Canada - Overview:
Canada is a relatively young country, first becoming a self-governing dominion in 1867 when the British colonies in North America were united under the British North American Act. Today, Canada spans an area of nearly 10 million square kilometres, between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, covering the majority of the northern part of the North American continent. In 2002, the country had a total population in the region of 31 million people, giving it one of the lowest population densities of any country in the world.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a federal state with a democratic system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state and is represented by the Governor-General, who fills the role of approving bills and other state functions such as appointing the Prime Minister.
The country is divided into 10 provinces, which have a significant amount of autonomy, and 3 further territories, which are more directly under the control of the federal government. The capital of Canada, Ottawa, is situated in the province of Ontario and, according to the country's 2001 census, has a population of approximately three quarters of a million people. Other prominent cities include Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
In 2002, the IMD World Competitiveness Scoreboard ranked Canada as the 8th most competitive country in the world, based on factors such as economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure.
The country has immense natural resources, and industries such as mining, extraction of fossil fuels and forestry have played an important role in the development of the economy. In recent decades, however, Canada's economy has undergone a process of diversification and, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the services sector now accounts for over two-thirds of the country's output and employs almost three-quarters of workers. Canada also has a large industrial base, which is responsible for approximately a quarter of the country's output. Leading industries include automobile manufacturing, iron and steel work, machinery and equipment manufacturing, and pulp and paper production. The agricultural sector, while contributing relatively little to Canada's total GDP, is still important to the economy, providing the main source of income in several provinces and being responsible for a significant proportion of the country's total exports.
Canada's main trading partners include the USA, Japan, the UK, Germany, Taiwan and France.
Canada's workforce is generally well educated and totals approximately 15.6 million people. According to figures from the census conducted in May 2001, 28 per cent of all individuals aged 25 to 34 have university qualifications, while 21 per cent held a college diploma and a further 12 per cent had trade school diplomas. However, the ageing of the Canadian workforce, coupled with an increase in the number of highly skilled jobs is making it increasingly likely that businesses will need to turn to immigration as a source of highly skilled workers.
|
