Canada (Twilight of a New Era)

The Dominion of Canada, is a country in North America consisting of 10 provinces and 3 territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean. At 9.98 million square kilometers in total, Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the world's longest land border shared by the same two countries.

Government
British North America Act, 1867, (BNA Act), created a federal dominion and defines much of the operation of the Government of Canada, including its federal structure, the House of Commons, the Senate, the justice system, and the taxation system.

According to the BNA Act, Canada has a parliamentary system within the context of a constitutional monarchy, the monarchy of Canada being the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. . The Statute of Westminster 1924 granted full autonomy The sovereign is King of the United Kingdom who serves as head of state and of each of Canada's ten provinces. As such, the Queen's representative, the Governor General of Canada, carries out most of the federal royal duties in Canada.

The direct participation of the royal and viceroyal figures in areas of governance is limited. In practice, their use of the executive powers is directed by the Cabinet, a committee of ministers of the Crown responsible to the elected House of Commons and chosen and headed by the Prime Minister of Canada,the head of government. The governor general or monarch may, though, in certain crisis situations exercise their power without ministerial advice. To ensure the stability of government, the governor general will usually appoint as prime minister the person who is the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is thus one of the most powerful institutions in government, initiating most legislation for parliamentary approval and selecting for appointment by the Crown, besides the aforementioned, the governor general, lieutenant governors, senators, federal court judges, and heads of Crown corporations and government agencies. The leader of the party with the second-most seats usually becomes the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check.

Each of the members of parliament in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in an electoral district or riding. General elections must be called by the governor general, either on the advice of the prime minister, within five years of the previous election, or if the government loses a confidence vote in the House.The members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, serve for life.

The Supreme Court of Canada—the country's court of last resort—has nine justices appointed by the governor general on recommendation by the prime minister and led by the Chief Justice of Canada, and hears appeals from decisions rendered by the various appellate courts from the provinces and territories. Below this is the Federal Court, which hears cases arising under certain areas of federal law

Politics
Parties that representatives elected to the federal parliament are: the Conservative Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada, and the Progressive Party of Canada a coalition of farmer and labour groups.

In contrast with the political party systems of many nations, Canadian parties at the federal level are often only loosely connected with parties at local, provincial and regional level, despite having similar names.

Administrative division
Canada's federal structure divides government responsibilities between the federal government and the ten provinces. Provincial legislatures are unicameral and operate in parliamentary fashion similar to the House of Commons. Canada's two territories also have legislatures, but these are not sovereign and have fewer constitutional responsibilities than the provinces. The territorial legislatures also differ structurally from their provincial counterparts.

Provinces and territories of Canada
Provinces
 * Ontario
 * Quebec
 * Nova Scotia
 * New Brunswick
 * Manitoba
 * British Columbia
 * Prince Edward Island
 * Saskatchewan
 * Alberta
 * Newfoundland

Territories
 * Yukon Territory
 * Northwest Territories