加拿大社会与文化资料

THE

CULTURAL

ANDSOCIAL

LIFE

OF

CANADAIntroduction

A

land

of

vast

distances

and

rich

naturalresources,

Canada

became

a

self-governingdominion

in1867while

retaining

ties

to

theBritish

crown.

Economically

andtechnologically

the

nation

has

developed

inparallel

with

the

US,

its

neighbor

to

the

soacross

an

unfortified

border.

Its

paramountpolitical

problem

continues

to

be

therelationship

of

the

province

of

Quebec,

witFrench-speaking

residents

and

unique

cultuto

the

remainder

of

the

country.Geography

Of

Canada

Northern

North

America,

bordering

thNorth

Atlantic

Ocean

on

the

east,

NortPacific

Ocean

on

the

west,

and

the

ArcOcean

on

the

north,

north

of

theconterminous

USAreatotal:

9,984,670

sq

kmland:

9,093,507

sq

kmwater:

891,163

sq

km

Land

boundariestotal:

8,893

kmborder

countries:

US

8,893

km

(includ2,477

km

with

Alaska)Climate

varies

from

temperate

in

south

tosubarctic

and

arctic

in

northNatural

resources

iron

ore,

nickel,

zinc,

copper,

gold,molybdenum,

potash,diamonds,

silver,fish,

timber,

wildlife,

coal,

petrolenatural

gas,

hydropowerTerrain

mostly

plains

with

mountains

in

westand

lowlands

in

southeastElevation

extremeslowest

point:

Atlantic

Ocean

0

mhighest

point:

Mount

Logan

5,959

mLand

usearable

land:

4.96%permanent

crops:

0.02%other:

95.02%

(2001)Natural

hazards

continuous

permafrost

in

north

is

a

seriouobstacle

to

development;

cyclonic

storms

foeast

of

the

Rocky

Mountains,

a

result

of

themixing

of

air

massesfromthe

Arctic,

Pacifiand

North

American

interior,

and

producemost

of

the

country"s

rain

and

snow

east

of

tmountainsPeople

Of

CanadaPopulation

32,507,874

(July

2004

est.) Age

structure0-14

years:

18.2%

(male

3,038,800;

female

2,890,579)15-64

years:

68.7%

(male

11,225,686;

female

11,111,941)65

years

and

over:

13%

(male

1,807,472;

female

2,433,396)

(est.)Median

age

:

total:

38.2

yearsmale:

37.2

yearsfemale:

39.2

years

(2004

est.)Population

growth

rate

0.92%

(2004

est.)Birth

rate

10.91

births/1,000

population

(2004

est.)Death

rate

7.67

deaths/1,000

population

(2004

est.)Net

migration

rate

5.96

migrant(s)/1,000

population

(2004Sex

ratioat

birth:

1.05

male

(s)/femaleunder

15

years:

1.05

male

(s)/female15-64

years:

1.01

male

(s)/female65

years

and

over:

0.74

male

(s)/femaletotal

population:

0.98

male

(s)/female

(2004

est.)Infant

mortality

ratetotal:

4.82

deaths/1,000

live

birthsfemale:

4.33

deaths/1,000

live

births

(2004

est.)male:

5.28

deaths/1,000

live

birthsLife

expectancy

at

birthtotal

population:

79.96

yearsmale:

76.59

yearsfemale:

83.5

years

(2004

est.)Total

fertility

rate

1.61

children

born/woman

(2004

est.)

Ethnic

groups

British

Isles

origin

28%,

Freorigin

23%,

other

European

15%,

Amerindian2%,

other,

mostly

Asian,

African,

Arab

6%,mixed

background

26%Religions

Roman

Catholic

46%,

Protestant36%,

other

18%note:

based

on

the

1991

censusLanguages

English

59.3%

(official),French23.2%

(official),

other

17.5%Government

Of

CanadaCountry

nameconventional

long

form:

noneconventional

short

form:

CanadaGovernment

type

confederation

with

parliamentarydemocracyCapital:

OttawaAdministrative

divisions

10

provinces

and3

territories*;

Alberta,British

Columbia,

Manitoba,

New

Brunswick,Newfoundland

and

Labrador,

NorthwestTerritories*,

Nova

Scotia,

Nunavut*,

OntarPrince

Edward

Island,

Quebec,

SaskatchewanYukon

Territory*Independence

1

July

1867

(from

UK)National

holiday

Canada

Day,

1

July(1867)Constitution

17

April

1982

(Constitution

Act);originally,

the

machinery

of

thegovernment

was

set

up

in

the

BritishNorth

America

Act

of

1867;

charter

ofrights

and

unwritten

customsLegal

system

based

on

English

common

law,

except

iQuebec,

where

civil

law

system

based

oFrench

law

prevails;

accepts

compulsICJ

jurisdiction,

with

reservationsSuffrage18

years

of

age;

universalExecutive

branchchief

of

state:

Queen

ELIZABETH

II

(since

6

February

1952),represented

by

Governor

General

elections:

none;

the

monarchy

is

hereditary;

governor

genappointed

by

the

monarch

on

the

advice

of

the

prime

ministera

five-year

term;

following

legislative

elections,

the

leamajority

partyorthe

leader

of

the

majority

coalition

in

thHouse

of

Commons

is

automatically

designated

prime

ministethe

governor

generalhead

of

government:

Prime

Minister;

Deputy

Prime

Ministercabinet:

Federal

Ministry

chosen

by

the

prime

minister

froamong

the

members

of

his

own

party

sitting

in

ParliamentLegislative

branch

bicameral

Parliament

or

Parliament

consists

of

the

SenateSenat

(members

appointed

by

the

governor

general

withtheadvice

of

the

prime

minister

and

serve

until

reaching

75

yeaage;

its

normal

limit

is

105

senators)

and

the

House

of

Commor

Chamber

des

Communes

(308

seats;

members

elected

bydirect,

popular

vote

to

serve

for

up

to

five-year

terms)elections:

House

of

Commons

-

last

held

28

June

2004

(next

theld

by

2009)election

results:

House

of

Commons

-

percent

of

vote

by

partLiberal

Party

36.7%,

Conservative

Party

29.6%,

NewDemocraticParty

15.7%,

Bloc

Quebecois

12.4%,

Greens

4.3%,independents

0.4%,

other

0.9%;

seats

by

party

-

Liberal

Par135,

Conservative

Party

99,

Bloc

Quebecois

54,

New

DemocraParty

19,

independent

1Judicial

branch

Supreme

Court

of

Canada

(judges

areappointed

by

the

prime

minister

through

thegovernor

general);

Federal

Court

of

Canada;Federal

Court

of

Appeal;

Provincial

Courts(these

are

named

variously

Court

of

Appeal,Court

of

Queens

Bench,

Superior

Court,Supreme

Court,

and

Court

of

Justice)Political

parties

and

leaders

Bloc

Quebecois

[Gilles

DUCEPPE];Conservative

Party

of

Canada

(a

merger

of

thCanadian

Alliance

and

the

ProgressiveConservative

Party)

[Stephen

HARPER];Liberal

Party

[Paul

MARTIN];

New

Democratic

Party

[Jack

LAYTON]Flag

description

two

vertical

bands

of

red

(hoist

andside,

half

width),

with

white

squarebetween

them;

an

11-pointed

red

mapleleaf

is

centered

in

the

white

square;official

colors

of

Canada

are

red

andwhiteEconomy

Of

Canada

As

an

affluent,

high-tech

industrial

society,

Canada

today

cloresembles

the

US

in

its

market-oriented

economic

system,

patteproduction,

and

high

living

standards.

Since

World

War

II,

theimpressive

growth

of

the

manufacturing,

mining,

and

service

sehas

transformed

the

nation

from

a

largely

rural

economy

into

onprimarily

industrial

and

urban.

The

1989

US-Canada

Free

TradeAgreement

(FTA)andthe

1994

North

American

Free

TradeAgreement

(NAFTA)

(which

includes

Mexico)

touched

off

adramatic

increase

in

trade

and

economic

integration

with

the

USresult

of

the

close

cross-border

relationship,

the

economicsluggishness

in

the

United

States

in

2001-02

had

a

negative

impthe

Canadian

economy.

Real

growth

averaged

nearly

3%

during1993-2000,

but

declined

in

2001,

with

moderate

recovery

in

2002

Unemployment

is

up,

with

contraction

in

the

manufacturing

andnatural

resource

sectors.

Nevertheless,

given

its

great

naturaresources,

skilled

labor

force,

and

modern

capital

plant

Canadsolid

economic

prospects.

Two

shadows

loom,

the

first

being

thecontinuing

constitutional

impasse

between

English-

and

Frenchspeaking

areas,

which

has

been

raising

the

specter

of

a

split

infederation.

Another

long-term

concern

is

the

flow

south

to

theprofessionals

lured

by

higher

pay,

lower

taxes,

and

the

immensetech

infrastructure.

A

key

strength

in

the

economy

is

the

substtrade

surplus.

Roughly

90%

of

the

population

lives

within

160kilometers

of

the

US

border.

GDP

purchasing

powerparity

-

$958.7

billio(2004

est.)GDP

-

real

growth

rate

1.7%

(2004

est.)GDP

-

per

capita

purchasing

powerparity

-$29,800

(2004

est.)

GDP

-

composition

by

sectoragriculture:

2.2%industry:

29.2%services:

68.6%

(2004

est.)Inflation

rate:

consumer

prices

2.8%

(2004Labor

force:

17.04

million

(2004

est.)

Labor

force

by

occupationagriculture

3%,

manufacturing

15%,construction

5%,

services

74%,

other

3%(2000)Unemployment

rate:

7.8%

(2004

est.)Agriculture

productswheat,

barley,

oilseed,

tobacco,

fruivegetables;

dairy

products;

forestproducts;

fishIndustriestransportation

equipment,

chemicals,processed

and

unprocessed

minerals,food

products;

wood

and

paper

productfish

products,

petroleum

and

naturalgasExports

commoditiesmotor

vehicles

and

parts,

industrialmachinery,

aircraft,

telecommunicatequipment;

chemicals,

plastics,fertilizers;

wood

pulp,

timber,

crudpetroleum,

natural

gas,

electricity,aluminum

Imports

commodities

machinery

and

equipment,

motorvehicles

and

parts,

crude

oil,chemicelectricity,

durable

consumer

goodsEducation

Elementary,

secondary,

and

post-secondary

educatiCanada

is

a

provincial

responsibility

and

there

are

variations

between

the

provinces.

Some

educationalare

supported

at

various

levelsby

Federal

DepartmeThe

Department

of

Indian

and

Northern

Affairs

Canad

responsible

for

the

education

of

first

nations.

Voc

training

can

be

subsidized

via

the

Department

of

LabJunior

Kindergarten

(or

equivalent)

as

an

officialexists

only

in

Ontario

currently.

Kindergarten

(orequivalent)

is

available

in

every

province,

but

profunding,

and

the

number

of

hours

provided

varies

wid

Starting

at

grade

one,

at

age

six

or

seven,

there

is

universal

pfunded

access

up

to

grade

twelve

(or

equivalent).

Dependent

onprovince

the

age

of

mandatory

entry

is

at

4-7

years.

Children

arrequired

to

attend

school

until

the

age

of

sixteen

(Age

18

in

Onand

New

Brunswick).

About

one

out

of

ten

Canadians

does

not

havea

high

school

diploma

—

one

in

seven

has

a

university

degree

—adult

population

that

is

without

a

high

school

diploma

is

acombination

of

both

immigrant

and

Canadian-born.

In

many

placepublicly-funded

high

school

courses

are

offered

to

the

adultpopulation.

The

ratio

of

high

school

graduates

versus

non

diploholders

is

changing

rapidly,

partly

due

to

changes

in

the

laborthat

require

people

to

have

a

high

school

diploma

and,

in

many

ca

university

degree.

Canada

spends

about

7%

of

its

GDP

on

education.

Since

the

adopt

of

section

23

of

the

Constitution

Act,

1982,

education

in

both

E

and

French

has

been

available

in

most

places

across

Canada

(if

t

population

of

children

speaking

the

minority

language

justifiealthough

French

Second

Language

education/French

Immersion

isavailable

to

Anglophone

students

across

Canada.

And

recently,Canada

has

opened

doors

to

foreign

students.

According

to

anannouncement

of

Canadian

Minister

of

Citizenship

and

ImmigratiCanada

is

introducing

a

new,

fast-track

system

to

let

foreign

sand

graduates

with

Canadian

work

experience

become

permanenteligible

residents

in

Canada.Length

of

study

Most

Canadian

education

systems

continue

up

tgrade

twelve

(age

seventeen

to

eighteen).

InQuebec,

the

typical

high

school

term

ends

afte

Secondary

V,

the

same

as

to

grade

eleven

(agesixteen

to

seventeen);

following

this,

studenwho

wish

to

pursue

their

studies

to

the

univer

level

have

to

attend

CEGEP.MAJOR

CANADIAN

UNIVERSITIESThese

large

institutions

usually

have

student

populations

over

University

of

Toronto

McGill

UniversityUniversity

of

Western

Ontario

University

of

BCQueen"s

University

University

of

Alberta

Universite

de

Montreal

Universite

de

Laval

Universite

de

Sherbrooke

University

of

Saskatchewan

University

of

McMaster

University

of

Ottawa

University

of

Calgary

Dalhousie

UniversityMID-SIZED

CANADIAN

UNIVERSITIESThese

schools

educate

both

undergraduate

and

graduate

studentstypically

lack

medical

schools.University

of

Waterloo

University

of

Victoria

Simon

Fraser

University

University

of

Guelph

Memorial

University

University

of

Regina

University

of

New

Brunswick

Carleton

University

Concordia

UniversityYork

UniversitySMALL

CANADIAN

UNIVERSITIESThese

schools

are

focused

on

teaching

undergraduate

students.St.

Francis

Xavier

UniversityMount

Allison

University

Acadia

University

University

of

Northern

BC

Bishop"s

UniversitySt.

Thomas

University

St.

Mary"s

University

Trent

University

University

of

PEIWilfred

Laurier

University

University

of

LethbridgeBilingualism

Under

the

Official

Languages

Act,

Canada

is

an

officially

bilicountry.

This

means

that

Canadians

have

the

right

to

get

federagovernment

services

in

English

or

French,

no

matter

what

part

oCanada

they

are

living

in.

New

Brunswick

is

the

only

province

that

is

officially

bilinguaBrunswick

residents

receive

services

in

both

official

languageall

of

their

provincial

government

departments

and

agencies.

In

Quebec,

French

is

the

official

language

and

in

most

cases,provincial

and

municipal

s