areas take up 1.3 million square kilometres of Canada. They offer very little economic value, especially because of permafrost – a layer of soil that is frozen year-round. 

So, boreal forests have transition zones with the tundra, but also with grasslands and forests consisting of mixed coniferous and deciduous trees. In the former, there is prairie vegetation dotted with aspen and poplars. These are not lone trees but rather groves that offer valuable habitats to birds and predatory species. 

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The latter one offers a very high biomass and tree variety. This is thanks to the mixture of the trees in the coniferous-deciduous trees. Here, white pine, red pine, white cedar, hemlock, sugar maple, red maple, white ash tree, and red oak can be found. 

On the Ontario Peninsula, there are predominantly deciduous forests. They have rich and usually deep soils and soak up a lot of water and nutrients. These forests are comprised of the tulip tree, sycamore, black oak, white oak, sycamore, and hickory. 

The Western Cordillera area sees more complex forests with more tree and animal species. Here, many species can be attributed to the richness of landscape features. Forests emerging here feature the following tree species: white spruce, lodgepole pine, Engelman spice, red cedar and western hemlock, and Douglas fir. The areas toward the interior of the plateau feature aspen and yellow pine and rich grasslands as well. 

The Pacific coast region sees a lot of Douglas fir trees, western hemlock, western red cedar, alder cottonwood, and different kinds of spruce and maple white pine. These forests enjoy moisture-bearing winds bringing a lot of precipitation with them. 

Grassland

In the southern portion of the interior plains, there is grassland as well as prairies. There is short grass in this area, mostly comprised of sagebrush and some cactus species. To the north, taller grasses can be found. The reason for this is more precipitation, and this area extends all the way to the boreal forest. Over the centuries that Canada has been settled, a lot of this land has been converted to farmland. 

In the south of the grassland area, the land has been converted to dry agriculture or land management. This practice has been introduced due to low precipitation patterns. However, the land is rich and can retain moisture that mostly falls during the spring, when the plants need it the most, anyway. 

Canadian Residents

As Canada was settled, it was mostly the French that settled the area. Although not make up 100% of the population back at the time, they secured a majority large enough to establish their own language and values in the area. However, this soon changed. 

During the American War of Independence of 1776, and soon after, a lot of British-supporting (royalists) from the US escaped both persecution and the new Independence-loving American government. This has boosted the population of the region but to the expense of the French. 

In fact, the first census of 1871 showed that half of the population were Brits, with around 33% of the population being French in origin. This trend continued for a few decades, but then, massive immigration from Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean kept pouring in, bringing the French numbers even further down. Today, the majority of those arriving in the country are from Asian countries, with the number of Indian settlers being on the rise as well. 

Ethnic Groups

Still, over the centuries, Europeans displaced other native groups. Today, the Aboriginal People make up around 3.8% of the total population, and there are around 1.2 million of them. The Aboriginal group includes American Indians (also known as the First Nations), the Metis (they have both American Indian and European-descendant roots), and Inuit (Arctic North Inhabitants). 

The traces of the Aboriginal peoples can still be found in some place names, such as Quebec and Canada. However, there is very little remaining of their original culture and numbers. Nunavut, for example, is an entire territory in Canada but is settled only by 30,000 native people despite making up around 20% of Canadian territory. The Canadian ethnic picture keeps changing, especially as more people settle from Asia, with the number of European immigrants being on the downward slope. 

Indigenous Peoples

The total number of Indigenous people in Canada today has fallen to 1.2 million. When Europeans started settling the area, the indigenous peoples were not only pushed further up north and the mountains: rather, it was the diseases that Europeans brought with them that decimated their numbers. 

The reason was that the Europeans settling the area mostly came from towns and early cities. The sheer population density in these areas improved the immune system of the people living there. The native peoples, on the other hand, had no such means to train their immune systems and were more susceptible to the diseases that Europeans had a natural immunity against.

Their numbers kept declining and the Europeans saw a big chance to seize more of their land. This meant that the Indians were both reducing in numbers and were left with no fertile lands, with very little means to move on to. Luckily, the 1950s brought personal hygiene to the country, as well as medical care and higher birth rates. This helped restore some of the indigenous peoples and their numbers. 

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Today, some indigenous peoples still fight for their land and status. The Indian vs. non-Indian status could mean an array of differences in people’s rights and their future. Spousing a non-Indian descendant used to mean that many people would lose their status. Today that is not so; even people from mixed marriages can now enjoy their Indian status. 

Immigrants

The immigrants that have settled in Canada settled in many different areas. Sometimes, the areas would be chosen at random, but sometimes, they would reflect the geography and the industries of the immigrants’ native countries. Ukrainians, for example, settled in the prairie provinces, with chances of establishing large farms. This is what they were used to seeing in Ukraine. 

The Dutch settled the low-lying flat lands and produced fruit and vegetables. The Greeks and Italians settled in specific areas of cities, where they formed neighbourhoods, such as New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown. This way of settlement is known as the ‘salad bowl’ – a mixture of ingredients that all remain separate. 

Top 5 Immigrants from different countries to Canada in 2022: 

Country% of Immigrants
India27%
China7.2%
Afghanistan5.4%
Nigeria5.05%
Philippines5.04%

Other Demographic Factors

Of course, immigration policies and stats, as well as ethnic groups, do not paint a full picture of what Canadian society is like. Known to be a highly multicultural and accepting country, Canada is one of the best countries to live in, but the information is not as detailed as we would like as Statistics Canada cannot collect possibly compromising information. Let’s consider religion and languages spoken in the country. 

Religion

When it comes to religion, Canadian society is not uniform either. The only thing that could be used to describe an absolute majority is ‘religious’. In fact, 75% of Canadians practice one religion or another. Most of them are Roman Catholic or Protestant. The largest protestant churches in Canada are the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Lutheran Church. 

In Quebec, more than 80% of the inhabitants are Roman Catholic, and the same goes for New Brunswick. The number of Muslim Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists is on the rise across Canada. On the other hand, the number of Jews and Eastern Orthodox is also on the rise, mostly thanks to immigration. 

Languages

Canadian society’s linguistic background is very diverse. Although the Aboriginal peoples first settled it, there is very little of their language remaining on Canadian soil. On the other hand, France has left a lot of signs of its existence, mostly in place names and traffic signs inside of Quebec. The names of provinces themselves are English, and even foreign-sounding names are often English-derived. 

For example, Nova Scotia means New Scotland, a clear connection and a testimony to the nostalgia that the early royalists felt when moving to Canada. Today, 58% of people speak English, 22% speak French, and 20% speak another language. This does not mean that the community was always as peaceful and smooth as it is today. 

Namely, over time, the French and English-speaking parts of the population had many differences. This also allowed for a number of wars to occur. These culminated in the division of Quebec into Lower and Upper Canada. Furthermore, there was a separatist movement in the latter half of the 20th century to separate Quebec from the rest of the country. 

This resulted in an insistence on French in Quebec, as well as a prerequisite for medium-sized and larger companies to start using French in their offices. This has brought about some issues over time, such as integration into NAFTA. Here is a historical overview of the languages spoken in Canada over time: 

Language Spoken2006201120162022
English (official language)57.858.75687.1
French (also official language)22.122.020.629.1
Chinese Languages3.31.21.64.2
Italian1.51.31.11.5
German1.51.31.1
Punjabi1.21.41.42.6
Spanish1.21.31.33.2
Arabic0.91.11.22.4
Tagalog0.91.21.22.3
Other9.610.514.5
*Canada has two official languages

Settlement System and Canada’s History

The first non-Aboriginal settlers of Canada were Europeans. They thought they had found a barely settled land full of rich resources. Only the latter part of this belief proved to be true, but the diseases that they brought with them made sure the former part soon came to fruition as well. As they settled the vast expanses of Canada, they started exploiting its resources and exporting many of them. 

Among these resources were fish, furs, minerals, and wood. As these resources were very bountiful, entire settlements used to appear near their sources. Once they were depleted, many of these settlements disappeared. 

St. John, Halifax, and Saint John were among the few that did not deplete their resources. This is because they were port cities. Being an import-export hub had its perks before, as it does now. Montreal, for example, was famous for the fur trade. Toronto and Vancouver specialize in the import and export of a variety of goods. 

Winnipeg, on the other hand, survived because of agricultural development. As agriculture relies on human input rather than natural replenishing of what humans take away, all agriculture-focused cities had higher chances of surviving. Some of these stand to this day, with agriculture being a significant precursor for the success of non-agricultural cities. 

Here are some of the major Canadian cities: 

  • Calgary
  • Charlottetown
  • Edmonton
  • Fredericton
  • Halifax
  • Iqaluit
  • Montreal
  • Ottawa
  • Quebec City
  • Regina
  • St. Johns
  • Toronto (Canada’s largest city)
  • Vancouver
  • Victoria
  • Whitehorse
  • Winnipeg
  • Yellowknife

Canada is famous for its immigrant programs. In fact, Canada is one of the countries that allows the highest number of immigrants to enter its borders every year. Currently, around ⅙ of the total Canadian society are immigrants – with this number likely to go up in the upcoming decades. In fact, Canada relies on a constant influx of immigrants to satisfy its growing economy and to ensure that more of its land is settled year after year. This means that Canada is still trying to squeeze out more of the value that its land holds. 

With a changing economy, the profile of immigrants and their educational backgrounds changes as well. Because Canada is trying to produce more food, agricultural workers are valued. However, the same goes for people working in the service sector, as most of the economy revolves around services and knowledge. On the other hand, management positions are sought after as well, as Canada realizes that good management practices can make companies prosper and deliver more to the economy that enables them.

Economy Status in Canada

We’ve said before that Canada used to rely on fur, timber, and minerals. However, the changing economies of the world testify to a higher degree of automation in these sectors, as well as a significant reduction in the fur industry. Today, Canada exports a lot of goods it produces, most of them going to the US (80%). At the same time, Canada imports a lot, and 70% of the imports come from the US. 

The pillars of the Canadian economy, agriculture, fishing, mining, fuel energy, and logging, today make up less than 10% of the economy. They are likely to make up even less, not because of a loss of production capacity, but rather because Canada focuses on knowledge and services for its further development. Services, in fact, make up around 60% of the Canadian GDP. 

The flexibility of the economy and its fast response to the changing trends in the industry made sure that Canada could quickly switch between economic models and increase its GDP. Being situated in the North American continent, Canada is also one of the co-signees of NAFTA – which opened up the borders and enabled many fees and taxes to be alleviated between Mexico, the US, and Canada. This allowed for a free movement of goods between borders on the continent and has helped all the other countries prosper financially. 

Of course, this kind of connection can also make countries more susceptible to the influences of foreign political decisions and to the economic turbulence that occurs every decade or so. The Canadian Dollar (CAD) is known to go down in value whenever the American Dollar (USD) does, but this can be a good thing at times- as CAD loses in value, its exported products become more competitive in the US market, ensuring faster recovery and a higher immigration rate towards Canada, especially of businesses. 

Agriculture

Still, Canadians have to eat, and there are no services that can substitute for this kind of necessity. In Canada, about 12% of the land is available and suited for agricultural use. At the same time, this sector employs around 4% of the total Canadian workforce. The only issue is that not all territories are equally suited to producing their own food – about 80% of the total arable land in Canada is in the Prairie – which also features good precipitation patterns and can boast a high number of sunny days per year. 

Although very few people work the land or work on jobs related to food production, this is still a viable branch of the economy, especially as the country produces more food than it consumes. Agriculture is also a part of Canadian culture. The excess food goes to exports, boosting the economy and importing a lot of money into the country. 

In the prairies, grain, wheat, and oilseeds are grown. The same goes for cattle production. Centra Canada and Easter Canada produce a lot of crops and livestock, and it is customary for farmers to specialize in a single crop. The Southwestern part of the Ontario region produces grains, such as corn, soybeans, and white beans. Southwestern Ontario and British Columbia produce a lot of fruits and vegetables. 

Fishing

Fishing is popular on both coasts of the country and is a big cultural factor in Canadian society. When it comes to the Northern Coast, the Arctic produces enough food for the indigenous peoples. There are many areas around the continent that are known for their richness in fish funds. Some of these include the Grand Bank, Bradelle Bank, George’s Bank, and Sable Bank.

Forestry

A brief look at the map of Canada reveals that this is a very forested country. Only surpassed by some South American and North European countries, around 50% of the Canadian surface is under forests of different kinds. They support the economy by producing biomass which is turned into lumber, pulp, and paper. 

Forest products are a large part of Canadian export trade, both toward the US and the rest of the world. They produce more economic value than farms, fish, and mineral products. In fact, Canada is the world leader in paper and wood pulp it exports, and 80% of these products go to the US market. Of course, forest ecosystems are not a set-it-and-forget-it type of system. There is a substantial investment here as well, as these forests have to be protected from wildfires, insects, and disease, which are usually air-sprayed to contain. 

Resources and Power Supply in Canada

The country has a lot of potential when it comes to resources and power potential. A high number of minerals that are excavated in Canada and its current movement towards green energy and economic decarbonization are likely to work hand in hand to bring more economic development to this country. Let’s consider both the energy field and its mineral deposits. 

Energy

Canada is an energy-rich country. In fact, 1/ of worldwide hydroelectric potential is in Canada. Most of these sites have been fully developed so that Canada enjoys a relatively clean energy mix it provides to its households and industry: 60% of Canadian power is generated in hydro dams. Coal-fueled power plants are the next in the production line, as Canada has no plans to include more nuclear in its energy mix. 

Currently, nuclear energy is being phased out, due to safety concerns. Possible paths that Canada could undertake to be a carbon-neutral country include further development of hydro-capacity, as well as solar and wind, with solar being less favourable due to the northern position of the country and relatively low insolation. Natural gas that Canada is rich in can be used as a transitional fuel, and Canada is very rich in it. 

Mineral

Minerals are another resource that Canada is rich in. Minerals can be found in the Precambrian Shield – an area in the midst of the mountain ranges surrounding Canada that formed in the Cambrian Period. This shield is intersected by many railroads that used to serve the purpose of transporting the minerals to Canada’s many ports and exporting them to the rest of the world. 

Today, Canada recognizes the dangers that these excavation projects pose to the environment and is determined to make these operations more eco-friendly. Still, thanks to the Canadian shield, this country is among the world leaders in the production of: 

  • Uranium, 
  • Zinc
  • Nickel
  • Potash
  • Asbestos
  • Sulfur
  • Cadmium
  • Titanium
  • Iron ore
  • Coal
  • Petroleum
  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Silver
  • Lead
  • Ferroalloys 

It is also famous for diamond mining. All of these combined give Canada a prestige position among the world’s exports. New technologies that are being developed rely a lot on rare minerals for their production, and Canada has a lot of potential for further excavation and exports, which will, theoretically, strengthen its economy. 

Political System in Canada

Canada was first settled by Europeans, so some of its political structures resemble those of European countries. Canada is still under the British Crown, although it is a self-governing dominion, and has been since 1867. In 1982, the British North America Act, or the Constitution Act, was transferred to Canada’s federal and provincial legislature. 

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This gave Canada the tools and resources to develop on its own. Historically and geographically, much of its own development was tied to that of the US. This means that the country has faced the same issues, and the countries have a similar standard of living, with a notable exception of free healthcare insurance in Canada, a significant contributor to health and happiness indicators that the US cannot boast about. Canada and the US are both seeking to decarbonize their economies. 

Canada is a federal parliamentary representative democracy and an independent country (there is an independent Canadian government and a Canadian prime minister) It also has a constitutional monarchy, although its power is very limited and is mostly ceremonial. The Chief of State is the British Monarch, and they are represented by the Governor-General. Theoretically, the monarch and their representatives are the rulers, but in practice, they take no part in politics. The Parliament of Canada consists of three parts – the Sovereign, the Senate, and the House of Commons.

FAQs

What is the Minimum Wage in Canada?

The minimum wage in Canada was CAD15.55 till 2023. Now, it has been raised to CAD16.65 to reflect inflation and the subsequent rise in prices. Although this may seem like a lot, this is comparable to the minimum wage in some US states, and many still struggle to make ends meet. 

What is Canada Most Known For?

Canada is most well known for its polite people and rich natural resources. In fact, it is estimated that Canada has more oil in the sand than Saudi Arabia. The multicultural aspect of the country and its North (and cold) position in North America is also something that the country is easily recognized by. 

Is School Free in Canada?

Yes, school is free in Canada. Canada’s population is educated till the age of 16 or 18, as a part of obligatory education. Even afterward, at the age when school is not obligatory, the Canadian dollar will still pay, even for University. Canadian society is one of the most educated in the world, and the economy prospers thanks to this. 

Is Canada a Good Place to Live?

Yes, Canada is an excellent place to live. The population is very multicultural, and although very cold (northern Canada is barely settled), the southern parts of this country in North America are densely populated. The Canadian identity is mixed, and the economy is strong, and the Great Lakes and other abundant natural resources (not only oil and gas but also those of touristic value) make this a great country to both visit and live in. 

Final Thoughts

Canada is a developed country that has seen a large switch from a product to a service and knowledge-based economy. The country is likely one of the best to live in, and it scores a high 13th place on the UN’s Happiness Report. With free healthcare and a lot of economic potential for a green economy, Canada is very likely to remain one of the economic giants of the world. 

Canada is also known for its good immigration policies and an international and multicultural spirit that welcomes everybody. In fact, Canadian immigration programs are designed to support the Canadian economy, ensuring a low unemployment rate and a constant seeking for the new workforce. As Canada is a federal country, each province and territory has its own regulations and prerequisites when it comes to immigration. 

Rich plant and animal life, a variety of landscape features, and natural resources make Canada a truly beautiful country to live in. The idea that many have of Canada – that of a country of open spaces, vast forests, and pristine nature – is not far from the truth. This giant really does have it all.