Students who have never been to Canada often have an image of it as the land of snow and hockey. What they find when they come to the country is quite different. Polar bears stick to the northern regions and there are beautiful seasons other than winter in Canada. Hockey is our national game but there are a thousand other sports and activities to choose from—some on sunny beaches, some near vast lakes or oceans, and some in the midst of busy modern cities.

Canada is a land of rich diversity, encompassing urban sophistication and abundant nature and wildlife. It is safe yet also exciting; stable yet also filled with adventure. It features cutting-edge technology, inspiring cultural icons, and a vibrant society that is open to everyone. Canadians tend to be modern, welcoming, and open-minded.

Across Canada are examples of excellence, innovation, and beauty, all of which—along with top-notch educational institutions—make Canada one of the leading study abroad destinations in the world.

In this section, agents will learn what makes Canada attractive to students considering study abroad—beginning with quick facts about Canada and progressing to a more detailed look at the country’s history, economy, government, people, culture, geography, and climate.

Here are some quick facts about Canada:

Canada Is a Wonderful Place to Live and Study: Since 2004, the United Nations has regularly ranked Canada in the top 10 countries in the world in its Quality of Life Index. Combining excellent educational institutions, an innovative economy, a tolerant and safe culture, and extraordinary beauty, Canada is an ideal destination for international students. In addition, praised for their overall stability, multiculturalism, clean environments, and world-class healthcare, and education systems, Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto are ranked fourth, sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 2018 Economist Intelligence Unit ranking of the world’s most livable cities.

Canadian Education Is World Class: Canada is also ranked #1 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for higher education achievement—more than half of its citizens between the ages of 25 and 64 have a post-secondary education. The Times 2018–2019 World University Rankings placed nine Canadian universities in the top 200 (and four of these in the top 100). As well, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities placed four Canadian institutions in its top 100, and 18 in the top 500.

Canada’s secondary school students excel in science, reading, and mathematics. In the 2015 PISA results testing Grade 10 students from 65 countries around the globe, Canada ranked 9th on the Reading Scale, 7th in Science, and 10th in Maths ahead of the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and France. High-quality French and English language teaching are also reasons students choose Canada.

Canada Is Multicultural and Open to the World: Canada is officially bilingual (English and French), and across the country, more than 200 languages are spoken. The biggest cities, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal are home to many immigrant communities and one finds all sorts of ethnicities across the country. A tolerant culture is among the top Canadian values—informally, on the streets and public venues, and formally, in Canada’s laws and government. Of particular note is the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that enshrines equality for all.

Canada Is Innovative: Canada’s educational institutions have long been incubators for innovation. The BlackBerry, flat-screen technology, SMART boards, voice compression applications for cell phones and computers, and IMAX film are among the many revolutionary technologies invented and developed by men and women who studied in Canada.

Canada Produces Leaders: Among these are the environmentalist David Suzuki; the famous architect Frank Gehry (Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, Walt Disney Concert Hall, etc.); the economist John Kenneth Galbraith (who served in the administrations of US presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson); the cinematographer James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar); the author Margaret Atwood; musicians Justin Bieber, Sarah McLachlan, and Shawn Mendes; and actors Rachel McAdams, Jim Carrey, Kiefer Sutherland, and Ryan Gosling.

Canada Is a Highly Competitive Economy: Canada has one of the world's most stable economies. Canada also boasts one of the fastest economic growth rates among the G8 countries, and the International Monetary Fund predicts this trend to continue. The OECD has recently predicted that Canada will lead to G-7 growth in the next 50 years. Moreover, Canada ranks:

• In the top 15 most competitive economies in the world (Source: Conference Board);
• 2nd of the G-7 countries inability to attract long-term business investment due to sound economic infrastructure (Source: Global Infrastructure Investment Index);
• 1st among G8 countries for “soundest banking system" (Source: World Economic Forum);
• In the top 10 of best places to do business in the world (Source: Forbes).

Canada Is a Major Player in Collaborative Research and Development: Many of Canada’s educational institutions are engaged in international research partnerships to address major issues facing our world today. Canadian institutions recognize that Canadian research receives a crucial boost in terms of reputation and impact when quality international partners contribute. Many of the world’s most pressing problems are international in scope, and Universities Canada notes:

“Canada’s universities are known for conducting world-class research. Globally, we punch well above our weight in output: we rank sixth in terms of average citation levels across all fields among the top scientific countries and produce four per cent of the world’s scientific papers despite representing only one percent of the world’s population. Canada’s universities, are key economic drivers of regional and national prosperity, and a powerhouse of research and development activities, performing 40 per cent of the nation’s total R&D, valued at $13 billion each year. University researchers collaborate on more than $1 billion worth of research with community and non-profit community groups every year and conduct almost $1 billion worth of research in collaboration with the private sector annually, providing the “intellectual raw material” that drives innovation and builds prosperity.”

Examples of projects include the innovative NEPTUNE ocean floor laboratory; the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative; ArcticNet, a revolutionary approach for studying the effects of climate change; and Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE Inc.), which facilitates research and development around the world.

History

Canada’s first inhabitants are collectively known as First Nations. These peoples spanned the entire territory of modern-day Canada and had unique vibrant cultures and economies. Canada was then settled by the British and French, and for many years was governed as a British colony.

From 1864 to 1867, representatives of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada—with British support—worked together to establish a new country. These men are known as the Fathers of Confederation. They created two levels of government: federal and provincial.

The old Province of Canada was split into two new provinces: Ontario and Quebec, which, together with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, formed the new country called the Dominion of Canada. Each province would elect its own legislature and have control of such areas as education and health.

The British Parliament passed the British North America Act in 1867. The Dominion of Canada was officially born on July 1, 1867. All remaining provinces joined Confederation one by one in the years to come. Newfoundland and Labrador is Canada’s newest province, having joined Confederation in 1949.

In 1982 the country formally severed its legal dependence on the British Parliament with the Canada Act and gained its own constitution and the important Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Today’s Canada enjoys strong historical links with Britain but has more real ties with the US (its largest trading partner), though its foreign policy and political structure are distinct.

Canada was a founding member of NATO, the United Nations, the Commonwealth and La Francophonie.

Economy

One of the world’s wealthiest major industrialized countries, Canada has always been a trading nation and commerce remains the engine of economic growth. It is a member of the G7, the G20, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and many other international bodies.

Canada’s economy includes three main types of industries:

• Service industries provide thousands of different jobs in areas like transportation, education, health care, construction, banking, communications, retail services, tourism, and government. More than 75% of working Canadians now have jobs in service industries.
• Manufacturing industries make products to sell in Canada and around the world. Manufactured products include paper, high technology equipment, aerospace technology, automobiles, machinery, food, clothing, and many other goods. Canada's largest international trading partner is the United States.
• Natural resources industries include forestry, fishing, agriculture, mining and energy. These industries have played an important part in the country’s history and development. Today, the economy of many areas of the country still depends on developing natural resources, and a large percentage of Canada’s exports are natural resources commodities.

While Canada boasts a highly educated workforce and a diversified economy, it is unusual among developed nations in the continuing importance of its natural resources sector (e.g., forestry, mining, energy)—even as it is one of the world’s most computer-literate and technologically sophisticated markets.

The Canadian Dollar is one of the most stable currencies in the world. Unless otherwise specified, all dollar figures presented throughout this course are in Canadian Dollars (CAD).

Government

Canada is considered to be a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Though the Governor General is officially the representative of Queen Elizabeth II and serves as Head of State in Canada and abroad, Parliament—which includes the Canadian House of Commons and Senate—is sovereign, governed by the parliamentary process laid out in Canada’s constitution.

The Canadian Prime Minister is the leader of the political party whose representatives where elected to the most seats in the House of Commons and is therefore considered to be the head of government. The Prime Minister appoints Ministers to his or her cabinet, which is the primary collective decision-making unit in the Canadian parliament. While Canada’s two main political parties tend to go back and forth in terms of who is in power, and other political parties are engaged in the democratic process, Canada’s government is overall incredibly stable and secure.

Canada’s population is now just over 36 million, which is relatively small for a country of this size (Canada is the second-largest country in the world). Much of Canada’s vast area is still wilderness and most Canadians live in highly urbanized centres in the south; 80% of the population is concentrated within 160 kilometres of the southern (US) border.

According to the last census in 2016, the largest Canadian cities are Toronto (5.9 million), Montreal (4.0 million), Vancouver (2.4 million), and Ottawa-Gatineau (1.3 million) and Edmonton (1.3 million).

Canada is a multicultural and diverse country. The majority of Canadians are of European ancestry, primarily descendants of the early French and British colonists, as well as later immigrants from eastern and southern Europe.

However, as patterns of immigration have shifted over the years, so has the ethnic mix of the Canadian population. The second half of the twentieth century saw a great influx of people from Asia and Oceania, the Caribbean and South America, and Africa and the Middle East. In the 2016 Census, 40% of Canadians reported having one or more of 200 ethnic origins and over 19% of Canadians classified themselves as a visible minority. Over the past 150 years, Canada has welcomed 17 million immigrants from all around the world thanks to national policies supporting immigration and multiculturalism.

“Indigenous peoples" is a collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. Indigenous peoples inhabited the land that later became Canada before European settlers arrived. The Canadian constitution recognizes three broad categories of Indigenous people: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. These are three distinct groups of peoples who enrich the country with unique histories, languages, cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs. More than 1.5 million people in Canada identify themselves as an Indigenous person, according to the 2006 Census.

Canada has two official languages: English and French. English is the native language for 56% of the population and French is the native language for 20% (2016 Census, Statistics Canada). While the majority of Canada’s French speakers live in the province of Quebec, many live in New Brunswick (Canada’s only officially bilingual province), and Ontario. There are, however, smaller French-speaking communities all throughout Canada. Chinese dialects are the third most common native language in Canada, followed by Punjabi, Arabic, and Tagalog.

Many religions are practised in Canada, but about one quarter of Canadians say they have no religious affiliation. Canadians are remarkably tolerant of different religions, and religion does not play a prominent role in political or economic life relative to other parts of the world.

Culture

To many people in other countries, the word “Canada” evokes images of wide-open spaces, dramatic mountains, pristine forests, and majestic lakes. All of this is true, and our landscape and beauty is a huge part of Canadian identity. But it’s not all of it.

Canada is also known to be a modern, progressive nation with open-minded citizens who are proud of our diverse origins and ethnic diversity. We produce athletes, artists, and engineers, doctors and architects, writers and scientists. There is a place for every type of talent in Canada, and the mix of people and specializations creates a vibrant, exciting society that’s secure but also dynamic and open to change

A few years ago one of Canada’s national newspapers, The Globe and Mail, interviewed various people about how they would sum up Canadian culture in an article entitled, "Canadian culture: A category?" One respondent, an immigrant to Canada, was quoted as saying:

“Canadians are very accepting people, very polite, very honest. It's part of their culture. That's why they accept new people. They are also more interested in other cultures these days. People like to try different foods, different ways of dress. They want to see the world and learn about new cultures. Not only do Canadians accept people into their country and their society, they accept aspects of other cultures into their own. Canadian society is composed of many different cultures, sharing their culture with each other. Canada is definitely multicultural. It's also Canadian.”

With a country as large as Canada, there are also very different regional cultures: people in the Maritime region in the east of the country are quite different than those on the West Coast (e.g., in British Columbia). And Quebec, Canada’s majority French-speaking province, has its own unique customs and sense of identity (often deemed more “European” than the rest of Canada), with a rich arts, entertainment, and music scene. See more about regional culture in an upcoming section, Geography and Regions.

There are dozens of different sports played, among them hockey, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and soccer (often known as football in Europe). Skiing, both downhill and cross country, is another national passion. Canada is home to every cuisine in the world: diners can choose anything from Indian, Thai, or Chinese to Ethiopian, Mexican, or French—to name a few.

Major national, regional, and international festivals either originate or pass through Canada during the year, providing another wonderful benefit to studying in Canada.

Perhaps stemming in part from the rich culture and lifestyle Canadians enjoy, Canada placed seventh in the United Nations’ 2018 World Happiness Report, after Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2018 liveability report ranks three of Canada’s largest cities in the top ten ideal destinations in the world to live due to a widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk, and an effective infrastructure. According to the Global Peace Index (2018) Canada is ranked in the top 10 most peaceful countries in the world, keeping company with the likes of Iceland, Denmark, and New Zealand. Canada regularly ranks in the top 10 on the United Nations’ Human Development Index, a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, standards of living, and quality of life.

When choosing a place to study, students often factor in culture and lifestyle as well as educational merits, whether their program is for a few weeks, months, or several years. For this reason as well as the quality of education, Canada continues to rise as a destination for high-calibre students.

Occupying the northern half of the North American continent, Canada’s land mass is 9,093,507 square kilometres, making it the second largest country in the world after Russia. In addition to coastlines on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Canada has a third seacoast on the Arctic Ocean, giving it the longest coastline of any country. To the south, Canada shares an 8,893-kilometre land border—the longest in the world—with the United States. To the north, the Arctic islands come within 800 kilometres of the North Pole. Canada's neighbour across the Arctic Ocean is Russia.

Among Canada’s most distinctive features are the vast mountain ranges: the Torngats, Appalachians and Laurentians in the east, the Rocky, Coastal, and Mackenzie ranges in the west, and Mount St. Elias and the Pelly Mountains in the north.

There are more than two million lakes in Canada covering about 7.6 percent of the country. The main lakes are Huron, Superior, Erie, and Ontario (known as the Great Lakes) as well as Great Bear, Great Slave, and Winnipeg. The St. Lawrence River (3,058 km long) is Canada's most important river, providing a seaway for ships from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. In total, Canada has almost 900,000 km2 of fresh water.

There are ten provinces and three territories in Canada spanning a few geographic regions. These are detailed in brief below with links to more reading and pictures on the Canadian Tourism Commission website. Agents should direct students wanting to learn about Canada to this website, and use it to familiarize themselves with the different parts of Canada.

Atlantic Canada: This region includes the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia. In these picturesque and charming provinces, you’ll find some of the most unique and friendly people in the world. The music, folklore, seafood, and scenery in Atlantic Canada are unlike anywhere else. The region boasts countless beaches, coves, parks, and forests, and the towns and cities are often quaint and filled with Maritime artifacts. Tiny villages abound, but there are also cities like Charlottetown, Fredericton, Halifax and St. John’s. Read more.

Central Canada: Quebec and Ontario are the provinces of Central Canada, and the large cities of Toronto, Ottawa (Canada’s capital city), Montreal, and Quebec City are found in this region. Excellent cuisine is to be found in these cosmopolitan centres, but also in the smaller villages and towns, where fresh, local ingredients are proudly featured. There are famous wine-growing regions, the largest skating rink in the world (the Rideau Canal), Parliament Hill, dense forests, and excellent lakeside camping grounds. Central Canada is a perfect mix of urban delights and outdoorsy adventure. Read more.

The Prairies: In the prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba one can find some of the most extraordinary natural beauty in Canada—from seemingly endless fields of wheat in the summer to almost Arctic conditions in the winter. This region is made for those who love hiking, boating, skiing, or fishing—and lots of space. At the same time, the cities and towns of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are incredibly diverse, friendly, and interesting—boasting a wonderful mix of immigrant cultures, cuisines, and celebrations. Read more.

The West: Like Central Canada, the western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta feature an extraordinary mix of nature and ultra-urban delights. But the nature is on a different scale— bigger, taller, and more open. Think mountains, ocean (British Columbia), wineries, golf, whale watching, stunning gardens, and the mildest climate in Canada. World-renowned ski resorts Whistler and Banff are in this region, as are the famous Rocky Mountains. British Columbia’s city of Vancouver is one of the world’s most beautiful with an eclectic mix of ethnicities and influences, many from Asia. Calgary, in Alberta, is one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, thanks to an oil boom. Read more.

The North: Canada’s North—encompassing the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut—is one of the most striking examples of pristine wilderness left in the world. Arctic creatures include polar bears, walruses, seals, white wolves, snowy owls, and caribou. Yet, while this region draws rugged adventurers and thrill-seeking tourists, it also contains interesting, vibrant cities (Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Iqaluit) and amazing arts festivals featuring Inuit art and culture as well as those from more recent arrivals in the region. Read more.

The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC): Authoritative information on foreign credential recognition and the assessment of diplomas and qualifications in Canada: www.cicic.ca

Climate

About four-fifths of Canadians live within 160 kilometres of the country’s southern border, where there are warm springs, hot summers, and pleasantly crisp autumns. Winter usually runs from November to March, but the exact dates and lowest temperatures will vary across the country. Canada’s climate is characterized by its diversity, both from region to region and from season to season.

Canada’s seasonal temperature variations are embraced by Canadians: there are so many leisure activities to choose from as a result, from swimming outdoors in the summer to skiing in the winter! Foreign students should know that all buildings in which they will study are well heated in winter months. Many university and college campuses have underground tunnels or covered bridges through which students can move from building to building in the wintertime so as not to get cold. In short, winter is beautiful in Canada, and it is very easy to stay warm simply by dressing properly when going outdoors. Agents should advise students studying in Canada during winter months to invest in winter clothing, including a warm coat, a hat, mittens or gloves, a scarf, and boots.

For more detailed weather information visit: www.weatheroffice.gc.ca