A bit about government and politics

What Americans expect because they're Americans: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

What Canadians expect because they're Canadians: peace, order, and good government

·         The capital of Canada is Ottawa, Ontario.

·         Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is Canada's Head of State and the Queen of Canada. Her representative in Canada is the Governor General, currently Adrienne Clarkson.

·         Canada has a Parliament, not a Congress.

·         Parliament is divided into two chambers, the Senate and the House of Commons. Everyone in the Senate is appointed. Everyone in the House of Commons is elected.

·         The head of the majority party in Commons is the nation's prime minister and the Head of Government (currently Jean Chrétien, of the Liberal party). The deputy prime minister is Herb Gray.

·         Instead of government bureaus, Canada has ministries.

·         There are several major political parties, the biggest of which are as follows:

·         Liberal Party of Canada

·         Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

·         New Democratic Party of Canada

·         Canadian Alliance Party

·         Bloc Québecois (a separatist party present only in Québec)

More about these and other parties, national, regional, and provincial, is available on the Canadian Political Parties/Partis politiques Canadians Web site.

 Although the American and Canadian educational systems are similar in many respects, there are notable differences that can confuse people. Here's a list of Canadian educational terms, followed by their American equivalents:

Grade x ("She's in grade three")

xth grade

Write a test

Take a test

Marks

Grades. In Canada, teachers mark students' work instead of grading it, and take "marks off" if the students give wrong answers.

Essay

Paper

Public school

Elementary school

Supply teacher

Substitute teacher

 Canadians don't use the terms "freshman," "sophomore," "junior," or "senior," for high school or college students. What Americans would call "juniors in high school" are "grade elevens." University students are referred to according to what year they're in: an American junior would be a third-year in Canada.

 minor niner

Ontario term for person in grade 9. In Ontario, high schools currently range from grades 9 to 13. Someone in grade 9 is indeed a minor niner.

Many of Canada's cities and provinces have nicknames:

Toronto

T.O., The Big Smoke, Hogtown, Muddy York

Vancouver (sometimes all of B.C.)

Lotusland, Hongcouver

Calgary

Cowtown

Edmonton

Deadmonton, Edmonchuk                                                                                                                       

Hamilton

Steeltown

Ottawa

Bytown (after Colonel By)

Sault Ste. Marie

The Soo

Winnipeg

The Peg, Winnepago, Winterpeg

Newfoundland

The Rock

St. Catharines

St. Kits