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Education and Social Security:
Canada is proud to have one of the
best public educational systems in
the world, assigning a high
proportion of the budget to it. The
country offers primary, secondary
and high-school educations for free,
and the Universities, which are
among the best in the world are
subsidized. The Social Security
System is completely financed by the
government, and provides pensions,
subsidies, employment insurance,
welfare and health care free to its
residents. Canadian society rewards
hard work and entrepreneurship,
allowing people to be successful.
Besides having the most beautiful
land in the world (spanning 6 time
zones), Canada has built a society
based on liberty, tolerance,
diversity, equality and prosperity.
Multiculturalism and Religion:
Multiculturalism is a fundamental
characteristic of canadian society.
Two fifths of its population are not
from british, french or aboriginal
descent. The aboriginal people are
typically north american indians,
Metis or Innuit. Over 80% of
canadians are Christians, from which
47% are Catholic and 36% are
protestants. Other religions include
Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism
and Buddhism. 12.5% does not
identify with any religion. One of
every 6 canadians was not born in
Canada. Immigrants come to Canada
from over 150 countries. The
multicultural policy acknowledges
racial and ethnic richness, promotes
the understanding of different
cultures and equality. According to
the 1996 statistics, at least 59% of
canadians speak English as a mother
tongue, 23% speak French and the
rest speak another language and even
more than one language. Almost 17%
knows both official languages. Most
francophones live in Quebec,
although Ontario, New Brunswick and
Manitoba have french settlements as
well. |
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