Canada

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 an unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services, 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.

Economical characteristics

 * Currency: Canadian Dollar (ISO code: CAD)
 * Central bank discount rate: 1.75% (31 December 2008)
 * Commercial banks lending rate: 4.73% (31 December 2008)
 * Stock of money (M1): $356.2 billion (31 December 2008)
 * Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $1.299 trillion (31 December 2008)

Notable events:

 * Banking crisis: 1837, September 1866, September 1873, October 1906, January 1908, 1912, 1923, 1983-1985
 * Public default: 1935 ("near", external)
 * Years in inflation: 0.7% (share of years 1867-2009 with annual inflation above 20 per cent per annum)

Links

 * Canada on Wikipedia
 * Central bank of Canada
 * BBC country profile
 * Libertarian Outsider Edgar Z. Friedenberg by Jeff Riggenbach, September 2010 (about Canadian society)
 * 75 years of funny money by Martin Masse, March 2010
 * Ombudsman wants review of federal contracting rules by Kathryn May, July 2010
 * Canada's 75 Billion Dollar Bank Bailout by Michel Chossudovsky, January 2009
 * It Can Happen Here (Government really can be cut: case studies from Canada, New Zealand, and the United States) by David R. Henderson, November 2010
 * Power failure by Terence Corcoran, October 2010
 * Climate of confusion by Jameson Berkow, November 2010
 * An easy inflation-killing idea: Save the penny by Neil Reynolds, January 2011
 * Debt Clock shows National deficit over $500 billion by Sarah Richter, March 2011
 * How Canada Escaped the Global Recession by David Lee, August 2011
 * Canada Sees Boom in Private Health Care Business, by Molly Line, June 2009
 * A Cure for Obamacare: From Canada with Love by Gregory Cummings, January 2013
 * Cartels and Subsidies in Canadian Agriculture by Predrag Rajsic, May 2014
 * Private Health Care is Inevitable in Canada by Redmond Weissenberger, June 2014