Canada marks National Day today

Chisinau, 1 July /MOLDPRES/- Canada, a state in North America, which also includes the islands of Canadian Arctic Archipelago, as well as Newfoundland Islands, Vancouver and others, surrounded by the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, marks its National Day today.

Canada has an area of 9.97 million square kilometres and 35 million inhabitants. In terms of area, it is the second largest country in the world after Russia, with its territory organised like a federal state, into 10 provinces and three territories. Ottawa is Canada's capital and has over 880,000 inhabitants. Other cities are: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Quebec, Hamilton, etc.

According to the state organisation form, since 1867, Canada has been a British dominion, a constitutional monarchy. The country won its independence from Great Britain peacefully, by a gradual process, which has started with Canada’s foundation in 1867 and completed in 1982, when it got the right to amend its own constitution.

Presently, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and well-articulated constitutional monarchy. The head of state is Queen Elisabeth II, whose local representative is Governor General of Canada David Lloyd Johnston. The prime minister of the government is Stephen Harper.

Canada defines itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation. English and French are official languages.

An industrialized and technologically advanced country, Canada is a net exporter of energy due to significant reserves of fossil fuels and generation of nuclear and hydro-electric energy. The diversified economy is based on abundance of natural resources and foreign trade, especially with the United States. It exports transport means, industrial machines and equipment, ores, fuel, wooden products and paper. It imports chemical products, textiles, consumer goods.

The diplomatic ties between Moldova and Canada were set on 20 February 1992. Moldova’s ambassador to Canada is Ala Beleavschi and the Bucharest-based Canada’s ambassador to Moldova - Joanne Lemay.

Moldova exported to Canada goods in amount of 1,253,900 dollars (with a quota of 0.05 per cent of the overall exports) in 2014, Canada ranking second among Moldova’s partners on the American continents, as to quantity of exported products. Moldova imported from Canada goods in amount of 7,296,100 dollars, which accounts for 0.14 per cent of all imports.

On 9 March 2006, Moldova-Canada Centre and Moldova-Canada Trade Chamber, created by the Moldovan Diaspora in order to promote Moldovan goods and facilitate access of Moldovan export enterprises to the Canadian market, were inaugurated.

Presently, there are over 20,000 Moldovans in Canada, the biggest diaspora being in Montreal (Quebec province) and Toronto (Ontario province). The main associations of Moldovans in Canada are: Community of Moldovans from Québec (head Ala Mindicanu), Community of Moldovans from Ontario, Toronto (head Maria Tonu), Organisation Moldova Canada Link, Ontario (head Dorin Ciupac), Koolture Trikolor, established in September 2013, (head Nata Albot).

(Reporter N. Roibu, Editor A. Raileanu)