Vikings are believed to have reached the Atlantic coast of Canada centuries before it was sighted by the English seaman John Cabot, in 1497. The French declared New France a colony in 1663, after having established Quebec City (1608) and Montreal (1642). The British gained control of New France in 1763. The British North American (BNA) act of 1867 proclaimed the Dominion of Canada, consisting of Ontario, Quebec, and the former colonies of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The BNA act established a federal system of government, based on the British parliament and cabinet, under the crown. Canada was proclaimed a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire in December 1931. Canada severed its last legislative link with Britain in 1982 by obtaining the right to amend its constitution (the BNA). Head of state is the British monarch, represented by a governor-general. Legislative power lies with the bicameral parliament: the Senate with 104 seats nominated by the governor-general on a regional basis, and the House of Commons with 282 members, chosen by general election every 5 years.
Canada consists of 10 provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan) each with a lieutenant-governor and legislative body, and 2 territories (Northwest Territory, Yukon Territory).
