General Information
Conventional Long Form Name of Country: none
Capital City: Ottawa Government Type: federal parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm Date of Independence: July 1, 1867 National Holiday: Canada Day on July 1st Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal |
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Executive Branch
The Head of State is based on a monarchy and is hereditary. If Queen Elizabeth were to give up her throne or pass away, her first-born child would take her throne. The Governer General is appointed by the monarch with the advice of the Prime Minister to serve a 5-year term. The leader of the majority party of the House of Commons is designated Prime Minister by the Governer General.
Legislative Branch
The Bicameral Parliament consists of both the Senate and the House of Commons. The Senate has 105 seats, and each member is appointed by the governer general with the advice of the Prime Minister. Each Senate member appointed can serve until hitting the age of 75. The House of Commons consists of 338 seats in which each member is appointed through popular vote to serve a 4-year term.
judicial branch
The Supreme Court of Canada has a chief justice and eight other judges. The chief justice and judges are appointed by the prime minister in council. The judges are appointed for life with a required 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
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
National representatives
From Canada to the US
Ambassador to US: Ambassador David Brookes MacNaughton
Location of Embassy in US: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
Location of Consulate in US: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, Seattle
From the US to Canada
Ambassador from US: Ambassador Bruce A. Heyman
Location of Embassy from US: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8
Location of Consulate from US: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver
From Canada to the UN
Representative to the UN: Marc-Andre Blanchard
Ambassador to US: Ambassador David Brookes MacNaughton
Location of Embassy in US: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
Location of Consulate in US: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, Seattle
From the US to Canada
Ambassador from US: Ambassador Bruce A. Heyman
Location of Embassy from US: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8
Location of Consulate from US: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver
From Canada to the UN
Representative to the UN: Marc-Andre Blanchard
Canadian Flag and its symbolism
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SYRIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM:
"O CANADA"
international disputes
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 and the United States dispute how to divide the Beaufort Sea and the status of the Northwest Passage but continue to work cooperatively to survey the Arctic continental shelf; US works closely with Canada to intensify security measures for monitoring and controlling legal and illegal movement of people, transport, and commodities across the international border; sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland; commencing the collection of technical evidence for submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in support of claims for continental shelf beyond 200 nm from its declared baselines in the Arctic, as stipulated in Article 76, paragraph 8, of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
other information
- Refugees inside country: 13,666 (Colombia); 11,415 (China); 8,807 (Haiti); 8,807 (Sri Lanka); 7,207 (Pakistan); 6,414 (Mexico)
- Internally Displaced Persons: N/A
- Stateless Persons: N/A
- Human Trafficking issues: not a significant issue
- Illicit Drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; increasing ecstasy production, some of which is destined for the US; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial services sector