:I would support this alternate (or similar): 
 :"Canada is a federal constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, comprising ten provinces and three territories.  By total area, it is the largest country in North America and the second-largest in the world.  Extending westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, Canada occupies a major northern portion of the continent, sharing land borders with the United States to the northwest and south." 
 :or replace 'of the continent' with 'North America'.  Thoughts?