About Canada

Canada is a rich country with great potential. Many immigrants have chosen Canada as their preferred home. They have brought with them their unique cultural attributes which have added variety to this country. Here, people of different races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds live in peace and harmony.

One of the G-8 countries, Canada is a favourite destination for immigrants who wish to find a new home, start a new life, build a career or develop a new business in a friendly environment renowned for its political and economic stability. As new Canadian citizens, you can enjoy the freedom and luxury of our lifestyle; great outdoor living, an excellent  education system and medical care for the entire family.

Geographically the second largest country in the world (after former USSR) and 35th in terms of its population of almost 38 million people, Canada has been ranked number one for many years by the United Nations as one of the “Best places in the world to live”.  Over and above its natural beauty and unpolluted environment, Canada is proud of its multi-ethnic population that enjoys the freedom and rights only a stable democratic system can offer.

Renowned for its unequalled standard of living, Canada provides safe neighborhoods even in large urban area, excellent public medical care for everyone, a strong banking system, world class education and universities as well as dynamic opportunities to establish successful businesses.  This country was founded and built by immigrants and to this day continues to welcome them warmly.

Through their Immigrant Investor Programs, Canada welcomes thousands of experienced business people and managers every year, granting them Canadian Immigrant Visas, which leads to citizenship for themselves and their family members.

In the past several years Canada declared billions of Dollars of budget surplus, due largely to strong economic growth and increased employment.

Canada, as a member of NAFTA, provides assured access to the world’s richest economy, and a large and growing domestic market of its own.

Canada’s rate of inflation (between 0.7% and 1.9% since 1995) is one of the most stable rates in the G-8 nations.

Canada provides a cost-competitive and future-oriented environment for business: quality, productive workers, a competitive tax system, prime locations for Research and Development activities, abundant energy at low prices and an excellent infrastructure.

Canadian Minister of Finance recently announced that, once again (since 1997), Canada was the only Group of Eight (G-8) country to post a surplus. This will be another consecutive year that the Canadian government has stayed out of deficit – the longest streak of surpluses since Confederation. Canada is enjoying one of the best financial records whose highlights include: 

• A strong credit rating, which has paved the way for consistently low interest rates, especially for homebuyers;
• The best record in the G-8 for growth in living standards;
• Strong export growth;
• A revamped Canada Pension Plan, making Canada one of the few countries in the world with a rock-solid public pension system;
• More than $100 billion in cumulative tax cuts, with tax cuts in every budget since 1996, with a primary focus on middle and low income families; and
• More than $200 billion in investments for Canadian’s highest social and economic priorities, such as health care and Equalization; children and families; learning skills and innovation; affordable housing, community infrastructure and the environment;
• And the best is yet to come. The progress we’ve made provides us with the foundation we need for what we still seek to achieve. In short, our fiscal responsibility has made our ambitious social and economic agenda possible.

Canada is among the G-8 countries that spend the most per capita on education. And the investment yields a world-class performance from Canadian teenagers, who consistently produce among the highest international reading, mathematics and science test scores in studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

A degree from Canadian university is recognized world-wide and is widely regarded as one’s passport to successful and prosperous career. Affordable tuition fees reflect the country’s longstanding commitment to universal access to a quality education. And the diversity of the student population is an extension of Canadian society itself, as universities and colleges host roughly 180,000 international students annually.

Elementary and Secondary education at public schools is free in Canada. For those who prefer a fee-paying private system there are also a number of good private schools.

Canada has one of the highest standards of education, particularly at the post secondary level. It is the home of well-known universities such as McGill, Queens, University of British Columbia (UBC), McMaster, University of Toronto, and many others. An immigrant pays the low tuition fees offered to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Major Canadian cities such as Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal have attracted many immigrants. In this era of fear and insecurity, Canada has been able to maintain an enviable record of law and order and public safety.

Canadians work hard to keep their environment clean. Maintaining clean air and water is a national priority.

• Constitutional monarchy and federal state with democratic parliament
• Ten provinces and three territories
• Currency is the Canadian dollar, which is divided into 100 cents
• Official languages are English and French
• Population over 38,000,000
• The world’s second-largest country, at 9,984,670 square kilometers
• Largest province is Quebec, at 1.5 million square kilometers
• Climate spans all four seasons, especially in the regions lying along the U.S. border
• The maple leaf is the country’s most widely and instantly recognized symbol.

As a country, Canada has ten provinces and three territories. These subdivisions vary widely in both land and water area. The largest subdivision by land area is the territory of Nunavut. The largest subdivision by water area is the province of Quebec. The smallest subdivision of both land and water area is the province of Prince Edward Island.

Pie chart of percentages of area. In order of portion size: Nunavut: 20.9; Quebec: 15.4; Northwest Territories: 13.5; Ontario: 10.8; British Columbia: 9.5; Alberta: 6.6; Saskatchewan: 6.5; Manitoba: 6.5; Yukon: 4.8; Newfoundland and Labrador: 4.1; New Brunswick: 0.7; Nova Scotia: 0.6; Prince Edward Island: 0.1
Canada is the second-largest country in the world; it has the fourth largest dry land area, and the largest freshwater area.

Land area
Land areas consist of dry land, excluding areas of freshwater.

Areas are rounded to the nearest whole unit. Percentages are given to the nearest tenth of a percent.