General Information

Canada is seen by many to be one of the most desirable places in which to live. Six times in the last ten years, the United Nations' Human Development Index rated Canada as the best place in the world to live in. This UN survey, which takes into account many different criteria such as income, education, public safety, housing, cost of living and life expectancy, placed Canada first among 174 countries during the last six years.

Although Canada enjoys a high standard of living, the cost of living remains quite low; Toronto ranks 103rd in the list of world cities, Vancouver 120th, Montréal 127th and Calgary 131st. Canadian cities are bargains when compared to places like Tokyo, where the cost of living is three times higher.

Canada has also been blessed with almost endless land area. It is the second largest country in terms of area, but ranks only 31st in terms of population. Canada's population of 29.2 million shares almost 10 million square kilometers of land.

So why not choose one of the best places in the world to live, a place with millions of kilometers of space and with one of the lowest cost of living anywhere.

EDUCATION

Canadians take pride in having one of the best endowed education systems in the world. In 2000, Canada spent 6.9% of its GDP on all levels of education combined, thus ranking first among all OECD nations for per capita public spending on education. Canada was also first in post-secondary education spending (2.6% of GDP), ahead of the United States (2.4% of GDP). In 2000, government spending on education in Canada reached $72 billion.

HEALTH AND WELFARE

The Canadian Health System

Free, universally accessible health care is seen by most Canadians as being essential part of the "Canadian Way". Canada's health care system is an interlocking network of ten provincial and two territorial systems. Each provincial/territorial system adheres to national standards, and provides hospital and health care services that are universal, publicly funded, comprehensive and accessible to all.

With such an advanced health care system, paired with an elevated standard of living, it is not surprising to see that life expectancy at birth-75.4 years for males and 81.2 years for females in 1996-ranks among the world's longest. A pole taken  indicated that 84% of Canadians were satisfied with their health. In 2000 an estimated $95 billion was spent on health care in Canada, an amount that corresponds to almost 9.3% of its GDP for each Canadian.

Canada's Welfare System

A high level of social security is provided in Canada. The Canada Pension Plan is designed to provide workers with a basic level of income protection in the event of retirement, disability or death.

IMMIGRATION POLICIES

Canada is a Nation of Immigrants. Historically, immigration has been a key factor in the growth of Canada's population. Immigration has always been cyclical and directly or indirectly related to economic conditions. Periods of prosperity have largely coincided with the influx of large numbers of immigrants.

Traditionally, the majority of immigrants came from Europe, especially from England. During the past ten years, however, immigration patterns have greatly changed, and a much greater diversity of in the origins of immigrants has been observed. In particular, there has been a sharp increase in the number of Asian immigrants, coming mostly from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and more recently the Maghreb Countries.

The Canadian cultural mosaic is one of Canada's great resources, and is promoted by the government through programs aimed at promoting, preserving and sharing cultural heritage, mutual appreciation and understanding among all Canadians.