Canada

Canada
Status	Independent State
Capital	Ottawa
Land Area	9 093 510km21
Location	North America, The Americas
Population	34.7m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	82.22yrs (2017)3
GNI	$42 582 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	CA, CAN, 1245
Internet Domain	.ca6
Currency	Dollar (CAD)7
Telephone	+18

1. Overview
2. Canada National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

#UK #USA

“A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically, the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across the world's longest unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care, education, social services, and economic competitiveness, as well as responding to the particular concerns of predominantly francophone Quebec. Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Canada is more than its hulking mountain, craggy-coast good looks: it also cooks extraordinary meals, rocks cool culture and unfurls wild, moosespotting road trips. The globe´s second-biggest country has an endless variety of landscapes. Sky-high mountains, glinting glaciers, spectral rainforests and remote beaches are all here, spread across six times zones. It´s the backdrop for plenty of ah-inspiring moments - and for a big provincial menagerie. That´s big as in polar bears, grizzly bears, whales and, everyone´s favorite, moose.

The arts are an integral part of Canada´s cultural landscape, from the International Fringe Theater Festival in Edmonton to mega museums such as Ottawa´s National Gallery. Montreal´s Jazz Festival and Toronto´s starstudded Film Festival draw global crowds.

Sip a café au lait and tear into a flaky croissant at a sidewalk bistro in Montréal; head to an Asian night market and slurp noodles in Vancouver; join a wild-fiddling Celtic party on Cape Breton Island; kayak between rainforest-cloaked aboriginal villages on Haida Gwaii: Canada is incredibly diverse across its breadth and within its cities. You´ll hear it in the music, see it in the arts and taste it in the cuisine.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Canada National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
7	Netherlands	7
8	Ireland	8
9	Iceland	9
10	Canada	10
11	USA	10
12	Hong Kong	12
13	New Zealand	13
14	Sweden	14
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
9	Iceland	80.3
10	Belgium	80.3
11	Ireland	79.4
12	Canada	79.2
13	UK	79.0
14	Austria	78.7
15	Australia	78.7
16	Taiwan	78.4
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#birth_control #Canada #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
168	Estonia	37.9
169	Belgium	38.1
170	Switzerland	38.3
171	Canada	38.5
172	Croatia	39.7
173	Malta	39.9
174	France	40.5
175	Austria	40.5
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
131	Peru	3.7%
132	Czechia	3.6%
133	Mauritania	3.5%
134	Canada	3.5%
135	Algeria	3.4%
136	Sweden	3.4%
137	Ghana	3.4%
138	Nepal	3.3%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
47	Cape Verde	2.29
48	Estonia	1.71
49	UAE	1.70
50	Canada	1.69
51	Colombia	2.31
52	Maldives	1.67
53	Luxembourg	1.67
54	Turkmenistan	2.33
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
20	Antigua & Barbuda	23.6%
21	Switzerland	23.2%
22	New Zealand	22.4%
23	Canada	21.3%
24	Ireland	19.6%
25	Kazakhstan	19.5%
26	Gabon	18.9%
27	Lebanon	17.8%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
9	Australia	82.54
10	France	82.36
11	Sweden	82.35
12	Canada	82.22
13	S. Korea	82.13
14	New Zealand	82.03
15	Chile	81.96
16	Luxembourg	81.88
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
34	Algeria	36.5m
35	Uganda	35.6m
36	Sudan	35.0m
37	Canada	34.7m
38	Iraq	33.7m
39	Afghanistan	33.4m
40	Morocco	32.6m
41	Nepal	31.0m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Canada's population is predicted to rise to 39.85 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.69. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#canada #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

When it comes to ensuring human rights and freedom, Canada leads the world, setting excellent examples. Canada does the second-best for eliminating modern slavery₁₈. It comes in the best 20 in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₁₉ (amongst the best in The Americas), its Global Peace Index rating₂₀ (the best in The Americas), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₁ (amongst the best in The Americas), fighting corruption₂₂ (the best in The Americas), fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₃ (amongst the best in The Americas) and in opposing gender inequality₂₄ (the lowest in The Americas). And finally, it does better than average in terms of LGBT equality₂₅, supporting press freedom₂₆ (one of the lowest in The Americas), the year from which women could participate in democracy₂₇ (one of the best in The Americas) and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₈. Canada actively seeks to protect human rights at home and internationally, and has developed a culture that is tolerant, where it is frowned upon to behave in a prejudiced manner. Although Human Rights Watch does have some criticism when it comes to protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and the placement of children in immigration detention₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Canada

5. Peace Versus Instability

#Canada #extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
38	Togo	38
39	Argentina	39
40	China	40
41	Canada	41
42	Azerbaijan	42
43	Senegal	43
44	Switzerland	44
45	Bolivia	45
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
8	Finland	8
9	Denmark	9
10	Switzerland	10
11	Canada	11
12	UK	12
13	Belgium	13
14	Italy	14
15	Spain	15
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)20
Pos.		Lower is better20
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
4	Canada	1.32
5	Japan	1.33
6	Austria	1.33
7	Ireland	1.33
8	Slovenia	1.33
9	Finland	1.35
10	Switzerland	1.35
11	Belgium	1.38
12	Qatar	1.40
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₀. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₀ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₀.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)31
Pos.		Lower is better Score31
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
94	Algeria	3.41
95	Sweden	3.45
96	Sri Lanka	3.57
97	Canada	3.59
98	Belgium	3.64
99	Angola	3.78
100	Tunisia	3.94
101	Tajikistan	3.95
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#afterlife #belief #buddhism #christianity #god #heaven #hell #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #universalism

Religiosity (2009)32
Pos.		Lower is better %32
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
16	Switzerland	41
17	Uruguay	41
18	Lithuania	42
19	Canada	42
20	S. Korea	43
21	Kazakhstan	43
22	Ukraine	46
23	Slovenia	47
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)33
Pos.		Higher is better %33
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
20	Australia	25
21	Taiwan	24
22	New Zealand	22
23	Canada	22
24	Latvia	20
25	Ukraine	20
26	Mongolia	20
27	Austria	18
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₄:

Christian	69%
Muslim	2.1%
Hindu	1.4%
Buddhist	0.8%
Folk Religion	1.2%
Jew	1%
Unaffiliated	23.7%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 75.5% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 42% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)₃₅.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on Canada₃₆. Despite the large numbers of Christians, not many have traditional beliefs in the afterlife - just 18%. More people don't know what to believe (25%). Some believe that upon death, you simply cease to exist (18%). Also, 3% specifically believe in heaven but not in hell (which is nice - making them possible "universalists"). 8% believe in reincarnation.

Freedom of Thought: The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₃₇, in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Canada states:

“The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief. However six of the ten provinces provide partial or full funding to religious schools. Most of these publicly funded religious schools are Roman Catholic. Although five provinces allow other denominations to run publicly funded schools. Publicly funded religious schools can discriminate on religious grounds in hiring and in accepting students. Around 16 percent of the Canadian population claims no religious affiliation, yet in the vast low-population expanses of Canada, the religious school may well be the only public school within a reasonable distance for many non-religious students.

Ontario is the only province that funds Catholic religious education while providing no funding for other religious schools. One third of Ontario's public schools (around 1,400) are Catholic schools, and they receive 100% of their funding from the government. Catholic schools discriminate against non-Catholics in hiring staff. Catholic schools can also exclude non-Catholic children.”

"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₃₈

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#Canada #internet #it_security #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)39
Pos.		Higher is better39
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
18	Japan	91%
19	New Zealand	89%
20	USA	89%
21	Canada	89%
22	Belgium	89%
23	Czechia	88%
24	Germany	88%
25	Aruba	88%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)40
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio40
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
10	UK	24.7
11	Japan	22.1
12	France	18.8
13	Canada	18.3
14	Peru	18.3
15	Ecuador	18.2
16	Estonia	17.6
17	Malaysia	16.5
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013)41
Pos.		Lower is better41
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
40	Kuwait	0.93
41	Saudi Arabia	0.93
42	Malaysia	0.96
43	Canada	0.96
44	Tajikistan	1.01
45	Brazil	1.02
46	Indonesia	1.05
47	British Virgin Islands	1.08
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Canada #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Canada has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Canada comes in the best 20 for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₀ (the best in The Americas) and in number of organ donors₄₂ (amongst the highest in The Americas). It does better than average in terms of its adolescent birth rate₂₄ (the best in The Americas). Canada does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its suicide rate₄₃, its smoking rate₄₄ (one of the highest in The Americas), its alcohol consumption rate₄₅, its immunizations take-up₄₆ (amongst the lowest in The Americas) and in the prevalence of overweight adults₄₇ (amongst the worst in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)45
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita45
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
131	Netherlands	8.7
132	Croatia	8.9
133	Cameroon	8.9
134	Canada	8.9
135	Rwanda	9.0
136	Iceland	9.1
137	Sweden	9.2
138	Chile	9.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₈ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₉ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₅₀ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₅₁. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₅₂. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)42
Pos.		Higher is better pmp42
1	Spain	46.9053
2	Portugal	34.0153
3	Belgium	33.6253
	...
11	UK	23.0554
12	Belarus	22.10
13	Norway	22.06
14	Canada	21.91
15	Finland	21.41
16	Slovenia	20.87
17	Ireland	20.80
18	Australia	20.7055
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
6	Switzerland	6
7	Germany	7
8	Canada	8
9	Netherlands	9
10	USA	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Finland	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)47
Pos.		Lower is better %47
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
161	Andorra	63.7
162	UK	63.7
163	Fiji	63.8
164	Canada	64.1
165	Israel	64.3
166	Bahamas	64.4
167	Australia	64.5
168	Iraq	64.6
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₆. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₇. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₇ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₈ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₉. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₆₀. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₆₁.

Smoking Rates (2014)44
Pos.		Lower is better44
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
128	Moldova	1 114
129	Lithuania	1 124
130	Uruguay	1 135
131	Canada	1 154
132	Albania	1 177
133	Egypt	1 188
134	Vietnam	1 215
135	Iraq	1 227
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)43
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k43
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
52	Trinidad & Tobago	21.7
53	USA	22.2
54	Chile	22.4
55	Canada	22.7
56	Iceland	23.5
57	New Zealand	23.6
58	Ireland	23.7
59	Norway	23.8
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#Canada #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)24
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100024
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
29	France	8.9
30	Croatia	9.5
31	Israel	9.7
32	Canada	9.8
33	Kuwait	9.8
34	Portugal	9.9
35	Czechia	9.9
36	Ireland	10.4
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)46
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %46
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
139	Dominican Rep.	86.3
140	Panama	86.1
141	Belarus	85.3
142	Canada	85.2
143	Guatemala	85.2
144	Togo	84.3
145	Zambia	84.2
146	Congo, (Brazzaville)	83.6
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries