
Archive-name: canada-faq/part1
Last-modified: 1993/12/11

                    ********************************
                    *      soc.culture.canada      *
                    *  Frequently Asked Questions  *
                    ********************************

Please forward your comments, suggestions and contributions to 
Martin Savard at 'ag656@freenet.carleton.ca'

A special thank you to Glenn Chin and Stewart Clamen who compiled
a large number of contributions, to Mark Brader for the proof-reading
of the FAQ, and to all the contributors listed throughout the document.

This document may be freely redistributed in its ENTIRETY provided 
that this notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or 
incorporated in commercial documents without a written permission.

Feel free to start any thread based on the information included in
the FAQ, but please change the Subject line.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

             ***** TABLE OF CONTENT *****

[Part 1/2, this document]

UPCOMING EVENTS

ABOUT SOC.CULTURE.CANADA
!    1.1 Where can I get an update of this FAQ?
     1.2 Why are so many posts on soc.culture.canada of political nature?

HISTORY
     2.1 When was Canada discovered?
     2.2 How did Canada and the USA become and remain two separate
         countries?
     2.3 How did Canada become an independent country?  Does the
         phrase "the Dominion of Canada" indicate colonial status?
     2.4 So is "The Dominion of Canada" still the official name of
         the country?
     2.5 Why is Canada bilingual?
     2.6 How is Canada bilingual?
     2.7 How did Ottawa become the capital of Canada?
     2.8 What national flags has Canada used?

POLITICS
     3.1 What is the structure of Canada's government?
!    3.2 What are the federal political parties in Canada?
     3.3 What about the provincial governments?
     3.4 Does Canada have something similar to the US Bill of Rights?
     3.5 Why do Canadians want to change their constitution?
     3.6 What does "Distinct Society" mean for Quebec?
     3.7 Is it true that it is illegal to post an English-language
         sign in Quebec?
!    3.8 What is the "official Opposition"?
#    3.9 Who were Canada's Prime Ministers?

SOCIETY AND CULTURE
     4.1 What is the ethnic composition of Canada?
     4.2 What is the census breakdown by language spoken?
!    4.3 Who are some great or famous Canadians?
!    4.4 What are some notable events in Canadian history?
     4.5 What are some icons of Canada?
     4.6 How are Canada and the United States different?
     4.7 What are the words to "O Canada"?
!    4.8 What are some good Canadian movies?
!    4.9 Who are some good Canadian authors?
     4.10 Do Canadians use British or American spelling?
     4.11 What are some examples of Canadian music? How can i find
   Canadian music abroad?
     4.12 What religious affiliations exist in Canada?
!    4.13 What are some special days in the Canadian calendar?
     4.14 Why isn't Canadian Thanksgiving the same day as U.S. Thanksgiving?

EDUCATION
!    5.1 What are the addresses of some Canadian universities?
!    5.2 Which Canadian universities are the best?
     5.3 Do Canadian universities respect foreign academic degrees?
     5.4 Is it true that immigrants to Quebec must send their
         children to French-language schools?
     5.5 What Canadian universities offer graduate programs in my
         field of study?
!    5.6 What universities offer programs in Canadian Studies?
     5.7 Foreign students
        5.7.1 How much would it cost me to study in Canada?
        5.7.2 How long is the Canadian university year?
        5.7.3 Is there a country-wide test for university admission?
        5.7.4 How do I apply to a Canadian university?
        5.7.5 As a foreign student, am I allowed financial aid?
        5.7.6 Will I be covered by Canadian health insurance?
        5.7.7 How do I obtain a student authorization?
        5.7.8 Can I work while I study?
        5.7.9 Where can I get more information on studying in Canada?

[Part 2/2]

(questions about:)

INFORMATION FOR TRAVELLERS
IMMIGRATION, EMIGRATION, AND EMPLOYMENT
TAXATION
ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
MEDIA
STATISTICAL INFORMATION
ELECTRONIC SOURCES OF INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION

-----------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS


 Feb. 3-13/94  Carnaval de Quebec.  Quebec City, Qc
 Feb. 94  Winterlude.  Ottawa, Ontario
 Jul. 8-14/ 94  Calgary Stampede. Calgary, Alberta.
 Aug. 12-28/94  XV Commonwealth Games. Victoria, British Columbia

-----------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT SOC.CULTURE.CANADA


        1.1 Where can I get an update of this FAQ?

This FAQ is updated monthly and posted on the Usenet newsgroup
soc.culture.canada.  It will eventually be posted on news.answers and
automatically archived after I straighten out some problems related to
my Internet account.

-----

        1.2 Why are so many posts on soc.culture.canada of political nature?

The charter of soc.culture.canada does not forbid political discussions.
A political discussion group exists in the can.* hierarchy but it is
not widely available outside Canada. Many Canadians abroad and people
interested in this topic can not access that newsgroup. For them,
the only newsgroup available to discuss Canadian politics is often
soc.culture.canada. If the periodic dominance of political discussions
in the group bothers you, don't hesitate to begin some more cultural 
threads.

----------------------------------------------------------------
HISTORY

     2.1 When was Canada discovered?

It depends on what you count as discovering Canada.

First, thousands of years before European contact and settlement,
Canada was thinly settled by various Indian tribes and Inuit (Eskimo)
bands.

Viking wrecks have been found on the Canadian east coast, and Basques
were fishing in "Canadian" waters well before the English or French
started to explore Canada.

In 1497, John Cabot (born in Italy as Giovanni Caboto, but working for
the English) reached some part of what is now Canada -- it isn't clear
whether it was the island of Newfoundland, or the Labrador coast, or
Cape Breton Island.

Starting in 1534, Jacques Cartier of France discovered and explored
what is now Quebec and the other eastern provinces.  He was the first
to use the word "Canada", in 1535, in reference to a district along the
St. Lawrence.  (He apparently misunderstood the Iroquoian word kanata,
which actually means "village", as referring to the district.  Until
the English created "Upper Canada", now Ontario, the name Canada
referred exclusively to the French colony, which originated with
Cartier.

Due to their different cultural backgrounds, and perhaps because
Newfoundland was not part of Canada until 1949, French speakers will
usually recognize Cartier as the discoverer, while some English speakers
will prefer Cabot.

-----

     2.2 How did Canada and the USA become and remain two separate
     countries?

During the American Revolution of 1775-83, nearly 40,000 loyalists fled
to Canada from the rebellious colonies.

The War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States began with
a close vote in US Congress.  During the War of 1812, Canada became a
battleground; Toronto was captured and pillaged by the Americans in
1813.  Many Americans hoped to expand the territory of the United
States at the expense of Canada, or even to entice Canada into a
continental American union, but Canadians, whether English- or
French-speaking, showed no enthusiasm for joining the United States.
A small British garrison, with the support of irregular forces of
Indian tribes, kept the Americans at bay.  The Convention of 1818
established the border between western Canada and the United States
at latitude 49 degrees north, as far west as the Rocky Mountains,
and provided for joint US-British control of Oregon (i.e., the entire
Columbia River basin).  <The Universal Almanac 1990>

-----

     2.3  How did Canada become an independent country?  Does the
          phrase "the Dominion of Canada" indicate colonial status?

Independence actually happened in several stages, and the nomenclature
is somewhat confusing because the words "province", "dominion", and
"Canada" have each been used differently at different times.

The four most important formal steps -- each of which was preceded by some
years of political activity -- were:

  July 1, 1867: the British North America Act creates the Canadian
    federal government, and proclaims "one Dominion under the name
    of Canada".  "Dominion" here means a part of the British Empire
    which is self-governing as regards internal matters.  This
    event, illogically referred to as "Confederation", is the one
    celebrated today as having been the birth of Canada.

  December 11, 1931: the Statute of Westminster in effect redefines
    "dominion".  Canada acquires full self-government, with the
    right to declare war, control its own international trade, and
    so on.  Because the provinces cannot agree on an amending
    procedure, control of the Canadian constitution remains in
    Britain.

 January 1, 1947: the Canadian Citizenship Act causes Canadian
    citizens to be distinguished from other British subjects for
    the first time.  (At the same time, the UK is distinguishing
    its own citizens from other British subjects.  However, all
    British subjects resident in Canada retain the right to vote
    in Canada for a further 20+ years.)

 April 17, 1982: The Constitution Act "patriates" the Canadian
     constitution from Britain; henceforth it can be amended
     without British involvement.

Canada still retains a formal dependency to Britain in that the British
monarch is recognized as Canada's also.  The monarch still notionally
chooses representatives who, notionally, must approve each federal and
provincial law and nominate each Prime Minister or Premier.  However,
in practice these representatives (the Governor General and Lieutenants-
Governor) are nominated by appropriate Canadian legislature, and take
a role that is purely formal, except in some cases when an election
results in a minority government and the GG or LG acts as a sort of
referee between the possible PMs or Premiers. <Mark Brader>

-----
          
     2.4 So is "The Dominion of Canada" still the official name of
         the country?

It never was.  Section 3 of the British North America Act read, in part:

"... the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick shall form
and be One Dominion under the Name of Canada; and on and after that Day
those Three Provinces shall form and be One Dominion under that Name
accordingly."

This clause has never been repealed, though the BNA act is now called the
Constitution Act, 1867.  Thus Canada still is a dominion, or Dominion,
and it is correct to refer to the Dominion of Canada.  However, note
that it says "...under the Name of Canada...."  So the official name of
the country is "Canada."  "Dominion" is a descriptive term which can be
applied to this country, but not part of its official name.

It was however customary for many years to use "Dominion" as if it was
part of the official name, so that many Canadians grew up thinking of
it as that.  <Tom Box, Mark Brader>

-----

     2.5 Why is Canada bilingual?

The first permanent European settlement in Canada was the French
trading station at Quebec, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608.
In 1663, New France was organized as a French Crown Colony, and royal
governors replaced private commercial interests in governing Quebec.
<The Universal Almanac 1990>

When New France was ceded to the British in 1763 as part of the Treaty
of Paris that ended the Seven Years' War, the French-speaking residents
of the St. Lawrence valley were granted the option of remaining under
English sovereignty or migrating to France.  While the bureaucracy
left, the peasant farmers, "les habitants" remained.  The British
granted its new French-speaking citizenry autonomy with respect to
religion (Roman Catholic), the judiciary (eventually the Code Civile),
and language.  The separation of the thirteen southern colonies from
Britain in 1783 caused significant Loyalist migration to the remaining
British North American colonies, notably to the Maritime region and to
Western Quebec.  The English immigration to Western Quebec, which then
included the southern parts of today's Quebec and Ontario, prompted the
division into Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario) in 1791.

In 1840 the two Canadas were reunified as the Province of Canada.
The United Parliament was supposed to be unilingual English, but custom
soon made it bilingual.  The different judicial systems in Upper and
Lower Canada were governed by two justice ministers.  Deadlock in the
United Parliament, fear of political and economic domination by the
antebellum US, and some British impetus got the five eastern British
colonies in North America (Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince
Edward Island, Newfoundland) together to discuss the prospect of
federation.  With respect to French-language rights at the governmental
level, the traditions of the United Parliament of the Province of
Canada were naturally extended to the Federal Parliament of (the
Dominion) of Canada.

The British North America Act of July 1, 1867, the British Act of
Parliament that created the country, mandated official bilingualism in
the Federal and Quebec legislatures and courts.  <Stewart Clamen>

The Province of Canada formed a federation along with New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia, and the name Canada was applied to the new federation.
The currently existing Canada is a direct descendant of the federation
of 1867, not of the union of 1840.

-----

     2.6 How is Canada bilingual?

Canadians have the right to receive services from their federal
government in the official language of their choice.  This does not
mean you can walk into a post office in every town across the country
and be guaranteed service in both English and French.  Each province
can decide for itself what services it will provide in the minority
language.  New Brunswick has a broad constitutional guarantee of
equality of English and French.  In Quebec, there is a constitutional
guarantee that both French and English may be used in the legislature
and the courts.  Otherwise, provision of services in the minority
language is up to the individual government.  <Tom Box>

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the April 17, 1982, constitutional
amendments guarantees minority-language (English in Quebec, French
elsewhere) education rights "where numbers warrant"; however, not all
of this section is currently in effect.  (See the question "Is it true
that immigrants to Quebec must send their children to French-language
schools?" under Education) <Stewart Clamen, Mark Brader>

-----

     2.7 How did Ottawa become the capital of Canada?

Ottawa served briefly as the capital of the Province of Canada.  Upper
and Lower Canada had their capitals at Toronto and Quebec, respectively.
When they were united into a single colony, the capital was first
located in Kingston, but soon afterward moved to Montreal.  Montreal
was centrally located, the largest city in the colony, and the major
transport hub.  However, there was a riot in the late 1840's in which
the Parliament Buildings were burned down, so Montreal lost its status
as capital, and sessions of the legislature alternated between Quebec
and Toronto.  There was much debate on where the permanent capital
should be, with Quebec, Montreal, Kingston, and Toronto all in the
running.  Quebec almost won out, but the Canadian politicians were
ultimately unable to agree on a capital, and they decided to leave the
choice up to Queen Victoria, who picked Ottawa.  This was in the late
1850's.  There were objections from partisans of other cities, but the
decision was eventually accepted.  The move of the capital to Ottawa
was not immediate, since it was a backwoods lumber town without
adequate facilities to house the government.

Construction of government buildings in Ottawa was underway when the
plan for a larger federation of British North American colonies was
hatched.  This involved splitting the existing province of Canada into
Quebec and Ontario, and they went back to their old capitals of Quebec
and Toronto, while Ottawa became the federal capital.  <Tom Box>

-----

      2.8 What national flags has Canada used?

At the time of Confederation in 1867, Canada remained a dependency of
the United Kingdom, and its flag was therefore the Union Jack.  There
was, however, a desire for a flag to symbolize the new Dominion, and
the flag which came to be used for this purpose was the Canadian Red
Ensign.  The Red Ensign is the flag flown by British merchant ships,
and consists of a red field with a Union Jack in the canton (i.e. the
upper left quadrant).  The Canadian version of this flag was the same
basic design, to which was added the Canadian coat of arms.  At this
time, Canada did not have a distinctive coat of arms; it used a
combination (a quartering, in heraldic jargon) of the arms of the four
original provinces.

The government of Sir John A. Macdonald had the Canadian Red Ensign
flown over the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.  It also requested
permission from the British Admiralty, in 1874, for this flag to be
flown by Canadian merchant vessels.  This request was at first refused,
and it was only on February 2, 1892, that permission was granted for use
of the Canadian Red Ensign at sea.  The flag had no official status on
land, though it was widely used.

At the end of the 19th century, there was a growth in imperialist
sentiment in Canada, occasioned, at least in part, by Queen Victoria's
diamond jubilee in 1897 and by the Boer War.  The Canadian Red Ensign
was replaced by the Union Jack over the Parliament Buildings.  I am not
sure exactly when this change occurred, but Henri Bourassa asked a
question in the House of Commons on this subject in 1904, to which the
Minister of Public Works replied, "...the flag hitherto flown on the
parliament building has been what is known as the Canadian Merchant
Marine flag.  It is not the national flag in any other sense.  The
national flag, as we understand it for this purpose, is the Union Jack."

On November 21, 1921, Canada acquired a new coat of arms.  The shield
was divided into three sections, the uppermost containing the royal
arms of England and Scotland, the middle part the arms of Ireland and
France, and the lower section three green maple leaves on a single
stem, on a white background, representing Canada.  The colour of the
leaves was changed to red in 1957.

This new coat of arms was used on the Canadian Red Ensign.  In 1924,
use of the Red Ensign was authorized on government buildings outside of
Canada (e.g. High Commissions and Embassies), as well as on merchant
ships.  In 1925, the government of Mackenzie King appointed a committee
to study a design for a national flag, but in the face of opposition,
the committee was dissolved without ever issuing a report.

During the election of 1945, Mackenzie King said he would recommend the
adoption of a national flag.  On September 5, 1945, an Order in Council
authorized the use of the Canadian Red Ensign on government buildings
inside as well as outside Canada, and this flag again replaced the
Union Jack over the Parliament Buildings.  This was just to be a
temporary solution, while a joint committee of the Senate and House of
Commons looked for a permanent design.  The committee looked at 2,695
designs, and finally decided on the Red Ensign, but with a gold maple
leaf outlined in white replacing the coat of arms.  There was
opposition to this proposal both from those who felt the new flag was
too British (containing as it did the Union Jack), and those who felt
it was not British enough, and who preferred the old Red Ensign or the
Union Jack.  Hence the new design was never voted on by Parliament, and
the old Red Ensign continued in use, but without a clear status as
Canada's national flag.

During the election campaign of 1963, Liberal leader Lester Pearson
promised that a national flag would be adopted within two years of his
election.  Pearson's main advisor on this matter was John Matheson, a
Liberal Member of Parliament, student of heraldry, and a disabled war
veteran.  Matheson felt that the lower portion of the coat of arms
representing Canada should be used as the flag, i.e. three red maple
leaves on a single stem, on a white background.  Pearson wanted the
flag to have the same colours as the Union Jack, namely red, white,
and blue, so narrow vertical blue bars were added at the right and
left edges of the flag.  This was the tentative design for the new flag.

This proposal attracted a great deal of opposition, most notably
from John Diefenbaker and his Conservative Party, and from the Royal
Canadian Legion, a veterans' organization.  Both of these groups
favoured the retention of the Canadian Red Ensign.  A House of Commons
committee was created to study the flag issue.  It was made up of seven
Liberals, five Conservatives, one New Democrat, one Social Creditor,
and one Creditiste.  The Liberals supported the "Pearson Pennant" and
the Conservatives the Red Ensign.

During the hearings of the committee, questions were raised about the
symbolism of the three maple leaves.  Did they represent British,
French, and "other" ethnic groups?  Was it a veiled allusion to the
Holy Trinity, and thus an affront to non-Christians?  The answer was in
the eye of the beholder, but a feeling arose among some committee
members that a single maple leaf, symbolic of national unity, might be
preferable to a three-leaf design.  Heraldic purists also objected to
the inclusion of the blue bars, when red and white were Canada's
national colours.

A design was proposed by George F.G. Stanley, Dean of Arts at Royal
Military College, based on the RMC flag.  This consisted of three
vertical stripes, red, white, and red, of equal width, with the RMC
crest in the centre.  Stanley proposed this as the national flag, with
a single red maple leaf replacing the college crest.  This design
attracted support as an alternative to the Pearson design.  It was
eventually modified slightly by making the central white stripe twice
as wide as the red stripes.  This gives better balance between the two
colours, allows for a larger maple leaf, and makes the design look less
like the Peruvian flag.  The leaf was also modified from a realistic
maple leaf to a stylized eleven-pointed leaf.

On October 22, 1964, the committee voted on the various designs.  The
Conservatives supported the Red Ensign, but it was eliminated from
contention, and the two finalists were the Matheson/Pearson design and
that of Stanley.  Expecting the Liberals to stick with the Pearson
proposal, the Tories decided to vote for the Stanley design, but the
Liberals surprised them by switching to the red and white flag, which
was adopted unanimously.  The Conservatives then demanded a vote on
whether the committee should recommend the new design, and voted
against it.

A long and stormy debate in the House of Commons ensued.  After 33 days
of debate and 252 speeches, the government invoked closure, and the
House voted in favour of the new flag by 163 to 78.  The vote came on
December 15, 1964.  The new flag became the official flag of Canada on
February 15, 1965.

There was still much opposition to the new flag and support for the Red
Ensign.  Ontario and Manitoba both almost immediately adopted the Red
Ensign as their provincial flags (with the provincial coat of arms
replacing the Canadian one).  Three decades later, when the flag is
almost universally accepted as a symbol of Canada, it is hard to
realize how much passion its adoption stirred.

The official description of the flag in the Royal Proclamation:
"a red flag of the proportions two by length and one by width, containing
in its centre a white square the width of the flag, bearing a single red
maple leaf, or, in heraldic terms, described as gules on a Canadian pale
argent a maple leaf of the first."

Reference:  Stanley, George F.G., "The Story of Canada's Flag,
A Historical Sketch," Ryerson Press, Toronto, 1965.

<provided by Tom Box>

-----------------------------------------------------------------

POLITICS

     3.1 What is the structure of Canada's government?

The Parliament is composed of a lower house (House of Commons), with
295 members currently, and an upper house (the Senate) with 112 members.

Each members of the House of Commons (called Members of Parliament or
MPs) represents one electoral district, informally called a riding.
MPs are elected for a term running until the Parliament is dissolved.
Parliament must be dissolved after a maximum of 5 years since the
last general election.  When an MP dies or resigns, a replacement may
be elected through a by-election in that riding.

The last general election took place on October 25, 1993.  The Liberal
Party formed a majority government, and its leader (Jean Chretien) became
the head of the government (Prime Minister).  The prime minister and his
Cabinet Ministers are collectively responsible to the House of Commons.
Unlike in the USA, the same person can take the position of prime minister
for an unlimited number of times.

Senators are appointed by the prime minister and occupy their position
until retirement age of 75.  The Senate works about the same way as the
British Chamber of Lords.  Senators appointed by Progressive Conservative
governments currently form the majority in the Senate.

Canada's head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, represented in Canada by the
Governor General (Ramon Hnatyshyn since January 29, 1990).  The governor
general is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister.
While the Prime Minister is not the Head of State, he holds most of the
executive power.

-----

     3.2 What are the federal political parties in Canada?

Parties must hold 12 seats in the House of Commons to be an official
party.  Official parties are granted certain privileges:  guaranteed time
during the question period, extra funding for research and operational
staff, etc.  Currently, only the Liberal Party of Canada, the Bloc
Quebecois, and the Reform Party are official parties.


Liberal Party

The Liberals are the current party in power in Parliament, led by the
Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Jean Chretien.  This is one of the
original two major parties dating from before Confederation.  Historically
it has been slightly left-of-centre.  It is pro-business and, lately,
less pro-American than the PCs.  In this century it has controlled
Quebec's seats in Parliament almost exclusively, with the exception of
John Diefenbaker's second term, the Brian Mulroney era, and the recent
booming of the Bloc Quebecois.  It is nominally against the FTA (Free
Trade Agreement) and NAFTA (North American FTA), but does not
plan to cancel either deal.  The party is nicknamed the Grits, from an old 
expression denoting purity: "no sand, clear grit all the way through".


Bloc Quebecois (BQ)

Formed by former Mulroney right-hand man Lucien Bouchard, this group
grew from disenchanted Quebec PC MPs following the failure of the Meech
Lake round of constitutional amendments in 1990.  With looser party
discipline than the other parties, its platform is to advance the
policies of Quebec in Parliament, and to eventually help lead Quebec
out of Confederation.  A few of its members had come to Parliament via
by-elections since 1990.  In the last general election the BQ ran
candidates only in Quebec, where it got 54 out of 75 seats.  As the
party with the second-most seats, it will likely be "Her Majesty's
Loyal Opposition in Parliament".  A controversy is going on in Canada
as whether a separatist party can assume the role of official opposition.


Reform Party (RP)

This party was also formed just a few years ago, by the charismatic
Preston Manning, son of a former Alberta premier.  Its base is
primarily in Alberta.  It has preached a hard line with respect to
Quebec, and has not made an attempt to form local associations there.
Represented by only 1 MP before the latest general election, the party
now holds 52 seats, all but one of these in the western provinces.
The Reform Party has placed itself to the right of the PCs.  During 
its election campaign, the party had to defend itself against repeated 
complaints that it was racist and sexist. 


Progressive Conservative Party (PC)

This party was formed in 1942 when the Conservative Party (the other
major pre-Confederation party) absorbed the smaller Progressive Party.
The party spans the spectrum from centre to near right-wing.  It has
historically been pro-business, and currently is very much pro Free
Trade, including FTA and NAFTA.  It formed a majority government until
the last general election, first under the Right Honourable Brian
Mulroney and then under its current leader the Right Honourable Kim
Campbell (the first female Prime Minister of Canada).  But the party
now holds only 2 seats -- the worst defeat ever in Canadian federal
politics.  Kim Campbell did not get a seat.  Like the Conservative Party 
in Britain, the PCs are nicknamed the Tories.


New Democratic Party (NDP)

Formed in 1933 in Saskatchewan as the Co-operative Commonwealth
Federation (CCF), the party began as representative of Prairie farming
interests.  The name change came in 1961 when Ontario-based labour
organizations joined the party.  A member of Socialist International,
it is a social democrat party in the European mould, and has retained
its connections with the Canadian labour movement.  It is against FTA
(which it claims it would abrogate) and NAFTA.  The party has held
either the third- or the fourth-most seats in every Parliament since
its creation, and has been most powerful when supporting a minority
goverment (such as Pierre Trudeau's from 1972 to 1974).  It has had
success at the provincial level, being currently in power in BC,
Saskatchewan, and Ontario, and formerly in Manitoba.  At the federal
level it lost its official party designation in the last election,
keeping only 9 of its previous 40-odd seats.  The current leader,
Audrey McLaughlin, was the first female leader of a major political
party in Canada.


OTHER PARTIES:

There are a considerable number of minor parties that typically field
candidates in various ridings.  These include:

National Party:  Formed in 1992 by writer Mel Hurtig, this party did not
get any member into the House of Commons.  It was certainly the most
serious among the the minor parties in the last election.  The party is
avowedly nationalistic and against foreign ownership.

Rhinoceros Party:   Founded in Quebec[year?], this party is noted for
making outrageous campaign promises, such as moving half the Rockies
one metre to the west as a make-work project and, as an energy-saving
idea, putting larger wheels on the back of all cars, so that they will
always be going downhill.  It is currently in the middle of a contentious
leadership fight between its Quebec and BC chapters.

Green Party of Canada:  With an environmentally-conscious platform.
As of August 1993, the party leader was Chris Lea.
<adapted from Stewart Clamen>

-----

     3.3 What about the provincial governments?

Each provincial government is organized very much like the federal one,
except that there are no provincial Senates.  Some of the terminology
is different between the federal and provincial levels, or from one
province to another:

      Prime Minister             Premier or Prime Minister

      Governor General           Lieutenant-Governor

      Parliament                 Provincial Parliament, Legislative Assembly,
                                 or (in Quebec) National Assembly
<Mark Brader>

The PCs, Liberals, and NDP have provincial wings as well.  Quebec is
special in that neither of its two major provincial parties has a
national affiliation.  Here are the most recent elections and the
parties in power in the provincial legislatures:

PC:  Alberta (1989), Manitoba (1990)
Lib: Newfoundland (1989), P.E.I. (1989), New Brunswick (1991), Nova Scotia
(1993)
PLQ: Quebec (1989)
NDP: Ontario (1990), British Columbia (1991), Saskatchewan (1991)
<Canadian Global Almanac 1993>

[But what other provinces held elections in late 1992 or in 1993?]

The ruling party in Quebec is the Parti Liberal du Quebec (PLQ)
(leader: Robert Bourassa, Premier), which, in spite of its name, has
not been affiliated with the Liberal Party of Canada since the late
1960s.  The Opposition party is the seperatist ("sovereignist")
Parti Quebecois (PQ) (leader: Jacques Parizeau), which was founded
in 1967[?] by the very popular Rene Levesque.  In late 1988 the Quebec
National Assembly (i.e. the provincial legislature) invoked the
"Notwithstanding clause" (see 3.4) to maintain the prohibition against
bilingual store signs; this caused the resignation from the Cabinet of
a number of prominent anglophones, nd drove many anglo-Quebecers from
their traditional PLQ allegiance.  To fill the void, the Equality Party
(EP) was created soon after to defend English interests and was able to
win four west-end Montreal seats in the subsequent election.  Since then
however, rifts in the EP have seen one of its MNAs defect to the PQ
and its founder leave the party, dimming its prospects for survival.
<Stewart Clamen>

[ need description of Social Credit party ]

-----

     3.4 Does Canada have something similar to the US Bill of Rights?

Similar, but less powerful.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was adopted as part of the
Constitution Act of 1982.  It provides very much the same sort of
guarantees that the Bill of Rights does in the US, and in general
has the same power of precedence over other laws.

However, the force of the Charter is limited by two things.  One is
a clause saying that the rights and freedoms that it guarantees are
subject to "such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be
demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society".  In practice
what this means is that rights and freedoms mean only as much as the
Supreme Court says they do; and, of course, this is exactly the
situation in the USA, even though there is no such clause there.

The second and more important limitation is the so-called "notwithstanding
clause".  This clause allows any ordinary law to take precedence over
the Charter, for a period of up to five years (renewable indefinitely),
*simply by stating that it does so*.  Thus the Charter does not provide
any "checks and balances" against the prospect of a tyrannical government
in solid control of Parliament.  It was apparently assumed by the authors
of the Constitution Act that to abuse this override power would be
political suicide for a government and therefore none would ever do it.
<Mark Brader>

-----
     3.5 Why do Canadians want to change their constitution?

The constitution was patriated from Great Britain in 1982. Since 
that time, Canada can now modify its own constitution without the 
consent of the British parliament. While all the other provinces 
expressed approval of the 1982 constitution by signing it, Quebec, 
led by an separatist government, did not.  Provincial approval 
was not actually required under the old constitution, so the new one 
is in effect in Quebec, just the same as elsewhere, but the situation 
was an unhappy one.

In an attempt to gain Quebec's approval of the constitution, Brian 
Mulroney initiated talks among the 10 premiers that led to a new 
constitutional agreement in 1987 (the Meech Lake Agreement).  Because 
of the nature of the changes, under the constitution this agreement 
required ratification by each province.  The ratification deadline 
was in June 1990, and the agreement died when Manitoba and 
Newfoundland did not ratify it.

A new agreement was then sought, and many problems arose. Quebec 
wanted to be recognized as a "distinct society" (read next question),
natives wanted their own independent government, and the small 
provinces wanted to reform the useless Senate.  A draft agreement 
called the Charlottetown Accord was reached, a single package 
reflecting all these and many other concerns. Again it would have 
required ratification by all provinces. A non-binding national 
referendum was held, and the vote was strong enough 
against the accord to allow it to die at that point.  The 
constitutional problems have been put on hold since then, so that 
the governments can devote more attention to the economy.

-----

     3.6 What does "Distinct Society" mean for Quebec?

Two failed attempts at amending the Canadian constitution, the Meech
Lake accord of 1987 and the Charlottetown accord of 1991, each would
have added a clause to the effect that Quebec constitutes a "Distinct
Society" within Canada.  The CIBC, a major Canadian bank, distributed
an article in 1992 containing the following commentary:

"Perhaps no one issue has been so hotly debated among Canadians as the
issue of 'distinct society' status for Quebec.  Supporters of the
concept note that it is simply an affirmation of the obvious.  Since the
passage of the Quebec Act in 1774, the Roman Catholic religion, the
French system of civil law and the French language have characterized
Quebec society.  This reality has been consistently recognized in law.

Legislation governing Canada both before and since Confederation, has
granted distinctive rights to Quebec.  By the mid-19th century, language
had grown into the one issue considered essential to protect those
rights.  And by 1867, language and culture had become so important that
they were prominent factors in the creation of the British North
America Act, which united the colonies of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick.

Opponents of a distinct society constitutional clause fear it will give
special powers to the Quebec government.  They believe that, as a
result, Quebec law would not be subject to the guarantees of the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms [see 3.4].  Similarly, they fear that
distinct society status will give Quebec greater powers than other
provinces.

In considering the issue of provincial equality, it is important to
remember that in many respects, Canadian provinces are far from equal
in relation to one another.  They are not uniform, for instance, in
terms of customs, rights or services.  Parents in Ontario are able to
send their children to either public or separate school systems [see
5.4].  This is not true for all provinces.  Similarly, while access to
our national health care system is universal, the service that each
province offers its citizens are not identical.  Thus, while equality
is a goal of many Canadians, significant differences exist among
provinces - differences shaped by the historical, regional and cultural
realities that defined each province at the time it joined the Canadian
federation.

In recognition of this fact, the federal government's proposals
recommend that the distinct reality of Quebec society be acknowledged.
This distinct society includes Quebec's civil law tradition, its
language and its unique culture.  In addition, the proposals recommend
that it is the responsibility of all governments to preserve Canada's
linguistic majorities and minorities and that Quebec has a special
responsibility to preserve its own distinct culture.

Some in Quebec see these recommendations as giving to Quebec less than
the Meech Lake Accord offered.  On the other hand, some opponents of the
distinct society provision, as it was described in the Meech Lake
document, think that this new proposal addresses many of their concerns."

<"The Constitutional Debate: A Straight Talking Guide for Canadians." 
 Inserted in Maclean's, July 6, 1992 by CIBC.  A complete copy of the
 document (in English or French) can be obtained by writing to:
     Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
     Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
     Commerce Court Postal Station
     Toronto, Ontario
     M5L 1A2
>

-----

     3.7 Is it true that it is illegal to post an English-language
         sign in Quebec?

This was true for most commercial signs, but not any more.

In 1977, the Parti Quebecois government in Quebec passed the "Charter
of the French Language", which among other things changed some of the
rules affecting education, business, and public advertising in Quebec.
With respect to signs, the Charter specified that all commercial signs
in the province (except those on family-owned and operated businesses
employing fewer than 5 people) must be in French only.  This provision
was challenged by two test cases in Quebec.  The first claimed that
businesses had the right to post in any language(s) they want.  The
second claimed the right to include languages in addition to French.
<Stewart Clamen>

The Quebec Superior Court, the Quebec Court of Appeal, and the Supreme
Court of Canada all ruled that it was a reasonable limit on free speech
to require the use of French on signs, but not reasonable to prohibit
other languages.  However, there is a so-called "notwithstanding
clause" in the Charter [see 3.4] which allows a legislature to exclude
a law from certain provisions of the Charter, and the Quebec government
used this clause to maintain the ban on languages other than French.
This clause requires the law to be renewed every five years, and the
Quebec government has decided not to do so.  <Tom Box>

A business, either owned by an individual or a corporation, can now
post signs in any language it wishes as long as a French version is
also present and clearly predominant.  <Pierre Breton>

-----

     3.8  What is the "official Opposition"?

The official Opposition is the party that has the largest number of
seats in the House of Commons other than the party in power.  Its
leader gets the title of Leader of the Opposition.  He or she gets
extra pay (the same amount as a Cabinet minister) and an official
residence (named Stornoway), and sits directly opposite the Prime
Minister in the House of Commons.  The status of official Opposition
carries with it certain privileges, such as leading off in the daily
question period, and having the first chance to reply in debates on
government bills and motions.

There's also an official Opposition in each provincial legislature.

A party can decline to form the official Opposition.  This happened in
1921, when the Liberals finished first, the Progressives second, and
the Conservatives third.  The Progressives were a new Western-based
protest party, and they decided not to become the official opposition,
so that status went to the Tories.  I really don't know why they did
this.  Third parties were a new phenomenon in Canadian politics at that
time -- Parliament had just had Liberals, Conservatives, and a few
independents before then.

This was the first time since Confederation that a party other than the
Grits and Tories has finished second, and the only time up to 1993.

The Prime Minister can hold office without being a Member of Parliament,
though convention requires him to find a seat in Parliament within a
reasonable period of time.  But the Leader of the Opposition (hereafter
LO) must actually be an MP.  Since there have been several times when
the opposition party leader did not have a seat in Parliament, each time
its parliamentary caucus had to choose somebody else as a temporary LO.

I'm not sure when the position of LO was first given legal
definition (it's now mentioned in the Parliament of Canada Act,
and perhaps in other statutes as well).  At the time of Confederation,
there was not the well-defined party structure that exists today,
and there was no clear LO when Parliament first met.  George
Brown would likely have been the LO, but he had been defeated
in his riding.  It was John A. Macdonald's government who assigned the
seating in the House, and they gave the LO's seat (opposite the PM) to
Sandfield Macdonald.  (S. Macdonald was also the first Premier of
Ontario.  At that time, one could sit in both the federal Parliament
and a provincial Legislature.)

After the election for the 2nd Parliament in 1872, the Liberal
caucus met and designated Alexander Mackenzie as their leader
(at a meeting in early 1873).  I will therefore start my list with
him.  I have also included the party affiliation (L = Liberal,
C = Conservative or Progressive Conservative, BQ = Bloc 
Quebecois), and whether or not the LO was a Privy Councillor.

As was discussed here previously, many LOs have been Privy
Councillors, usually because of their past service in the Cabinet,
but the LO is not necessarily a member of the Privy Council.

Name                     Party        Date       Privy Council

Alexander Mackenzie        L          1873           no(?)
John A. Macdonald          C          1873-78        yes
Alexander Mackenzie        L          1878-80        yes
Edward Blake               L          1880-87        yes
Wilfrid Laurier            L          1887-96        yes
Charles Tupper             C          1896-1900      yes
Robert Borden              C          1901-11        no
Wilfrid Laurier            L          1911-19        yes
D. D. McKenzie             L          1919           no
Mackenzie King             L          1919-21        yes
Arthur Meighen             C          1921-26        yes
Mackenzie King             L          1926           yes
Hugh Guthrie               C          1926-27        yes
R. B. Bennett              C          1927-30        yes
Mackenzie King             L          1930-35        yes
R. B. Bennett              C          1935-38        yes
Robert Manion              C          1938-40        yes
Richard Hanson             C-PC       1940-43        yes
Gordon Graydon             PC         1943-45        no
John Bracken              PC         1945-48        no
George Drew                PC         1948-56        no/yes
John Diefenbaker           PC         1956-57        no
Louis St-Laurent           L          1957-58        yes
Lester Pearson             L          1958-63        yes
John Diefenbaker           PC         1963-67        yes
Michael Starr              PC         1967           yes
Robert Stanfield           PC         1967-76        yes
Joe Clark                  PC         1976-79        no
Pierre Trudeau             L          1979-80        yes
Joe Clark                  PC         1980-83        yes
Erik Nielsen               PC         1983           yes
Brian Mulroney             PC         1983-84        no/yes
John Turner                L          1984-90        yes
Herb Gray                  L          1990           yes
Jean Chretien              L          1990-93        yes
Lucien Bouchard            BQ         1993-          yes

I've tried to make this accurate, but I don't claim this is an
authoritative list, and corrections are welcome.
<Tom Box>

-----

     3.9  Who were Canada's Prime Ministers?

C: Conservative
PC: Progressive Conservative
L: Liberal

NAME                    BORN        PARTY  PERIOD             NOTE

Sir John A. MacDonald   Scotland      C    Jul 1867-Nov 1873
Alexander Mackenzie     Scotland      L    Nov 1873-Oct 1878
Sir John A. MacDonald                      Oct 1878-Jun 1891
Sir John J.C. Cabot     [???]         C    Jun 1891-Nov 1892
Sir John S. Thompson    Nova Scotia   C    Dec 1892-Dec 1894
Sir Mackenzie Bowell    [???]         C    Dec 1894-Apr 1896
Sir Charles Tupper      Nova Scotia   C    May 1896-Jul 1896
Sir Wilfrid Laurier     Quebec        L    Jul 1896-Oct 1911
Sir Robert L. Borden    Nova Scotia   C    Oct 1911-Jul 1920
Arthur Meighen          Ontario       C    Jul 1920-Dec 1921
W. L. Mackenzie King    Ontario       L    Dec 1921-Jul 1926
Arthur Meighen                             Jul 1926-Sep 1926
W. L. Mackenzie King                       Sep 1926-Aug 1930
Richard B. Bennett      [???]         C    Aug 1930-Oct 1935
W. L. Mackenzie King                       Oct 1935-Nov 1948
Louis St. Laurent       Quebec        L    Nov 1948-Jun 1957
John G. Diefenbaker     Ontario       PC   Jun 1957-Apr 1963  Grew up in Sask.
Lester B. Pearson       Ontario       L    Apr 1963-Apr 1968  Nobel Peace Prize
Pierre E. Trudeau       Quebec        L    Apr 1968-Jun 1979
C. Joe Clark            Alberta       PC   Jun 1979-Mar 1980  Youngest PM (39)
Pierre E. Trudeau                          Mar 1980-Jun 1984
John N. Turner          England       L    Jun 1984-Sep 1984
M. Brian Mulroney       Quebec        PC   Sep 1984-Jun 1993
Kim Campbell            BC            PC   Jun 1993-Nov 1993  First Female PM
Jean Chretien           Quebec        L    Nov 1993-

-----------------------------------------------------------------

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

     4.1 What is the ethnic composition of Canada?

 40%   British Isles origin
 27%   French origin
 20%   other European
  2%   Asian
  1.5% indigenous Indian or Eskimo
<The Universal Almanac 1990>

-----

     4.2 What is the census breakdown by language spoken?

During the census which it conducts every five years, Statistics Canada
asks a series of questions about language.  These can be conveniently
classed under three headings:

1) HOME LANGUAGE - This is the response to the question, "What language
does this person speak most often at home?"

2) MOTHER TONGUE - This is the response to the question, "What is the
language that this person first learned at home in childhood and still
understands?"

3) KNOWLEDGE OF LANGUAGES - This is the response to the question, "What
language(s) can this person speak well enough to conduct a
conversation?"

Here are the results from the 1991 census, for the top-ranking
languages in one or more categories.  Multiple responses are allowed to
all the questions, so percentages may add to more than 100%.

                  HOME                 MOTHER             KNOWLEDGE OF
                LANGUAGE               TONGUE              LANGUAGES

English      18,664,635  69.1%    16,454,515  61.0%    22,505,420  83.4%
French        6,369,360  23.6%     6,623,235  24.5%     8,508,960  31.5%
Chinese         430,090   1.6%       516,875   2.0%       557,300   2.1%
Italian         288,290   1.1%       538,690   2.0%       701,910   2.6%
Portuguese      152,530   0.6%       220,630   0.8%       254,470   0.9%
Spanish         145,045   0.5%       187,615   0.7%       402,430   1.4%
German          134,460   0.5%       490,650   1.8%       684,950   2.5%
Punjabi         123,775   0.5%       147,265   0.5%       167,930   0.6%
Polish          117,150   0.4%       200,395   0.7%       239,580   0.8%
Greek            93,160   0.3%       132,980   0.5%       161,320   0.6%
Arabic           82,450   0.3%       119,255   0.4%       164,380   0.6%
Vietnamese       79,585   0.3%        83,630   0.3%       113,115   0.5%
Tagalog          75,390   0.3%       115,980   0.4%       136,975   0.5%
Ukrainian        49,995   0.2%       201,315   0.7%       249,540   0.9%
Dutch            19,915   0.1%       146,420   0.5%       173,295   0.6%

<provided by Tom Box>

-----

     4.3 Who are some great or famous Canadians?

Dan Aykroyd            Actor (Blues Brothers, Ghost Busters ...)
Sid Altman             Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989
Frederick G. Banting   Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1923 for discovery of insulin
                       with Charles Best
Billy Bishop           World War I fighter pilot, shot down 72 enemy planes
John Candy             Actor
Michael J. Fox         Actor (Family Ties, Back to the Future...)
Wayne Gretzky          National Hockey League all-time point scoring leader
Phil Hartmann  Actor (Saturday Night Live)
Gerhard Herzberg       Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1971
David H. Hubel         Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1981
Brian W. Kernighan     Computer programmer and writer
Lorne Michaels         Producer (Saturday Night Live, The Three Amigos,...)
Mike Myers             Actor (Wayne's World)
James A. Naismith      Invented basketball at Springfield, Mass., in 1891
Lester B. Pearson      Former Prime Minister, Nobel Peace Prize in 1957
Mary Pickford  Academy award winning Actress
John C. Polanyi        Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986
Louis Riel             Metis leader of Northwest Rebellion in 1885
Paul Shaffer           David Letterman's maestro
William Shatner        Captain Kirk character on Star Trek television show
Donald Sutherland Actor (M.A.S.H.)
Henry Taube            Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1983
Richard E. Taylor      Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990
Alex Trebek            Jeopardy host
Neil Young  Rock performer

Entertainment:


-----

     4.4 What are some notable events in Canadian history?

1867:  Confederation
1967:  Montreal hosted Expo 67
1972:  Canada defeated USSR in Summit Series of ice hockey:  4W-3L-1T.
1976:  Montreal hosted the Olympic Summer Games
1988:  Calgary hosted the XV Olympic Winter Games
1986:  Vancouver hosted Expo 1986

-----

     4.5 What are some icons of Canada?

Front Page Challenge is the longest-running entertainment program on
Canadian television.

The Grey Cup was donated in 1909 by Lord Earl Grey, Governor General
of Canada (also of tea fame), and now symbolizes team supremacy in
the Canadian Football League.

The Maple Leaf, prominent on the Canadian flag, and the Beaver are
official national symbols.

The Montreal Canadiens, established in 1909, are the winningest
professional sports franchise in North America with 24 Stanley Cup
championships (as of 1993).

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was founded as the North-West
Mounted Police in 1873.

The Snowbirds are a nine-plane aerobatic team of the Canadian Air
Force.

The Stanley Cup was donated in 1893 by Lord Stanley of Preston,
Governor General of Canada, and now symbolizes team supremacy in the
National Hockey League.

-----

     4.6 How are Canada and the United States different?

Though Canadian and American societies are in some ways very similar,
in other ways they are very different.  In a sense, Canada represents a
rejection of the ideals of the American Revolution.  Most of the early
settlement of Ontario and New Brunswick was by Loyalists fleeing the
revolution, and there was a significant flow of Loyalists to parts of
Quebec and Nova Scotia as well.  These were people who rejected the
notions of individualism and equality which became the basis of an
American ideology, in favour of a more hierarchical, elitist society.

This affected many facets of Canadian life.  The dominant religious
denominations in Canada, Catholic and Anglican, were much more
hierarchical than the main Protestant denominations in the U.S.  Though
Canada does not have a state church, neither do we have the rigorous
separation of Church and State that exists in the U.S.  There are
state-supported schools with religious affiliations in many Canadian
provinces.

Perhaps because religion was less of a personal affair in Canada, it
seems to have suffered a steeper decline here than in the U.S.  Church
attendance is significantly lower here, and politicians do not make a
show of being publicly pious, as American politicians do.

Though the early settlement of Canada reflected a conservative
rejection of the liberal (in the 18th century sense) ideals of the
American Revolution, this has, paradoxically, made Canada far more
receptive to socialist ideas, since both socialism and traditional
conservatism both involve a more interventionist, "paternalistic"
government than classical liberalism.  Thus Canadians are far more
accepting of government-run health insurance, or of gun control.

Canadians are much less wedded to the concept of individual liberties,
and more accepting of government intervention to maintain an orderly
society, than are Americans.  (This is a very broad generalization, to
which there are countless exceptions.)

The adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights in 1982 can be seen as a
significant step towards a more American philosophy.  However, note that
the Charter is significantly more limited than the American Bill of Rights
(see 3.4).

The American system basically sees government as bad.  There is an
elaborate system of separation of powers and of checks and balances to
ensure that one branch of government does not gain too much power.
Much of the US constitution is designed to protect individual citizens
from the actions of governments.

In Canada, in contrast, the executive and legislative branches of
government are intimately linked.  The Charter of Rights is a recent
innovation, and its application is tempered by the power of legislators
to override it.  <Tom Box>

-----

     4.7 What are the words to "O Canada"?

The current English version:
     O Canada!  Our home and native land!
     True patriot love in all thy sons command.
     With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
     The true North, strong and free!
     From far and wide, O Canada,
     We stand on guard for thee.

     God keep our land glorious and free!
     O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
     O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!


De me'moire:

     O^ Canada!  Terre de nos ai"eux.
     Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.
     Car ton bras sait porter l'e'pe'e,
     Il sait porter la croix.
     Ton histoire est une e'pope'e,
     des plus brillants exploits.

     Et ta valeur, de foi trempe'e,
     prote`gera nos foyers et nos droits,
     prote`gera nos foyers et nos droits.

(2e couplet, peu utilise)
     Sous l'oeil de Dieu pres du fleuve ge'ant
     Le canadien grandit en espe'rant
     Il est ne' d'une race fie`re
     Be'ni fut son berceau
     Le ciel a marque' sa carrie`re
     Dans ce monde nouveau.

     Toujours guide' par sa lumie`re,
     Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau,
     Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau.

(Il y a aussi un troisie`me couplet, mais je ne m'en souviens plus)

<French version provided by Denis Fortin>


The remaining words are seldom sung.

English verses continue...

      O Canada! Where pines and maples grow,
      Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
      How dear to us they vast domain,
      From East to Western sea,
      Thou land of hope for all who toil,
      Thou true North, strong and free!
      (O Canada!... etc.)

      O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
      May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise;
      To keep thee steadfast through the years
      From East to Western sea,
      Our Father land, our Motherland!
      Our true North strong and free!
      (O Canada!... etc.)

      Ruler Supreme, Who hearest humble prayer,
      Hold our dominions in Thy loving care.
      Help use to find, O God, in Thee,
      A lasting, rich reward,
      As waiting for the better day
      We ever stand on guard.
      (O Canada!...  etc.)

---------------- In French

     De son patron, pre'curseur du vrai Dieu,
     Il porte au font l'aure'ole de feu.
     Ennemi de la tyrannie,
     Mais plein de loyaute',
     Il veut garder dans l'harmonie
     Sa fiere' liberte';

     Et par l'effort de son ge'nie,
     Sur notre sol asseoir la ve'rite'.
     Sur notre sol asseoir la ve'rite'.

     Amour sacre' du tro^ne de l'autel,
     Remplis nos cours de ton souffle immortel!
     Parmi les races entrange`res,
     Notre guide est la loi;
     Sachons e^tre un peuple de fre`res
     Sous le joug de la foi.

     Et re'pe'tons, comme nos pe`res,
     Le cri vainqueur "Pour le Christ et le Roi!"
     Le cri vainqueur "Pour le Christ et le Roi!"

The music was written by Calixa Lavallee and the original French words
by Judge Adolphe-Basile Routhier, around 1880.  The English version,
not really a translation, was by Stanley Weir in 1908.  In 1867 the
Canadian Parliament got into the act and changed some of Weir's words.
<Neale Adams>

[The English version was changed a lot more recently than that, too.
 Details?]

-----

     4.8 What are some good Canadian movies?

The Festival of Festivals has updated its 1984 survey of the best
Canadian films ever.  The current standings are:

1. Mon oncle Antoine (Claude Jutra, 1971)
2. Jesus de Montreal (Denys Arcand, 1988)
3. Goin' Down the Road (Don Shebib, 1970)
4. Le declin de l'empire Americain (Denys Arcand, 1986)
5. Les bons debarras (Francis Mankiewicz, 1980)
6. Les ordres (Michel Brault, 1974)
7. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Ted Kotcheff, 1974)
8. The Grey Fox (Phillip Borsos, 1982)
9. I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (Patricia Rozema, 1987)
10. The Adjuster (Atom Egoyan, 1991)

Knocked off of 1984's list were J.A. Martin photographe (Jean
Beaudin, 1976), Pour la suite du monde (Pierre Perrault and
Michel Brault, 1963), Le vrai nature de Bernadette (Gilles Carle,
1972), and Nobody Waved Goodbye (Don Owen, 1964).
<Sources:  Globe and Mail, provided by Stephanie Fysh>

Leolo (Jean-Claude Lauzon)
The Adjuster (Atom Egoyan)
<Stewart Clamen>

Who Has Seen the Wind [by who?]

[ others? ]

-----

     4.9 Who are some good Canadian authors?

Margaret Atwood (A Handmaid's Tale)
Robertson Davies (The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business, The Manticore,
    World of Wonders)
William Gibson (Mona Lisa Overdrive)
Anne Hebert (Kamouraska, Les Fous de Bassan)
Farley Mowat (Never Cry Wolf)
Mordecai Richler (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz)
Gabrielle Roy (Bonheur d'Occasion (trans: The Tin Flute))
Pamela Sargent (Venus of Dreams)

<Stewart Clamen, Mike Eisler, Martin Savard>

[ others? ]

-----

     4.10 Do Canadians use British or American spelling?

Standard Canadian written English uses characteristic features of both
British and American spelling.  Most Canadians use "colour" (not
"color"), "harbour" (not "harbor"), "cheque" (not "check"), and
"centre" (not "center"), but also "specialize" (not "specialise"),
"draft" (not "draught"), and "tire" (not "tyre").

Canadian newspapers and magazines each have their own spelling standard.
The (Toronto) Globe and Mail tends to use the above rules, for instance,
while The (Montreal) Gazette, will use "color" and "harbor", but also
"cheque" and "centre".  <Stewart Clamen>

Newspaper practice is somewhat influenced by the desire to run stories
originating in the US with minimal editing. <Mark Brader>

-----

     4.11 What are some examples of Canadian music? How can i find
   Canadian music abroad?

Contact Gary Dare at gld@columbia.edu for a list of compact discs.

-----

     4.12 What religious affiliations exist in Canada?

Maclean's Religion Poll (April 12, 1993)

Source: 4510 adults in a phone poll (Jan-Mar 1993), as part of the
 regular monthly Angus-Reid poll

ROUGH BREAKDOWN

Christian     78%
Jewish         1%
Hindu        0.5%
Buddhist     0.5%
Islamic      0.5%
no religion   10%
atheist       ~9%

FORMAL AFFILIATION

Religion                       Now  As a child

Roman Catholic                  38%     44%
None                            16       4
United                          13      14
Anglican                         9      11
Conservative(*)                  8       8
Lutheran/Presbyterian            6       8
Non-Denominational Protestant    4       4
Non-Christian denominations(+)   3       2
Other Christian($)               2       1
Don't Know/No Response           3       3

(*) Includes Baptist, Church of Nazarene, Pentecostal, Apostolic,
    Mennonite, Canadian Reformed, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
    Saints (Mormon), Seventh-Day Adventist, Brethren, Plymouth Brethren,
    Salvation Army, Alliance, Evangelical, Methodist, Congregationalist,
    Wesleyan, Gospel, Worldwide Church of God, Church of Christ, born
    again Christian, Christian Reformed.

(+) Includes Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, New Age, Sikh, Spiritualist,
    Soka Gakki International, North American native religion, Theosophical
    society paganism, Baha'i, humanist, agnostic, Wicca, Lemurian, New
    Thought Movement.

($) Includes Orthodox, Unitarian, Jehovah's Witness, Christadelphian,
    Christian Scientist, Church of Scientology.

<provided by Stewart Clamen>

-----

     4.13 What are some special days in the Canadian calendar?

January 1:            New Year's Day
April 1, 1994:         Good Friday (2 days before Easter Sunday)
April 3, 1994:         Easter Sunday (date varies, late March to late April)
May 8, 1994:         Mother's Day (2nd Sunday in May)
May 23, 1994:        Victoria Day (Monday after the 17th)
June 19, 1994:       Father's Day (3rd Sunday in June)
June 24:=`>Path: planet!isdnlin.mtsu.edu!darwin.sura.net!gatech!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!MathWorks.Com!news.kei.com!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv
From: ag656@freenet.carleton.ca (Martin Savard)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.canada,soc.answers,news.answers
Subject: soc.culture.canada FAQ (Monthly posting) [1/2]
Summary: Contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their
Message-ID: <canada-faq/part1_772891068@rtfm.mit.edu>
Date: 29 Jun 1994 11:57:57 GMT
Expires: 12 Aug 1994 11:57:48 GMT
Reply-To: ag656@freenet.carleton.ca
Followup-To: soc.culture.canada
Organization: none
Lines: 2493
Approved: News-answers-request@mit.edu
Supersedes: <canada-faq/part1_770286840@rtfm.mit.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: bloom-picayune.mit.edu
X-Last-Updated: 1993/12/22
Originator: faqserv@bloom-pin the Fall. <M.S.>Proclaimed as "a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed", Thanksgiving draws upon 3 traditions: harvest celebrations in European peasan societies for which the symbol was the cornucopia (horn of plenty); formal observances, such as that celebrated by Martin FROBISHER in the eastern Arctic in 1578 - the first North American Thanksgiving;  and the Pilgrims' celebration of their first harvest in Massachusetts (1621) involving the uniquely American turkey, squash and pumpkin.  The celebration was brought to Nova Scotia in the 1750s and the citizensof Halifax commemorated the end of the SEVEN YEARS WAR (1763) with a day of Thanksgiving. Loyalists brought the celebration to other  parts of the country. In 1879 Parliament declared Nov 6 as a day of Thanksgiving;  it was celebrated as a national rather a religious holiday. Later and earlier dates were observed, the most popular being the third Monday in Oct. After WWI, Thanksgiving and Armistice (later Remembrance) Day were celebrated in the same week. It was not until 31 Jan 1957 that Parliament proclaimed the observance of Thanksgiving on the second Monday in Oct. E.C. Drury, the former "Farmer-Premier" of Ontario lamented later that "the farmers' own holidayhas been stolen by the towns" to give them a long weekend when the weatherwas better. <The Canadian Encyclopedia, Hurtig; provided by Stewart Clamen>-----------------------------------------------------------------EDUCATION     5.1 What are the addresses of some Canadian universities?Nainish Bapna (nb2@doc.ic.ac.uk) maintains an e-mail address listof admission offices in more than 25 countries, including Canada.It is available for FTP at:          Site:        wilbur.stanford.edu          Directory:   /pub/nagps/Info-Exchange          File:         gradschool.email  [English Programs]ACADIA U.                       ALBERTA, U. OFWolfville, Nova Scotia          Edmonton, AlbertaB0P 1X0  (902) 542-2201         T6G 2E1  (403) 492-3111ATHABASCA U.                    AUGUSTANA U. COLLEGEBox 10000                       4901-46 AvenueUniversity Drive                Camrose, AlbertaAthabaska, Alberta              T4V 2R3  (403) 679-1100T0G 2R0  (403) 675-6111BISHOP'S U.                     BRANDON U.Lennoxville, Quebec             Brandon, ManitobaJ1M 1Z7  (819) 822-9600         R7A 6A9  (204) 728-9520BRESICA COLLEGE                 BRITISH COLUMBIA, U of  (UBC)1285 Western Road               2075 Wesbrook MallLondon, Ontario                 Vancouver, British ColumbiaN6G 1H2  (519) 432-8353         V6T 1Z1  (604) 431-3000BROCK U.                        CALGARY, U. ofMerrittville Highway            2500 University DriveSt. Catharines, Ontario         Calgary, AlbertaL2S 3A1  (416) 688-5550         T2N 1N4CAMPION COLLEGE                 CAPE BRETON, U. COLLEGEc/o The Univ. of Regina         P.O BOX 5300Regina, Saskatchewan            Sydney, Nova ScotiaS4S 0A2  (306) 586-4242         B1P 6L2  (902) 539-5300CARLETON U.                     CONCORDIA COLLEGEOttawa, Ontario                 7128 Ada BlvdK1S 5B6  (613) 788-7400         Edmonton, Alberta                                T5B 4E4  (403) 479-8481CONCORDIA U.                    DALHOUSIE U.Sir George William Campus       Halifax, Nova Scotia1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd West   B3H 3J5  (902) 494-2211Montreal, QuebecH3G 1M8  (514) 848-2424GUELPH, U. of                   HURON COLLEGEGuelph, Ontario                 1349 Western RoadN1G 2W1                         London, Ontario                                N6G 1H3  (519) 438-7224KING'S COLLEGE                  THE KING'S COLLEGE266 Epworth Avenue              10766-97 StreetLondon, Ontario                 Edmonton, AlbertaN6A 2M3  (519) 433-3491         T5H 2M1  (403) 428-0727KING'S COLLEGE U.               LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITYHalifax, Nova Scotia            Oliver RoadB3H 2A1  (902) 422-1271         Thunder Bay, Ontario                                P7B 5E1  (807) 343-8110LAURENTIAN U.                   LETHBRIDGE, U ofRamsey Lake Road                4401 University Dr.Sudbury, Ontario                Lethbridge, AlbertaP3E 2C6  (705) 675-1151         T1K 3M4  (403) 329-2111LUTHER COLLEGE                  MANITOBA, U ofUniversity of Regina            Winnipeg, ManitobaRegina, Saskatchewan            R3T 2N2  (204) 474-8880S4S 0A2  (306) 585-5333MCGILL U.                       MCMASTER U.845 Sherbroke St. West          Hamilton, OntarioMontreal, Quebec                L8S 4L8  (416) 525-9140H3A 2T5  (514) 398-4455MEMORIAL U. OF NEWFOUNDLAND     MOUNT ALLISON U.Elizabeth Avenue                Sackville, New BrunswickSt. John's, Nfld.               E0A 3C0  (506) 364-2200A1C 5S7  (709) 737-8000MOUNT SAINT VINCENT U.          NEW BRUNSWICK, U ofHalifax, Nova Scotia            P.O. Box 4400B3M 2J6  (902) 443-4450         Fredericton, New Brunswick                                E3B 5A3  (506) 453-4666NOVA SCOTIA AGRICULTURAL        NORTHERN B.C. U.COLLEGE                         P.O. Bag 1950, Station AP.O. BOX 550                    Prince George, British ColumbiaTruro, Nova Scotia              V2L 5P2B2N 5E3  (902) 895-1571THE ONTARIO INSTITUTE FOR       UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWASTUDIES IN EDUCATION (OISE)     550 Cumberland252 Bloor St. West              P.O. BOX 450, Station AToronto, Ontario                Ottawa, OntarioM5S 1V6  (416) 923-6641         K1N 6N5  (613) 564-3311PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, U of      QUEEN'S U.Charlottetown, P.E.I.           Kingston, OntarioC1A 4P3  (902) 566-0439         K7L 3N6  (613) 545-2000REGINA, U of                    ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADARegina, Saskatchwan             Kingston, OntarioS4S 0A2  (306) 585-4111         K7K 5L0  (613) 541-6302RYERSON POLYTECHNICAL U.        ST. FRANCIS XAVIER U.350 Victoria St.                Antigonish, Nova ScotiaToronto, Ontario                B2G 1C0  (902) 863-3300M5B 2K3  (416) 979-5000ST. MARY'S U.Halifax, Nova ScotiaB3H 3C3  (902) 420-5400                                ST. THOMAS U.                   SASKATCHEWAN, U ofP.O. BOX 4569                   Saskatoon, Sask.Fredericton, New Brunswick      S7N 0W0  (306) 244-4343E3B 5G3  (506) 452-7700SASKATCHEWAN INDIAN             SIMON FRASER U.FEDERATED COLLEGE               Burnaby, British ColumbiaPiapot Indian Reserve 75        V5A 1S6  (604) 291-3111Box 9, R.R.2, Site 3Craven, Sask.S0G 0W0  (306) 779-6292SUDBURY, U of                   TECHNICAL U. OF NOVA SCOTIARamsey Lake Road                P.O. Box 1000Sudbury, Ontario                Halifax, N.S.P3E 2C6  (705) 673-5661         B3J 2X4  (902) 420-7500TORONTO, U of                   TRENT U.315 Bloor St. West              Peterborough, OntarioToronto, Ontario                K9J 7B8  (705) 748-1011M5S 1A1  (416) 978-2011TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY      VICTORIA, U of7600 Glover Road                P.O. Box 1700Langley, B.C.                   Victoria, B.C.V3A 6H4  (604) 888-7511         V8W 2Y2  (604) 721-7211WATERLOO, U of                  WESTERN ONTARIO, U ofWaterloo, Ontario               London, OntarioN2L 3G1  (519) 885-1211         N6A 3K7  (519) 884-1970WILFRID LAURIER U.              WINNIPEG U. ofWaterloo, Ontario               515 Portage Ave.N2L 3C5  (519) 253-4232         Winnipeg, Manitoba                                R3B 2E9  (204) 786-7811YORK U.4700 Keele St.North York, OntarioM3J 1P3  (416) 736-2100            [Universites francophone/French universities]COLLEGE DOMINICAN DE            ECOLE DES HAUTES ETUDES COMMERCIALESPHILOSOPHIE ET DE THEOLOGIE     5255 Avenue Decelles96 Avenue Empress               Montreal, QuebecOttawa, Ontario                 H3T 1V6  (514) 340-6000K1R 7G3  (613) 233-5696UNIVERSITE LAVAL                UNIVERSITE DE MONCTONCite Universitaire              Moncton, Nouveau-BrunswickQuebec, Quebec                  E1A 3E9  (506) 858-4000G1K 7P4  (418) 656-2131UNIVERSITE DE MONTREAL          ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE DE MONTREALC.P. 6128, Succursale A         C.P. 6079, Succursale AMontreal, Quebec                Montreal, QuebecH3C 3J7  (514) 343-6111         H3C 3A7  (514) 340-4711UNIVERSITE SAINTE-ANNE          COLLEGE UNIVERSITAIRE DE ST-BONIFACEPointe-de-l'Eglise,             200 ave. de la CathedraleNouvelle-Ecosse                 Saint-Boniface, ManitobaB0W 1M0                         R2H 0H7  (204) 233-0210COLLEGE MILITAIRE ROYAL         UNIVERSITE SAINT PAULDE SAINT-JEAN                   223 MainSt-Jean sur le Richelieu,       Ottawa, OntarioQuebec                          K1S 1C4  (613) 236-1393J0J 1R0  (514) 358-6011(Veuillez noter que les Hautes Etudes Commerciales et Polytechnique sont des ecoles de l'Universite de Montreal)Reseau de l'universite du Quebec:ECOLE DE TECHNOLOGIE SUPERIEURE ECOLE NATIONALE D'ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE4750 Avenue Henri-Julien        945 Avenue WolfeMontreal, Quebec                Sainte-Foy, QuebecH2T 2C8  (514) 289-8800         G1V 3J9  (418) 657-2485INSTITUT ARMAND FRAPPIER        INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE531 Boulevard des Prairies      SCIENTIFIQUELaval, Quebec                   2635 Hochelaga, Suite 640H7N 4Z3  (514) 687-5010         C.P. 7500                                Sainte-Foy, Quebec                                G1V 4C7  (418) 654-2500TELE-UNIVERSITE                 UQAT2635 Boulevard Hochelaga        42 Monseigneur Rheaume Est7e etage                        Rouyn, QuebecQuebec, Quebec                  J9X 5E4  (819) 762-0971G1V 4V9  (418) 657-2262UQAC                            UQAH555 boul. de l'Universite       C.P. 1250, Succursale BChicoutimi, Quebec              Hull, QuebecG7H 2B1  (418) 545-5011         J8X 3X7  (819) 595-3900UQAM                            UQARC.P. 8888. Succ. A              300 allee des UrsulinesMontreal, Quebec                Rimouski, QuebecH3C 3P8  (514) 987-3000         G5L 3A1  (418) 724-1986UQTR                            Siege Social / Universite du Quebec3351, boul. des Forges          2875 Boulevard LaurierTrois-Rivieres, Quebec          Ste-Foy, QuebecG9A 5H7  (819) 376-5011         G1V 2M3  (418) 657-3551 [UQA... = Universite du Quebec a...]Universites bilingues => les universites suivantes offrent aussi leurs                         programmes d'etude en francais (veuillez consulter                         la section sur les universites de langue anglaise                          pour obtenir les coordonnees):                         U OF OTTAWA/Universite d'Ottawa                         LAURENTIAN U/Universite Laurentienne                         U OF SUDBURY/Universite de Sudbury                         ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE/College Militaire RoyalL'universite York offre aussi certains programmes en Francais surson Campus de Glendon. L'Universite d'Alberta offre des programmesen francais par sa faculte Saint-Jean.(Les etudiants d'universites anglophones du Quebec (McGill, Concordia,Bishop's) ont la possibilite de remettre leurs travaux en francais, etde repondre en francais aux questions d'examen. La plupart des universitesbilingues permettent aussi a leurs etudiants d'utiliser la langue deleur choix lors de la remise de travaux et lors des examens.)-----     5.2 Which Canadian universities are the best?It is very hard and often subjective to rank the quality of educationof a university.  The reputation of a university, or the level ofrecognition given to its degrees, varies between different fields ofstudy.  If you plan to study in Canada, ask people for their opinion,ask the universities for information, and you'll have a better idea.You can get an idea of the quality of a university by looking at thedegrees that are offered. A measure of the expertise of the universitiescan be obtained by looking at their research activities (primarly conductedat the graduate level).While Western Ontario, for example, does not stand very high in the following ranking, it offers without a doubt the best business programs (undergraduate and graduate) in Canada. Do not base yourselection exclusively on the following data.The Canadian magazine "Maclean's" ranks the Canadian universities everyyear, based on:     Student Body (entering grade, proportion who graduate, international                    students, students' awards...)     Classes (median size, number of classes taught by tenured Faculty)     Faculty (number with Ph.D., grants obtained, awards)     Finances (operating budget, % of budget for scholarships and bursaries,               % of budget for student services)     Library (holdings per student, % of budget for acquisition and % of              university's expenses for library)     Reputation (Alumni financial support, reputation survey)The ranking is divided in 3 categories:Medical/Doctoral:     Universities with a major commitment to PhD programs                      and research. All have medical schools wich set them                      apart due to the size of research grants.Comprehensive:        Offer a significant amount of research activity and a                      wide range of programs (including professional degrees)                      at the graduate and undergraduate level.Primarily undergrad.: Largely focused on undergraduate education with                       relatively few graduate programs.The ranking in 1993 (November 15 issue) was:MEDICAL/DOCTORAL        COMPREHENSIVE           PRIMARILYUNIVERSITIES            UNIVERSITIES            UNDERGRADUATE 1. McGill               1. Simon Fraser         1. Mount Allison 2. Queen's              2. Waterloo             2. Trent 3. Toronto              3. Victoria             3. Acadia 4. UBC                  4. Guelph               4. Lethbridge 5. McMaster             5. York                 5. Bishop's 6. Calgary              6. UQAM                 6. Wilfrid Laurier 7. Montreal             7. Regina               7. St. Francis Xavier 8. Dalhousie            8. New Brunswick        8. Mount St. Vincent 9. Ottawa               9. Carleton             9. Saint Mary's10. Alberta             10. Windsor             10. St. Thomas11. Western Ontario     11. Memorial            11. Moncton12. Laval               12. Concordia           12. UQAR13. Saskatchewan        13. UQTR                13. Brock14. Sherbrooke                                  14. Winnipeg15. Manitoba                                    15. Brandon                                                16. Chicoutimi                                                17. P.E.I.                                                18. Lakehead                                                19. Laurentian                                                20. Cape Breton (UCCB)                                                21. Ryerson                                                22. Nipissing                                                23. UQAHREPUTATION WINNERS:     HIGHEST           MOST               LEADERS OF      BEST     QUALITY           INNOVATIVE         TOMORROW        OVERALL 1.  McGill            Waterloo           Waterloo        Waterloo 2.  Queen's           McMaster           UBC             UBC 3.  UBC               Guelph             Calgary         McMaster 4.  Toronto           Queen's            McMaster        McGill 5.  Waterloo          McGill             Simon Fraser    Queen's 6.  McMaster          UBC                Guelph          Calgary 7.  Alberta           Simon Fraser       McGill          Guelph 8.  Montreal          Calgary            Victoria        Toronto 9.  Guelph            Toronto            Queen's         Simon Fraser10.  Acadia            Sherbrooke         York            AlbertaUNIVERSITIES WITH THE HIGHEST PROPORTION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS(graduate level):MEDICAL/DOCTORAL        COMPREHENSIVEUNIVERSITIES            UNIVERSITIES1. Laval                1. New Brunswick2. Saskatchewan         2. Regina  3. Queen's              3. Windsor4. McGill               4. Memorial5. Alberta              5. ReginaA 50-page special report was included in the Nov. 15, 1993 issue of Maclean's. It includes the details of the ranking, description of theuniversities, and related articles.----- 5.3 Do Canadian universities respect foreign academic degrees?There is no central organisation responsible for the evaluation offoreign degrees in Canada.  Universities do that kind of evaluationindividually.  People with a degree from an accredited school generallyhave no problem.You should not have any problems with the following universities: Degrees from universities (and 4-year colleges) recognized by U.S. accredited agencies. Degrees from British universities with a Royal Charter, Act of Parliement or affilitated with the Committee on National Academic Awards. Most degrees from accredited universities in countries operating with the same system than Canada (US, Commonwealth, etc.).You could have problems with unaccredited U.S. universities and (ofcourse) diploma mills.A degree from a French university is not equivalent to a Canadian (orUS or UK) Bachelor.  You will probably be required to take more coursesin order to get a bachelor, or to be accepted to the master's program.The same thing applies for ESCs and other post-graduate Frenchschools.  A French doctorate will be recognized at the same value as aPh.D. in Canada.-----     5.4 Is it true that immigrants to Quebec must send their         children to French-language schools?[ include province-by-province info? ]Education is a field of provincial jurisdiction.  Until 1982, therewere no constitutional guarantees of minority-language educationrights.  There were guarantees for Protestant and Catholic schools incertain provinces.Historically, Quebec has always had both English and French schools,while many other provinces had only English schools.  Sometimes thiswas due to more-or-less benign neglect of the tiny French minority insome provinces, sometimes due to active hostility to French.In Quebec, a large proportion of immigrants sent their children toEnglish schools.  This was partly because the immigrants saw English aseconomically advantageous, partly because the French schools werealmost all Catholic, and non-Catholics were not welcome in theseschools (until about a generation ago, the Catholic Church was veryinfluential in Quebec).By the late 1960s, with the birth rate rapidly declining, French-speakingQuebecers became concerned about the survival of their community, andthe tendency of many immigrants to assimilate into the English-speakingminority was seen as a threat to the future of French.  Laws weretherefore adopted to require the children of immigrants to attendFrench school.  English schools would continue to exist, but they wouldbe only for the existing English community, not for newcomers.  Therewere many exceptions and bureaucratic complications to these rules,but that was the basic idea.This law forced not only immigrants from other countries, but alsonewcomers to Quebec from other Canadian provinces, to attend Frenchschools.  In reaction to this, a clause was inserted in the 1982Charter of Rights to allow this last group to attend English schools.This clause also guaranteed the right to French-language schools in theother provinces.This is not a blanket guarantee of freedom of linguistic choice ineducation.  Quebec can still, and does, require the children ofimmigrants to attend French school.  <Tom Box>-----     5.5 What Canadian universities offer graduate programs in my         field of study?(The highest degree offered by universities is Ph.D., unless otherwise mentioned in parentheses)In each list, universities mentioned after a ";" are French only.AERONAUTICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING: UBC, Carleton, Ottawa, Toronto; Polytechnique (M.Eng.).AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING: Alberta (M.Ag. & M.Sc.), UBC (M.Sc.), Guelph, Manitoba, McGill, Saskatchewan; Laval (M.Sc.).ANATOMY: Alberta, UBC, Dalhousie, Manitoba, McGill, Ottawa, Queen's, Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, Toronto, Western; Montreal.AQUACULTURE: Dalhousie, New Brunswick, Simon Fraser (M.Aqua), Waterloo;ANTHROPOLOGY: Alberta, UBC, Calgary (MA), Carleton (MA), Dalhousie (MA), Guelph (MA), Lethbridge (MA), Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial (MA), New Brunswick, Saskatchewan (MA), Toronto, Trent (MA), Western (MA), York; Laval, Montreal.ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: UBC, Calgary, Concordia, New Brunswick, Waterloo, York (M.Sc.); Montreal.ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS: UBC, Calgary, New Brunswick, St.Mary's (M.Sc.), Toronto, Western, York;BIOCHEMISTRY: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Concordia, Dalhousie, Guelph, Lethbridge (M.Sc.), Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's, Regina, Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, Toronto, Waterloo, Western, Windsor; Laval, Moncton (M.Sc.), Montreal, Sherbrooke.BIOLOGY: Bishop's (M.Sc.), UBC, Brock (M.Sc.), Calgary, Concordia (m.Sc.), Dalhousie, Lakehead (M.Sc.), Laurentian (M.Sc.), Lethbridge (M.Sc.), McGill, McMaster, Memorial, Mount Allison (M.Sc.), New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's (M.Sc.), St.Francis Xavier (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, Waterloo, York; Laval, Moncton (M.Sc.), Montreal, UQAM (M.Sc.), Sherbrooke.BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING: UBC, Calgary, Guelph (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, Toronto; Montreal, Polytechnique.BIOPHYSICS: UBC, Calgary, Concordia (M.Sc.), Dalhousie, Guelph, Manitoba, Memorial, New Brunswick, Toronto, Waterloo, Western Ontario; Montreal, UQTR.BOTANY: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Guelph, Manitoba, New Brnswick, Regina, Toronto, Waterloo;BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (* = French only): MBA programs, as ranked by "Canadian Business" (April 1993) in its survey among Canadian CEOs:        1. Western Ontario          6. York        2. Queen's                  7. *Hautes-Etudes-Commerciales        3. Toronto                  8. *Sherbrooke (MBA)        4. McGill                   9. Calgary        5. British Columbia        10. McMaster Others:        Alberta, Concordia, Dalhousie (MBA), Laurentian (MBA), *Laval,        Manitoba, Memorial (MBA), *Moncton (MBA), New Brunswick (MBA),        Ottawa (MBA), *UQAM, Saint Mary's (MBA), Saskatchewan (MBA), Simon        Fraser (MBA), Victoria (MBA), Wilfrid Laurier (MBA), Windsor (MBA).CHEMISTRY: Acadia (M.Sc.), Alberta, Bishop's (M.Sc.), UBC, Brock (M.Sc.), Calgary, Carleton, Concordia, Dalhousie, Guelph, Lakehead (M.Sc.), Laurentian (M.Sc.), Lethbridge (M.Sc.), Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, Mount Allison (M.Sc.), New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's, Regina, RMC (M.Sc.), St. Francis Xavier (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, Toronto, Waterloo, Windsor, York; Laval, Moncton (M.Sc.), Montreal, UQAM (M.Sc.), UQTR (M.Sc.), Sherbrooke.CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, McGill, McMaster, New Brunswick, Ottawa, Royal Military College (M.Eng), Saskatchewan, Toronto, Waterloo; Laval, Polytechnique, Sherbrooke.CIVIL ENGINEERING: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Carleton*, Concordia, Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, New Brunswick, Ottawa*, Royal Military College (M.Eng.), Regina (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Toronto, Waterloo, Windsor; Laval, Polytechnique, Sherbrooke.COMPUTER SCIENCE: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Carleton, Concordia, Dalhousie (M.Sc.), Guelph (M.Sc.),  Lethbridge (M.Sc.), McMaster (M.Sc.), Manioba, Memorial (M.Sc.), New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's, Roy. Mil. Col. (M.Sc.), Regina (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, Toronto, Waterloo, Western Ontario, Windsor (M.Sc.), York (M.Sc.); Montreal, Laval.DENTISTRY: Alberta, UBC, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Western Ontario; Laval, Montreal.ECOLOGY: UBC, Calgary, Concordia (M.Sc.), New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Waterloo;ECONOMICS: Acadia (MA), Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Carleton, Concordia, Dalhousie, Guelph, Lakehead (MA), Lethbridge (MA), Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, New Brunswick (MA), Ottawa, Queen's, Regina (MA), Saskatchewan (MA), Simon Fraser, Toronto, Waterloo (MA), Western, Wilfrid Laurier (MA), Windsor (MA), York; Laval, Moncton (MA), Montreal, UQAM (M.Sc.), Sherbrooke (MA).ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING (*=Also Computer Engineering) *Alberta, *UBC, *Calgary, *Carleton, *Concordia, *Manitoba, McGill, *McMaster, New Brunswick, *Ottawa, Queen's, *Royal Military College (M.Eng.), Regina (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, *Simon Fraser, Toronto, *Waterloo, Windsor; *Laval, *Polytechnique, ETS, UQTR, Sherbrooke. Memorial also offers M.Eng. and PhD in Computer Engineering only.EMBRYOLOGY AND REPRODUCTION BIOLOGY: UBC, New Brunswick, Waterloo;ENTOMOLOGY: Alberta, Guelph, Manitoba, McGill, New Brunswick, Simon Fraser (MPM), Waterloo;ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING: UBC, McMaster, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor; Sherbrooke (M.Env.).FORESTRY ENGINEERING: UBC (MASc), New Brunswick; Laval, UQTR.GENETICS: Alberta, UBC, Guelph, Manitoba, McGill (M.Sc.), McMaster, Memorial, New Brunswick, Regina, Toronto, Waterloo; UQAC (M.Sc.).GEOGRAPHY (Scientific): Alberta (M.Sc.), UBC, Calgary, Guelph, McGill (M.Sc.), McMaster, Memorial, Regina (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, York (M.Sc.); Montreal, UQAC (MA.Sc.), Sherbrooke.GEOGRAPHY (Social): Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Carleton (MA), Concordia (MA), Guelph, Lethbridge (MA), Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, ...???; Montreal, Sherbrooke (M.Sc.).GEOLOGY: Alberta (PhD & Post-grad diploma), UBC, Brock (M.Sc.), Calgary, Dalhousie, Lakehead (M.Sc.), Laurentian (M.Sc.), McMaster, Memorial, New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's, Regina (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Toronto, Waterloo, Westerrn, Windsor (M.Sc.); MontrealGEOPHYSICS & SEISMOLOGY: UBC, Calgary, McGill (M.Eng.), Memorial, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Waterloo, Western, York (M.Sc.);HEALTH ADMINISTRATION: Alberta (MHSA), UBC, Dalhousie (M.Sc.), Manitoba, Toronto, Western Ontario (MCID); MontrealIMMUNOLOGY: Alberta, UBC, Guelph, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, New Brunswick, Ottawa, Toronto, Western; Montreal, Armand Frappier (M.Sc.).INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: Waterloo, Windsor; Montreal, Sherbrooke (MPs).INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: UBC, Carleton (MA/LLB), Waterloo (MA), York; Laval (MA).MARINE ENGINEERING AND NAVAL ARCHITECTURE: UBC, Memorial.MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY: UBC, McGill (M.Sc.), Memorial (M.Sc.), New Brunswick, Simon Fraser, Waterloo; UQAR.MATHEMATICS (*=Statistics also) *Alberta, *UBC, *Calgary, *Carleton, *Dalhousie, Guelph, Lakehead (M.Sc. & MA), Lethbridge (M.Sc.), *Manitoba, McGill, *McMaster, *Memorial, *New Brunswick, *Ottawa, Queen's, Roy. Mil. Col. (M.Sc.), *Regina, *Saskatchewan, *Simon Fraser, *Toronto, *Waterloo, *Western Ontario, *Windsor, *York; *Laval, *Montreal, UQAM, Sherbrooke (M.Sc).MECHANICAL ENGINEERING: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Carleton, Concordia, Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's, Roy. Mil. Col. (M.Eng.), Saskatchewan, Toronto, Waterloo, Windsor; Laval, Polytechnique, Sherbrooke.MEDICAL/HEALTH SCIENCE (Please refer to universities to know whatdegrees and certifications are offered): Alberta, UBC, Dalhousie, Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Waterloo; Laval, Moncton, Montreal, INRS, Sherbrooke.METEOROLOGY: Alberta (M.Sc.), UBC, McGill, York; UQAM (M.Sc.).METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING: Alberta, UBC,  McGill, Queen's, Toronto, Windsor; Polytechnique.MICROBIOLOGY: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Dalhousie, Guelph, Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's, Regina, Saskatchewan, Simon Frase, Toronto, Waterloo, Western; Montreal, Armand Frappier (M.Sc.), Sherbrooke.MINING AND MINERALS ENGINEERING: Alberta, UBC, Laurentian (M.Sc.), McGill, Queen's; Laval.NUCLEAR ENGINEERING: McMaster, Royal Military College (M.Eng.); Polytechnique.NUCLEAR PHYSICS: UBC, McMaster, New Brunswick, Waterloo;OPTICS: New Brunswick, Waterloo;PALEONTOLOGY: New Brunswick, Waterloo;PETROLEUM ENGINEERING: Alberta.PHARMACY: Alberta, UBC, Dalhousie, Manitoba, McGill, Memorial (M.Sc.), Ottawa, Queen's, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Western Ontario; Laval, Montreal, Sherbrooke.PHARMACOLOGY: Alberta, UBC, Dalhousie, Guelph, Manitoba, McMaster, Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Toronto; Laval, Montreal, Sherbrooke.PSYCHOLOGY: Acadia (M.Sc.), Alberta, UBC, Brock (MA), Calgary, Carleton, Concordia, Dalhousie, Guelph (MA), Lakehead (MA), Lethbridge (MA), Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, New Brunswick, OISE, Ottawa, Queen's, Regina, St. Mary's (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, Toronto, Waterloo, Western, Wilfrid Laurier (MA), Windsor, York; Laval, Moncton (M.Ec.), Montreal, UQAM, UQTR, Saint Boniface (M.Ed.).PHYSICS AND APPLIED PHYSICS: Alberta, Bishop's (M.Sc.), UBC, Brock (M.Sc.), Calgary, Carleton, Concordia, Dalhousie, Guelph, Lakehead (M.Sc.), Laurentian (M.Sc.), Lethbridge (M.Sc.), Manitoba, McGill, Memorial (M.Sc.), New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's, RMC (M.Sc.), Regina, St.Francis Xavier (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser, Toronto, Waterloo, Western, Windsor, York; Laval, Moncton (M.Sc.), Montreal, INRS, UQTR (M.Sc.), Sherbrooke.PHYSIOLOGY: Alberta, UBC, Dalhousie, Guelph, McGill, McMaster, New Brunswick, Ottawa, Queen's, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Waterloo, Western; Montreal, Sherbrooke.POLITICAL SCIENCE: Alberta, UBC, Brock (MA), Calgary, Carleton, Concordia (MA), Dalhousie, Guelph (MA), Lethbridge (MA), Manitoba (MA), McGill, McMaster (MA), Memorial (MA, M.Phil.), New Brunswick (MA), Queen's, Regina (MA), Saskatchewan (MA), Simon Fraser (MA), Toronto, Waterloo (MA), Western, Wilfrid Laurier (MA), Windsor (MA), York; Laval, Montreal, UQAM.SOCIOLOGY: Acadia (MA), Alberta, UBC, Carleton, Concordia (MA), Dalhousie (MA), Guelph (MA), Lakehead (MA), Lethbridge (MA), Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, New Brunswick, OICE, Queen's (MA), Regina (MA), Saskatchewan (MA), Toronto, Waterloo, Western, Windsor (MA), York; Laval, Montreal, UQAM.SYSTEMS ANALYSIS: UBC, COncordia, New Brunswick, Ottawa (M.Sc.), Waterloo; Montreal.TOXICOLOGY: UBC, Carleton (M.Sc.), Guelph, Memorial (M.Sc.), Ottawa (M.Sc.), Saskatchewan, Toronto (MA), Waterloo; Montreal (M.Sc.).URBAN STUDIES: UBC, Letbridge (MA), Toronto (M.Sc.), Waterloo, York; INRS, UQAM.WOMEN'S STUDIES: OISE, Simon Fraser (MA), Toronto (Faculty of Law), York;ZOOLOGY: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Guelph (M.Sc.), Manitoba, New Brunswick, Regina, Toronto, Waterloo, Western;-----     5.6 What universities offer programs in Canadian Studies?The following Canadian universities offer a BA degree in Canadian studies. The programs usually include sociology, history, politics, economics, literature, ... Alberta, Laurentian, Ottawa, York, [more]Les universite's suivantes offrent un programme francophone de B.A. en "Etudes Canadiennes". Le curriculum inclut des cours en sociologie,histoire, politique, e'conomie, litte'rature, etc. Alberta (Faculte' St-Jean), Laurentian, Ottawa,  York (Colle`ge de Glendon), Montreal et Sainte-Anne.The following universities outside Canada offer programs inCanadian Studies: University of Maine: About 50 courses including around 20 on French Canada.                        Coordinator, Canada House                          University of Maine                        Orono, MA 04469                        USA                        <Jeffrey L. Hayes>[I'd appreciate to get names & addresses of universities outside Canada offering "Canadian Studies". Thank you.]-----     5.7 Foreign students (information as of June 1993)        5.7.1  How much would it cost me to study in Canada?Education in Canada is highly subsidized.  The private sectorcontributes only in a small proportion to the universities, whilegovernments supports most of the education system.  A semester can costa Canadian student between $800 and $1,500, depending on the provincewhere the university is located.  Foreign students can expect to paytuition fees of about $1,000 to $12,000 per semester.Newfoundland, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Alberta typically asklower tuition fees, while Ontario and Quebec ask much more frominternational students.  Grad students usually pay less money thanundergrads.  It would be preferable to get more information from theuniversities you are interested in.Other student expenses include books, supplies and instruments,housing, food, laundry, transportation, health care, clothing andentertainment.  Students may spend from $7,000 to $10,000 per year, inaddition to tuition fees.        5.7.2 How long is the Canadian university year?Usually 8 months long.  It normally starts in September and ends at theend of April, sometimes at the beginning of May.  Many universities alsooffer courses during the summer.  Most universities will take newstudents only starting in September, but depending on the universitiesand on the program you're interested in, you could be allowed to startyour program in January or May.        5.7.3 Is there a country-wide test for university admission?There is no country-wide entrance test or examination for admission.Each university sets its own admission standards.All Canadian universities require evidence of proficiency in thelanguage of instruction, either English or French, but not all requirea test.  Students should inquire of the university.  Once again, minimumtest scores vary from university to university.  The most frequentlyrequired English test is:  Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)  Educational Testing Service  Princeton, NJ 08540  USAForeign students with an English background (high school) usually don'tneed to prove their knowledge of English, unless all candidates(including Canadian students) must pass the test.  The same applies forFrench universities.        5.7.4  How do I apply to a Canadian university?Most universities require applications to be in by early spring(sometimes as soon as March 1) for September's semester.  You shouldinquire directly to the universities.For undergraduate programs, write at the office of the registrar ateach university where you plan to apply, specifying your intended fieldof study.  They will give you all the details about their admissionrequirements, procedures, tuition fees and other costs.  They will alsosend you an application form.  Universities usually charge administrationfees for applications.In Ontario, requests for application forms should be sent to theOntario Universities' Application Centre (PO BOX 1328, Guelph, Ontario,N1H 7P4).  Please note that that centre doesn't provide information onprograms.For information about graduate programs, you should normally contactthe office of the dean of the faculty you're interested in.  Theregistrar office will usually forward your request (only the addressesof registrar offices are provided in this FAQ).  Ask for informationabout research opportunities.If the institution that you're applying to requests information (suchas your previous academic record) that isn't available in eitherEnglish of French, you will probably have to send it accompanied bya certified or notarized translation in the language of the institution.        5.7.5 As a foreign student, am I allowed financial aid?You need to be a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant to be allowedfinancial aid from the government.You should get information from your government concerning scholarshipprograms and financial aid. The financial aid office of the Canadianuniversity can provide you with information on scholarships availablefor you.        5.7.6 Will I be covered by Canadian health insurance?International students and their families cannot be covered byprovincial government health plans unless they can demonstrate, byobtaining a work permit or a landed immigrant status, that they intendto stay there after their studies are completed (See section onimmigration).  International students should therefore make arrangementsfor private medical insurance.        5.7.7 How do I obtain a student authorization?After being accepted in a Canadian university, you must apply for astudent authorization at the nearest Canadian diplomatic mission.For some nationalities, visas are also required. You'll get them at thesame time as the student authorization. You will need: A valid passport An original letter of acceptance from a university or college. Evidence of adequate funds to cover tuition and living costs for you and your dependents, including return transportation. Students going to Quebec institutions will also need a "Certificat d'acceptation du Quebec" (CAQ) from the Quebec immigration authorities. If applicable, a letter from the student's sponsor (read section on Immigration). A letter of reference from a dependable person in your community could help.In some cases, a medical examination by a doctor designated by theCanadian embassy could be required.  The visa officer will provideinformation on that requirement.There is a charge of $75 for the student's authorization (familymaximum of $150).  There is no fee for the visa if it is issued with astudent authorization.All foreign students, except those from the USA, St. Pierre et Miquelon,and Greenland, need to have their (valid!) student's authorizationsBEFORE coming to Canada.  In no circumstance should a student come toCanada without it.  Even students from the USA, St. Pierre et Miquelon,and Greenland would do well to get the student authorization in theirhome countries before coming, just for peace of mind, and to avoid havingto navigate in the Canadian bureaucracy upon getting here.        5.7.8 Can I work while I study?As a foreign post-secondary student, you may apply for an employmentauthorization if: The employment is certified by your educational institution as being essential and integral part of your course study (e.g. a cooperative program, internship, ...); or you are a graduate assistant; or you wish to work part-time on the campus at a university where you are registered as a full-time student (summer employment may be full-time if you return to the university in September); or you have completed a university program and wish to work for up to one year in employment related to your field of study; or you are sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency and the employment is part of your program arranged by CIDA; or you have been, through no fault of your own, cut off from finances upon which you are dependent for day-to-day expenses. Note:  Spouses of full-time students may apply for authorization to work anywhere, subject to medical requirements.*** In all cases, it is necessary to obtain an employment authorization(work permit) from Employment and Immigration Canada before taking anyemployment.  If you work without an employment authorization, yourstudent authorization will cease to be valid and you may be required toleave Canada. ***In most cases, employment authorizations are employer-specific. Thismeans that a student has to find a job first, then apply for anemployment authorization.  There is a charge of $75 for an employmentauthorization.        5.7.9  Where can I get more information on studying in Canada? "Awards for Study in Canada":        Awards offered to international students and trainees.  Canadian Bureau for International Education,  85 Albert St, Suite 1400,  Ottawa, Ontario  K1P 6A4 "Going to Canada to Study":  Council of Ministers of Education  252 Bloor Street West,  Toronto, Ontario  M5S 1V5 "University Study in Canada": reference series no. 36.  Available (free) from Canadian posts abroad (Embassies,  High Commissions, Consulates). "Studying in Canada":  Available (free) from Canadian posts abroad or from:  Canadian Department of Employment and Immigration  Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0J9. "Study in Canada":  Canadian Bureau for International Education  (address above) "International Students Handbook 1993": Biennial.  Describes life in Canada including social customs, transportation, history, finding an apartment, food, literature and more.  Order from Canadian Bureau for International Education (address above).  Cost was $9 in 1991. "Admission Requirements to Canadian Faculties of Medicine and their Selection Policies".  Association of Canadian Medical Colleges,  151 Slater St., Suite 1006,  Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5N1. Around $25-$30.--                    |Martin Savard       |    Character is simply habit long continuedOttawa, Canada      |                     |                         - Plutarch 