Canada

**Canada is a constitutional monarchy, which is a form of constitutional government in which a monarch is the head of state, but the head of the Canadian government is elected prime minister. Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, is the sovereign and head of state of Canada.
 * What sort of government does your country have?

Canada is also a parliamentary democracy. The Parliament of Canada is located in the Ottawa and is formed by 3 major entities - the sovereign of Canada, the Canadian Senate, and the Canadian House of Commons. The Canadian Senate has 105 members appointed by the Governor General of Canada (on behalf of the sovereign). The Canadian House of Commons has 308 seats, and the Canadian people directly elect the House of Commons members. The House of Commons is the most important part of the Canadian Parliament. The Canadian Prime Minister and Cabinet must have the support of a majority of members of the House of Commons to remain in power.  Seven out of every 10 Canadians affiliate themselves as either Roman Catholic or Protestant. For more than 100 years in Canada, Protestants outnumbered Catholics. In 1901, Protestant faiths accounted for well over one-half (56%) of the total population, compared with 42% for Roman Catholics. This change reflected immigration patterns at the time. > A good website for the news and information on Canada's environment- > http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=FD9B0E51-1 
 * **What types of ideologies (political, religious or other) influence your country’s government? **
 * **Which domestic issues might influence your country’s foreign policy? **
 * **What are some major events in your country’s history? Why are they important? **
 * **Which ethnicities, religions and languages can be found in your country? **T oday about 21% of Canada's inhabitants claiming a single country of origin trace themselves to the British Isles; about 23% claim French origin. Some 3% are Aboriginal (Indian, Inuit, and Métis). The remainder of the people have varied European, Asian, or other ethnic backgrounds; in 1991 the foreign-born represented more than 16% of Canada's total population. Nevertheless, virtually all Canadians use either English or French as the language of daily business and social life, and the nation is broadly composed of two linguistic and cultural groups—English and French.
 * **Where is your country located and how does its geography affect its political relationships? **
 * **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Which countries share a border with your country? **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The United States of America
 * **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Which countries are considered allies of your country? **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
 * **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Which countries are considered enemies of your country? **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
 * **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What are the characteristics of your country’s economy? **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
 * **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What is your country’s gross domestic product (GDP)? How does this compare to other countries in the world? **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
 * **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When did your country become a member of the UN? **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1945
 * **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Does your country belong to ****<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">any intergovernmental organizations outside ****<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> the UN system such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)? **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
 * **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Does your country belong to any regional organizations such as the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU) or the Organization of American States (OAS)? **<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Canada signed the Charter of the Organization of American States on 13 November 1989, and this decision was ratified on 8 January 1990. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
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