Portal:Canada
Showcase | Content | Contributing |
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, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. Its border with the United States is the world's longest international land border. The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. It is a sparsely inhabited country of 40 million people, 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 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, education and gender equality. 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...)
Featured article -
![](http://webarchiveweb.wayback.bac-lac.canada.ca/web/20240305034810im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Sesame_Street_logo.svg/220px-Sesame_Street_logo.svg.png)
Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) and was created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. It is known for its images communicated through the use of Jim Henson's Muppets, and includes short films, with humor and cultural references. It premiered on November 10, 1969, to positive reviews, some controversy, and high viewership. It has aired on the United States national public television provider PBS since its debut, with its first run moving to premium channel HBO on January 16, 2016, then its sister streaming service HBO Max in 2020. Sesame Street is one of the longest-running shows in the world. (Full article...)
Featured biography -
Joseph Georges Gonzague Vézina (/ˈvɛzɪnə/; French: [ʒɔʁʒ vezina]; January 21, 1887 – March 27, 1926) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and nine in the National Hockey League (NHL), all with the Montreal Canadiens. After being signed by the Canadiens in 1910, Vézina played in 327 consecutive regular season games and a further 39 playoff games, before leaving early during a game in 1925 due to illness. Vézina was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and died on March 27, 1926. (Full article...)
Selected panorama -
National symbol -
Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively modified by European colonists, reducing the violence, to create its current collegiate and professional form. (Full article...)
Selected vital article -
![](http://webarchiveweb.wayback.bac-lac.canada.ca/web/20240305034810im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Transparentwomemcanadaicon.png/130px-Transparentwomemcanadaicon.png)
The History of women in Canada is the study of the historical experiences of women living in Canada and the laws and legislation affecting Canadian women. In colonial period of Canadian history, Indigenous women's roles were often challenged by Christian missionaries, and their marriages to European fur traders often brought their communities into greater contact with the outside world. Throughout the colonial period, European women were encouraged to immigrate to Canadian colonies and expand the white population. After Confederation in 1867, women's experiences were shaped by federal laws and by legislation passed in Canada's provincial legislatures. (Full article...)
Selected picture -
Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Brady-Handy Photograph Collection.
Current events
- February 28, 2024 –
- The Canadian government releases its report into the high-profile firings of two scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2021, stating that the pair worked closely and covertly with the Chinese government. (National Post)
- February 14, 2024 – Russia–United States relations, Russia and weapons of mass destruction
- The U.S. holds emergency talks with allies, including Canada and the United Kingdom, on the Russian nuclear threat. (CBC)
- January 30, 2024 – Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal
- One former and four current National Hockey League players who took part in the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships are charged with sexual assault in London, Ontario, Canada in connection with the 2018 investigation. (CBC)
- January 27, 2024 – Israel–Hamas war
- The United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany suspend humanitarian aid to UNRWA over allegations that some UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led attack on Israel. (BBC News) (CBS News)
- January 24, 2024 – Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal
- Five players who took part in the 2018 World Junior Championship have reportedly been told to surrender to the police in London, Ontario, Canada to face sexual assault charges. (TSN)
- January 23, 2024 –
- A small passenger plane carrying workers to Rio Tinto Alcan's Diavik Diamond Mine, in Canada's Northwest Territories, crashes in the town of Fort Smith, killing six people and wounding another. (CBS News)
Did you know -
![](http://webarchiveweb.wayback.bac-lac.canada.ca/web/20240305034810im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Nuvola_apps_filetypes.svg/45px-Nuvola_apps_filetypes.svg.png)
- ... that Jonathan Beaulieu-Richard retired from the Canadian Football League to become a pharmacist?
- ... that Canadian cricketer Divya Saxena was accused of obstructing the field in an international match but was ruled "not out"?
- ... that in 2020 when Persian-Canadian countertenor Cameron Shahbazi performed in Written on Skin in Cologne, his "Luciferian charm" and "iridescent voice" were noted?
- ... that archaeologists found evidence at Michipicoten Provincial Park on the north shore of Canada's Lake Superior that indigenous people used the site since at least 1100 AD?
- ... that Sheila Egoff, Canada's first professor of children's literature, returned to her library work immediately after retirement?
- ... that ethnic broadcasting pioneer Shushma Datt was the first Canadian woman to obtain a CRTC broadcast licence?
- ... that Canadian architect Barry Downs contributed to the redevelopment of the Expo 86 site in Vancouver, the largest private development in North America at the time?
Featured list -
Canada's Walk of Fame, located in Toronto, Ontario, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians. It consists of a series of stars imbedded in 13 designated blocks worth of sidewalks in Toronto, located in front of Roy Thomson Hall, the Princess of Wales Theatre, and the Royal Alexandra Theatre on King and Simcoe streets. The first group of members was inducted in 1998, and it has since expanded to include the RBC Emerging Artist Music Mentorship Prize competition, which assists emerging Canadian musicians with getting their careers off the ground. (Full article...)
Main articles
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus