| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada etymology: the country name likely derives from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word "kanata" meaning village or settlement |
| Government type | federal parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm; federal and state authorities and responsibilities regulated in constitution |
| Capital | name: Ottawa geographic coordinates: 45 25 N, 75 42 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November note: Canada has six time zones etymology: the city lies on the south bank of the Ottawa River, from which it derives its name; the river name comes from the Algonquin word "adawe" meaning "to trade" and refers to the indigenous peoples who used the river as a trade highway |
| Administrative divisions | 10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon* |
| Independence | 1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (recognized by UK per Statute of Westminster) |
| National holiday | Canada Day, 1 July (1867) |
| Constitution | history: consists of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions dating from 1763; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982 amendments: proposed by either house of Parliament or by the provincial legislative assemblies; there are 5 methods for passage though most require approval by both houses of Parliament, approval of at least two thirds of the provincial legislative assemblies and assent and formalization as a proclamation by the governor general in council; the most restrictive method is reserved for amendments affecting fundamental sections of the constitution, such as the office of the monarch or the governor general, and the constitutional amendment procedures, which require unanimous approval by both houses and by all the provincial assemblies, and assent of the governor general in council; amended 11 times, last in 2011 (Fair Representation Act, 2011) |
| Legal system | common law system except in Quebec, where civil law based on the French civil code prevails |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: minimum of 3 of last 5 years resident in Canada |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Mary SIMON (since 6 July 2021) head of government: Prime Minister Justin Pierre James TRUDEAU (Liberal Party) (since 4 November 2015) cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among members of his/her own party sitting in Parliament elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a 5-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Commons generally designated prime minister by the governor general note: the governor general position is largely ceremonial; Julie PAYETTE, Canada's fourth female governor general, resigned on 21 January 2021; Richard WAGNER, chief justice of the Supreme Court, will be Acting Governor General in the interim |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of: Senate or Senat (105 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and can serve until age 75) House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (338 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote with terms up to 4 years) elections: Senate - appointed; latest appointments in December 2018 House of Commons - last held on 21 October 2019 (next to be held 20 September 2021) election results: Senate - composition as of December 2018 - men 51, women 54, percent of women 51.4% House of Commons - percent of vote by party - CPC 34.4%, Liberal Party 33.1%, NDP 15.9%, Bloc Quebecois 7.7%, Greens 6.5%, other 2.4%; seats by party - Liberal Party 157, CPC 121, NDP 24, Bloc Quebecois 32, Greens 4; composition - men 240, women 98, percent of women 29%; note - total Parliament percent of women 34.3% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court of Canada (consists of the chief justice and 8 judges); note - in 1949, Canada abolished all appeals beyond its Supreme Court, which prior to that time, were heard by 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 level: provincial superior, appeals, first instance, and specialized courts; note - in 1999, the Nunavut Court - a circuit court with the power of a provincial superior court, as well as a territorial court - was established to serve isolated settlements |
| Political parties and leaders | Bloc Quebecois [Yves-Francois BLANCHET] Conservative Party of Canada or CPC [Erin O'TOOLE] Green Party [Annamie PAUL] Liberal Party [Justin TRUDEAU] New Democratic Party or NDP [Jagmeet SINGH] People's Party of Canada [Maxime BERNIER] |
| International organization participation | ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CD, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Kirsten HILLMAN (since 17 July 2020) chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (844) 880-6519 FAX: [1] (202) 682-7738 email address and website: ccs.scc@international.gc.ca https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/us-eu/washington.aspx?lang=eng consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, Seattle trade office(s): Houston, Palo Alto (CA), San Diego; note - there are trade offices in the Consulates General |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Arnold CHACON (since 28 May 2021) embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 mailing address: 5480 Ottawa Place, Washington DC 20521-5480 telephone: [1] (613) 238-5335 FAX: [1] (613) 241-7845 email address and website: OttawaNIV@state.gov https://ca.usembassy.gov/ consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver consulate(s): 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 maple leaf has long been a Canadian symbol |
| National symbol(s) | maple leaf, beaver; national colors: red, white |
| National anthem | name: O Canada lyrics/music: Adolphe-Basile ROUTHIER [French], Robert Stanley WEIR [English]/Calixa LAVALLEE note: adopted 1980; originally written in 1880, "O Canada" served as an unofficial anthem many years before its official adoption; the anthem has French and English versions whose lyrics differ; as a Commonwealth realm, in addition to the national anthem, "God Save the Queen" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
