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12 Government and Politics
Government and Politics
Canada is the second-largest country in the world and the biggest nation in the continent of North America. The name Canada is derived from an Iroquoian-Indian term “konata” which means village or community, the kind of organized settlement which existed in the lowlands long before the Europeans arrived in the 15th century.
Geographical and Political Components
Canada is officially composed of ten provinces and three territories. These are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec and Saskatchewan. Its three territories are in the North; namely, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon Territory. The majority of Canada’s population resides in the southern part due to a number of factors — close proximity to major, ice-free waterways, warmer climate and proximity to their largest trading partner, the United States. Large tracts of land in the North are sparsely populated and serve mostly as the protected home for Canadian aborigines.
Although most of Canada borders the United States of America, Canada takes pride in its unique and independent culture. Because of Canada’s historical ties with Britain, Canada inherited a similar, parliamentary system. Today, Queen Elizabeth II serves as the Head of State. The Queen continues as the leading lady
of the Canadian Mint as her image is portrayed on the $20 dollar bills and her profile is inscribed on Canadian coins. She does not have a strong influence on Canada’s political process, per se, but her presence symbolizes Canada’s loyalty as a Commonwealth country. In addition to similarities with the British form of government, Canada uses the metric system, and adheres largely to the rules of British grammar and spelling as the standard for language.
The fact that Canada is a bilingual country proves to be one of her more intriguing attributes. English and French are equally the official languages of the nation. While visiting the province of Québec, where French is the official language, it is wise to carry a pocket English-French dictionary when travelling outside of Montréal — Québec’s most metropolitan city. This is, of course, unless you are already fluent in French. Québec maintains an indigenous culture as shown in its traditions and festivals. This province brims with several of Canada’s most renowned musicians, authors and filmmakers. It remains no surprise that Québec is heralded as the pulse of Canadian arts.
Canada’s government is a federation, meaning the powers and responsibilities
are divided between the federal government and the ten provincial and
three territorial governments.
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