cabinet: Federal Ministry was chosen by the prime minister from
members of his own party sitting in Parliament
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement)
Senate (Senat): consisting of a body whose members are appointed to
serve until 75 years of age by the governor general and selected on
the advice of the prime minister; its normal limit is 104 senators
House of Commons (Chambre des Communes): elections last held 25
October 1993 (next to be held by NA October 1998); results - percent
of votes by party NA; seats - (295 total) Liberal Party 179, Bloc
Quebecois 53, Reform Party 52, New Democratic Party 8, Progressive
Conservative Party 2, independents 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party, Jean CHRETIEN; Bloc
Quebecois, Michel GAUTHIER; Reform Party, Preston MANNING; New
Democratic Party, Alexa MCDONOUGH; Progressive Conservative Party,
Jean CHAREST
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AG
(observer), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB
(non-regional), 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, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMIR, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond A. J. CHRETIEN
chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
telephone: [1] (202) 682–1740
FAX: [1] (202) 682–7726
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas,
Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle
consulate(s): Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Princeton, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and San
Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669–0430 telephone: [1] (613) 238–5335, 4470 FAX: [1] (613) 238–5720 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver
Flag: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
Economy———
Economic overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented economic system, and pattern of production. 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. Canada started the 1990s in recession, and real rates of growth have averaged only 1.1% so far this decade. Because of slower growth, Canada still faces high unemployment and a large public sector debt. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, however, Canada will enjoy better economic prospects in the future. The continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas is raising the possibility of a split in the confederation, making foreign investors somewhat edgy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $694 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 2.1% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $24,400 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 26% services: 72% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 13.38 million by occupation: services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 9.5% (1995)
Budget:
revenues: $90.4 billion
expenditures: $114.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY94/95 est.)
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas
Industrial production growth rate: 5.9% (1994)
Electricity: capacity: 108,090,000 kW production: 511 billion kWh consumption per capita: 16,133 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; growing role as a transit point for heroin and cocaine entering the US market
Exports: $185 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum,
machinery, natural gas, aluminum, motor vehicles and parts;
telecommunications equipment
partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, China
Imports: $166.7 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities: crude oil, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable
consumer goods, electronic computers; telecommunications equipment
and parts
partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea
External debt: $233 billion (1994)
Economic aid: donor: ODA, $2.373 billion (1993) note: ODA and OOF commitments, $10.1 billion (1986–91)
Currency: 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1 - 1.3666 (January 1996), 1.3724 (1995), 1.3656 (1994), 1.2901 (1993), 1.2087 (1992), 1.1457 (1991)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Transportation———————
Railways:
total: 70,176 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: 70,000 km 1.435-m gauge (63 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 176 km 0.914-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 849,404 km
paved: 297,291 km (including 15,983 km of expressways)
unpaved: 552,113 km (1991 est.)
Waterways: 3,000 km, including Saint Lawrence Seaway
Pipelines: crude and refined oil 23,564 km; natural gas 74,980 km
Ports: Becancour (Quebec), Churchill, Halifax, Montreal, New