Portal:Canada
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Introduction
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over 9.98 million square kilometres (3.85 million square miles), making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Its southern and western border with the United States, stretching 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world's longest binational land border. Canada's capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition. The country's head of government is the prime minister, who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons, and is appointed by the governor general, representing the monarch of Canada, the head of state. The country is a Commonwealth realm and is officially bilingual (English and French) at the federal level. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, education, gender equality and environmental sustainability. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration. Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture. (Full article...)
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The Yukon Quest, formally the Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race is a sled dog race scheduled every February since 1984 between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon. Because of the harsh winter conditions, difficult trail, and the limited support that competitors are allowed, it is considered the "most difficult sled dog race in the world", or even the "toughest race in the world"—"even tougher, more selective and less attention-seeking than the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race." The originator envisioned it as "a race so rugged that only purists would participate." (Full article...)
Featured biography -
Dosanjh in 2011 |
Ujjal Dev Dosanjh (Punjabi: ਉੱਜਲ ਦੇਵ ਦੁਸਾਂਝ) (/ˈuːdʒəl doʊˈsɑːndʒ/), PC KC (born September 9, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 33rd premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011. He was minister of health from 2004 until 2006, when the party lost government. He then served in the Official Opposition from January 2006 until 2011. Dosanjh was one of four visible minorities to serve in Paul Martin's Ministry. (Full article...)
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Panoramic view of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
Credit: Acarpentier (Alain Carpentier)
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A Caesar (also known as a Bloody Caesar) is a cocktail created and consumed primarily in Canada. It typically contains vodka, tomato juice and clam broth (such as in Mott's Clamato), hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and is served with ice in a large, celery salt-rimmed glass, typically garnished with a stalk of celery and wedge of lime. What distinguishes it from a Bloody Mary is the inclusion of clam broth. The cocktail may also be contrasted with the Michelada, which has similar flavouring ingredients but uses beer instead of vodka. (Full article...)
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![]() Rideau Hall, seat of the CHA |
The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; French: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms (armorial bearings), flags, and badges for Canadian citizens, government agencies, municipal, civic and other corporate bodies. The authority also registers existing armorial bearings granted by other recognized heraldic authorities, approves military badges, flags, and other insignia of the Canadian Forces, and provides information on heraldic practices. It is well known for its innovative designs, many incorporating First Nations symbolism. (Full article...)
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Current events
- January 18, 2023 – 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Canadian National Defence Minister Anita Anand announces that Canada will send 200 Roshel-made armoured fighting vehicles to Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv. (CBC News)
- January 12, 2023 –
- An explosion at a propane store in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, Quebec, Canada leaves three people missing. (CFCF-DT)
- January 1, 2023 – 2021–2023 inflation surge
- Canada enacts a law prohibiting foreigners, except for immigrants and permanent residents, from acquiring residential areas in the country for two years in response to a real-estate bubble. (CNN Business)
- January 1, 2023 – COVID-19 pandemic
- Australia and Canada announce that they will require travelers from China to present a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter their countries beginning on January 5. (CTV News) (Sydney Morning Herald)
- December 24, 2022 – December 2022 North American winter storm
- Four people are killed and 36 others are injured in a bus crash on Highway 97C in British Columbia, Canada. The crash was attributed to "icy roads" following the winter storm. (Sky News)
- December 18, 2022 – 2022 Vaughan shooting
- Five people are killed and one other person is injured in a mass shooting at a condominium tower in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. The gunman is killed by police. (Global News)
Did you know -
- ... that Amanda Asay was the longest-serving member of the Canadian women's baseball team when she died at 33, having played on the team for sixteen years?
- ... that journalist Bob Moir posed as medical staff on the Canadian Olympic team to report on the Munich massacre?
- ... that the cast of Canadian teen drama Degrassi Junior High were named UNICEF goodwill ambassadors of Canada?
- ... that 1.8 percent of people in Japan have used cannabis, compared to 44.2 percent of Americans and 41.5 percent of Canadians?
- ... that the relative rarity of the radiodont Titanokorys (video featured) in Marble Canyon suggests that the deposits in which it was found may represent the outermost edge of its distribution in life?
- ... that Canada's National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls called for the abolition of birth alerts?
- ... that Canadian professional ice hockey player Larry Jeffrey had eleven knee surgeries in a span of nine years?
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The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada. It was established by the Parliament of Canada through the Supreme and Exchequer Court Act of 1875. Since 1949, the Court has been the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system. Originally composed of six justices (the Chief Justice of Canada and five puisne justices), the Court was expanded to seven justices by the creation of an additional puisne justice position in 1927, and then to nine justices by the creation of two more puisne justice positions in 1949. (Full article...)
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