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- Path: 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]
- Supersedes: <canada-faq/part1_762159235@rtfm.mit.edu>
- Followup-To: soc.culture.canada
- Date: 27 Mar 1994 10:34:28 GMT
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- Approved: News-answers-request@mit.edu
- Expires: 10 May 1994 10:34:18 GMT
- Message-ID: <canada-faq/part1_764764458@rtfm.mit.edu>
- Reply-To: ag656@freenet.carleton.ca
- NNTP-Posting-Host: bloom-picayune.mit.edu
- Summary: Contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their
- answers) about Canadian culture and related matters. It is
- intended for people with questions about Canadian matters
- as well as for people with an interest in Canada.
- X-Last-Updated: 1993/12/22
- Originator: faqserv@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU
- Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu soc.culture.canada:22875 soc.answers:1006 news.answers:16886
-
-
- 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: St. Jean de Baptiste in Quebec
- July 1: Canada Day (In commemoration for the day of the
- foundation of the dominion of Canada)
- August 1, 1994: Civic Holiday (1st Monday in August, some provinces only)
- September 5, 1994: Labor Day (1st Monday in September)
- October 10, 1994: Thanksgiving Day (2nd Monday in October)
- November 11: Remembrance Day
- December 25: Christmas Day
- December 26: Boxing Day
-
- -----
-
- 4.14 Why isn't Canadian Thanksgiving the same day as US Thanksgiving?
-
- Thanksgiving being originally a day to thank God for harvest, it makes
- sense that Canadian Thanksgiving be before the US one, seeing that
- climatic differences between the two countries cause Canada to have
- its last harvests earlier in 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 citizens
- of 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 holiday
- has been stolen by the towns" to give them a long weekend when the weather
- was 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 list
- of 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. OF
- Wolfville, Nova Scotia Edmonton, Alberta
- B0P 1X0 (902) 542-2201 T6G 2E1 (403) 492-3111
-
- ATHABASCA U. AUGUSTANA U. COLLEGE
- Box 10000 4901-46 Avenue
- University Drive Camrose, Alberta
- Athabaska, Alberta T4V 2R3 (403) 679-1100
- T0G 2R0 (403) 675-6111
-
- BISHOP'S U. BRANDON U.
- Lennoxville, Quebec Brandon, Manitoba
- J1M 1Z7 (819) 822-9600 R7A 6A9 (204) 728-9520
-
- BRESICA COLLEGE BRITISH COLUMBIA, U of (UBC)
- 1285 Western Road 2075 Wesbrook Mall
- London, Ontario Vancouver, British Columbia
- N6G 1H2 (519) 432-8353 V6T 1Z1 (604) 431-3000
-
- BROCK U. CALGARY, U. of
- Merrittville Highway 2500 University Drive
- St. Catharines, Ontario Calgary, Alberta
- L2S 3A1 (416) 688-5550 T2N 1N4
-
- CAMPION COLLEGE CAPE BRETON, U. COLLEGE
- c/o The Univ. of Regina P.O BOX 5300
- Regina, Saskatchewan Sydney, Nova Scotia
- S4S 0A2 (306) 586-4242 B1P 6L2 (902) 539-5300
-
- CARLETON U. CONCORDIA COLLEGE
- Ottawa, Ontario 7128 Ada Blvd
- K1S 5B6 (613) 788-7400 Edmonton, Alberta
- T5B 4E4 (403) 479-8481
-
- CONCORDIA U. DALHOUSIE U.
- Sir George William Campus Halifax, Nova Scotia
- 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd West B3H 3J5 (902) 494-2211
- Montreal, Quebec
- H3G 1M8 (514) 848-2424
-
- GUELPH, U. of HURON COLLEGE
- Guelph, Ontario 1349 Western Road
- N1G 2W1 London, Ontario
- N6G 1H3 (519) 438-7224
-
- KING'S COLLEGE THE KING'S COLLEGE
- 266 Epworth Avenue 10766-97 Street
- London, Ontario Edmonton, Alberta
- N6A 2M3 (519) 433-3491 T5H 2M1 (403) 428-0727
-
- KING'S COLLEGE U. LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY
- Halifax, Nova Scotia Oliver Road
- B3H 2A1 (902) 422-1271 Thunder Bay, Ontario
- P7B 5E1 (807) 343-8110
-
- LAURENTIAN U. LETHBRIDGE, U of
- Ramsey Lake Road 4401 University Dr.
- Sudbury, Ontario Lethbridge, Alberta
- P3E 2C6 (705) 675-1151 T1K 3M4 (403) 329-2111
-
- LUTHER COLLEGE MANITOBA, U of
- University of Regina Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Regina, Saskatchewan R3T 2N2 (204) 474-8880
- S4S 0A2 (306) 585-5333
-
- MCGILL U. MCMASTER U.
- 845 Sherbroke St. West Hamilton, Ontario
- Montreal, Quebec L8S 4L8 (416) 525-9140
- H3A 2T5 (514) 398-4455
-
- MEMORIAL U. OF NEWFOUNDLAND MOUNT ALLISON U.
- Elizabeth Avenue Sackville, New Brunswick
- St. John's, Nfld. E0A 3C0 (506) 364-2200
- A1C 5S7 (709) 737-8000
-
- MOUNT SAINT VINCENT U. NEW BRUNSWICK, U of
- Halifax, Nova Scotia P.O. Box 4400
- B3M 2J6 (902) 443-4450 Fredericton, New Brunswick
- E3B 5A3 (506) 453-4666
-
- NOVA SCOTIA AGRICULTURAL NORTHERN B.C. U.
- COLLEGE P.O. Bag 1950, Station A
- P.O. BOX 550 Prince George, British Columbia
- Truro, Nova Scotia V2L 5P2
- B2N 5E3 (902) 895-1571
-
- THE ONTARIO INSTITUTE FOR UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
- STUDIES IN EDUCATION (OISE) 550 Cumberland
- 252 Bloor St. West P.O. BOX 450, Station A
- Toronto, Ontario Ottawa, Ontario
- M5S 1V6 (416) 923-6641 K1N 6N5 (613) 564-3311
-
- PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, U of QUEEN'S U.
- Charlottetown, P.E.I. Kingston, Ontario
- C1A 4P3 (902) 566-0439 K7L 3N6 (613) 545-2000
-
- REGINA, U of ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA
- Regina, Saskatchwan Kingston, Ontario
- S4S 0A2 (306) 585-4111 K7K 5L0 (613) 541-6302
-
- RYERSON POLYTECHNICAL U. ST. FRANCIS XAVIER U.
- 350 Victoria St. Antigonish, Nova Scotia
- Toronto, Ontario B2G 1C0 (902) 863-3300
- M5B 2K3 (416) 979-5000
-
- ST. MARY'S U.
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
- B3H 3C3 (902) 420-5400
-
- ST. THOMAS U. SASKATCHEWAN, U of
- P.O. BOX 4569 Saskatoon, Sask.
- Fredericton, New Brunswick S7N 0W0 (306) 244-4343
- E3B 5G3 (506) 452-7700
-
- SASKATCHEWAN INDIAN SIMON FRASER U.
- FEDERATED COLLEGE Burnaby, British Columbia
- Piapot Indian Reserve 75 V5A 1S6 (604) 291-3111
- Box 9, R.R.2, Site 3
- Craven, Sask.
- S0G 0W0 (306) 779-6292
-
- SUDBURY, U of TECHNICAL U. OF NOVA SCOTIA
- Ramsey Lake Road P.O. Box 1000
- Sudbury, Ontario Halifax, N.S.
- P3E 2C6 (705) 673-5661 B3J 2X4 (902) 420-7500
-
- TORONTO, U of TRENT U.
- 315 Bloor St. West Peterborough, Ontario
- Toronto, Ontario K9J 7B8 (705) 748-1011
- M5S 1A1 (416) 978-2011
-
- TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY VICTORIA, U of
- 7600 Glover Road P.O. Box 1700
- Langley, B.C. Victoria, B.C.
- V3A 6H4 (604) 888-7511 V8W 2Y2 (604) 721-7211
-
- WATERLOO, U of WESTERN ONTARIO, U of
- Waterloo, Ontario London, Ontario
- N2L 3G1 (519) 885-1211 N6A 3K7 (519) 884-1970
-
- WILFRID LAURIER U. WINNIPEG U. of
- Waterloo, Ontario 515 Portage Ave.
- N2L 3C5 (519) 253-4232 Winnipeg, Manitoba
- R3B 2E9 (204) 786-7811
-
- YORK U.
- 4700 Keele St.
- North York, Ontario
- M3J 1P3 (416) 736-2100
-
-
- [Universites francophone/French universities]
-
-
- COLLEGE DOMINICAN DE ECOLE DES HAUTES ETUDES
- COMMERCIALES
- PHILOSOPHIE ET DE THEOLOGIE 5255 Avenue Decelles
- 96 Avenue Empress Montreal, Quebec
- Ottawa, Ontario H3T 1V6 (514) 340-6000
- K1R 7G3 (613) 233-5696
-
- UNIVERSITE LAVAL UNIVERSITE DE MONCTON
- Cite Universitaire Moncton, Nouveau-Brunswick
- Quebec, Quebec E1A 3E9 (506) 858-4000
- G1K 7P4 (418) 656-2131
-
- UNIVERSITE DE MONTREAL ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE DE MONTREAL
- C.P. 6128, Succursale A C.P. 6079, Succursale A
- Montreal, Quebec Montreal, Quebec
- H3C 3J7 (514) 343-6111 H3C 3A7 (514) 340-4711
-
- UNIVERSITE SAINTE-ANNE COLLEGE UNIVERSITAIRE DE ST-BONIFACE
- Pointe-de-l'Eglise, 200 ave. de la Cathedrale
- Nouvelle-Ecosse Saint-Boniface, Manitoba
- B0W 1M0 R2H 0H7 (204) 233-0210
-
- COLLEGE MILITAIRE ROYAL UNIVERSITE SAINT PAUL
- DE SAINT-JEAN 223 Main
- St-Jean sur le Richelieu, Ottawa, Ontario
- Quebec K1S 1C4 (613) 236-1393
- J0J 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 PUBLIQUE
- 4750 Avenue Henri-Julien 945 Avenue Wolfe
- Montreal, Quebec Sainte-Foy, Quebec
- H2T 2C8 (514) 289-8800 G1V 3J9 (418) 657-2485
-
- INSTITUT ARMAND FRAPPIER INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE
- 531 Boulevard des Prairies SCIENTIFIQUE
- Laval, Quebec 2635 Hochelaga, Suite 640
- H7N 4Z3 (514) 687-5010 C.P. 7500
- Sainte-Foy, Quebec
- G1V 4C7 (418) 654-2500
-
- TELE-UNIVERSITE UQAT
- 2635 Boulevard Hochelaga 42 Monseigneur Rheaume Est
- 7e etage Rouyn, Quebec
- Quebec, Quebec J9X 5E4 (819) 762-0971
- G1V 4V9 (418) 657-2262
-
- UQAC UQAH
- 555 boul. de l'Universite C.P. 1250, Succursale B
- Chicoutimi, Quebec Hull, Quebec
- G7H 2B1 (418) 545-5011 J8X 3X7 (819) 595-3900
-
- UQAM UQAR
- C.P. 8888. Succ. A 300 allee des Ursulines
- Montreal, Quebec Rimouski, Quebec
- H3C 3P8 (514) 987-3000 G5L 3A1 (418) 724-1986
-
- UQTR Siege Social / Universite du Quebec
- 3351, boul. des Forges 2875 Boulevard Laurier
- Trois-Rivieres, Quebec Ste-Foy, Quebec
- G9A 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 Royal
-
- L'universite York offre aussi certains programmes en Francais sur
- son Campus de Glendon. L'Universite d'Alberta offre des programmes
- en 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, et
- de repondre en francais aux questions d'examen. La plupart des universites
- bilingues permettent aussi a leurs etudiants d'utiliser la langue de
- leur 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 education
- of a university. The reputation of a university, or the level of
- recognition given to its degrees, varies between different fields of
- study. 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 the
- degrees that are offered. A measure of the expertise of the universities
- can be obtained by looking at their research activities (primarly conducted
- at 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 your
- selection exclusively on the following data.
-
- The Canadian magazine "Maclean's" ranks the Canadian universities every
- year, 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 PRIMARILY
- UNIVERSITIES 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's
- 10. Alberta 10. Windsor 10. St. Thomas
- 11. Western Ontario 11. Memorial 11. Moncton
- 12. Laval 12. Concordia 12. UQAR
- 13. Saskatchewan 13. UQTR 13. Brock
- 14. Sherbrooke 14. Winnipeg
- 15. Manitoba 15. Brandon
- 16. Chicoutimi
- 17. P.E.I.
- 18. Lakehead
- 19. Laurentian
- 20. Cape Breton (UCCB)
- 21. Ryerson
- 22. Nipissing
- 23. UQAH
-
- REPUTATION 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 Fraser
- 10. Acadia Sherbrooke York Alberta
-
-
- UNIVERSITIES WITH THE HIGHEST PROPORTION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
- (graduate level):
-
- MEDICAL/DOCTORAL COMPREHENSIVE
- UNIVERSITIES UNIVERSITIES
-
- 1. Laval 1. New Brunswick
- 2. Saskatchewan 2. Regina
- 3. Queen's 3. Windsor
- 4. McGill 4. Memorial
- 5. Alberta 5. Regina
-
-
- A 50-page special report was included in the Nov. 15, 1993 issue of
- Maclean's. It includes the details of the ranking, description of the
- universities, and related articles.
-
- -----
-
- 5.3 Do Canadian universities respect foreign academic degrees?
-
- There is no central organisation responsible for the evaluation of
- foreign degrees in Canada. Universities do that kind of evaluation
- individually. People with a degree from an accredited school generally
- have 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 (of
- course) diploma mills.
-
- A degree from a French university is not equivalent to a Canadian (or
- US or UK) Bachelor. You will probably be required to take more courses
- in order to get a bachelor, or to be accepted to the master's program.
- The same thing applies for ESCs and other post-graduate French
- schools. A French doctorate will be recognized at the same value as a
- Ph.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, there
- were no constitutional guarantees of minority-language education
- rights. There were guarantees for Protestant and Catholic schools in
- certain provinces.
-
- Historically, Quebec has always had both English and French schools,
- while many other provinces had only English schools. Sometimes this
- was due to more-or-less benign neglect of the tiny French minority in
- some provinces, sometimes due to active hostility to French.
-
- In Quebec, a large proportion of immigrants sent their children to
- English schools. This was partly because the immigrants saw English as
- economically advantageous, partly because the French schools were
- almost all Catholic, and non-Catholics were not welcome in these
- schools (until about a generation ago, the Catholic Church was very
- influential in Quebec).
-
- By the late 1960s, with the birth rate rapidly declining, French-speaking
- Quebecers became concerned about the survival of their community, and
- the tendency of many immigrants to assimilate into the English-speaking
- minority was seen as a threat to the future of French. Laws were
- therefore adopted to require the children of immigrants to attend
- French school. English schools would continue to exist, but they would
- be only for the existing English community, not for newcomers. There
- were many exceptions and bureaucratic complications to these rules,
- but that was the basic idea.
-
- This law forced not only immigrants from other countries, but also
- newcomers to Quebec from other Canadian provinces, to attend French
- schools. In reaction to this, a clause was inserted in the 1982
- Charter of Rights to allow this last group to attend English schools.
- This clause also guaranteed the right to French-language schools in the
- other provinces.
-
- This is not a blanket guarantee of freedom of linguistic choice in
- education. Quebec can still, and does, require the children of
- immigrants 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.);
- Montreal
-
- GEOPHYSICS & 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); Montreal
-
- IMMUNOLOGY:
- 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 what
- degrees 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 in
- Canadian 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 sector
- contributes only in a small proportion to the universities, while
- governments supports most of the education system. A semester can cost
- a Canadian student between $800 and $1,500, depending on the province
- where the university is located. Foreign students can expect to pay
- tuition fees of about $1,000 to $12,000 per semester.
-
- Newfoundland, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Alberta typically ask
- lower tuition fees, while Ontario and Quebec ask much more from
- international students. Grad students usually pay less money than
- undergrads. It would be preferable to get more information from the
- universities you are interested in.
-
- Other student expenses include books, supplies and instruments,
- housing, food, laundry, transportation, health care, clothing and
- entertainment. Students may spend from $7,000 to $10,000 per year, in
- addition 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 the
- end of April, sometimes at the beginning of May. Many universities also
- offer courses during the summer. Most universities will take new
- students only starting in September, but depending on the universities
- and on the program you're interested in, you could be allowed to start
- your 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 the
- language of instruction, either English or French, but not all require
- a test. Students should inquire of the university. Once again, minimum
- test scores vary from university to university. The most frequently
- required English test is:
-
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- Educational Testing Service
- Princeton, NJ 08540
- USA
-
- Foreign students with an English background (high school) usually don't
- need to prove their knowledge of English, unless all candidates
- (including Canadian students) must pass the test. The same applies for
- French 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 should
- inquire directly to the universities.
-
- For undergraduate programs, write at the office of the registrar at
- each university where you plan to apply, specifying your intended field
- of study. They will give you all the details about their admission
- requirements, procedures, tuition fees and other costs. They will also
- send you an application form. Universities usually charge administration
- fees for applications.
-
- In Ontario, requests for application forms should be sent to the
- Ontario Universities' Application Centre (PO BOX 1328, Guelph, Ontario,
- N1H 7P4). Please note that that centre doesn't provide information on
- programs.
-
- For information about graduate programs, you should normally contact
- the office of the dean of the faculty you're interested in. The
- registrar office will usually forward your request (only the addresses
- of registrar offices are provided in this FAQ). Ask for information
- about research opportunities.
-
- If the institution that you're applying to requests information (such
- as your previous academic record) that isn't available in either
- English of French, you will probably have to send it accompanied by
- a 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 allowed
- financial aid from the government.
-
- You should get information from your government concerning scholarship
- programs and financial aid. The financial aid office of the Canadian
- university can provide you with information on scholarships available
- for you.
-
- 5.7.6 Will I be covered by Canadian health insurance?
-
- International students and their families cannot be covered by
- provincial government health plans unless they can demonstrate, by
- obtaining a work permit or a landed immigrant status, that they intend
- to stay there after their studies are completed (See section on
- immigration). International students should therefore make arrangements
- for private medical insurance.
-
- 5.7.7 How do I obtain a student authorization?
-
- After being accepted in a Canadian university, you must apply for a
- student authorization at the nearest Canadian diplomatic mission.
- For some nationalities, visas are also required. You'll get them at the
- same 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 the
- Canadian embassy could be required. The visa officer will provide
- information on that requirement.
-
- There is a charge of $75 for the student's authorization (family
- maximum of $150). There is no fee for the visa if it is issued with a
- student authorization.
-
- All foreign students, except those from the USA, St. Pierre et Miquelon,
- and Greenland, need to have their (valid!) student's authorizations
- BEFORE coming to Canada. In no circumstance should a student come to
- Canada without it. Even students from the USA, St. Pierre et Miquelon,
- and Greenland would do well to get the student authorization in their
- home countries before coming, just for peace of mind, and to avoid having
- to 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 employment
- authorization 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 any
- employment. If you work without an employment authorization, your
- student authorization will cease to be valid and you may be required to
- leave Canada. ***
-
- In most cases, employment authorizations are employer-specific. This
- means that a student has to find a job first, then apply for an
- employment authorization. There is a charge of $75 for an employment
- authorization.
-
- 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 continued
- Ottawa, Canada |
- | - Plutarch
-