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Kappa Alpha Theta

Kappa Alpha Theta

Kappa Alpha Theta (ΚΑΘ) is an international women's fraternity founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University. The sorority currently has 124 chapters at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada with a total initiated membership of 170,000. Currently, it is one of the top five largest sororities.

History

Kappa Alpha Theta, also known as Theta, was the first Greek letter organization or GLO founded for college women. Kappa Alpha Theta was founded as a fraternity for women in 1870 and was established to give women a support group in the then mostly-male college world at what is now DePauw University. Indiana Asbury, as the university was known then, officially opened its doors to women in 1867, thirty years after the college was first established. Four women, Bettie Locke (Hamilton), Alice Allen (Bryant), Bettie Tipton (Lindsay) and Hannah Fitch (Shaw), sought to create an organization for women that would provide the encouragement and support that would draw women to coeducational colleges and help them attain a degree. It was with these ideals in mind that the four women founded Kappa Alpha Theta, and believed in the Fraternity's strength through its members' lasting loyalty to each other and to the Fraternity ideals. Kappa Alpha Theta, the first Greek-letter organization known among women, was based in part on two Fraternities with which Bettie Locke had contact; Beta Theta Pi, her father's fraternity, and Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji), her brother's fraternity. Bettie had many friends in Fiji, and when one asked her to wear his badge as a token of friendship, Bettie declined; because she did not know the secrets and purposes which the letters represented, she said, she could not wear them. Though there was some talk of initiating Bettie into the fraternity, they instead presented her with a silver fruit basket engraved with their letters. This ideal has been integrated into the current practices of Kappa Alpha Theta, as only initiated members of the Fraternity (who know the meaning of these letters) may wear Theta's letters. Impressed with the fraternity ideals, Bettie searched for a women's counterpart. Finding none, she followed her father's suggestion to begin her own. And so Kappa Alpha Theta was conceived. Bettie and her friend Alice Allen together wrote a constitution, planned ceremonies, designed a badge, and sought other women on campus worthy of membership. Bettie Tipton and Hannah Fitch initiated themselves on January 27, 1870, becoming the first Greek-letter fraternity known among women. These four women proudly wore their black and gold badges to Asbury's chapel service on March 14. The Alpha Chapter at Asbury grew to 22 sisters. Soon Kappa Alpha Theta spread to other colleges with Bettie's establishment of the Beta Chapter at Indiana University in May of the same year. Through the years, Kappa Alpha Theta has grown to its current size of 124 college chapters, 282 alumnae groups, and more than 170,000 members. The Founders of Kappa Alpha Theta

Mission Statement

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, Kappa Alpha Theta exists to nurture each member throughout her college and alumnae experience and to offer a lifelong opportunity for social, intellectual and moral growth as she meets the higher and broader demands of mature life
Educational Foundation
The Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation, founded in 1960, is the philanthropic arm of the organization. It supports the Fraternity's educational programs as well as the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Theta's international philanthropy. The Foundation annually awards more than $400,000 in graduate and undergraduate scholarships to its members. Theta is among the top of the Greek community in supplying scholarship awards to collegiate members.
Notable Thetas
Academics
- Mary Ritter Beard - Noted historian, Campaigner for Women's Suffrage
- Anna Dickinson - Abolitionist, 1st woman to speak before the United States Congress
- Bertha Van Hoosen, MD - 1st president of the American Medical Women’s Association
- Dian Fossey - Zoologist, wrote 'Gorillas in the Mist' recounting her years as a researcher
- Molly Corbett Broad - Named president of the University of North Carolina, 1997
- Matilda Moldenhauer Brooks - Biologist who discovered an antidote to carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning - the methylene blue treatment
- Anna Botsford Comstock - one of the 1st four women admitted to Sigma Xi national honor society for the sciences in 1888, named one of America’s 12 greatest living women in a 1923 League of Women Voters survey. She was inducted into the National Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Hall of Fame in 1988
- Dian Fossey - the world’s 1st female primatologist
- Margaret Floy Washburn - the 1st woman to receive a Ph.D. in Psychology Arts and Entertainment
- Julia Morgan - 'Most extraordinary woman in history of architecture'
- Sarah Clarke - Actress
- Sheryl Crow - Singer, Grammy Award Winner
- Amy Grant - Singer, Grammy Award Winner
- Jennifer Jones - Actress Academy Award Winner
- Rue McClanahan - Actress whose most famous role is Blanche of the Golden Girls
- Ann-Margret - Actress who starred in such movies as State Fair, Bye-Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas (with Elvis Presley), and Grumpy Old Men
- Julie Moran - Host Entertainment Tonight
- Jenna Von Oy - Actress, Six of Blossom
- Mary Kay Place - Actress (Being John Malkovitch, The Rainmaker, The Big Chill)
- Agnes DeMille - Broadway choreographer (Rodeo, Oklahoma, Carousel, Brigadoon, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
- Maurine Dallas Watkins - Playwright (Chicago (1926)) Business
- Marjorie Child Husted - Creator of Betty Crocker Politics
- Tillie Fowler - United States Representative from Florida
- Barbara Hackman Franklin - served as the 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was one of the highest ranking women in the Bush Sr. administration, now CEO of Barbara Franklin Enterprises
- Karen Koning Abu Zayd - Deputy Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Administration for Palestine Refugees
- Frances Cleveland Axtell - One of the 1st two women elected to serve as Washington State legislators (1913 - 1915)
- Barbara Hackman Franklin - 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce (1992-1993)
- Midge Rendell - Federal Appeals Court Judge
- Mary Louise Epperson Smith - the 1st woman to chair the Republican National Committee (1974-1977)
- Mary Vance Trent - one of the 1st female Foreign Service Officers serving the United States Government Sports
- Kerri Strug - Olympic Gymnast
- Melissa Stark - Newsreporter, Monday Night Football
- Jo Anne Gunderson Carner - Golf champion (Two time US Open winner)
- Pauline Betz Addie - Tennis champion (Wimbledon and the US Open)
- Ann Curtis Cuneo - Swimming champion (first woman, first swimmer to receive sullivan award, Olympic Gold medal in 1948)
- Julie Moran - Broadcast journalist (first woman to host Wide World of Sports) Miscellaneous
- Eva Bertrand Adams - Director of the U.S. Mint (1960-1969)
- Jenna Bush - Daughter of President George W. Bush
- Laura Bush - Wife of President George W. Bush
- Lynne Cheney - Wife of Vice President Dick Cheney
- Diane Disney-Miller - Daughter of Walt Disney
- Sharon Disney Brown - Daughter of Walt Disney
- Melinda French Gates - Wife of Bill Gates, former General Manager of Personal Productivity Products at Microsoft Media
- Mary Wells Lawrence - Considered the 1st great woman in the field of advertising
- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings - Author The Yearling
- Harriet Huntington Doerr - Author
- Kate Lehrer - Author (Best Intentions, When They Took Away the Man in the Moon, Out of Eden)
- Jean Martin Marzollo - Author of children's books including the I Spy series
- Mary Margaret McBride - Widely followed radio commentator, journalist, author (1935-1955)
External links
[http://www.kappaalphatheta.org Kappa Alpha Theta Headquarters] Category:United States student societies Category:National Panhellenic Conference

January 27
January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 338 days remaining (339 in leap years).
Events

- 98 Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva.
- 1186 - Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, weds Constance of Sicily.
- 1343 - Pope Clement VI issues the Bull Unigenitus.
- 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, and ending in their execution on January 31.
- 1695 - Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Amhed II. Mustafa ruled until 1703.
- 1785 - The University of Georgia is founded.
- 1825 - US Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the "Trail of Tears."
- 1870 - The first college sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, is formed at DePauw University.
- 1880 - Thomas Edison files a patent for his electric incandescent lamp.
- 1888 - In Washington, DC the National Geographic Society is founded.
- 1900 - Boxer Rebellion: Foreign diplomats in Peking, China demand that the Boxer rebels be disciplined.
- 1909 - The Young Left is founded in Norway.
- 1915 - United States Marines occupy Haiti.
- 1926 - John Logie Baird demonstrates the first television broadcast.
- 1939 - The President of the United-States Franklin D. Roosevelt approves the sale of U.S. war planes to France.
- 1941 - World War II: Fighting at Derna, Libya, begins Following the capture of Tobruk 2 brigades of the 6th Australian Division under Major General Iven Mackay pursued the Italians westwards and encountered an Italian rear guard at Derna.
- 1943 - World War II: 50 bombers mount the first entirely American air raid against Germany, targeting Wilhelmshaven.
- 1944 - World War II: The two year Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
- 1945 - World War II: The Red Army arrives at Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland and find the Nazi concentration camp where 1.1-1.5 million people were murdered.
- 1951 - Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with a one-kiloton bomb dropped on Frenchman Flats.
- 1967 - Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of the Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center.
- 1967 - More than 60 nations sign the Outer Space Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space.
- 1973 - Paris Peace Accords officially end the Vietnam War.
- 1978 - Lt Marilyn R. Koon, 161st Aerial Refueling Squadron, Arizona Air National Guard, becomes first female Air National Guard Pilot.
- 1984 - Carl Lewis beats his own indoor world jumping record by 9-1/4 inches with a 28 feet, 10-1/4 inches jump.
- 1991 - Muhammad Siyad Barre flees his compound in Mogadishu.
- 1991 - Super Bowl XXV: The New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills, 20-19.
- 1992 - Mike Tyson goes on trial charged with raping a 1991 Miss Black America contestant.
- 1996 - Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger, Mahamane Ousmane, in a military coup.
- 1997 - It is revealed that French museums have nearly 2,000 pieces of art that were stolen by Nazis.
- 1998 - American First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton appears on the Today Show calling the attacks against her husband part of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."
- 2002 - Several explosions at a military dump in Lagos, Nigeria kill more than 1,000.
Births

- 1443 - Albert, Duke of Saxony (d. 1500)
- 1546 - Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1608)
- 1585 - Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (d. 1634)
- 1603 - Harbottle Grimston, English politician (d. 1685)
- 1662 - Richard Bentley, English classical scholar (d. 1742)
- 1687 - Balthasar Neumann, German architect (d. 1753)
- 1701 - Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, German historian and theologian (d. 1790)
- 1720 - Samuel Foote, English dramatist and actor (d. 1777)
- 1741 - Hester Thrale, Welsh diarist (d. 1821)
- 1756 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer (d. 1791)
- 1805 - Samuel Palmer, English artist (d. 1881)
- 1806 - Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish composer (d. 1826)
- 1814 - Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, French architect (d. 1879)
- 1823 - Edouard Lalo, French composer (d. 1892)
- 1826 - Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian writer (d. 1889)
- 1826 - Richard Taylor, American Confederate general (d. 1879)
- 1832 - Lewis Carroll, English author (d. 1898)
- 1836 - Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian writer (d. 1895)
- 1848 - Togo Heihachiro, Japanese admiral (d. 1934)
- 1850 - Samuel Gompers, American labor leader (d. 1924)
- 1850 - Edward J. Smith, English captain of the Titanic (d. 1912)
- 1859 - Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany (d. 1941)
- 1885 - Jerome Kern, American composer (d. 1945)
- 1885 - Eduard Künnecke, German composer (d. 1953)
- 1885 - Harry Ruby, American musician, composer, and writer (d. 1974)
- 1891 - Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian writer (d. 1967)
- 1900 - Hyman Rickover, American admiral (d. 1986)
- 1901 - Art Rooney, American football team owner (d. 1988)
- 1903 - John Carew Eccles, Australian neuropsychologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1997)
- 1905 - Howard McNear, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1908 - Oran "Hot Lips" Page, American jazz trumpeter (d. 1954)
- 1918 - Skitch Henderson, English-born bandleader (d. 2005)
- 1919 - Ross Bagdasarian, American musician and actor (d. 1972)
- 1920 - Helmut Zacharias, German violinist (d. 2002)
- 1921 - Donna Reed, American actress (d. 1986)
- 1924 - Sabu, Indian actor (d. 1963)
- 1926 - Fritz Spiegl, Austrian-born journalist (d. 2003)
- 1929 - Gastón Suárez, Bolivian novelist and dramatist (d. 1984)
- 1930 - Bobby Blue Bland, American singer
- 1931 - Mordecai Richler, Canadian author (d. 2001)
- 1936 - Troy Donahue, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1936 - Samuel C. C. Ting, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 - John Ogdon, English pianist (d. 1989)
- 1940 - James Cromwell, American actor
- 1944 - Mairéad Corrigan, Irish activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- 1944 - Nick Mason, English drummer (Pink Floyd)
- 1945 - Harold Cardinal, Cree political leader, writer, and lawyer (d. 2005)
- 1946 - Nedra Talley, American singer (Ronettes)
- 1948 - Mikhail Baryshnikov, Russian dancer
- 1950 - Amos Grunebaum, Israeli-born obstetrician and gynecologist
- 1955 - John Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States
- 1956 - Mimi Rogers, American actress
- 1957 - Janick Gers, English musician (Iron Maiden)
- 1959 - Keith Olbermann, American journalist and sportscaster
- 1964 - Bridget Fonda, American actress
- 1965 - Alan Cumming, Scottish actor
- 1968 - Mike Patton, American singer
- 1968 - Tricky, English rapper
- 1971 - Fann Wong, Singapore actress, model, and singer (Shanghai Knights)
- 1972 - Keith Wood, Irish rugby player
- 1974 - Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1979 - Daniel Vettori, New Zealand cricketer
- 1980 - Marat Safin, Russian tennis player
Deaths

- 98 - Nerva, Roman Emperor (b. 35)
- 1490 - Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shogun (b. 1435)
- 1629 - Hieronymus Praetorius, German composer (b. 1560)
- 1638 - Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses, Spanish novelist
- 1731 - Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian maker of musical instruments (b. 1655)
- 1740 - Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon, Prime Minister of France (b. 1692)
- 1814 - Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher (b. 1761)
- 1816 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, British admiral (b. 1724)
- 1851 - John James Audubon, French-American naturalist, ornithologist, and painter (b. 1785)
- 1860 - János Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1860)
- 1880 - Edward Middleton Barry, English architect (b. 1830)
- 1901 - Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer (b. 1813)
- 1910 - Thomas Crapper, English plumber (b. 1836)
- 1919 - Endre Ady, Hungarian poet (b. 1877)
- 1940 - Isaac Babel, Ukrainian writer (b. 1894)
- 1956 - Erich Kleiber, German conductor (b. 1890)
- 1967 - Crew of Apollo 1:
- Roger Chaffee (b. 1935)
- Virgil "Gus" Grissom (b. 1926)
- Edward White (b. 1930)
- 1970 - Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (b. 1908)
- 1971 - Jacobo Arbenz, President of Guatemala (b. 1913)
- 1972 - Mahalia Jackson, American singer (b. 1911)
- 1975 - Bill Walsh, American producer and writer (b. 1913)
- 1986 - Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (b. 1914)
- 1988 - Massa Makan Diabaté, Malian author (b. 1938)
- 1989 - Thomas Sopwith, British aviation pioneer (b. 1888)
- 1992 - Allan Jones, actor and singer (b. 1908)
- 1993 - André the Giant, professional wrestler and actor (b. 1946)
- 1994 - Claude Akins, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1996 - Ralph Yarborough, American politician (b. 1903)
- 2004 - Jack Paar, American television show host (b. 1918)
Holidays and observances

- United Kingdom — Holocaust Memorial Day.
- Germany — Gedenktag für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus (Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism).
- Poland — Dzień Pamięci Ofiar Nazizmu (Memorial Day for the Victims of Nazism).
- Italy — Giorno della Memoria (Memorial Day).
- Catholicism — Catholic Schools Week.
- Serbia — St. Sava Day
External links

- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/27 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.tnl.net/when/1/27 Today in History: January 27] ---- January 26 - January 28 - December 27 - February 27 — listing of all days ko:1월 27일 ms:27 Januari ja:1月27日 simple:January 27 th:27 มกราคม

DePauw University

Founded in 1837, DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, is a selective private liberal arts college with a 2002 enrollment of 2,339. The school has a Methodist heritage. The school was originally known as Indiana Asbury College, after Francis Asbury, the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It first admitted women in 1867. Indiana Asbury College changed its name to DePauw University in the 1870s, after Washington C. DePauw donated a very generous $600,000 to the University. The DePauw family took a further interest in the school by helping to establish the college's School of Music in 1884. It remains one of the oldest Schools of Music in the nation. DePauw University is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association. Currently, Depauw University is a New York and Chicago Posse Foundation http://www.possefoundation.org partner who provides full tuition scholarships to student leaders awarded by the Posse Program.

Campus

DePauw University consists of 36 major buildings spread out over a spacious 655 acre (2.7 km²) campus that includes a 480 acre (1.9 km²) nature park, and is located approximately 45 miles to the west of Indianapolis, Indiana. There are 11 residence halls, 4 theme houses, and 31 University-owned houses and apartments spread throughout the campus. The oldest building on campus, East College, was built in 1877 and is listed on the Register of Historic Landmarks. DePauw is also home to McKim Observatory.

Academic calendar

DePauw University's schedule is divided into an unique 4-1-4 calendar. Besides the 15-week Autumn and Spring Semesters, there is also a 4-week Winter Term. Students take only one course during the Winter Term and is either used as a laid-back period on campus or for students to participate in domestic or international internship programs.

Faculty

DePauw University prides itself on having a student-faculty ratio of 10:1 and not having a single class with more than 50 students. Among its faculty is mathematician Underwood Dudley, known for his humorous skeptical books, including Mathematical Cranks and The Trisectors.

Greek life

DePauw University has the largest Greek fraternity/sorority population per capita of any college in the United States, consisting of 12 national social fraternities (11 that have houses on campus) and 10 sororities (7 that have houses on campus). Both Kappa Alpha Theta and Alpha Chi Omega were founded at DePauw. The Delta Chapter of Beta Theta Pi is the longest continuously running Greek organization in North America. Formal recruitment for men and women is held early second semester. The following Fraternities and Sororities have houses on campus:

Fraternities

- Alpha Tau Omega
- Beta Theta Pi
- Delta Chi
- Delta Tau Delta
- Delta Upsilon
- Phi Delta Theta
- Phi Gamma Delta
- Phi Kappa Psi
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon
- Sigma Chi
- Sigma Nu

Sororities

- Alpha Chi Omega
- Alpha Kappa Alpha
- Alpha Phi
- Delta Gamma
- Delta Zeta
- Kappa Alpha Theta
- Kappa Kappa Gamma
- Pi Beta Phi

Athletics

The DePauw Tigers compete in the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Every year since 1890, DePauw University has competed in football against its rival Wabash College in what has become the Monon Bell Classic. The traveling trophy, the 300-pound train bell from the Monon Railroad, made its debut in the rivalry in 1932. The rivalry between Wabash and DePauw began in 1890 and is the oldest college football rivalry west of the Alleghenies.

Technology

Based on a "criteria for the rankings included: number of school-owned computers available, breadth of the computer science curriculum, the sophistication of campus technology, availability of school-owned digital cameras and equipment for student use, wireless Internet access on campus, and support for handheld computing," DePauw University was ranked the third most connected school in the United States by the 2004 Princeton Review.

Boulder Run

The Boulder Run has become a tradition at DePauw University. It is the tradition of streaking to the boulder located in the middle of campus. This tradition has even been mentioned in Playboy magazine.

Fits and Starts

In the fall of 2005, the sculpture "Fits and Starts" was installed on campus. Created by sculptor Marc Swanson, the piece of art portrayed a rhinestone-encrusted deer in mid-leap. The sculpture's arrival was greeted with vocal criticism from much of the student body, although the deer had some very firm supporters among both students and faculty. Two weeks after "Fits and Starts" came to campus, a few unknown people vandalized it so badly that it had to be removed. The vandalism caused an uproar in the college community. Protests were held; accusations were made; editorials were written. Despite the high tension, most students and professors comported themselves well and eventually discussed the situation in a dignifed manner. The future of the sculpture is uncertain.

Notable alumni

- Karen Koning Abu Zayd - former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, current Acting Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
- Lee Hamilton - vice chair of the 9-11 Commission and currently serves on the Homeland Security Advisory Council
- John Jakes - novelist
- Vernon Jordan Jr. - noted broker and executive, former president of the National Urban League, personal friend and advisor to Bill Clinton
- Barbara Kingsolver - contemporary fiction writer, founder of Bellwether Prize for "literature of social change"
- Eugene C. Pulliam - noted newspaper publisher
- Martha Steele-Robes, Dow Jones director
- Dan Quayle - 44th Vice President of the United States under George H. W. Bush
- James C. Quayle - noted newspaper publisher
- Percy Julian - creator of synthetic cortisone

External links and references

- [http://www.depauw.edu Official Website]
- [http://www.depauw.edu/visitors/campus-map Interactive Campus Map]
- [http://www.depauw.edu/univ/naturepark/ DePauw Nature Park Website] Not to be confused with DePaul University. Category:Universities and colleges in Indiana Category:Liberal arts colleges category:posse schools

Canada

Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of area, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean with claims extending to the North Pole. The northern-most country on the mainland of North America, Canada has land borders only with the United States. Governed as a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, Canada is a federation of ten provinces with three territories. Initially constituted in 1867, the country's constitution was patriated in 1982 from the United Kingdom. Canada's head of state is its monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented in Canada by the Governor General, presently Michaëlle Jean. The head of government is the Prime Minister, currently Paul Martin; his minority government recently lost a vote of non-confidence in the Canadian House of Commons and asked for the dissolution of the Parliament by the Governor General, who then issued a Royal proclamation authorising the issue of election writs, and stating a federal election will take place on 2006 January 23. Canada's official languages are English and French. As of 2005, its official population estimate is approximately 32.4 million ^{[http://www.statcan.ca/english/edu/clock/population.htm]}.

Overview

The capital city is Ottawa, Ontario, the seat of Canada's Parliament. The Governor General, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Loyal Opposition, and the Speaker of the House of Commons have official residences in the National Capital Region.National Capital Region, Ontario.]] Originally a union of British colonies with significant French influence and entitled as a "dominion", Canada is a founding member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, and La Francophonie. Canada defines itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation:
- English is the official (and majority) language in most provinces of Canada.
- French is the official language of Quebec, an official language of New Brunswick, and is spoken in various areas throughout the country.
- Several Aboriginal languages have official status in the Northwest Territories; Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut and has official status there. Canada is a technologically advanced and industrialized nation. It is a net exporter of energy because of its large fossil fuel deposits, nuclear energy generation, and hydroelectric power capacity. Its diversified economy relies heavily on an abundance of natural resources and trade, particularly with the United States, with which it has had a long and complex relationship. Canada has ten provinces and three territories: Canada's major cities that are not capital cities include Montreal, Quebec; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Calgary, Alberta.

Canada's name

The name Canada is believed to come from the Huron-Iroquois word kanata, which means "village" or "settlement". In 1535, locals used the word to tell Jacques Cartier the way to Stadacona, site of present-day Quebec City. Cartier used Canada to refer not only to Stadacona, but also to the entire area subject to Donnacona, Chief at Stadacona; by 1547, maps began referring to this and the surrounding area as Canada.

History

Aboriginal tradition holds that the First Peoples have inhabited parts of what is now called Canada since the dawn of time. Archaeological records show that these lands have been inhabited for at least 10,000 years. Several Viking expeditions occurred circa AD 1000, with evidence of settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows. British claims to North America date from 1497, when John Cabot reached what he called Newfoundland, though it is unclear whether Cabot landed in current Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, or Maine. French claims date from explorations by Jacques Cartier (from 1534) and Samuel de Champlain (from 1603). Neither Cabot's nor Cartier's explorations left any permanent settlers behind. On August 5, 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland as England's first overseas colony under Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1604, French settlers were the first Europeans to settle permanently in what is now Canada. After an unsuccessful winter in St. Croix Island (today in Maine), they settled Port-Royal in what is now the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, but moved to found Quebec City in 1608. The current Acadians are descendants of settlers who came later in the same century and re-founded Port-Royal. New France was generally the name given to the French colonies of Canada and Acadia (and later Louisiana).Louisiana, depicts British General Wolfe's final moments during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759.]] British settlements were established along the Atlantic seaboard and around Hudson Bay. As these colonies expanded, a struggle for control of North America took place between 1689 and 1763 (see French and Indian Wars), exacerbated by wars in Europe between France and Great Britain. France progressively lost territory to Great Britain, surrendering peninsular Nova Scotia in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and the remainder of New France including what was left of Acadia in the Treaty of Paris (1763). During and after the American Revolution approximately 70,000 [http://www.uelac.org/whatis.html] Loyalists fled the Thirteen Colonies. Of these, roughly 50,000 United Empire Loyalists [http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0850061.html] settled in the British North American colonies which then consisted of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the Province of Quebec, and Prince Edward Island (created 1769). To accommodate the Loyalists, Britain created the colony of New Brunswick in 1784 from part of Nova Scotia, and divided Quebec into Lower Canada and Upper Canada under the Constitutional Act of 1791. The War of 1812 began when the U.S. attacked British forces in Canada in an attempt to end British influence in North America (and particularly, the British seizures of American merchant ships in the Atlantic). In April 1813, U.S. forces burned York (now Toronto). The British/Canadians retaliated with the burning of Washington (DC) in a surprise attack in August 1814, but were subsequently turned back at Plattsburgh, Baltimore, and New Orleans. The Treaty of Ghent was signed in December 1814. It was only after the French and Napoleonic wars ended in Europe that large-scale immigration to Canada resumed. The Canadas were merged into a single colony, the United Province of Canada, with the Act of Union (1840) in an attempt to assimilate the French Canadians. Once the U.S. agreed to the 49th parallel north as its border with western British North America, the British government created the colonies of British Columbia in 1848 and Vancouver Island in 1849. By the late 1850s, politicians in the Province of Canada had launched a series of western exploratory expeditions with the intention of assuming control of Rupert's Land (administered by the Hudson's Bay Company) and the Arctic. In 1864 and 1866, British North American politicians, in what became known as the Great Coalition, held three conferences to create a federal union. Spearheaded by John A. Macdonald, on July 1, 1867, three colonies—Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were granted a constitution, the British North America Act, by the United Kingdom, creating the Dominion of Canada. The term "Canadian Confederation" refers to this 1867 unification of the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec (formerly Canada East or Lower Canada), and Ontario (formerly Canada West or Upper Canada). The remaining British colonies and territories soon joined Confederation. By 1880 Canada included all of its present area except for Newfoundland and Labrador, which joined in 1949. (It should be noted that, although part of Canada, Alberta and Saskatchewan did not gain Provincial status until 1905.) Newfoundland and Labrador In 1919, Canada became a member of the League of Nations and, in the Imperial Conference of 1926, Canada assumed full control of its own through the Balfour Declaration. In 1927, Canada appointed its first ambassador to a foreign country, the United States. In 1931, the Statute of Westminster gave the Balfour Declaration constitutional force, confirming that no act of the UK's parliament would thereafter extend to Canada without its consent. Canadian citizenship was first distinguished from British in 1947; judicial appeals to the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ended in 1949. The power to amend Canada's constitution remained with the British parliament, although subject to the Statute of Westminster, until it was finally "patriated" to Canadian control by the Canada Act 1982. The Quebec sovereignty movement has led to two referendums held in 1980 and 1995, with votes of 59.6% and 50.6% respectively against its proposals for sovereignty-association. In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unilateral secession by a province to be unconstitutional.

Geography

unconstitutionalCanada occupies the northern portion (precisely 41%) of North America. It is bordered to the south by the contiguous United States and to the northwest by Alaska. The length of these borders are 6,416 km (3,987 mi) and 2,477 km (1,539 mi), respectively. Off the southern coast of Newfoundland lies Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, an overseas community of France. The country stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west (hence the country's motto). To the north lies the Arctic Ocean; Greenland is to the northeast. Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60° and 141° W longitude ([http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/maps/historical/territorialevolution/1927/1]); this claim is not universally recognized. The northernmost settlement in Canada (and in the world) is Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island – latitude 82.5° N – just 834 kilometres (518 mi) from the North Pole. Also, the magnetic North Pole lies within Canadian boundaries (although is moving towards Siberia). Canada is the world's second-largest country in total area, after Russia. Much of Canada lies in Arctic regions, however, and thus Canada has only the fourth-most arable land area behind Russia, China, and the U.S. The population density of 3.5 people per square kilometre (9.0/mi²) is among the lowest in the world: Canada has more land area than the U.S., but only one-ninth of its population. The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City-Windsor Axis in the east. To the north of this region is the broad Canadian Shield, an area of rock scoured clean by the last ice age, thinly soiled, rich in minerals, and dotted with lakes and rivers—over 60% of the world's lakes are in Canada. The Canadian Shield encircles the immense Hudson Bay, extending from Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories at its westernmost point, to the Atlantic coast in Labrador in the east. Newfoundland, North America's easternmost island if Greenland is excluded, is at the mouth of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary. The Canadian Maritimes protrude eastward from the southern coasts of Quebec. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are divided by the Bay of Fundy, which experiences the world's largest tidal variations. Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province. Prince Edward Island; at 5 959 m (19,551 ft), Canada's highest point and second highest in North America.]]West of Ontario, the broad, flat Canadian Prairies spread toward the Rocky Mountains, which separate them from British Columbia. Northern Canadian vegetation tapers from coniferous forests to tundra and finally to Arctic barrens in the far north. The northern Canadian mainland is ringed with a vast archipelago containing some of the world's largest islands. Some specific geographical features of note include the world's largest freshwater island, Manitoulin Island, which divides Georgian Bay and Lake Huron and the world's longest freshwater beach, Wasaga Beach, on the Georgian Bay shoreline. Thanks to past glacial activity in the Canadian Shield, Canada boasts a considerable reserve of fresh water and more lakes than any other nation, roughly two million in all, the overwhelming majority of which are relatively small.

Climate

Canada has a reputation for cold temperatures in the winter months. Winters can be harsh in many regions of the country, particularly in the Prairie Provinces. Temperatures can reach lows of -50°C (-58°F) in the far North however, such low temperatures are not the norm; the record coldest temperature in North America was -63°C (-81°F), at Snag, Yukon, in 1947. Coastal British Columbia is an exception: it enjoys a temperate climate with much milder winters than the rest of the country however, rainy winters are common. Summers in Canada range from mild (low 20s Celsius [70°F]) on the east and west coasts, to hot (mid 20s to low 30s Celsius [75-90°F]) in Central Canada, the Prairies and the intermontane regions of British Columbia. The highest recorded temperature in Canada was 45°C (113°F) at both Midale and Yellow Grass in Saskatchewan on July 5, 1937. For a more complete description of weather norms around Canada, go to www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html

Politics

1937] Canada's head of state is the monarch, currently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and commonly referred to as the Queen of Canada. However, the day-to-day duties of head of state are exercised by the Governor General, who is generally a retired politician, military leader, or other notable Canadian; the current Governor General is Michaëlle Jean. All government authority is derived from the monarch, and executive power is wielded by the Prime Minister of Canada and the cabinet. The Governor General is formally appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and is a non-partisan figure who fulfils many ceremonial and symbolic roles including providing Royal Assent to bills, reading the Speech from the Throne, officially welcoming dignitaries of foreign countries, presenting honours such as the Order of Canada, signing state documents, formally opening and ending sessions of Parliament, and dissolving Parliament for an election. The Governor General is also the titular Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces. The position of Governor General also beholds considerable reserve powers, but these have been rarely used. The last to do so was Jeanne Sauvé, who ignored the National Capital Commission and closed the grounds of Rideau Hall in the late 1980s; the most famous use of the Governor General's extraordinary powers was during the King-Byng Affair in 1926. Canada's constitution governs the legal framework of the country and consists of [http://lois.justice.gc.ca/en/const/index.html written text] and unwritten traditions and conventions (see Westminster system). The federal government and the governments of nine provinces agreed to the patriation of the constitution, with procedures for amending it, at a meeting of First Ministers in November 1981. The Quebec government did not agree to the changes, and Quebec nationalists refer to that night as the Night of the Long Knives. The patriation of the Constitution included the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees basic rights and freedoms for Canadians that, generally, cannot be overridden by legislation of any level of government in Canada. It contains, however, a "notwithstanding clause", which allows the federal parliament and the provincial legislatures the power to override other sections of the Charter temporarily, for a period of five years. notwithstanding clause]]The position of Prime Minister, Canada's head of government, in practice belongs to the leader of the political party who can command a majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and his or her cabinet are formally appointed by the Governor General; however, the Prime Minister effectively chooses the cabinet and the Governor General, by convention, has to appoint the Prime Minister's desired choices. The Cabinet is drawn, by convention, from members of the prime minister's party in both legislative houses, though mostly from the Commons. Executive power is exercised by the prime minister and cabinet, all of whom are sworn into the Privy Council of Canada and become ministers of the Crown. The Prime Minister exercises a great deal of individual political power, especially in terms of the appointment of other officials within the government and civil service. The legislative branch of government has two houses: the elected House of Commons and the appointed Senate. Each member in the Commons is elected by simple plurality in one electoral district or "riding"; general elections are called by the Governor General when the prime minister so advises, and must occur every five years or less. Members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, are chosen by the prime minister and formally appointed by the Governor General, and serve until age 75. electoral district]]Canada has four main political parties today. The traditionally centrist / left-of-centre Liberal Party of Canada formed the government in Canada for most of the 20th century, and is the party of the current Prime Minister Paul Martin. The only other party to have formed a government is the now-defunct, right-of-centre Progressive Conservative (PC) Party and its predecessor, the Conservative Party, which was the dominant political party in the 19th century. The PC Party merged with the Canadian Alliance to form a new rightist Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. The New Democratic Party (NDP) is the major party furthest to the political left. The Bloc Québécois promotes Quebec independence from Canada and currently holds a majority of Quebec's seats in the Commons. There are many smaller parties and, while none have current representation in Parliament, the list of historical parties with elected representation is substantial. Canada's judiciary plays an important role in interpreting laws and has the power to strike down laws that violate the constitution. The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court and final arbiter; its nine members are directly appointed by Cabinet. All judges at the superior and appellate levels are selected and appointed by the federal government, after consultation with non-governmental legal bodies. The federal cabinet also appoints justices to superior courts at the provincial and territorial levels. Judicial posts at the lower provincial and territorial levels are filled by their respective governments (see Court system of Canada for more detail). Common law prevails everywhere except in Quebec, where civil law predominates. Criminal law is solely a federal responsibility and is uniform throughout Canada. Law enforcement, including criminal courts, is a provincial responsibility, but in most provinces policing is contracted to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The RCMP is one of few police forces in the world to perform three different levels of enforcement: municipal, provincial, and federal.

Foreign relations

Canada has a close relationship with the United States, sharing the world's longest undefended border, co-operating on some military campaigns and exercises, and being each other's largest trading partners. Canada also shares a history and long relationship with the United Kingdom as its "mother country". United Kingdom.]] In the last century, Canada has been an advocate for multilateralism, making efforts to reach out to the rest of the world and promoting itself as a "middle power" able to work with large and small nations alike. This was clearly demonstrated during the Suez Crisis when Lester B. Pearson mollified the tension by introducing the idea of peacekeeping and the inception of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. In 1957, Pearson was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. In that spirit, Canada developed and has tried to maintain a leading role in UN peacekeeping efforts. Canada has cumulatively contributed more troops to peacekeeping operations worldwide than all other nations combined and currently serves in over 40 different peacekeeping missions, most recently in Afghanistan. Canada has contributed in some way to all UN peacekeeping missions. Canada is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, La Francophonie, the Organization of American States (OAS), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the World Trade Organization, the G8, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Military

Asia-Pacific Economic CooperationA founding member of the NATO alliance, Canada currently employs about 62,000 regular and 26,000 reserve military personnel.[http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/about/family_e.asp] The unified Canadian Forces (CF) are comprised of army, navy, and air force branches. Major CF equipment deployed includes 2,400 armoured fighting vehicles, 34 combat vessels, and 140 combat aircraft. Defence is an exclusive federal jurisdiction: defence spending in fiscal year 2004-5 was approximately $14 billion.[http://www.vcds.forces.gc.ca/dgsp/pubs/rep-pub/ddm/rpp/rpp05-06/sec3c_e.asp] However, in the 2005 federal budget, the Liberal government allocated an additional $12.8 billion over five years to the armed forces, and committed to increasing troop levels by an additional 8,000 regular and reserve personnel over the same period.[http://www.fin.gc.ca/budget05/speech/speeche.htm] Canadian forces have served in various wars including World War I, World War II, the Korean War and recently, in Afghanistan. Since Lester B. Pearson proposed the first UN peacekeeping force in 1956, the Canadian Forces have served in 42 peacekeeping missions — more than any other country. Canada was also the prime destination of American draft dodgers during the Vietnam War. These factors – along with its comparatively low level of military spending, other positions such as nuclear non-proliferation, and an international treaty banning personnel land mine usage – have led to Canada sometimes being referred to as a pacifist country. Battles significantly contributing to Canada's development and self-identity include the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Second Battle of Ypres, the Third Battle of Ypres, and Juno Beach. Currently, CF personnel are involved in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Smaller missions are also taking place in Haiti and Kosovo. Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has participated in two relief operations in the last year. The two-hundred member relief crew helped in Southeast Asia after the December 2004 tsunami, and DART was also deployed in response to the devastating earthquake that struck the Kashmir region in South Asia in October 2005. Moreover, CF (and RCMP) personnel recently assisted in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Provinces and territories of Canada

Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, the territories somewhat less. Each has its own provincial or territorial symbols. The provinces are responsible for most of Canada's social programs (such as health care, education, and welfare) and together collect more revenue than the federal government, an almost unique structure among federations in the world. The federal government can initiate national policies that the provinces can opt out of, but this rarely happens in practice. Equalization payments are made by the federal government to ensure that reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces. All provinces have unicameral, elected legislatures headed by a Premier selected in the same way as the Prime Minister of Canada. Each province also has a Lieutenant-Governor representing the Queen, analogous to the Governor General of Canada, appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada, though with increasing levels of consultation with provincial governments in recent years. Lieutenant-Governor.]] Most provinces have provincial counterparts to the three national federal parties. However, some provincial parties are not formally linked to the federal parties that share the same name. Some provinces have regional political parties, such as the Saskatchewan Party. The provincial political climate of Quebec is quite different: the main split is between separatism, represented by the Parti Québécois, and federalism, represented by the Parti Libéral du Québec. The three territories have fewer political powers than provinces, having been created by acts of the national Parliament rather than having their status enshrined in the Constitution. There is no lieutenant-governor to represent and fulfil the functions of the Queen, but each has a politically neutral Commissioner appointed by the federal government to act as its senior representative. Only Yukon's legislature follows the same political system as the provincial legislatures. The other two territories use a consensus government system in which each member runs as an independent and the premier is elected by and from the members. There is also interest within Canada and the Turks and Caicos Islands, an overseas UK territory in the Caribbean, for the latter to enter into Confederation.

Economy

Caribbean, depicting (from top to bottom) Wilfred Laurier, John A. Macdonald, Queen Elizabeth II, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and Robert Borden.]]As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the U.S. in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. In the last century, 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. Canada has vast deposits of natural gas on the east coast and in the west, and a plethora of other natural resources contributing to self-sufficiency in energy. The 1989 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which included Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the U.S. Since 2001, Canada has successfully avoided economic recession and has maintained the best overall economic performance in the G8. Two long-term concerns loom. One is the continuing political differences over the Constitution between Quebec and the rest of Canada, periodically raising the possibility of Quebec independence. As the economy becomes stronger, notably in Quebec, fears of separation have generally waned. Another concern is the "Brain Drain", the emigration of professionals to the U.S. in search of higher pay, lower taxes, and high-tech opportunities. (However, a [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1124920225033&call_pageid=971358637177&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes recent Toronto Star article] claims that the "Brain Drain" of doctors has abated, as more are returning to Canada due to high insurance rates in the U.S. and a more efficient medicare system in Canada.) Simultaneously, a larger, under-recognised "Brain Gain" is occurring, as educated immigrants (particularly from developing countries, a controversy in and of itself) continue to enter Canada [http://www.statcan.ca/english/indepth/81-003/feature/eqhi2000006003s1a01.htm].

Demographics

The 2001 national census recorded 30,007,094 people, and as of October 2005 the population has been estimated by Statistics Canada as 32.3 million people[http://www.statcan.ca/english/edu/clock/population.htm], an increase of some 2.3 million people by both immigration and natural growth. About three-quarters of Canada's population live within 150 km of the U.S. border, and a similar proportion live in urban areas. In the 2001 census, 39.42% of respondents reported their ethnic origins as "Canadian", most of whom are believed to be of British, Irish, and French heritage of earlier immigrants. In addition, 20.17% identified their origin as English, 15.75% as French, 14.03% as Scottish, and 12.90% as Irish. Numerous other groups were also reported. Ethnic origins reported by more than 1 million people included: German (9.25%), Italian (4.29%), Chinese (3.69%), Ukrainian (3.61%) and North American Indian (3.38%). Close to four million people reported they were members of a visible minority, amounting to 13.44% of the total population. (Note that Aboriginal peoples are not considered visible minorities). Also, the 2001 census reported that Canada had 5,448,480 immigrants. [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/Immigration/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=0&View=1&Table=1&StartRec=1&Sort=2&B1=Counts] According to the last census[http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/rel/contents.cfm], 72% of Canadians identified as being Christians; of this, Catholics make up the largest group – 43% of Canadians. One-sixth of Canadians declared no religious affiliation, and the remaining 12% were affiliated with religions other than Christianity.

Language

Catholics]] Canada's two official languages are English and French. On July 7, 1969, under the Official Languages Act, French was made commensurate to English throughout the federal government. This started a process that led to Canada redefining itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation:
- English and French have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions.
- Any defendant in a criminal case has the right to a trial in either English or French.
- The public has the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French.
- Official language minority groups in most provinces and territories have the right to be educated in their language, in their own schools, with their own elected school boards, where they exist in sufficient numbers.
- While multiculturalism is official policy, to become a citizen one must be able to speak either English or French.
- More than 98% of Canadians speak English or French or both. While the nation remains officially bilingual, the majority of Canadians are fluent only in English. The official language of Quebec is French, as defined by the province's Charter of the French Language, which was introduced by the Parti Quebecois in 1976. However, the charter also provides certain rights for speakers of English and aboriginal languages. Quebec provides most government services in both French and English. French is mostly spoken in Quebec with pockets in New Brunswick, eastern and northern Ontario, Saskatchewan, and southern Manitoba. In the 2001 census, 6,864,615 people listed French as a first language, of whom 85% lived in Quebec. 17,694,835 people listed English as a first language. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province, a status specifically guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Some provincial governments, notably Manitoba and Ontario, offer many services to their French minority populations. Aboriginal languages are co-official in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Non-official languages are also important in Canada, with 5,470,820 people listing a non-official language as a first language. (The above three statistics include those who listed more than one first language.) Among the most important non-official first language groups are Chinese (853,745 first-language speakers), Italian (469,485), German (438,080), and Punjabi (271,220).

Aboriginal peoples

The Constitution Act of 1982 recognizes three groups of aboriginal peoples in Canada: the Indians (now often called First Nations), Inuit, and Métis. The aboriginal population is growing almost twice as fast as the rest of the population in Canada. According to the Canada 2001 Census, people identified themselves as aboriginal numbered 976,305 people (or 3.3% of Canada's population) of whom about 62% are First Nations, 30% are Métis, and 5% are Inuit. Also, ethnic origin figures from the Census show that 1.3 million Canadians stated that they were partially of fully of aboriginal ancestry, including about one million people claiming full or partial First Nation ancestry, 307,000 Métis ancestry and 56,000 Inuit ancestry.

Culture

Canada 2001 Census originated from Canada when residents began playing hurley on ice.]] Due to its colonial past, Canadian culture has historically been heavily influenced by British and French cultures and traditions. In more modern times, Canadian culture is now greatly influenced by American culture, due to the proximity and the migration of people, ideas, and capital. Amidst this, Canadian culture has developed unique characteristics. In many respects, a more robust and distinct Canadian culture has developed in recent years, partially because of the civic nationalism that pervaded Canada in the years prior to and following the Canadian Centennial in 1967, and also due to a focus by the federal government on programs to support culture and the arts. There were and are many distinct First Nations across Canada, each with its own culture, language and history. Their culture was transmitted largely through oral means and stories were passed down through the elders to the younger generations. Various tribes created unique styles of artifacts such as woven baskets, painted pictures, and carved sculptures of animals. Much of this artistic legacy remains celebrated in Canada to this day. The emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is the inukshuk, a stack of rocks in human form that is a part of Inuit culture. [http://www.vancouver2010.com/Emblem/home.htm] From as early the 1500s, European explorers, traders, and fishermen from England, Ireland and France helped form the basis of Canadian culture. During their colonization of Canada, settlers created a folklore about the land around them. The tales of Paul Bunyan are a product of French-Canadian folklore and the style of jigs from Newfoundland found their origins in Ireland. Canada and the United Kingdom share a common history and continue to work together through many organizations such as the Commonwealth, G-8, and NATO. The two countries share the same head of state, and have among the oldest parliamentary democracies in the world. They still share many of the same customs, values, and traditions, which have been reinforced by working side by side in two world wars and over half a century of expanding peace and prosperity. The United Kingdom is Canada’s third largest trading partner and is the second largest source of tourists visiting Canada. The Canadian and U.S. governments share a variety of close working partnerships in trade, economic, legal, security, and military matters. These are occasionally strained by domestic politics; for instance, the ongoing softwood lumber dispute and the war in Iraq. This has led to successive drives by Canadian leaders to diversify trade with other countries; examples include Diefenbaker's efforts to increase trade with the U.K., Trudeau's efforts with Europe, and current efforts with China and India. As well, the decision to switch to the metric system in 1970 (though, like the U.K., both the metric and Imperial systems are in common usage) has similar roots. As Canada and the U.S. grew closer after World War 2 (the U.S. became Canada's largest trading partner in the late-1940s), many Canadians started to develop complex feelings and concerns regarding what makes Canada "distinct" within North America. The large American cultural presence in Canada has prompted some fears of a "cultural takeover" that have led to the establishment of laws and institutions to protect Canadian culture, including the CBC, the National Film Board of Canada, and the CRTC. Many American movies, authors, TV shows, and musicians are equally popular in Canada (and vice versa), many have been successful worldwide. Most cultural products of these types are now increasingly marketed toward a unified "North American" market, and not specifically a Canadian or American one. Though debatable, Canada has increasingly distinguished itself politically in recent years by being more fiscally conservative on issues such as balanced budgets, tax cuts, and reductions in government, while also being more socially liberal: the Canadian government currently supports universal health care, same-sex marriage, and decriminalization of marijuana. All of these issues are of varying contention amongst Canadians. Many Canadian citizens see Canadian culture as based on the policy of multiculturalism.

Sports

multiculturalism.]] Notable sports which are enjoyed throughout Canada include ice hockey, curling, lacrosse, basketball and the home-grown Canadian Football League. Although CFL teams compete in a variant of American football, traditional football (soccer) is hardly an unknown in Canada, and in 1986 the Canucks qualified for their only appearance at the World Cup in Mexico. In addition, as the vast majority of Canadians live in very close proximity to the United States, Canadians can also watch sporting events from the professional leagues in that country, such as NASCAR and the National Football League. The National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, the National Lacrosse League and Major League Baseball are comprised of teams from both Canada and the United States. Major League Baseball As of the 1994 National Sports of Canada Act, Canada officially has two national sports. Ice hockey is the national winter sport and lacrosse is the national summer sport.

National symbols

Major League Baseball The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18th century, and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, an