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Country Name

Conventional long form: none

Conventional short form: Canada

Administrative Divisions

10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon*

Independence

1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (recognized by UK per Statute of Westminster)

National Holiday

Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Constitution

History: consists of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions dating from 1763; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982

Amendments: proposed by either house of Parliament or by the provincial legislative assemblies; there are 5 methods for passage though most require approval by both houses of Parliament, approval of at least two thirds of the provincial legislative assemblies and assent and formalization as a proclamation by the governor general in council; the most restrictive method is reserved for amendments affecting fundamental sections of the constitution, such as the office of the monarch or the governor general, and the constitutional amendment procedures, which require unanimous approval by both houses and by all the provincial assemblies, and assent of the governor general in council; amended 11 times, last in 2011 (Fair Representation Act, 2011)

Legal System

common law system except in Quebec, where civil law based on the French civil code prevails

International Law Organization Participation

Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Citizenship by birth: yes

Citizenship by descent only: yes

Dual citizenship recognized: yes

Residency requirement for naturalization: minimum of 3 of last 5 years resident in Canada

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Mary SIMON (since 6 July 2021)

Head of government: Prime Minister Justin Pierre James TRUDEAU (Liberal Party) (since 4 November 2015)

Cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among members of his/her own party sitting in Parliament

Elections appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a 5-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Commons generally designated prime minister by the governor general

Note: the governor general position is largely ceremonial

Legislative Branch

Description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of

Elections: Senate - appointed; latest appointments in July 2021House of Commons - last held on 20 September 2021 (next to be held on or before 20 October 2025)

Election results: Senate - composition as of May 2022 - men 47, women 45, percent of women 48.9%

3: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - CPC 33.7%, Liberal Party 32.6%, NDP 17.8%, Bloc Quebecois 7.7%, Greens 2.3%, other 5.9%; seats by party - Liberal Party 159, CPC 119, NDP 25, Bloc Quebecois 32, Greens 2, independent 1; composition as of May 2022 - men 235, women 103, percent of women 30.5%; note - total Parliament percent of women 34.4%

Judicial Branch

Highest courts: Supreme Court of Canada (consists of the chief justice and 8 judges); note - in 1949, Canada abolished all appeals beyond its Supreme Court, which prior to that time, were heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

Judge selection and term of office: chief justice and judges appointed by the prime minister in council; all judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 75

Subordinate courts: federal level

Political Parties and Leaders

Bloc Quebecois [Yves-Francois BLANCHET]Conservative Party of Canada or CPC [Candice BERGEN (interim)]Green Party [Amita KUTTNER (interim)]Liberal Party [Justin TRUDEAU]New Democratic Party or NDP [Jagmeet SINGH]People's Party of Canada [Maxime BERNIER]

Flag Description

Two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width) with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square; the maple leaf has long been a Canadian symbol

National Symbols

National Anthem

Lyrics music: Adolphe-Basile ROUTHIER [French], Robert Stanley WEIR [English]/Calixa LAVALLEE

National Heritage