Canada is the second largest country in the world
in total area and its principal political subdivisions
consist of ten provinces and three territories.
Bordered by the United States and the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans, Canada is the largest country
by area in the North American continent.
Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
are the original provinces, formed when the British
North American colonies federated on July 1, 1867
and in stages began gaining sovereignty from Great
Britain. During the course of the next six years,
Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island
became provinces as well. On September 1, 1905,
the portion of the Northwest Territories south
of the 60° parallel became the provinces of
Alberta and Saskatchewan. Newfoundland and Labrador
became Canada's tenth province on March 13, 1949.
The territories of Canada are the Northwest Territories,
Yukon and Nunavut. The provinces of Canada possess
more political autonomy and are more populous
than the territories.
The provinces have a great deal of power relative
to the Canadian federal government, with jurisdiction
over many public services such as healthcare,
education and welfare. Provincial and territorial
legislatures possess only one legislative body
(i.e., they are unicameral), and have no second
chamber equivalent to the Canadian Senate at the
federal level. In most provinces, the single legislative
chamber is known as the Legislative Assembly except
in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador,
where the chamber is referred to as the House
of Assembly, and Quebec where the chamber is referred
to as the National Assembly. The head of government
in each province is called the premier and is
generally the head of the political party with
the most seats in the provincial legislature.
Quebec and Ontario are two of the most prominent
provinces of Canada. Having a number of tourist
attractions, cities that serve as key Canadian
business and financial centers and significant
accommodation facilities, these provinces have
served as, and are, perfect homes for people from
all over the world.
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