The country
The UN rated Canada as one of the best countries to live in the world. It has a high life expectancy and good standards of education and healthcare. It is also a place of amazing natural beauty.
GOVERNMENT
The head of state is the British monarch, but Canada has a federal government with a parliament and a prime minister.
The country has a multi-party system in which many of its legislative practices derive from the unwritten conventions of and precedents set by the Westminster parliament of the United Kingdom.
The two dominant political parties in Canada have historically been the current Liberal Party of Canada and the Conservative Party of Canada.
Anthem
O Canada was proclaimed Canada’s national anthem on July 1, 1980, but it had been sung in French 100 years earlier. It has a French and an English version.
Canadian Symbols
The Flag
The Canadians got this flag recently, in 1965. Before that, they used the Union Jack (the British flag) because Canada was a member of the Commonwealth.
A professor designed it using a maple leaf as Canada’s emblem and red and white because they were Canada’s official colours.
The Beaver
Beavers were very important in the Canadian fur trade for centuries. The merchants made a lot of money, but the beaver population almost became extinct.
Beavers are important to agriculture because they build dams, which make the rivers move slowly and this prevents floods. To honour this animal, the Canadians made it their emblem.
The Currency
The Canadian Dollar (CAD) is 0,67 euros.
The Loonie is a 1-dollar gold-colored coin and the Toonie is a 2-dollar one.
Canada Day
The national holiday is on 1 July to commemorate the union of many small areas to form the Dominion of Canada in 1867.
The Mounties
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), commonly known as the Mounties is the police service of Canada. Their emblem is the buffalo.
Originally, they rode horses to reach places inaccessible by car. It also gives them high visibility for crime prevention.
Their famous uniform is known as the “red serge”. It consists if a scarlet tunic, blue breeches with a yellow stripe and riding boots.