Canada (continued)
Political parties and leaders: Progressive Conservative, Brian Mulroney; Liberal, John Turner; New Democratic, Audrey McLaughlin
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: House of Commons—last held 21 November 1988 (next to be held by November 1993); results—Progressive Conservative 43.0%, Liberal 32%, New Democratic Party 20%, other 5%; seats—(295 total) Progressive Conservative 170, Liberal 82, New Democratic Party 43
Communists: 3,000
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, DAC, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Whaling Commission, IWC—International Wheat Council, NATO, OAS, OECD, PAHO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Derek BURNEY; Chancery at 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 785-1400; there are Canadian Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle; US—Ambassador Edward N. NEY; Embassy at 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa (mailing address is P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669); telephone (613) 238-5335; there are US Consulates General in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver
Flag: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
Economy
Overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial
society, Canada today closely resembles
the US in per capita output,
market-oriented economic system, and pattern of
production. Since World War II the
impressive growth of the manufacturing,
mining, and service sectors has
transformed the nation from a largely
rural economy into one primarily industrial
and urban. In the 1980s Canada registered
one of the highest rates of growth
among the OECD nations, averaging
about 4%. With its great natural
resources, skilled labor force, and modern
capital plant, Canada has excellent
economic prospects.
GDP: $513.6 billion, per capita $19,600; real growth rate 2.9% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.0% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 7.5% (1989)
Budget: revenues $79.2 billion; expenditures $102.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (FY88 est.)
Exports: $127.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—newsprint, wood pulp, timber, grain, crude petroleum, natural gas, ferrous and nonferrous ores, motor vehicles; partners—US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, USSR
Imports: $116.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—processed foods, beverages, crude petroleum, chemicals, industrial machinery, motor vehicles, durable consumer goods, electronic computers; partners—US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico
External debt: $247 billion (1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (1989)
Electricity: 103,746,000 kW capacity; 472,580 million kWh produced, 17,960 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas
Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GDP; one of the world's major producers and exporters of grain (wheat and barley); key source of US agricultural imports; large forest resources cover 35% of total land area; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $2.2 billion
Currency: Canadian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1—1.1714 (January 1990), 1.1840 (1989), 1.2307 (1988), 1.3260 (1987), 1.3895 (1986), 1.3655 (1985) Fiscal year 1 April-31 March
Communications
Railroads: 80,095 km total; 79,917 km
1.435-meter standard gauge (includes 129
km electrified); 178 km 0.915-meter narrow
gauge (mostly unused); two major
transcontinental freight railway
systems—Canadian National (government owned)
and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger
service—VIA (government operated)
Highways: 884,272 km total; 712,936 km surfaced (250,023 km paved), 171,336 km earth
Inland waterways: 3,000 km, including St. Lawrence Seaway
Pipelines: oil, 23,564 km total crude and refined; natural gas, 74,980 km
Ports: Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick), St. John's (Newfoundland), Toronto, Vancouver
Merchant marine: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 555,749 GRT/774,914 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 5 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 12 cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 1 refrigerated cargo, 8 roll-on/roll-off, 1 container, 29 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 10 bulk; note—does not include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes ships
Civil air: 636 major transport aircraft; Air Canada is the major carrier
Airports: 1,359 total, 1,117 usable; 442 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 322 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent service provided by modern media; 18.0 million tele phones; stations—900 AM, 29 FM, 53 (1,400 repeaters) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; over 300 satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (including 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and domestic systems
Defense Forces
Branches: Mobile Command, Maritime
Command, Air Command, Communications
Command, Canadian Forces Europe,
Training Commands
Military manpower: males 15-49, 7,174,119; 6,251,492 fit for military service; 187,894 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.0% of GDP, or $10 billion (1989 est.)
