canada. basic information capitol: ottawa largest city: toronto official languages: english, french...
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CANADA
BASIC INFORMATION
• Capitol: Ottawa• Largest city: Toronto• Official Languages: English, French• Government: Federal parliamentary democracy
and constitutional monarchy• Monarch: HM Queen Elizabeth II • Governor General: Michaëlle Jean• Prime Minister: Stephen Harper• Population: 33,794,000 • Currency: Canadian Dolar
INSTITUTIONS
• The monarchy of Canada, also referred to as The Crown in Right of Canada, Her Majesty in Right of Canada, or The Queen in Right of Canada, is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Canada
• The Governor General of Canada (French [masculine]: Gouverneur général du Canada, or [feminine]: Gouverneure générale du Canada) is the viceregal representative in the federal jurisdiction of the Canadian monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II
• Canada has a parliamentary government• Parliament is made up of the Crown, an elected
House of Commons, and an appointed Senate.• Each Member of Parliament in the House of
Commons is elected by simple plurality in an electoral district.
• Members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, are chosen by the prime minister and formally appointed by the governor general and serve until age 75.
Main Political Parties
• Conservative Party of Canada• Liberal Party of Canada • New Democratic Party• Bloc Québécois
LAW
• The constitution is the supreme law of the country, and consists of written text and unwritten conventions.
• Common law (law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals) prevails everywhere except in Quebec, where civil law (to provide all citizens with an accessible and written collection of the laws which apply to them and which judges must follow) predominates
• RCMP – Federal Police
Land division
• Canada is a federation composed of ten provinces and three territories
National Anthem
• O Canada!Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command.With glowing hearts we see thee rise,The True North strong and free!From far and wide, O Canada,We stand on guard for thee.God keep our land glorious and free!O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
Currency
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Canadian Holidays
• Victoria Day (Monday preceding May 25) – originally from the birthday of Queen Victoria; today celebrated as the sovereign’s birthday)
• Canada Day (July 1)• Labour Day (first Monday of September) • Thanksgiving (second Monday of October)• Remembrance Day (November 11)• Christmas, Easter, New Years Day
Toronto
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Montreal
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Vancouver
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Quebec City
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Calgary
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Winnipeg
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National Symbols
• Maple leaf• RCMP• Maple syrup• Multiculturalism• Hockey• Canadian Pacific Railway• Animals: Beaver, Moose, Canada Goose• CBC: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation• Molson: Canadian Beer
Famous Canadians (pop culture)• Bryan Adams• Jim Carrey• Celine Dion• William Shatner• Michael J. Fox• Brendan Fraser• Mike Myers• Christopher Plummer• Keanu Reeves• Donald Sutherland• Nelly Furtado• Leonard Cohen
Themes in Canadian Literature
• Mild anti-Americanism• Multiculturalism• Nature• Search for self-identity• Urban vs rural• French Canadian literature
Margaret Atwood; Alistair Macleod; Robertson Davies; Alice Munro
Cultural Protectionism
• Since the mid-20th century, cultural protectionism taken the form of conscious, interventionist attempts on the part of various Canadian governments to promote Canadian cultural production and limit the effect of foreign, largely American, culture on the domestic audience; eg.: CBC handbook for announcers