Canada Travel Guide

Canada — Country and Tourist Information

Country Facts

Location: North America.
Language: Canada is officially bilingual (English and French). The use of the two languages reflects the country's mixed colonial history - Canada has been under both British and French rule. However, while the federal government must operate in both languages as much as is practical, use of each language outside government varies widely across the country. In almost all of the province of Québec, as well as parts of New Brunswick and Ontario, French is the dominant language; in most of the rest of the country, English predominates. Montréal, Ottawa and Moncton have large concentrations of fluently bilingual people. Immigration has also changed the language picture considerably; while not official languages, Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic and other languages are often heard on the streets of Canada's largest cities.
Area: 9,017,699 sq km (3,481,753 sq miles).
Time Zone: Canada spans six time zones. Information on which time zone applies where may be found in the regional entries following this general introduction. The time zones are listed below: Pacific Standard Time: GMT - 8 (GMT - 7 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November). Mountain Standard Time: GMT - 7 (GMT - 6 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November). Central Standard Time: GMT - 6 (GMT - 5 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November). Most of Saskatchewan does not observe DST. Eastern Standard Time: GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November). Atlantic Standard Time: GMT - 4 (GMT - 3 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November). Newfoundland Standard Time: GMT - 3.5. (GMT - 2.5 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November).
Electricity: 110-120 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style (flat) two-pin and three-pin (grounded) plugs are standard.
Population: 31.6 million (2006).
Population Density: 3.5 per sq km.
Capital City: Ottawa. Population: 1.1 million (2006).
Government: Constitutional monarchy.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Stephen Harper since 2006.
Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Michaëlle Jean since 2005.
Religion: 75% of the population belong to the Christian faith, including the Anglican, Roman Catholic and United Church of Canada denominations. There are numerous other active denominations and religions.

Recent History

Long-serving Jean Chrétien stepped down as Prime Minister in late 2003, replaced by Paul Martin. It seemed as if restoring relations with the USA was a primary concern of Martin's since the USA had barely concealed their frustrations with their neighbor for the refusal to support the 2003 war against Iraq.

However, soon after being sworn in, Martin's liberal government became embroiled in a scandal concerning the misappropriation of millions of dollars of public money, with the Liberal Party supposedly receiving kickbacks from advertising contracts awarded in Québec in the late 1990s. Martin barely survived a confidence motion in parliament in May 2005: just one vote saved him. However, in November 2005, his government lost a confidence vote, parliament was dissolved and an election was called for January 2006.

After 12 years of Liberal rule, Canada swung to the right in the 2006 general election with conservative Stephen Harper succeeding Paul Martin as prime minister. Conservative leader Stephen Harper has pledged to cut taxes and tackle violent crime and corruption.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +1. Most public telephones charge 50 cents a call, which can be paid with any combination of five-, 10- and 25-cent coins. Public telephones are becoming harder to find, due to the growing popularity of mobile phones. Many telephone companies offer a reduced long-distance rate Mon-Fri 1800-0800 and Sat 1200 to Mon 0800. For long-distance calls, telephone cards are available. You can find credit card telephones in larger centers.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good in major urban areas, but spotty in remote locations. Roaming rates can be high, so you should check with your provider before leaving home.

Internet

Available throughout Canada, as are Internet cafes (although the latter are not as common as they are in many other countries). You can often find pay-per-use Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops, fast-food outlets and airports. Free public Wi-Fi is less common; it's easiest to find in public libraries and net-savvy New Brunswick.

Media

Canada has a long history of public broadcasting. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was set up in the 1930s in response to the growing influence of American radio. Broadcasting is in both French and English; the CBC is known in French as Société Radio-Canada. The corporation also operates four national TV channels, TV and radio services for indigenous peoples in the north, and the international broadcaster, Radio Canada International.

Post

All mail from Canada to outside North America is by air. Stamps are available at post offices and in many hotels, pharmacies and convenience stores, among other locations. Letters sent by regular mail take roughly seven business days to reach Europe.generally Mon-Fri 0930-1700, Sat 0900-1200, but times vary according to province and location; city offices will have longer hours.

Press

• The main national daily newspapers are The Globe and Mail and The National Post.
• Daily newspapers published in the larger population centers have a wide local and regional circulation.
• French-language dailies are published in eight cities, including Montréal, Ottawa and Québec.
• In Alberta, the main English-language newspapers are the Calgary Herald, The Calgary Sun, The Edmonton Journal and The Edmonton Sun.
• In British Columbia, the Vancouver Sun, the Vancouver Province and the Victoria Times-Colonist.
• In Manitoba, the Winnipeg Free Press and The Winnipeg Sun.
• In New Brunswick, the Daily Gleaner and The Times and Transcript
• In Newfoundland & Labrador, the Telegram and The Western Star.
• In Nova Scotia, The Chronicle-Herald and The Daily News.
• In Ontario, The Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun, The Toronto Star and the The Toronto Sun.
• In Prince Edward Island, the Guardian and the Journal Pioneer.
• In Québec, The Gazette (daily).
• In Saskatchewan, the Leader-Post and the Star-Phoenix.
• In the Yukon, The Whitehorse Daily Star.

Radio

•CBC operates English-language Radio One (focusing on talk, news and public affairs, with some music) and cultural network Radio Two.
• Its francophone counterpart, Société Radio-Canada, operates French-language Première Chaîne and Espace Musique.
• CBC runs the external service Radio Canada International.
• There are hundreds of private radio stations.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec - 26 Dec Christmas

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
22 Apr - 25 Apr Easter
23 May Victoria Day
1 Jul Canada Day
5 Sep Labor Day
10 Oct Thanksgiving Day
11 Nov Remembrance Day
25 Dec - 26 Dec Christmas

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Apr - 9 Apr Easter
21 May Victoria Day
1 Jul Canada Day
3 Sep Labor Day
11 Oct Thanksgiving Day
11 Nov Remembrance Day
25 Dec Christmas

Contact Information

Canadian High Commission in the UK

Immigration division: 38 Grosvenor Street, London W1K 4AA, UK
Tel: (020) 7258 6600 or 6699 (recorded visa information).
Website: www.unitedkingdom.gc.ca
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1100 (personal callers only).
Consular section: Canada House, 5 Pall Mall East, Trafalgar Square, London SW1Y 5BJ, UK
Tel: (020) 7258 6356 or 6600 (recorded passport information).
Website: As above.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1330.

Canadian Tourism Commission in the UK

62-65 Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DY, UK
Tel: 0870 161 5151 (travel trade only).
Website: www.travelcanada.ca
Canadian Tourism Commission deals with marketing and trade enquiries only.
Consumer enquiries should be directed to the Visit Canada Center.

Canadian Embassy in the USA

501 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Tel: (202) 682 1740.
Website: www.washington.gc.ca
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; 0900-1200 (consular services).