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Friday, April 21, 2023

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Introduction

Flag and Arms of Canada

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, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. It is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. The country is sparsely inhabited, with the vast majority residing south of the 55th parallel in urban areas. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Canada is a parliamentary liberal 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 "called upon" 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) in the federal jurisdiction. It is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency, quality of life, economic competitiveness, innovation, and education. 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 history, economy, and culture. (Full article...)

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The Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, also called the Clearwater Cone Group, is a potentially active monogenetic volcanic field in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located approximately 130 km (81 mi) north of Kamloops. It is situated in the Cariboo Mountains of the Columbia Mountains and on the Quesnel and Shuswap Highlands. As a monogenetic volcanic field, it is a place with numerous small basaltic volcanoes and extensive lava flows. (Full article...)

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Marv Allemang (born 3 December 1953) is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman and defensive lineman who played 14 seasons in the Canadian Football League. He most notably played center for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Rough Riders later in his career. (Full article...)

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Panoramic view of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec

Credit: Acarpentier (Alain Carpentier)

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The Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis), also known as the gray jay, grey jay, camp robber, or whisky jack, is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae. It is found in boreal forests of North America north to the tree line, and in the Rocky Mountains subalpine zone south to New Mexico and Arizona. A fairly large songbird, the Canada jay has pale grey underparts, darker grey upperparts, and a grey-white head with a darker grey nape. It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, a genus more closely related to the magpie genus Cyanopica than to other birds known as jays. The Canada jay itself has nine recognized subspecies. (Full article...)

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The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (French: Charte canadienne des droits et libertés), often simply referred to as the Charter in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982. The Charter guarantees certain political rights to Canadian citizens and civil rights of everyone in Canada from the policies and actions of all governments in Canada. It is designed to unify Canadians around a set of principles that embody those rights. The Charter was proclaimed in force by Queen Elizabeth II of Canada on April 17, 1982, as part of the Constitution Act, 1982. (Full article...)

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The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario.
Credit: Keith Pomakis

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Current events

April 19, 2023 – 2023 Canadian federal worker strike: Over 155,000 Canadian federal workers go on strike after the Public Service Alliance of Canada failed to reach an agreement with the government over pay raises and remote work. (BBC News)
April 18, 2023 – 2023 Sudan clashes: Canada closes its embassy in Sudan and advises its citizens against travelling to the country. (Global News)
April 14, 2023 – Cannabis in Quebec: The Supreme Court of Canada upholds Quebec's provincial ban on homegrown cannabis despite a 2018 federal ruling which allowed small quantities of cannabis to be grown at home. (Reuters)
April 6, 2023 – 2023 Canada ice storm: Two people are killed and over a million people are without power after an ice storm strikes Ontario and Quebec, Canada. (Reuters)
March 16, 2023 –: Two police officers are killed by a 16-year-old gunman while responding to a domestic dispute call at an apartment complex in Inglewood, Edmonton, Canada. The perpetrator kills himself after seriously wounding his mother. (CBC News)
March 13, 2023 – 2023 Amqui truck attack: Two people are killed and nine others are injured when a truck strikes a group of pedestrians in Amqui, Quebec, Canada. (CBS News)

Past Canadian events

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... that the cast of Canadian teen drama Degrassi Junior High were named UNICEF goodwill ambassadors of Canada?
... that when the Canadian baritone Iain MacNeal appeared as Odysseus in Dallapiccola's Ulisse at the Oper Frankfurt, a reviewer noted that he portrayed the "character's self-exegeses"?
... that in 2019, the Canadian government's Translation Bureau began providing translation services in Dene, East Cree, Plains Cree, and Mohawk?
... that despite an extensive history of Islam in the Arctic, the first mosque in the Canadian Arctic was only built in 2010?
... that 16-year-old Tate McRae has been described as "Canada's answer to Billie Eilish"?
... that a petition by Canadian member of parliament Pierre Poilievre to stop the Great Reset amassed 80,000 signatures after a conspiracy theory spread about it?
... that journalist Bob Moir posed as medical staff on the Canadian Olympic team to report on the Munich massacre?

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The Parliament of Canada is the legislative body of the government of Canada. The Parliament is composed of the House of Commons (lower house), the Senate (upper house), and the sovereign, represented by the governor general. Most major legislation originates from the House, as it is the only body that is directly elected. A new parliament begins after an election of the House of Commons and can sit for up to five years. The number of seats in parliament has varied as new provinces joined the country and as population distribution between the provinces changed; there are currently 338 House MPs and 105 Senators (when there are no vacancies). (Full article...)