Portal:Canada

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Introduction

Flag 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. Its border with the United States is the longest international land border. The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. With a population of over 41 million, it has widely varying population densities, with the majority residing in urban areas and large areas of the country being sparsely populated. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

A developed country, Canada has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world by nominal GDP, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Recognized as a middle power, Canada's support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign relations policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries. Canada promotes its domestically shared values through participation in multiple international organizations and forums. (Full article...)

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Map of European colonies in America, 1702

Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) or the Third Indian War was one in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In the United States, it is often studied as a standalone conflict under this name, although it is also viewed as the American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession. In France, it was known as the Second Intercolonial War. (Full article...)

Current events

June 23, 2025 – Russian invasion of Ukraine: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announces that European countries and Canada will send Ukraine a combined aid package of €35 billion (US$40.3 billion). (RBC)
June 20, 2025 –: Four people are missing after a Kawasaki medical helicopter on a rescue operation crashes north of Baie-Johan-Beetz near Natashquan on the Côte-Nord in Quebec, Canada. The pilot is found and taken to hospital. (CBC)
June 19, 2025 –: A rockslide at Bow Glacier Falls near Banff, Alberta, Canada, kills at least two people. Three other hikers sustained injuries. (CFCN-DT)
June 15, 2025 –: The 51st G7 summit begins in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. (France24)
June 10, 2025 – War crimes in the Gaza war, Gaza humanitarian crisis: The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway impose sanctions on Israeli far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, including asset freezes and travel bans, due to their conduct during the Gaza war. (Reuters)
May 27, 2025 – 2025 royal tour of Canada: King Charles III, in his capacity as King of Canada, visits Canada along with Queen Camilla on Prime Minister Mark Carney's advice. He also read the Speech from the Throne, the first reigning monarch to do so since 1977. (NPR)

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Winnipeg photographed from top of Union Bank Building, 1907

Credit: W. A. Cooper

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The National Flag of Canada (French: Drapeau national du Canada), popularly referred to as The Maple Leaf or l'Unifolié (lit. 'the one-leafed'), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured one stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre. It is the first flag to have been adopted by both houses of Parliament and officially proclaimed by the Canadian monarch as the country's official national flag. The flag has become the predominant and most recognizable national symbol of Canada. (Full article...)

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The culture of Canada embodies the artistic, culinary, literary, humour, musical, political and social elements that are representative of Canadians. Throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced firstly by its indigenous cultures, and later by European culture and traditions, mostly by the British and French. Over time, elements of the cultures of Canada's immigrant populations have become incorporated to form a Canadian cultural mosaic. Certain segments of Canada's population have, to varying extents, also been influenced by American culture due to shared language (in English-speaking Canada), significant media penetration, and geographic proximity. (Full article...)

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Parliament buildings of Canada
Credit: Crop by Jeff3000, original image by Matthew Samuel Spurrell

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Gretzky in 2019

Wayne Douglas Gretzky CC (/ˈɡrɛtski/ GRET-skee; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One", he has been called the greatest ice hockey player ever by the NHL based on surveys of hockey writers, ex-players, general managers and coaches. Gretzky is the leading career point scorer and assist producer in NHL history and has more assists than any other player has total career points. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, Gretzky tallied over 100 points in 15 professional seasons. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he held 61 NHL records: 40 regular season records, 15 playoff records, and 6 All-Star records. (Full article...)

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... that Pituamkek National Park Reserve, Canada's newest national park, protects a chain of barrier islands that have been used for fishing and hunting by the Mi'kmaq for 4,000 years?
... that the entire inventory of historic string instruments in Canada's Musical Instrument Bank are loaned to musicians in a competition held every three years?
... that the Manhattan Project feed materials program used uranium ore from a mine in Canada near the Arctic Circle?
... that the United States won the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final and extended a home unbeaten streak against Canada that dates back to 1957?
... that Irene Parlby was one of The Famous Five, a group of women in Canada who fought for the right of women to be considered "persons"?
... that a 23-day CBC strike thrust Don Goodwin into the Canadian national spotlight and into "folk-hero status"?
... that Oakwood Cemetery contains the graves of Confederate soldiers and officers, English, Canadian, and French World War II pilots, and Hank Williams?

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Canada is a federation that comprises ten provinces and three territories. Its government is structured as a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy, with a monarch as its sovereign and a Prime Minister as its head of government. Each of the country's provinces and territories also has a head of government, called premier in English. Collectively, the federal Prime Minister and provincial and territorial premiers are referred to as first ministers. In French, the term premier ministre is used in both the federal and provincial/territorial contexts. (Full article...)