Wayzata World Factbook 1995/World Factbook - 1995 Edition - Wayzata Technology (1995).iso/mac/text/Build/orig BACKGR/BNOT0022.TXT

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National Trade Data Bank
ITEM ID     : ST BNOTES CANADA
DATE        : Oct 28, 1994

AGENCY      : U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
PROGRAM     : BACKGROUND NOTES
TITLE       : Background Notes - CANADA

Source key      : ST
Program key     : ST BNOTES
Update sched.   : Occasionally
Data type       : TEXT
End year        : 1994
Date of record  : 19941018
Keywords 3      :
Keywords 3      : | CANADA

BACKGROUND NOTES:  CANADA
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

AUGUST 1994
Official Name:  Canada

PROFILE

Geography
Area:  9.9 million sq. km. (3.8 million sq. mi.); second-largest
country in the world.

Cities:  Capital--Ottawa (pop. 833,000).  Other cities--Toronto
(3.5 million), Montreal (2.9 million), Vancouver (1.4 mil-lion).

Terrain:  Mostly plains with mountains in the west and lowlands
in the southeast.

Climate:  Temperate to arctic.


People
Nationality:  Noun and adjective--Canadian(s).

Population (est.):  28 million.

Annual growth rate (est.):  1.5%

Ethnic groups:  British 28%, French 23%, other European 15%,
Asian/Arab/African 6%, indigenous Indian and Eskimo 1.5%, mixed
background 26%.

Religions:  Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 41%.

Languages:  English, French.

Education:  Literacy--99% of population aged 15 and over have at
least a ninth-grade education.

Health:  Infant mortality rate--7/1,000.  Life expectancy--75
yrs. male, 82 yrs. female.

Work force (13.8 million, 1992):  Trade--18%.
Manufacturing--15%.  Transportation and communications--8%.
Finance--7%.  Public administration--7%.  Construction--6%.
Agriculture--4%.  Forestry and mining--2%.  Other services--33%.


Government
Type:  Confederation with parliamentary democracy.

Independence:  July 1, 1867.

Constitution:  The amended British North America Act of 1867
patriated to Canada on April 17, 1982, Charter of Rights and
Freedoms, and unwritten custom.

Branches:  Executive--Queen Elizabeth II (head of state,
represented by a governor general), prime minister (head of
government), cabinet.  Legislative--bicameral parliament
(104-member Senate, 295-member House of Commons).
Judicial--Supreme Court.

Political parties:  Progressive Conservative Party, Liberal
Party, New Democratic Party, Reform Party, Bloc Quebecois.

Subdivisions:  10 provinces, 2 territories.


Economy
GDP (1993 est.):  $611 billion.

Annual growth rate:  3.1%.

Per capita GDP:  $21,800.

Natural resources:  Petroleum and natural gas, hydroelectric
power, metals and minerals, fish, forests, wildlife.

Agriculture:  Products--wheat, livestock and meat, feed grains,
oil seeds, dairy products, tobacco, fruits, vegetables.

Industry:  Types--motor vehicles and parts, fish and forest
products, processed and unprocessed minerals.
Trade (1993):  Exports--$156 billion:  motor vehicles and parts,
lumber, wood pulp and newsprint, crude and fabricated metals,
natural gas, crude petroleum, wheat; partners--U.S. 79%, EU 15%,
Japan 4%.  Imports--$157 billion:  motor vehicles and parts,
industrial machinery, crude petroleum, chemicals, agricultural
machinery; partners--U.S. 72%, EU 8%, Japan 6%.

Exchange rate:  U.S. $1=C $1.38.





PEOPLE
Of Canada's 27.3 million people, 80% live within 160 kilometers
(100 mi.) of the U.S. border, and half live in the southeastern
part of the country near the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence
River.  The population of Canada is less than three people per
square kilometer.

Canada's more than 6 million French-speaking citizens are
primarily descendants of colonists who settled the country three
centuries ago.  The English-speaking community has increased
mostly as a result of immigration from the United Kingdom.  The
largest influx from the United States occurred during the
American Revolution when thousands of "Empire Loyalists" fled to
Canada.  Other Canadians have indigenous, other European, and
Asian origins.

Four major influences have helped shape Canadian culture:  a
multi-cultural heritage (including aboriginal); English-French
bilingualism; sustained government funding for artistic and
literary pursuits; and the abundance and availability of U.S.
cultural productions.

Canadians view their country as a cultural mosaic and not as a
melting pot.  Inuit (Eskimo), Indian nations, French speakers,
English speakers, and immigrant groups have all sought to
maintain their unique cultural identities.  Such efforts have
been encouraged by extensive government funding of the arts.  The
government-funded Canada Council has become the major patron of
all forms of creative endeavor in Canada.

Canada has a rich literary tradition, with many influential
writers in both English and French.  Other prominent Canadian
artists include a school of painters known as "The Group of
Seven;" Canadian filmmakers such as Harry Rasky and Bill Mason,
who are world leaders in producing documentaries; and a number of
world-class dance troupes, orchestras, and repertory theaters.


HISTORY
Canada may have been populated as early as 10,000 years ago,
according to carbon-dating of remains found by archeologists.  It
is believed that travel between Asia and Alaska took place during
an ice age when a land bridge formed through the Bering Strait.

Many diverse ethnic and cultural indigenous groups formed
throughout Canada, the most well-known being the Inuit Indians of
the Arctic region.  Other indigenous groups include the Iroquois,
the Huron, the Cree, the Bella Coola, and the Kwakiul.

The various cultures also had numerous languages and are usually
grouped into common language families, from the Salish-speaking
peoples of western Canada to the Iroquoian peoples of the east.
Each culture also had unique social systems, ranging from bands
of a few related families of the Inuit to the Iroquois
Confederacy that united five different tribes.

The American Indian population in Canada was decimated following
the arrival Europeans; in the mid-1980s they made up only 1% of
the entire population.  By the 1990s however, the indigenous
population had risen to 1.5%, and it is believed that this trend
will continue.

Vikings are believed to have landed in Canada in the 10th
century.  In 1497, John Cabot reached Newfoundland and claimed
for Britain a large portion of the Atlantic seaboard.  Cabot was
followed by French explorer Jacques Cartier, who landed at the
mouth of the St. Lawrence River in 1534 and claimed the Gaspe
Peninsula for France.  Canada's early history was dominated by
rivalry between France and Britain.

While the British settled along the coast, the French pushed
rapidly into the interior.  For more than a century Canada was a
French colony.  The founder and settler of French Canada was
Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City in 1608 and
established a number of other settlements along the Bay of Fundy
and the shore of the St. Lawrence River.  Explorers, traders, and
missionaries, including Marquette, Joliet, and La Salle, extended
the French influence in "New France."

Following the early years of settlement, the French and English
pioneers engaged in the highly competitive fur trade.  Canada's
political shape began to emerge from the Battle of the Plains of
Abraham at Quebec, where the British defeated the French in 1759
and took over the French colonies in North America.  The memory
of that event still resonates for French-Canadians.  Although New
France came under British control, it was permitted to retain its
religious and civil code.  Canada is still attempting to find a
constitutional formula that will satisfy the aspirations of the
French-speaking Quebec (see POLITICAL CONDITIONS).

During the American Revolution, French and British colonists in
Canada rebuffed the overtures of American leaders and chose
British rule over independence in association with the United
States.  A colonial raid on Quebec in 1775 was unsuccessful.  In
the War of 1812, U.S.-British rivalry in North America again
resulted in the invasion of Canada.

Several events accelerated the union of the British colonies in
Canada into a new nation.  First, the political uprisings of 1837
in both English Upper Canada and French Lower Canada led to the
creation of local governments and to greater citizen
participation in the government.  Second, at the end of the
American Civil War, it was feared that the United States might
turn against British North America.  Finally, the expansion of
the American west and the slower settlement of the Canadian west
encouraged the development of a Canadian transcontinental
railroad and the perception among eastern Canadian political
leaders that a Canadian federation from the Atlantic to the
Pacific had to be achieved if western Canada was to avoid
absorption by the United States.

The British North America Act of 1867 created the new nation of
Canada, comprising four provinces--Ontario, Quebec, New
Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.  It provided for a federal union and
for a parliamentary system of government.  Six other provinces
eventually entered the confederation; the last was Newfoundland
in 1949.


GOVERNMENT
Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a federal system, a
parliamentary government, and strong democratic traditions.  Many
of the country's legal practices are based on unwritten custom,
but the federal structure resembles the U.S. system.  The 1982
Charter of Rights guarantees basic rights in many areas.

Queen Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, serves as a symbol of the
nation's unity.  She appoints a governor general on the advice of
the prime minister of Canada, usually for a five-year term.  The
prime minister is the leader of the political party in power and
is the head of the cabinet.  The cabinet remains in office as
long as it retains majority support in the Commons on major
issues.

Canada's parliament consists of an elective House of Commons and
an appointive Senate.  Legislative power rests with the
295-member Commons, whose members are elected at least every five
years but also at any time the prime minister advises the
governor general to dissolve the House, which last occurred in
September 1993.  Senate members (104), in contrast, are appointed
by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister.
During the Meech Lake and Charlottetown debates, many Canadians,
seeking to achieve better regional representation, called for
direct election of senators and for other reforms of the Senate.
This effort proved unsuccessful, however, as they were unable to
reach agreement among the provinces.

Criminal law, based largely on British law, is uniform throughout
the nation and is under federal jurisdiction.  Civil law is also
based on the common law of England, except in Quebec, which has
retained its own civil code patterned after that of France.
Justice is administered by federal, provincial, and municipal
courts.

Each province is governed by a premier and a single, elected
legislative chamber.  A lieutenant-governor appointed by the
governor general represents the Crown in each province.

Principal Government Officials
Chief of State--Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General--Ramon Hnatyshyn
Prime Minister--Jean Chretien
Secretary of State for External Affairs--Andre Ouellet
Ambassador to the United States--Raymond Chretien
Ambassador to the United Nations--Louise Frechette

Canada maintains an embassy in the United States at 501
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20001 (tel.
202-682-1740).

Provinces and Territories
Atlantic provinces:  Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick.  Area--541,180 sq. km. (208,146 sq. mi.).
Ethnic groups--predominantly British, French.  Industry--fishing,
agriculture, mining, manufacturing.

Quebec:  Area--1,356,790 sq. km. (523,857 sq. mi.).  Ethnic
groups--predominantly French, British, other European groups.
Industry-- agriculture, mining, manufacturing, hydroelectric
power.

Ontario:  Area--891,190 sq. km. (345,420 sq. mi.).  Ethnic
groups--British, French, other European groups.
Industry--manufacturing, agriculture, mining.

Prairie provinces:  Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta.  Area--1.77
million sq. km. (680,757 sq. mi.).  Ethnic groups--British, other
European groups.  Industry--agriculture, cattle, petroleum and
natural gas, mining, manufacturing.

British Columbia:  Area--934,125 sq. km. (359 279 sq. mi.).
Ethnic groups--British, other European, Chinese, indigenous
Indian.  Industry--forestry, manufacturing, fishing, mining,
agriculture.

Territories:  Northwest Territory and Yukon Territory. Area--3.79
million sq. km. (1.45 million sq. mi).  Ethnic groups--British,
indigenous Indian, Inuit.  Industry--mining.


POLITICAL CONDITIONS
In the province of Quebec in the early 1960s, Jean Lesage's
"Quiet Revolution" led to a new assertiveness and heightened
sense of identity among the French-speaking Quebeckers, who make
up about one-quarter of Canada's population.  Radical elements
within Quebec, most notably the Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ),
precipitated an urban violence campaign and the "October Crisis"
of 1970, during which former Prime Minister Trudeau invoked
extraordinary measures to maintain public safety and order.  In
1976, the separatist Parti Quebecois won the provincial election
and began to explore a course for Quebec of greater independence
from the rest of Canada.

In 1982, Queen Elizabeth ceremonially turned over full
responsibility for Canada's constitution--the amended British
North America Act of 1867--to the Canadian parliament.  The
federal government and all provinces except Quebec had agreed on
a charter of rights and an amending formula.

Quebec's status remains a serious political issue in Canada.  In
a 1980 referendum, the Parti Quebecois sought a mandate from the
people of Quebec to negotiate a new status of
"sovereignty-association," combining political independence with
a continued economic association with the rest of Canada.  Sixty
percent of Quebec voters rejected the proposal.

The 1987 Meech Lake Constitutional Accord, which would have
brought Quebec into Canada's federal constitutional framework
while recognizing it as a "distinct society," was another attempt
to develop a constitutional formula to satisfy French-speaking
Quebec.  Quebec's Liberal government strongly endorsed the
accord.  However, it was not ratified by Manitoba and
Newfoundland because it gave too much power to Quebec, and it
expired on the June 23, 1990, deadline.  Quebec subsequently
announced it would negotiate constitutional issues only on a
bilateral basis with Ottawa, and a special commission established
by Quebec's "National Assembly" recommended holding another
sovereignty referendum by the end of 1992.

Despite the failure of the Meech Lake accord, a new
constitutional deal was approved by all the premiers, as well as
aboriginal leaders, at Charlottetown in July 1992.  But even with
a strong campaign by the government, the referendum to approve
the deal failed when the voters in seven of the 10 provinces
rejected it on October 22, 1992.

Worried about high unemployment and a slowly recovering economy,
most Canadians, including Quebeckers, do not wish to see
constitutional issues revived in the near term.  Quebec
provincial elections, which must be held by November 1994, and a
possible sovereignty referendum--if the Parti Quebecois
wins--have nonetheless provoked renewed discussion of national
unity issues.

Canada's current Liberal government was elected on October 25,
1993, when it won 178 of 295 seats in parliament.  The party's
strength is in Ontario, the Atlantic provinces, Montreal, and
urban centers in the west.  This center-left party had formed the
official opposition to the center-right Conservative Party, which
governed Canada from 1984 to 1993.  The near annihilation of the
Conservative Party (it won just two seats in last year's
election) largely is attributable to the rise of two new
regionally based opposition parties--the Bloc Quebecois and the
Reform Party--which formed out of discontent with the government.
The Bloc Quebecois advocates the independence of Quebec; it won
54 seats in that province.  The Reform Party is a conservative
movement largely focused on fiscal responsibility and
institutional reform; it won 52 seats in western Canada
(principally in Alberta and British Columbia).  The socialist New
Democratic Party, which has traditional ties to organize!
d labor, was reduced from 43 to ju
st eight seats scattered throughout western Canada.

Federal-provincial interplay is a central feature of Canadian
politics:  Quebec wishes to preserve and strengthen its
distinctive nature; western provinces desire more control over
their abundant natural resources, especially energy reserves;
industrialized central Canada is concerned with economic
development; and the Atlantic provinces have resisted federal
claims to fishing and mineral rights off their shores.  Canadians
have responded to these different regional needs by trying to
strengthen both their confederation and the fundamental
democratic principles essential to a balanced federal-provincial
political system.  But the setbacks of recent years--such as the
June 1990 failure to ratify the 1987 Meech Lake accord and the
October 1992 rejection by voters of another constitutional
formula--have made this process more difficult.


ECONOMY
Canada ranks seventh in the world in gross domestic product and
is one of the world's largest producers of a wide variety of
minerals.  The mineral industry, forest products, and agriculture
have been major factors in Canada's economic development.
Canada's lakes have more than 50% of the world's surface fresh
water, and 75% of Canada's power needs are met by hydro-electric
energy.  The spectacular growth of Canada's manufacturing
segment, particularly since the 1950s, has transformed the nation
from a rural, agricultural society into one primarily industrial
and urban.  Industry is now the leading segment of the nation's
economy, employing one-third of the work force.

Following rapid expansion from 1985 to 1989, the Canadian economy
slipped into recession in the first half of 1990.  Although the
recession technically ended in the first quarter of 1991, growth
did not resume until the first quarter of 1992.  Growth in 1993
was 2.5%-3%.  Employment has been slower to recover, and the
jobless rate has remained above 10% since 1991.  Inflation
remained at about 1%.

A 10% devaluation of the Canadian dollar in 1992, followed by
further devaluations in 1993 and 1994 caused by concern about
debt and public finances, boosted exports.  The most serious
macro-economic concern now is the high public debt burden--the
legacy of generous government expenditures combined with revenue
shortfalls.

Agriculture's contribution to the Canadian economy averages less
than 4% of both GDP and employment.  Agricultural exports, led by
wheat, barley, pork, and horticultural products, are less than
10% of all trade.  The U.S. is Canada's leading market, taking
nearly one-third of all food exports.  Conversely, Canada is the
second-largest U.S. agricultural market (after Japan), primarily
importing fresh fruits and vegetables and livestock products.

Forest covers about half of Canada's total land area.  Forest
product exports, including pulp and paper, represent 15% of
Canada's total export trade; nearly two-thirds is exported to the
United States.  Canada is the world's leading producer of
newsprint, accounting for 40% of global output; almost 75% of
Canada's total newsprint production is exported to the United
States.

Commercial fisheries provide an annual catch of about 1.4 million
metric tons (1.5 million tons), of which about 70% is exported.

Canada ranks first in the world in mineral exports and third in
mineral production after the U.S. and the states of the former
Soviet Union.  It is the world's largest producer of zinc,
potash, uranium, and nickel; the second-largest producer of
asbestos, silver, titanium, gypsum, and sulfur; and a leading
producer of molybdenum, aluminum, cobalt, gold, lead, copper,
iron, and platinum.  Every region has significant mineral
resources.

Canada is a major producer of hydroelectricity, oil, and gas;
unlike most of its industrial partners, it is a net exporter of
energy (primarily gas and electricity).  Canada's exports and
imports of oil are currently in approximate balance.  Crude
petroleum is the largest single component of Canada's minerals
output.  Canadian oil reserves are about 6.8 billion barrels.
Canada annually produces more than 500 million barrels of oil and
about 3.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.  The United States
imports about 2 trillion cubic feet or 10% of its natural gas
requirements from Canada.  Canada is the fourth-largest energy
supplier for the U.S.

In total volume of trade, Canada ranks seventh in the world,
after the United States, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Japan,
and Italy.

The value of U.S.-Canadian merchandise trade for 1992 was $192
billion, more than that between any other two countries in the
world (also see U.S.-CANADIAN RELATIONS).  U.S. exports to Canada
were $91 billion, and imports were $101 billion.  Also in 1992,
about 22% of all U.S. merchandise exports went to Canada, which
supplied about 19% of total U.S. merchandise imports.
U.S.-Canada trade increased by about 50% between 1989--when the
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into effect--and 1994, when the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) superseded it.
Growth trends are expected to continue under the NAFTA, which
continues FTA liberalizations while extending trade openings to
new areas such as financial services.

Almost one-third of U.S.-Canadian trade is in the automotive
sector.  Under the 1965 U.S.-Canada Automotive Agreement (Auto
Pact), which provided for free trade in cars, trucks, and auto
parts, two-way trade in automotive products rose from $715
million in 1964 to $23 billion by 1978.  In 1980-81, it declined
to about $18 billion, but it rose to $58 billion in 1992.  Auto
Pact benefits continue under NAFTA.

The U.S. is Canada's largest foreign investor; at the end of
1993, the stock of U.S. direct investment in Canada was $69
billion, or about 65% of total foreign direct investment in
Canada.  U.S. investment is primarily in Canada's mining and
smelting industries, petroleum, chemicals, the manufacture of
machinery and transportation equipment, and finance.

Canada's investment exposure in the United States is substantial.
At the end of 1993, the stock of Canadian direct investment in
the United States was $47 million, or 6% of total foreign direct
investment in the United States.  Canadian investment in the
United States is concentrated in manufacturing, wholesale trade,
real estate, and petroleum, with recent growth in investment in
services.


FOREIGN RELATIONS
In Canada's early days as a nation, its foreign affairs were
conducted by the U.K.  By 1909, the Canadian drive for autonomy
led to the creation of a department of external affairs.  After
World War I, Canadian representatives signed the Treaty of
Versailles and began to conduct an independent foreign policy.

World War II gave considerable impetus to Canadian participation
in world affairs.  In the early post-war period, Canada embarked
on a foreign policy that has become its
trademark--multilateralism.  The country was a charter signatory
to the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Canada has continued to take an active role in the UN,
contributing troops to UN forces in Korea, the Middle East, the
Congo, Yemen, Namibia, Cyprus, former Yugoslavia, Cambodia, and
Somalia.  Canada also contributed naval vessels and fighter
aircraft to the multinational force during the Persian Gulf
crisis.  In addition to its peace-keeping activities, Canada has
assumed a prominent role in UN disarmament discussions,
environmental activities, law of the sea negotiations, human
rights issues, North-South issues, and world food problems.  For
example, in 1956, Canadian Secretary of State Pearson mediated in
the Suez Canal crisis, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize.  Canada also continues to be a strong supporter of the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Canada shares responsibility with the United States and other
allies for the North Atlantic Treaty area.  Due to its membership
in NATO, Canada is an active participant in discussions stemming
from the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

Two other international organizations of special interest to
Canada are the Commonwealth, an association of former British
colonies that share similarities of language, customs, and
institutions, and La Francophonie, an association of
French-speaking countries that includes France and former French
colonies.  Since about 24% of all Canadians regard French as
their mother tongue, Canada has sought to broaden and strengthen
ties with La Francophonie.

Canada joined the Organization of American States in 1990 and has
been an active member.

Canadian economic assistance to developing countries totals more
than $2 billion annually.  The official channel for government
overseas aid programs is the Canadian International Development
Agency.  Canada also contributes substantially to international
and regional development organizations and is a major supplier of
food aid worldwide.


U.S.-CANADIAN RELATIONS
Canada views its relationship with the U.S. as crucial to a wide
range of interests.  The bilateral relationship is varied and
complex.  Like the United States, Canada enjoyed significant
post-war economic growth and prosperity, which was reflected in
World Exposition '67 in Montreal.  However, concerns about
foreign (particularly U.S.) investment in Canada mounted and
contributed to a cooling of the U.S.-Canada relationship during
the Diefenbaker and Trudeau administrations.

While Canada has worked to remain anchored in the West, it also
has pursued policies designed to accentuate its independence from
the United States.  These include Canada's early "normalization"
of relations with Fidel Castro's Cuba and the People's Republic
of China, as well as strong Canadian opposition to U.S.
involvement in the war in Vietnam.  Although occasional
differences occur, U.S.-Canadian relations now are close and
cooperative.

Investment and trade issues are a major feature of U.S.-Canadian
relations (also see ECONOMY).  Cooperative economic efforts
include the Auto Pact, which created a largely integrated
two-country market for automobiles, and defense economic
arrangements, which diminish obstacles to trade and technology
exchange and encourage a balance of trade in defense-related
areas.

Trading relations also have been enhanced by the 1989 FTA and the
1994 NAFTA.  NAFTA--which took effect on January 1,
1994--continues the FTA's moves toward removing all tariffs and
virtually all import and export restrictions.  It also resolves
some long-standing bilateral irritants and liberalizes rules in
several areas, including agriculture, services, energy, financial
services, investment, and government procurement.  NAFTA forms
the largest trading area in the world, embracing the 370 million
people of the three North American countries.

Canada is further expanding its economic ties across the Pacific
through membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum
(APEC), of which the U.S. also is a member.

The United States and Canada have resolved several major issues
involving fisheries.  By common agreement, the two countries
submitted a Gulf of Maine boundary dispute to the International
Court of Justice in 1981; both accepted the court's October 12,
1984, ruling which demarcated the territorial sea boundary.
In 1990, the United States and Canada signed a bilateral
Fisheries Enforcement Agreement which has served to deter illegal
fishing activity and reduce the risk of injury during fisheries
enforcement incidents.  Their success in achieving a Pacific
salmon treaty in 1985 has been tempered by difficulties in
negotiating multi-year extensions of its constituent fisheries
regimes.

The two countries work closely to resolve transboundary
environmental issues, an area of increasing importance in the
bilateral relationship.  A principal instrument of this
cooperation is the International Joint Commission, established in
1909 to promote international environmental cooperation.  The
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987, aimed at preserving
and enhancing the water quality of the Great Lakes, is a historic
example of joint cooperation in controlling transboundary water
pollution.  The two governments also consult semi-annually on
transboundary air pollution.  Under the Air Quality Agreement of
1991, both countries have made substantial progress in
coordinating and implementing their acid rain control programs.

Energy and transportation problems--such as natural gas trade and
trucking regulations--can be nettlesome, although such issues
usually have been successfully resolved or managed through
bilateral consultative forums.  Canada and the United States have
sought to negotiate an "open skies" regime in civil aviation,
thus far without success.

U.S. defense arrangements with Canada are more extensive than
with any other country.  The Permanent Joint Board on Defense,
established in 1940, provides policy-level consultation on
bilateral defense matters.  The United States and Canada share
NATO mutual security commitments.  As the only other non-European
ally, Canada contributes forces to NATO commands in Europe and
the North Atlantic.  In addition, U.S. and Canadian military
forces have cooperated since 1958 on continental air defense
within the framework of the North American Aerospace Defense
Command, an integrated, bilateral military command that exercises
operational control over U.S. and Canadian air defense forces and
also provides early warning information on possible air and
missile attacks on North America.  Canada and the U.S. work
closely in defense research and production.

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--James Blanchard
Deputy Chief of Mission--James Walsh
Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs--David Jones
Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs--Marshall Casse
Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs--Dell F. Pendergrast
Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs--Robert Marro

The U.S. embassy in Canada is located at 100 Wellington Street,
Ottawa (tel. [phone]).





TRAVEL NOTES
Customs:  For U.S. citizens visiting Canada as tourists,
passports and visas are not required.  They should, though, be
prepared if necessary to show proof of citizenship, such as a
U.S. passport, birth certificate, or naturalization certificate.

Climate and clothing:  Climate varies by region.

Currency:  The unit of currency is the Canadian dollar.  Canadian
and U.S. dollars are fully convertible at banks and at most
border crossing points.  The rate of exchange varies daily.

Transportation:  Major airlines have service to Canada.  Canada
also can be reached by boat, automobile, bus, or train; it has
dozens of border crossing points with the U.S.  Public
transportation within Canada generally is excellent.

Further information about Canada is available from the Canadian
embassy in Washington, DC, and Canadian consulates in 15 U.S.
cities.





Published by the United States Department of State  --  Bureau of
Public Affairs  --  Office of  Public Communication  --
Washington, DC August 1994  --  Managing Editor:  Peter A. Knecht
--  Editor:  Dawn Vanderhaar

Department of State Publication 7769 Background Notes Series
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.