The Government of Canada

Country name

• conventional long form: none
• conventional short form: Canada

Data code: CA

Government type: federation with parliamentary democracy

National capital: Ottawa

Administrative divisions:

10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*

note: the Northwest Territories will be split in two as of April 1999; the eastern section, which will be self-governing, will be renamed Nunavut, the west is as yet unnamed.

Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)

National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Constitution: 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the machinery of the government was set up in the British North America Act of 1867; charter of rights and unwritten customs

Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

• chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Adrienne CLARKSON (since 7 October 1999)
• head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November 1993)
• cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament
• elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is automatically designated by the governor general to become prime minister

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (a body whose members are appointed to serve until reaching 75 years of age by the governor general and selected on the advice of the prime minister; its normal limit is 104 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (301 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms).

• elections: House of Commons--last held 27 November 2000
• election results: percent of votes by party--Liberal Party 40.8%, Canadian Alliance 25.5%, Progressive Conservative Party 12.2%, Bloc Quebeçois 10.7%, New Democratic Party 8.5%, other 2.3%; seats by party - Liberal Party 172, Canadian Alliance 66, Bloc Quebeçois 38, New Democratic Party 13, Progressive Conservative Party 12

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general

Political parties and leaders

• Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN];
• Bloc Quebeçois [Gilles DUCEPPE];
• Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (previously Reform Party) [Stephen HARPER];
• New Democratic Party [Alexa MCDONOUGH];
• Progressive Conservative Party [Joe CLARK]

International organization participation

ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Last Modified: 10 July, 2002