Canada

     CONTENTS 

     HISTORY OF CANADA 3

     GEOGRAPHY AND POPULATION 4

     CAPITAL OF CANADA 4

     GOVERNMENT 5

     NATIONAL SYMBOLS OF CANADA 5

     NATURE 7

     CANADIAN ART 8

     CANADIAN LITERATURE 10

     CANADIAN MUSIC 12

     THE CANADIAN WAY OF LIFE 13

     SPORT 13

     EDUCATION 15

     PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN CANADA 15

     CONCLUSION 17 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

     «Canada is not a country for the

     cold of heart or the cold of feet”

     Pierre Elliot Trudeau,

     Former Prime Minister 

     HISTORY OF CANADA

     John Cabot, an Italian sea captain in the pay of the British, discovered Canada in 1497, five years after Columbus discovered America. He planted a huge cross on the shore and sailed home, with the news that he had reached north east China , the land of the Great Khan , and that the sea was full of fish.

     In 1534 , the French explorer, Jacques Cartier, sailed right down the St.Lawrence River until he could go no further. Among the great forests along the shore he met Indians who welcomed him, but in return he kidnapped some of their chiefs . He was the first European to treat the Indians with cruelty and treachery. It was almost another hundred years before French colonists settled on the banks of the St Lawrence and founded Quebec. They were sent there to give food and shelter to the French fur traders, who were carrying on a profitable trade with the Indians.

     By the middle of the 18th century, the French in North America realized that they could not avoid a fight to the death with the British and their American colonists, but back in France the French king , Louis XV , was too busy with his wars with Prussia to bother much about what was going on in the ‘ Land of Ice and Snow’. So the French troops in Canada did not receive the supplies they needed so badly, and the few ships that did try to get through  were usually captured by British warships.

     Yet this colonial war ended in a famous battle. The British surprised the French by climbing the cliffs at Quebec in the middle of the night. After their defeat , the French were forced to give up each inch of land in North America. But the British allowed the French colonists , all 60,000 of them , to stay on, and they did no try to change the French way of life or their religion. The French were all Catholics. But the British warned them that Louis XV of France was no longer their King. Their King, from now on, would be King George III of England.

     At that time there were very few British colonists  in Canada. The first British settlers in Canada were American refugees who refused to fight against the British army in the Revolutionary War , because they felt they were more British than American. They called themselves Loyalists, but their fellow Americans accused them of being traitors and took away their possessions. 80,000 Loyalists helped the British to defend Canada against Americans during the Revolutionary War.

     During the first half of the nineteenth century one million immigrants, mostly British, settled in Canada, but there were hardly any French immigrants from France. However, the French Canadians‘ birth rate was high, so that in just over two centuries the French Canadian population increased from 60,000 to 6 million.

     Canada spread from Atlantic right across the prairies and the Rocky Mountains to British Columbia; and northwards to the bare but beautiful Yukon and the ice-covered islands of the Arctic. The pioneer farmers found that the black earth of the prairie provinces could grow some of the finest grain in the world. The tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway pushed to westwards through Indian lands. To protect their land the Indians made fierce attacks on the railway-builders and the farmers.

     Canada moved slowly towards self-rule during the second half of the nineteenth century. A federation of the provinces was formed from Nova Scotia on the Atlantic coast to British Columbia on the far side of the Rockies. In 1936 Canada  became a Dominion (a self-governing nation) within the British Commonwealth and Empire. The Dominions of Canada, New Zealand and South Africa went to war alongside Britain in 1918 and again in 1939.

     GEOGRAPHY AND POPULATION

     Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the US.

       Area: total: 9,984,670 sq km land: 9,093,507 sq km water: 891,163 sq km

     Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

     Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

     Natural resources: iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower

     Population: 32.507.874 (2004 est.)

     Languages: English 59.3%, French 23.2%, other 17.5%

     Government Type: confederation with parliamentary democracy

     Capital: Ottawa

     CAPITAL OF CANADA

     Ottawa is the capital of Canada. The city has a population of 812,000, making it the fourth largest municipality in the country and second largest in Ontario. Ottawa is located in Southern Ontario in the Ottawa Valley in the eastern portion of the province of Ontario. The city lies on the banks of the Ottawa River, a major waterway that forms the boundary between Ontario and Quebec. There is no federal capital district in Canada. Ottawa is a municipality within the Province of Ontario. Although it does not constitute a separate administrative district, Ottawa is part of the federally designated National Capital Region, which includes the neighbouring Quebec municipality of Gatineau. Ottawa is governed by a 24-member city council. The members of this council are elected by the residents of Ottawa. Each councillor represents one ward within Ottawa. The mayor however represents Ottawa as a whole. City council responsibilities include the maintenance and efficacy of the following services: fire department, paramedics, police department, water, transit, recycling, garbage, and sewage.

     GOVERNMENT

     Canada is mainly governed according to principles embodied in the Constitution Act of 1982, which gave the Canadian government total authority over its constitution. Previously, the British North America Act of 1867 and subsequent laws had reserved some constitutional authority with the British Parliament. Canada is a federal union, with a division of powers between the central and provincial governments. Under the original 1867 act, the central government had considerable power over the provinces, but, through amendments to the act and changes brought by practical experience, the provincial governments have increased the scope of their authority. However, considerable tension continues to exist between the federal government and the provincial governments over the proper allocation of power.

     The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, added by the passage of the 1982 Constitution Act to the country's constitution, guarantees to citizens “fundamental freedoms,” such as those of conscience and the press; “democratic rights” to vote and seek election; “mobility,”  “legal,” and “equality” rights to move throughout Canada, to enjoy security of person, and to combat discrimination; and the equality of the French and English languages. The charter changed the Canadian political system by enhancing the power of the courts to make or unmake laws through judicial decisions. Canada is also a constitutional monarchy, with The Crown acting as a symbolic or ceremonial executive.

     NATIONAL SYMBOLS OF CANADA

     The Canadian Flag

     The official ceremony inaugurating the new Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15,1965. with Governor General Georges Vanier, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, the members of the Cabinet and thousands of Canadians in attendance.

     The Canadian Red Ensign, bearing the Union Jack and the shield of the royal arms of Canada, was lowered and then, on the stroke of noon, the new maple leaf flag was raised.

     The Arms of Canada

     The design of the arms of Canada reflects the royal symbols of Great Britain and France (the three royal lions of England, the royal lion of Scotland, the royal fleurs-de-lis of France and the royal Irish harp of Тага. On the bottom portion of the shield is a sprig of three Canadian maple leaves representative of Canadians of all origins.

     Canada's Motto

     "A Mari usque ad Mare" (From sea to sea) is based on biblical scripture: "He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth (Psalm 72:8)". It was proposed as the motto for the new design of the coat of arms, which was approved by Order in Council on April 21,1921 and by Royal Proclamation on November 21,1921.

     The Maple Tree

     Trees have played a meaningful role in the historical development of Canada and continue to be of commercial, environmental and aesthetic importance to all Canadians. Maples contribute valuable wood products, sustain the maple sugar industry and help to beautify the landscape. Maple wood, which varies in hardness, toughness and other properties, is in demand for flooring, furniture, interior woodwork, veneer, small woodenware, and supports several flourishing industries in eastern Canada. Maple is also highly prized in furniture building and cabinet-making.

     Since 1965, the maple leaf has been the centrepiece of the National Flag of Canada and the maple tree bears the leaves that have become the most prominent Canadian symbol, nationally and internationally. Maple leaf pins and badges are proudly worn by Canadians abroad, and are recognized around the world.

     The Maple Leaf

     The maple leaf today appears on the penny. However, between 1876 and 1901. it appeared on all Canadian coins. The modem one-cent piece has two maple leaves on a common twig, a design that has gone almost unchanged since 1937.

     During the First World War, the maple leaf was included in the badge of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Since 1921, the Royal Arms of Canada have included three maple leafs as a distinctive Canadian emblem. With the proclamation of Canada's new flag in 1965, the maple leaf has become the most-prominent Canadian symbol.

     The Beaver

     The beaver attained official status as an emblem of Canada when an "act to provide for the recognition of the beaver (castor canadensis) as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada" received royal assent on March 24,1975.

     After the early Europeans explorer had realized that Canada was not the spice-rich Orient, the main mercantile attraction was the beaver population numbering in the millions. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, the fashion of the day demanded fur hats, which needed beaver pelts. As these hats became more popular, the demand for the pelts grew.

     Despite all this recognition, the beaver was close to extinction by the mid-19th century. There were an estimated six million beavers in Canada before the start of the fur trade. During its peak, 100,000 pelts were being shipped to Europe each year; the Canadian beaver was in danger of being wiped out. Luckily, about that time, Europeans took a liking to silk hats and the demand for beaver pelts all but disappeared.

     Today, thanks to conservation and silk hats, the beaver - the largest rodent in Canada - is alive and well all over the country.

     NATURE

     The Canadian government has set aside more than 100 national parks and historic sites in honour of the people, places and events that have marked the country's history. Similarly, the provincial governments may form provincial parks.

     Canada's 37 national parks are spread throughout the country. Banff, located on the eastern slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, is the oldest, having opened in 1885, while Vuntut in the northern Yukon was established as recently as 1993.

     As one might expect, Canada's terrain incorporates a number of mountain ranges: the Torngats, Appalachians and Laurentians in the east; the Rocky, Coastal and Mackenzie ranges in the west; and Mount St. Elias and the Pelly Mountains in the north. At 6050 m, Mount Logan in the Yukon is Canada's tallest peak.

     The main lakes located in Canada, (many large lakes are traversed by the  Canada U.S. border) are (in order of the surface area) Huron. Great Bear, Superior, Great Slave, Winnipeg, Erie and Ontario. Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories is the largest lake situated entirely in Canada; its area is 31,326 square kilometres.

     The St. Lawrence River, which is 3,058 kilometres long, provides a seaway for ships from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The Mackenzie is the longest river, flowing 4,241 kilometres through the Northwest Territories. The Yukon and the Columbia, parts of which flow through United States territory, the Nelson, the Saskatchewan, the Peace, and the Churchill are also major watercourses.

     Canada has six time zones. The easternmost, in Newfoundland, is three hours and 30 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The other time zones are the Atlantic, the Eastern, the Central, the Rocky Mountain and, farthest west, the Pacific, which is eight hours behind GMT.

     CANADIAN ART

     Early Canadian art in the European tradition cannot be separated from European artistic production of the same period. From the time they arrived in Canada, French colonists attempted to reproduce an architectural environment that reminded them of their motherland.

     Objects of curiosity as well as of conquest, the native people of the New World were first depicted on maps by illustrators who had no direct knowledge of their subject. Books about Canada were more accurate. The works of Samuel de Champlain, for instance, were illustrated by a few engravings based on Champlain's drawings, which gave a relatively good view of some aspects of Huron life.

     The arrival of the British in North America had an immediate effect on painting. English officers trained at the Military Academy in Woolwich showed their enthusiasm for the Canadian landscape by producing many topographic paintings and ornamental landscapes which were often engraved in London. Thomas Davies was one of the earliest.

     New waves of colonists had a profound influence on the arts. Like the French before them, the British tended to prefer the style which they knew best, Georgian, which for a long time thereafter symbolized allegiance to the British Crown.

     The loyalists brought art objects and ideas with them from the US, including silver, engravings and paintings, as well as the memories of the architecture of various regions.

     The turn of the century saw the beginning of what is sometimes called the Golden Age of Quebec painting. New stimuli became available; Quebec artists went to Europe to study, and European artists continued to arrive in Canada.

     In 1796 York (named Toronto in 1834) became the capital of Upper Canada. Growing prosperity attracted portrait painters such as G.T Berthon, landscape painters such as Robert R. Whale, and explorers and genre painters such as William Hind, whose sketches are as interesting as his paintings. All were precursors of the more important Lucius O'Brien, John A. Fraser and Allan Edson, who, like American painters of the same period, favoured a romantic approach to landscape, with richer brushwork and subtler use of colour.

     With Confederation in 1867, the urge to express a new sense of Canada as a unified country was felt in the arts. The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa were completed in 1866; Robert Harris was commissioned to paint his famous of Hamilton. 1853                  group portrait, The Fathers of Confederation, in 1883. The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the National Gallery of Canada were created in 1880 by the marquis of Lome.

     The early 1920s were great years for Canadian painting. The Toronto-based Group of Seven, completely committed to the task of giving Canada a truly national form of painting, sought in the Canadian landscape their source of inspiration. They responded to its grandeur and captured it in decorative patterning and bold colours, without falling into the naturalism of the previous generation.

     John Lyman, a great admirer of Morrice, attempted after his return from Europe in me early 1930s  to realign the art movement with the ecole de Paris. In 1939 he created the Contemporary Arts Society and organized the modernist offensive in Canadian painting. WWII coincided with unprecedented growth in painting in Quebec. In general, the problem of contemporary Canadian painting is to maintain its originality in the face of strong American influences.

     At first sight, modern architecture in Canada may look more international in style man do painting or sculpture. Climate and tradition, however, have led architects to achieve a style with a specific Canadian character. Foreigners are more thrilled than Canadians by me extent of Canadian subterranean architecture in cities like Montreal or Toronto, where it is possible to go from hotel to shopping centre to living quarters without stepping outside into the cold.

     What, then, is distinctive about Canadian art? From the beginning, artists in Canada have refused to operate in a vacuum, to cut themselves off from their European roots, whether French, English, Scottish, Irish or Ukrainian. At the same time, freed from a heavy weight of traditions, they display a certain inventiveness, imposed by isolation, by adaptation to difficult physical conditions. In many respects the Canadian experience in art may seem to parallel the American one, but the French influence, completely lacking in the US, is too overwhelming in Canadian art not to maintain an essential distinction between the art forms of the two countries. This quality is true not only for Quebec and French Canadian artists, but for all Canadian artists. Moreover, federal institutions like the Canada Council, the Art Bank and the National Gallery have succeeded in creating among contemporary Canadian artists a sense of community that goes beyond the language barrier and seeks a specific Canadian answer to the problems of art in our day.

     CANADIAN LITERATURE

     Canadian literature may be more difficult to discuss than most because of Canada's unique geographical and historical situation. At the end of the debates, the verdict almost always returned is that there is a literature and an "identity" distinctly Canadian. However, because of its size and breadth, Canadian literature is often broken into sub-categories by region or groups of writers. Criticism of Canadian literature has focused on nationalistic and regional themes. Critics against such thematic criticism in Canadian literature, such as Frank Davey, have argued that a focus on theme diminishes the appreciation of complexity of the literature produced in the country, and creates the impression that Canadian literature is sociologically-oriented. While Canadian literature, like the literature of every nation state, is influenced by its socio-political contexts, Canadian writers have produced a variety of genres. Influences on Canadian writers are broad, both geographically and historically. Canada's dominant cultures were originally British and French, as well as aboriginal. After Prime Minister Trudeau's "Announcement of Implementation of Policy of Multiculturalism within Bilingual Framework," in 1971, Canada gradually became home to a more diverse population of readers and writers. The country's literature has been strongly influenced by international immigration, particularly in recent decades.