Canada has a long history of public broadcasting and a lively commercial media sector. The public Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) runs national radio and TV networks in French and English, as well as services for indigenous people in the north. Canadian culture has historically been influenced by British, French, and Aboriginal cultures and traditions.
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Provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, territories somewhat less. Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast.
Early 20th century
A federation now comprising ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with King Charles III as its head of state. It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. Technologically advanced and industrialized, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship. The mandatory school age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years, contributing to an adult literacy rate of 99 percent. Postsecondary education is also administered by provincial and territorial governments, who provide most of the funding; the federal government administers additional research grants, student loans and scholarships. Under successive Liberal governments of Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, a new Canadian identity emerged.
- The Canadian population grew rapidly because of high birth rates; British immigration was offset by emigration to the United States, especially by French Canadians moving to New England.
- French President Charles de Gaulle visits and causes diplomatic incident when he declares “Vive le Quebec libre” – Long live free Quebec.
- Late-15th Century – First Nations population is estimated to be between 200,000 and two million.
- In 1919, Canada joined the League of Nations independently of Britain; in 1931 the Statute of Westminster affirmed Canada’s independence.
- The timber industry would also surpass the fur trade in importance in the early 1800s.
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In 1898, after the Klondike Gold Rush in the Northwest Territories, the Canadian government decided to create the Yukon territory as a separate territory in the region to better control the situation. Under Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, continental European immigrants settled the prairies, and Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905. The signing of the Oregon Treaty by Britain and the United States in 1846 ended the Oregon boundary dispute, extending the border westward along the 49th parallel, and paving the way for British colonies on Vancouver Island (1849) and in British Columbia (1858). Canada launched a series of western exploratory expeditions to claim Rupert’s Land and the Arctic region. The Canadian population grew rapidly because of high birth rates; British immigration was offset by emigration to the United States, especially by French Canadians moving to New England. Aboriginal and Inuit tradition holds that the First Peoples inhabited parts of Canada since the dawn of time.
French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608. Among French colonists of New France, Canadiens extensively settled the St. Lawrence River valley, Acadians settled the present-day Maritimes, while French fur traders and Catholic missionaries explored the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and the Mississippi watershed to Louisiana. 1600s – Fur trade rivalry between the French, English and Dutch; the Europeans exploit existing rivalries between local peoples to form alliances. Trudeau faced growing calls to quit after deputy prime minister and long-time ally Chrystia Freeland resigned in December 2024, citing Trudeau’s perceived failure to not take US President-elect Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs on imported Canadian goods seriously.
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It has also been influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two countries. American media and entertainment are popular if not dominant in Canada; conversely, many Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in the U.S. and worldwide. Many cultural products are marketed toward a unified “North American” or global market. Atlantic Canada has vast offshore deposits of natural gas and large oil and gas resources are centred in Alberta. The vast Athabasca Tar Sands give Canada the world’s second largest reserves of oil behind Saudi Arabia. In Quebec, British Columbia, Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario and Manitoba, hydroelectric power is a cheap and clean source of renewable energy.
All judges at the superior and appellate levels are appointed by the Governor General on the canadian forex review advice of the prime minister and minister of justice, after consultation with non-governmental legal bodies. The federal cabinet appoints justices to superior courts at the provincial and territorial levels. Judicial posts at the lower provincial and territorial levels are filled by their respective governments (see Court system of Canada for more detail). Canada’s constitution consists of written text and unwritten traditions and conventions.
- It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages at the federal level.
- Despite another Conscription Crisis in Quebec, Canada finished the war with one of the largest armed forces in the world.
- 1776 onwards – Loyalist refugees from the American War of Independence settle in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ontario.
- Judicial posts at the lower provincial and territorial levels are filled by their respective governments (see Court system of Canada for more detail).
- For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Canadian.
- Technologically advanced and industrialized, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship.
A federation of former British colonies, Canada follows the British pattern of parliamentary democracy. Ties with the US are now vital, especially in terms of trade, but Canada often goes its own way. In western Canada, the Mackenzie River flows from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean.
The Charter of the French Language in Quebec makes French the official language in Quebec, and New Brunswick is the only province to have a statement of official bilingualism in the constitution. Other provinces have no official language(s) as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and other government services in addition to English. Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec allow for both English and French to be spoken in the provincial legislatures, and laws are enacted in both languages. Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut, and one of three official languages in the territory.
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This falls by 40-80% after European colonization, due to repeated outbreaks of European infectious diseases, conflicts, loss of land and a subsequent loss of self-sufficiency. Trump has promised to impose a tax of 25% on imported Canadian goods – which economists have warned would significantly hurt Canada’s economy. Trudeau’s personal unpopularity with Canadians had become an increasing drag on his party’s fortunes in advance of federal elections later in 2025.
The Canada Act 1982 refers only to “Canada” and, as such, it is currently the only legal (and bilingual) name. This was reflected in 1982 with the renaming of the national holiday from Dominion Day to Canada Day. Canada is officially bilingual in English and French, reflecting the country’s history as ground once contested by two of Europe’s great powers. The word Canada is derived from the Huron-Iroquois kanata, meaning a village or settlement. In the 16th century, French explorer Jacques Cartier used the name Canada to refer to the area around the settlement that is now Quebec city. Later, Canada was used as a synonym for New France, which, from 1534 to 1763, included all the French possessions along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.
Golf, baseball, skiing, soccer, volleyball, and basketball are widely played at youth and amateur levels, but professional leagues and franchises are not as widespread. There are cultural variations and distinctions from province to province and region to region. Canadian culture has also been greatly influenced by immigration from all over the world.
