1896-1911
John N. Turner
1984
Robert Laird Borden
1911-20
Brian Mulroney
1984-93
Arthur Meighen
1920-21
Kim Campbell
1993
W. L. Mackenzie King
1921-26
Jean Chretien
1993-2003
Arthur Meighen
1926
Paul Martin
2003-06
W. L. Mackenzie King Richard Bedford Bennett
1926-30
1930-35
Stephen Harper
2006-
Canada Act or Constitution Act Measure formally ending British power to legislate for Canada, approved by the British Parliament on March 25, 1982, and proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II on April 17, 1982. The document contains the British North America Act and was approved by all the Canadian provinces except Quebec, which was denied its claim of a constitutional veto by Canada’s Supreme Court.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
© 2006 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
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Canada Bill ► Canaletto I 323
Canada Bill See Constitutional Act (1791)
Canada Company Organization instrumental in colonizing much of the western part of Upper Canada (now Ontario). The company was formed in 1824 to bring settlers to the region. It was directed until 1829 by John Galt (1779-1839), founder of Guelph and father of Alexander Galt. Though the company, chartered with 2.5 million acres, was criti¬ cized as a monopoly, it continued to exist until the 1950s.
Canada Day formerly Dominion Day Annual Canadian holiday. Observed on July 1, it commemorates the formation of the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867. With the 1982 passage of the Canada Act, its name was officially changed to Canada Day. It is celebrated with parades, fireworks, flag display, and the singing of the national anthem, “O Canada.”
Canada East or Lower Canada Region of Canada now known as Quebec. In 1791-1841 it was known as Lower Canada and in 1841-67 as Canada East. Populated mainly by French settlers who wanted to preserve their distinctive identity and cultural traditions, it was reluctant to join the proposed confederation with Canada West. It finally agreed to confed¬ eration in 1867, providing that it would remain a territorial and govern¬ mental unit in which French Canadians would have an electoral majority.
Canada goose Brown-backed, light-breasted goose (Branta canaden¬ sis) with a black head and neck and white cheeks. Subspecies vary in size, from the 4.4-lb (2-kg) cackling goose to the 14.3-lb (6.5-kg) giant Canada goose, which has a wing- spread of up to 6.6 ft (2 m). Canada geese breed across Canada and Alaska and winter mainly in the southern U.S. and Mexico; they have been introduced into England and other countries. They are an impor¬ tant game bird. Their almost inces¬ sant honking draws attention to their V-formations during migration. In recent years their population in North America has increased, mak¬ ing them pests in some inhabited areas.
Canada West or Upper Canada Region of Canada now known as Ontario. In 1791-1841 it was known as Upper Canada and in 1841-67 as Canada West. Settled primarily by English-speaking immigrants, it sought confederation with Canada East in order to secure the unified gov¬ ernment needed for effective administration and the construction of inter¬ colonial railways. The unified Dominion of Canada was made official by the British North America Act of 1867.
Canadian Alliance French Alliance Canadienne Former con¬ servative Canadian political party. It was created in 2000 from the merger of the Reform Party of Canada with other conservative groups in an effort to mount a united challenge to the ruling Liberal Party of Canada. By 1997 the Reform Party, whose support had been concentrated in the western Canadian provinces, held 60 seats in the Canadian House of Commons and was the official opposition party. The new Canadian Alliance gained 66 seats in the 2000 election and became the official opposition, though it was unable to make significant inroads in eastern Canada. In 2003 the party merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conser¬ vative Party of Canada. The party’s platform generally favoured a reduc¬ tion in the size of government, lower taxes, and conservative positions on social issues.
Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) Canadian public broadcast¬ ing service, created in 1936 to promote Canadian culture and serve as an instrument of national unity. It offers French- and English-language pro¬ grams over AM and FM radio networks, television networks, cable tele¬ vision channels, and shortwave radio. Noted for its news and public affairs programs, the CBC also presents documentaries, dramas, classical music, entertainment, and educational programs as well as sports programs.
Canadian Football League (CFL) Major Canadian professional gridiron football organization, formed in 1958. The league’s Western Con¬ ference includes teams from Edmonton, Calgary, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg; its Eastern Conference comprises teams
from Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. The conference winners compete for the Grey Cup. The CFL plays a gridiron style of football.
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Nationwide association of labour unions in Canada. The CLC was formed in 1956 by the merger of the Canadian counterparts to the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, which merged in the same year (see AFL-CIO). It represents roughly 3 million unionized workers across Canada.
Canadian National Railway Co. Corporation created by the Canadian government in 1918 to operate a number of nationalized rail¬ roads (including the old Grand Trunk lines. Intercolonial Railway, National Transcontinental Railway, and Canadian Northern Railway) as one of Canada’s two transcontinental railroad systems. Its passenger ser¬ vices were taken over by VIA Rail Canada in 1978, and the company was privatized in 1995. The Canadian National Railway stretches across Canada from Nova Scotia to Vancouver. It bought the Illinois Central Corp. in 1999, thus acquiring a railroad network that links Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CPR) Privately owned company that operates one of Canada’s two transcontinental railroad systems. The company was created in 1881 to complete a railroad from Montreal to Port Moody in British Columbia. Its passenger services were taken over by VIA Rail Canada in 1978. After its former parent company, Canadian Pacific Ltd., reorganized in 2001, CPR became a publicly owned opera¬ tor of freight rail lines across Canada and in parts of the U.S.
Canadian River River, southwestern U.S. Flowing across northeast¬ ern New Mexico, it cuts a gorge nearly 1,500 ft (450 m) deep before turn¬ ing eastward to continue across northwestern Texas and through central Oklahoma to the Arkansas River in Oklahoma. It is 906 mi (1,458 km) long. Its course is punctuated by flood-control and irrigation units.
Canadian Shield One of the world’s largest geologic continental shields, centred on Hudson Bay and extending for 3 million sq mi (8 mil¬ lion sq km) over Canada from the Great Lakes to the Canadian Arctic and into Greenland, with small extensions into northern Minnesota, Wiscon¬ sin, Michigan, and New York. It is the largest mass of exposed Precam- brian rock on earth. The region as a whole is composed of ancient crystalline rocks whose complex structure attests to a long history of uplift and depression, mountain building, and erosion.
canal Artificial waterway built for transportation, irrigation, water sup¬ ply, or drainage. The early Middle Eastern civilizations probably first built canals to supply drinking and irrigation water. The most ambitious navi¬ gation canal was a 200-mi (320-km) construction in what is now Iraq. Roman canal systems for military transport extended throughout northern Europe and Britain. The most significant canal innovation was the pound lock, developed by the Dutch c. 1373. The closed chamber, or pound, of a lock is flooded or drained of water so that a vessel within it is raised or lowered in order to pass between bodies of water at different elevations. Canals were extremely important before the coming of the railroad in the mid-19th century. Among the significant waterways in the U.S. were the Erie Canal, several canals linking the Great Lakes, and one connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. Modern waterway engineering enables larger vessels to travel faster by reducing delays at locks. See also Grand Canal, Panama Canal, Suez Canal. See illustration on following page.