SECTION

3
TEKS 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C,
Canada Today
If YOU lived there...
3D, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4F, 4E, 15B, 18B, 21B,
21C, 22D
You and your family live in Toronto, Ontario. Your parents, who are
What You Will Learn… architects, have been offered an important project in Montreal.
If they accept it, you would live there for two years. Montreal is a
Main Ideas
1. Canada has a democratic
major city in French-speaking Quebec. You would have to learn a
government with a prime new language. In Montreal, most street signs and advertisements
minister and a parliament.
2. Canada has four distinct geo-
are written in French.
graphic and cultural regions.
3. Canada’s economy is largely
How do you feel about moving to a city with
based on trade with the a different language and culture?
United States.

The Big Idea

Canada’s democratic govern- Building Background Canada today has been shaped by
ment oversees the country’s both history and geography. Canada’s first European settlers were
regions and economy.
French, but the British eventually controlled the territory. ­Differences
in culture still remain, however. In addition, the four regions of Cana-
Key Terms and Places da are separated by vast distances, economic activities, and culture.
regionalism, p. 181
maritime, p. 181
Montreal, p. 182
Ottawa, p. 183 Canada’s Government
Vancouver, p. 184 “Peace, order, and good government” is a statement from Can-
ada’s constitution that Canadians greatly value. Canadians are
proud of their democratic government, which is led by a prime
minister. Similar to a president, a prime minister is the head of a
Use the graphic organizer online to
take notes on present-day Canada.
country’s government.
Canada’s prime minister oversees the country’s parliament,
Canada’s governing body. Parliament consists of the House of
Commons and the Senate. Canadians elect members of the
House of Commons. However, senators are appointed by the
prime minister.
Canada’s 10 provincial governments are each led by a pre-
mier. These provincial governments are much like our state gov-
ernments. Canada’s central government is similar to our federal
government. The Canadian federal system lets people keep their
feelings of loyalty to their own province.

R eading C heck Comparing How is Canada’s government similar to

that of the United States?

180 Chapter 7
Canada’s Regions In some places, this connection is stronger
than people’s connection to their country
Canada’s physical geography separates the
as a whole. To better understand regional-
country into different regions. For exam-
ism in Canada, we will now explore each
ple, people living on the Pacific coast in
region of the country. As you read, refer to
British Columbia are isolated from Canadi-
the map below to locate each region.
ans living in the eastern provinces on the
Atlantic coast. Just as geographic distance The Eastern Provinces
separates much of Canada, differences in
The region called the Eastern Provinces is
culture also define regions.
a region that lies on the Atlantic coast of
Canada. The provinces of New Brunswick,
Regionalism
Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island
The cultural differences between English-
are often called the Maritime Provinces.
speaking and French-speaking Canadians
Maritime means on or near the sea. The
have led to problems. English is the main
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
language in most of Canada. In Quebec,
is usually not considered one of the Mari-
however, French is the main language.
time Provinces. It includes the island of
When Canadians from different regions
Newfoundland and a large region of the
discuss important issues, they are often
mainland called Labrador.
influenced by regionalism. Regionalism
A short growing season limits farming
refers to the strong connection that people
in the Eastern Provinces. However, farm-
feel toward the region in which they live.
ers in Prince Edward Island grow potatoes.

Regions of Canada
ARCTIC
OCEAN 20°
The Eastern Provinces
0 °W Greenland W
Cir tic

16 (DENMARK) The Heartland

cle
c

W
0°
Ar
°W

15 The Western Provinces

120
W

30
°W
0°

The Canadian North

0°W
14

canmap012ba Baffin
13

Bay 0 500 1,000 Miles

HRW-MS Geography Maps
°N

40
°W
60

Canada: Regions (Locator) 0 500 1,000 Kilometers

Final pass--7/7/05 50
°W
Projection: Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area
N E
60
80°

°N

YUKON
N

NUNAVUT
°W

50

W S
40°

Labrador
W

TERRITORY
NORTHWEST
TERRITORIES Sea
90°W

NEWFOUNDLAND
Hudson AND LABRADOR Regions Canada has four
Bay
mg7fvs_canmap012ca
distinct regions.
N

BRITISH
WA

COLUMBIA ALBERTA MANITOBA QUEBEC PRINCE HRW-MS

1. Locate Geography
What region is Maps
HE

EDWARD
Canada:
located on theRegions
Atlantic (Legend)
C

ISLAND
AT

Final pass--6/7/05
coast?
SK

ONTARIO
NOVA
SA

SCOTIA 2. Draw Conclusions Why do

PACIFIC Lake
Huron NEW you think few people live in
OCEAN Lake BRUNSWICK the Canadian North?
Lake Ontario
Superior
Lake Lake ATLANTIC
UNITED STATES Michigan Erie OCEAN

Canada 181
 Close-up

Quebec’s Winter The Inuit people traditionally used

­Carnival dogsleds as a means of transportation.

Today dogsledding is a popular sport in
Canada and a highlight of the carnival.
At the annual Winter Carnival in the city of
Quebec, millions of Canadians and visitors
from around the world brave below-freezing
temperatures to celebrate French Canadian
culture.

Most of the economy in Canada’s Eastern The provincial capital of Quebec is also
Provinces is related to the forestry and fish- called Quebec. The city’s older section has
ing industries. narrow streets, stone walls, and French-
Many people in the Eastern Provinces style architecture. Montreal is Canada’s
are descendants of immigrants from the second-largest city and one of the largest
British Isles. In addition, French-speaking French-speaking cities in the world. About
families have moved from Quebec to New 3.8 million people live in the Montreal
Brunswick. Most of the region’s people live metropolitan area. It is the financial and
in coastal cities. Many cities have industri- industrial center of the province. Winters
al plants and serve as fishing and shipping in Montreal are very cold. To deal with this
ports. Along the Atlantic coast lies Halifax, harsh environment, Montreal’s people use
Nova Scotia, the region’s largest city. underground passages and overhead tun-
nels to move between buildings in the
The Heartland city’s downtown.
F OCUS ON Inland from the Eastern Provinces are Que- In Canada many residents of Quebec,
R EADING bec and Ontario, which together are some- called Quebecois (kay-buh-kwah), believe
In the paragraphs times referred to as the Heartland. More their province should be given a special
under The
Heartland sort the than half of all Canadians live in these status. Quebecois argue that this status
facts into two provinces. In fact, the chain of cities would recognize the cultural differences
different lists.
that extends from Windsor, Ontario, to between their province and the rest of Can-
the city of Quebec is the country’s most ada. Some even want Quebec to become
urbanized region. an independent country.

182 Chapter 7
 ANALYSIS
skill Analyzing Visuals
Many of the city’s
buildings reflect From the clues you see in this scene,
French architecture. what do you think is unique about
French Canadian culture?

Ice sculptures created by

Canadian and interna-
tional artists line the
carnival’s grounds.

The carnival’s mascot is

a snowman who wears
a traditional Canadian
sash and hat.

On the other hand, many English- The Western Provinces

speaking Canadians think Quebec already West of Ontario are the prairie provinces of
has too many privileges. Most Canadians, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. On
however, still support a united Canada. the Pacific coast is the province of British
Strong feelings of regionalism will contin- Columbia. Together, these four provinces
ue to be an important issue. make up Canada’s Western Provinces.
With an even larger population than More people live in Quebec than in
Quebec, the province of Ontario is Can- all of the prairie provinces combined. The
ada’s leading manufacturing province. southern grasslands of these provinces
Hamilton, Ontario, is the center of Cana- are part of a rich wheat belt. Farms here
da’s steel industry. Canada exports much ­produce far more wheat than Canadians
of its steel to the United States. need. The extra wheat is exported. Oil and
Ontario’s capital, Toronto, is a major natural gas production is a very important
center for industry, finance, education, economic activity in Alberta. The beauty
and culture. Toronto’s residents come from of the Canadian Rockies attracts many vis­
many different parts of the world, includ- itors to national parks in western Alberta
ing China, Europe, and India. and eastern British Columbia.
Canada’s national capital, Ottawa, is British Columbia is Canada’s west-
also in Ontario. In Ottawa many people ernmost province and home to almost 4
speak both English and French. The city million people. This mountainous prov-
is known for its grand government build- ince has rich natural resources, including
ings, parks, and several universities. forests, salmon, and valuable minerals.

Canada 183
Daily Life in Nunavut

Even in June, snow covers

the small town of Pond
Inlet, Nunavut. The Inuit
here travel by snowmobile
and enjoy ice fishing.

Nearly half of British Columbia’s popu- isolated towns and villages. During some
lation lives in and around the coastal parts of the winter, sunlight is limited to
city of Vancouver. The city’s location on only a few hours.
the Pacific coast helps it to trade with
countries in Asia. R eading C heck Drawing Conclusions How
does geography affect the location of economic
The Canadian North activities in the Western Provinces?
Northern Canada is extremely cold because
of its location close to the Arctic Circle. The
region called the Canadian North includes Canada’s Economy
the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territo- As you learned in Section 1, Canada has
ries, and Nunavut (noo-nuh-voot). These many valuable natural resources. Canada’s
three territories cover more than a third economy is based on the industries associ-
of Canada but are home to only about ated with these resources. In addition, Can-
100,000 people. ada’s economy also benefits from trade.
Nunavut is a new territory created for
the native Inuit people who live there. Industries
Nunavut means “Our Land” in the Inuit Canada is one of the world’s leading min-
language. Even though Nunavut is part of eral producers. Canadians mine valuable
A CADEMIC Canada, the people there have their own titanium, zinc, iron ore, gold, and coal.
V OCABULARY distinct culture and government. About Canada’s iron and steel industry uses iron
distinct separate ore to manufacture products like planes,
30,000 people live in Nunavut.
The physical geography of the Canadi- automobiles and household appliances.
an North includes forests and tundra. The However, most Canadians work in the
frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean separate services industry. For example, tourism is

184 Chapter 7
Canada’s fastest-growing services industry.
Trade with the United States
Canada’s economy also benefits from the
millions of dollars visitors spend in the
country each year.

Trade
Canada’s economy depends on trade.
Many of Canada’s natural resources that
you have learned about are exported to
countries around the world. Canada’s lead-
ing trading partner is the United States.
As the world’s largest trading relation- Major Exports Major Imports
ship, Canada and the United States rely n Petroleum Products n Automobiles and parts
heavily on each other. About 50 percent
n Automobiles and parts n Chemicals
of Canada’s imported goods are from the
n Lumber n Plastics
United States. About 75 percent of Cana-
da’s exports, such as lumber, goes to the
United States.
However, the United States placed tar-
iffs, or added fees, on Canadian timber. Section 3 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ
American lumber companies accused Can-
ada of selling their lumber at unfairly low Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places
prices. Canada argued that the tariffs were 1. a. Recall What office heads Canada’s government?
unfair according to the North American b. Summarize How is Canada’s parliament structured?
2. a. Define What is regionalism?
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
b. Contrast How are Canada’s Western Provinces differ-
The export of cattle to the United States ent from the Canadian North?
has also been an area of dispute between the c. Evaluate Why do you think the Quebecois want to
two countries. When a Canadian cow was break away from Canada?
discovered with mad cow disease in 2003, 3. a. Describe How are Canada’s natural resources impor-
the U.S. banned the import of all cattle from tant to the country’s economy?
Canada. Canadian ranchers now claim that b. Draw Conclusions Why do Canada and the United
States rely on each other as trading partners?
all their cows are free of the disease. As of
2012, about 70 percent of Canadian cattle Critical Thinking
and meat products are exported to the U.S. 4. Comparing and Contrasting Use your notes to
complete this chart. List the similarities and differences
R eading C heck Summarizing What goods between the Eastern Provinces and Western Provinces.
does Canada export? Similarities Differences
1. 1.
2.

  
SUmmary In this section you learned
that Canada has distinct regions that are Focus on Speaking
separated by both geography and culture.
5. Presenting Canada Today Add details about present-day
The U.S. and Canada share a common Canada to your notes. Consider which images you will use
history, a border, and the English lan- to persuade your audience to visit Canada after they listen
guage. Next you will learn about the to your ad.
country of Mexico.

Canada 185