chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon D. GIFFIN
embassy: 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa
mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669–0430
consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto,
and Vancouver
Flag description: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
Economy
Economy—overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. Real rates of growth have averaged nearly 3.0% since 1993. Unemployment is falling and government budget surpluses are being partially devoted to reducing the large public sector debt. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which included Mexico) have touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant Canada can anticipate solid economic prospects in the future. The continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas is raising the possibility of a split in the federation, making foreign investors somewhat edgy.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$688.3 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$22,400 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 31% services: 66% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 23.8% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1998)
Labor force: 15.8 million (1998)
Labor force—by occupation: services 75%, manufacturing 16%, construction 5%, agriculture 3%, other 1% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 7.8% (December 1998)
Budget:
revenues: $121.3 billion
expenditures: $112.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.7
billion (1998)
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas
Industrial production growth rate: 0.8% (1998 est.)
Electricity—production: 549.162 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 20.34% hydro: 63.59% nuclear: 16.05% other: 0.02% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 511.586 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 45.28 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 7.705 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish
Exports: $210.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports—commodities: motor vehicles and parts, newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, aluminum, telecommunications equipment
Exports—partners: US 81%, Japan 4%, UK, Germany, South Korea,
Netherlands, China (1997)
Imports: $202.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports—commodities: machinery and equipment, crude oil,
chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumer goods
Imports—partners: US 76%, Japan 3%, UK, Germany, France, Mexico,
Taiwan, South Korea (1997)
Debt—external: $253 billion (1996)
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $2.1 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1—1.5192 (January 1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997), 1.3635 (1996), 1.3724 (1995), 1.3656 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March
Communications
Telephones: 15.3 million (1990)
Telephone system: excellent service provided by modern technology domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations international: 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations—5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 334, FM 35, shortwave 7 (one of the shortwave stations, Radio Canada International, has six transmitters, 48 frequencies, and broadcasts in seven languages; the transmissions are relayed by repeaters in Europe and Asia) (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 80 (in addition, there are many repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 11.53 million (1983 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 67,773 km; note—there are two major transcontinental freight
railway systems: Canadian National (privatized November 1995) and
Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service provided by
government-operated firm VIA, which has no trackage of its own
standard gauge: 67,773 km 1.435-m gauge (183 km electrified) (1996)
Highways:
total: 912,200 km
paved: 246,400 km (including 16,600 km of expressways)
unpaved: 665,800 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 3,000 km, including Saint Lawrence Seaway
Pipelines: crude and refined oil 23,564 km; natural gas 74,980 km
Ports and harbors: Becancour (Quebec), Churchill, Halifax,
Hamilton, Montreal, New Westminster, Prince Rupert, Quebec, Saint
John (New Brunswick), St. John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Sydney,
Trois-Rivieres, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor
Merchant marine:
total: 109 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,489,110
GRT/2,205,274 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 56, cargo 11, chemical tanker
5, combination bulk 2, oil tanker 16, passenger 3, passenger-cargo
1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger
4, specialized tanker 1
note: does not include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes
(1998 est.)
Airports: 1,395 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 515 over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 154 914 to 1,523 m: 238 under 914 m: 91 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 880 1,524 to 2,437 m: 73 914 to 1,523 m: 353 under 914 m: 454 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 16 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Canadian Armed Forces (includes Land Forces
Command or LC, Maritime Command or MC, Air Command or AC,
Communications Command