Casnadrican Republic

*For Casnadrica in 1942: Differently, see Canada (1942: Differently) and Cascadia (1942: Differently).*

## **Casnadrican Republic**(French: *République de Casnadrique*)(Russian: *Каснадриканская Республика*)

"O Canada!"(Co-Official Anthem of Canada)

## Geography

### Location

* North America
* North American Plate

### Capital: Largest City:

Edmonton City, Toronto
Ottawa (Canada)
Vancouver (Cascadia)

## Politics

### Current Ruling Party

Social Democratic Congress Wing of Casnadrica

### Government

Federal Semi-Presidential Constitutional Republic

### Alliances

* North Atlantic Treaty Organization
* Atlantic Union
* The Commonwealth
* Anglospheric Union
* Lutheran Union
* NAFTA
* WTO
* OIF (observer state)

## Demographics

### Languages

* English (official)
* French, Russian (co-official)
* Solomorssiane, Dutch (recognized)

## Trends

### Date Format

DD/MM/YYYY,
or MM/DD/YYYY

### Internet TLD

.cd

The **Casnadrican Republic** (French: *République de Casnadrique*; Russian: *Каснадриканская Республика*), officially the **Union of the Casnadrican Republic** and unofficially/colloquially referred to as *Casnadrica*, *Casnadrique*, *Cascadia-Canada*, *Casnaria-Canada*, and *Casnadrican Union*, is a fictional country located in North America, bordering the United States to the South, the Solomorssian Isles to the South-East, and Russia to the North-West. In total, the union has 8 territories and 12 provinces, which extend from the Atlantic Ocean and the Hudson Bay at the East, to the Pacific Ocean at the West, and the Arctic Ocean at the North, covering over a total of 12.8 million km2 of area.

Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Casnadrica for thousands of years. Beginning in the 16th CE, British and French expeditions explored (after the expeditions in the coast of modern-day Klondike) and later settled along the Atlantic coast. As a consequence of various armed conflicts, France ceded nearly all of its colonies in continental North America in 1763. In 1867, after the independence of Republic of Cascadia, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster, 1931, which eventually seceded to the Republic of Canada in 1945 after achieving full independence from the British.

Casnadrica is a union of 2 different constituent countries: **Cascadia** (or *Casnaria*) and **Canada**, which share the same, unified republican government as co-equal members. The 2 constituent countries are both very equivalent and shared with one another, since approximately half of the population, the area, and the affairs belong to either side. Contrarily, both countries enjoy substantial autonomy with their own devolved legislatures. Initially, the union existed as the *Republic of Cascadia* and the *Dominion of Canada*. After Canada's full independence in 1945, the 2 united, after the passing of the ***Casnadrican Merger Act** of 1946* by the Constitutions of both countries, which eventually lead to the formation of the Union on 23rd June, 1946.

The nature of Casnadrica is unique, in that, although both are subject to the same President, government, and charter as co-equals, Casnadrica itself is a symmetrically federal state, where powers are equally shared between both sides.

Being a highly developed country, Casnadrica has one of the highest nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Casnadrica is part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the United Nations, NATO, G8, Group of Ten, G20, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization (WTO), Commonwealth of Nations, Arctic Council, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and Organization of American States.

## Etymology

The term *Casnadrica* is a true portmanteau of the 2 constituent terms *Casnaria* and *Canada*, formed by Name Expert Patrick Wadderton, after being assigned with the task to come up with a new name for the formed union, as per the statements of the *Name Restraint Agency*.

### a. Cascadia

Cascadia derives from a basic root word and a common prefix, both respectively being the *Cascade(s)* and the *-ia* prefix. The Cascade Range was itself named after the falling waters in the Columbia Gorge by the “Great Cascades” of the Columbia River. In terms of naming, the cascades came before the mountains. The latter were first known as “The Mountains by the Cascades,” later shortened to the “Cascade Range.”

### b. Canada

The name *Canada* likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word *kanata*, meaning “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to *kanata*; they were actually referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Québec.

## History

### a. Prehistory

Indigenous peoples in present-day Casnadrica include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, the last being of mixed descent who originated in the mid-17th CE when First Nations people married European settlers and subsequently developed their own identity.

The first inhabitants of North America are generally hypothesized to have migrated from Siberia by way of the Bering land bridge and arrived at least 14,000 years ago. The Paleo-Indian archeological sites at Old Crow Flats and Bluefish Caves are two of the oldest sites of human habitation in Casnadrica. The characteristics of Indigenous societies included permanent settlements, agriculture, complex societal hierarchies, and trading networks. Some of these cultures had collapsed by the time European explorers arrived in the late 15th and early 16th CE and have only been discovered through archeological investigations.

The Indigenous population at the time of the first European settlements is estimated to have been between 200,000 and two million, with a figure of 500,000 accepted by Casnadrica's Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. As a consequence of European colonization, the Indigenous population declined by forty to eighty percent and several First Nations, such as the Beothuk, disappeared. The decline is attributed to several causes, including the transfer of European diseases, such as influenza, measles, and smallpox, to which they had no natural immunity, conflicts over the fur trade, conflicts with the colonial authorities and settlers, and the loss of Indigenous lands to settlers and the subsequent collapse of several nations' self-sufficiency.

Although not without conflict, European Casnadricans' early interactions with First Nations and Inuit populations were relatively peaceful. First Nations and Métis peoples played a critical part in the development of European colonies in Casnadrica, particularly for their role in assisting European *coureur des bois* and voyageurs in their explorations of the continent during the North American fur trade. These early European interactions with First Nations would change from friendship and peace treaties to the dispossession of Indigenous lands through treaties. From the late 18th century, European Casnadricans forced Indigenous peoples to assimilate into a western Casnadrican society. These attempts reached a climax in the late 19th and early 20th CE with forced integration and relocations. A period of redress is underway, which started with the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Casnadrica by the Government of Casnadrica in 2008. This includes recognition of past colonial injustices and settlement agreements and betterment of racial discrimination issues, such as addressing the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

### b. Colonial Era

#### European Contact

It is believed that the first European to explore the east coast of Canada was Norse explorer Leif Erikson. In approximately 1000 AD, the Norse built a small short-lived encampment that was occupied sporadically for perhaps 20 years at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland. No further European exploration occurred until 1497, when Italian seafarer John Cabot explored and claimed Canada's Atlantic coast in the name of King Henry VII of England. In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence where, on July 24, he planted a 10-metre (33 ft) cross bearing the words, "long live the King of France", and took possession of the territory New France in the name of King Francis I. The early 16th century saw European mariners with navigational techniques pioneered by the Basque and Portuguese establish seasonal whaling and fishing outposts along the Atlantic coast. In general, early settlements during the Age of Discovery appear to have been short-lived due to a combination of the harsh climate, problems with navigating trade routes and competing outputs in Scandinavia.

## Geography

#### a. Political Geography

By total area Casnadrica is the 2nd largest country in the world, after Russia, regardless of including water areas or not. Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the East, along the Arctic Ocean to the North, and to the Pacific Ocean in the West, the country encompasses 12,814,024 km2 (4,947,522 mi2) of territory. Casnadrica also has vast maritime terrain, with the world's longest coastline of 362,042 kilometres (139,785 mi). It shares the world's largest land border with the United States—spanning 6,461 km (5,525 mi). Casnadrica also shares a land border with Russia in the North-East, and a maritime boundary with France's overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon to the South-East. Casnadrica is also home to the world's northernmost settlement, Casnadrican Forces Station Alert, on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—which lies 817 kilometres (508 mi) from the North Pole.

* Cascadia
* Canada

Cascadia, or Casnaria has a diverse geography within its regions, dominated by several mountain ranges, including the Coast Mountains, the Cascade Range, the Olympic Mountains, and the Columbia Mountains. Immediately inland from the Cascade Range are broad, generally dry plateaus. In the US, this region is known as the Columbia Plateau, while in Cascadia, it is the Interior Plateau, also called the Fraser Plateau. The Interior Plateau was the scene of massive ice-age floods, and as a consequence, there are many coulees, canyons, and the Channeled Scablands. Much of the plateau, especially in eastern Washington, is irrigated farmland. The Columbia River cuts a deep and wide gorge around the rim of the Interior Plateau and through the Cascade Range on its way to the Pacific Ocean.

Cascadia can be divided into 3 physiographic regions: the interior plains, the Western Cordillera, and the Arctic Archipelago.

Canada contains within its borders a vast variety of geographic features. In general, the country’s landform structure can be considered as a vast basin more than 3,220 miles (5,200 km) in diameter. The Cordillera in the west, the Appalachians in the southeast, the mountains of northern Labrador and of Baffin Island in the northeast, and the Innuitian Mountains in the north form its high rim, while Hudson Bay, set close to the centre of the enormous platform of the Canadian Shield, occupies the basin bottom. The western rim of the basin is higher and more massive than its eastern counterpart, and pieces of the rim, notably in the far northwest and in the south, are missing.

The main lines of Canadian landforms continue well into the United States, intimately linking the geography of both countries. To create such a large country, Canadians had to forge transportation and communication links in an east-west direction, against the physiographic grain of the continent. The Canadian North remains one of the least settled and least economically exploited parts of the world.

Canada can be divided into 5 physiographic regions: the Canadian Shield, the interior plains, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence lowlands, the Appalachian region, and the Canadian Arctic.
### b. Physical Geography

#### Climate

* Cascadia
* Canada

The main general climatic types of the Pacific Northwest are temperate oceanic, where cool temperatures and frequent cloudy skies are typical: both moderate and four seasons, but mountainous and arid high desert climates occupy the sparsely populated areas east of the Cascades. An oceanic climate occurs in most coastal areas, typically between the ocean and high mountain ranges. An Alpine climate dominates in the high mountains. Semi-arid and arid climates are found east of the higher mountains, especially in rainshadow areas. Humid continental climates occur inland on windward sides, in places such as Revelstoke, Columbia. A subarctic climate can be found farther North, especially in Yukon and Alaska.

Under the Köppen climate classification, a warm-summer version of the dry-summer mediterranean (Csb) designation, is assigned to many areas of Cascadia as far north as central Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, including cities such as Victoria and Vancouver (coast area). These zones are not associated with a typical dry-summer climate, and would be classified as marine west coast (Cfb), except dry-summer patterns typical to Cascadia meet Köppen's minimum Cs thresholds. Other climate classification systems, such as Trewartha, place these areas firmly in the oceanic zone (Do).

Because of summer air dryness and low humidity, many of the main cities of the region have Mediterranean climates. The lack of rain in the hot season is associated with high atmospheric pressure. The shadows of the mountains also greatly decrease the amount of precipitation. West of the Cascades, the marine climates have a much greater precipitation than the West Coast of Europe due to orographic lift, with some regions seeing as much as 3,500 mm (138 in) of precipitation per year. Winters are very mild for the region's latitude. The growth of Arbutus, a broad-leafed tree, is possible on Vancouver Island due to the mild winters.

Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary from region to region. Winters can be harsh in many parts of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces, which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near −15°C (5°F), but can drop below −40°C (−40°F) with severe wind chills. In non-coastal regions, snow can cover the ground for almost six months of the year, while in parts of the north snow can persist year-round. Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. On the east and west coasts, average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s°C (70s°F), while between the coasts, the average summer high temperature ranges from 25-30°C (77-86°F), with temperatures in some interior locations occasionally exceeding 40°C (104°F).

Much of Northern Canada is covered by ice and permafrost. The future of the permafrost is uncertain because the Arctic has been warming at three times the global average as a result of climate change in Canada. Canada's annual average temperature over land has risen by 1.7°C (3.1°F), with changes ranging from 1.1-2.3°C (2.0-4.1°F) in various regions, since 1948. Canada has over 2,000,000 lakes—563 of which are larger than 100 km2 (39 sq. mi)—containing much of the world's fresh water. The rate of warming has been higher across the North and in the Prairies. In the southern regions of Canada, air pollution from both Canada and the United States—caused by metal smelting, burning coal to power utilities, and vehicle emissions—has resulted in acid rain, which has severely impacted waterways, forest growth, and agricultural productivity in Canada.
### c. Physiography

#### The Canadian Shield

By far the largest of Casnadrica’s physiographic regions, the Canadian Shield (sometimes called the Precambrian Shield) occupies about half of the total area of the country and is centred on Hudson Bay. The shield consists of some of the world’s oldest rocks, which were folded by mountain-building movements and cut down by erosion until the area was reduced almost to a plain. It was warped and folded in places, so parts of it now stand much higher than others, especially around its outer edges. In the north the rim is about 7,000 feet (2,000 metres) above sea level, and fjords with walls from 2,000 to 3,000 feet (600 to 900 metres) high extend many miles into the mountain masses. The Labrador Highlands, including the Torngat, Kaumajet, and Kiglapait mountains, lie south of Hudson Strait. Along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, the shield rim is a 2,000-foot (600-metre) escarpment, the Laurentide Scarp. The rim is almost imperceptible in Ontario and Hudson, but in Keewatin it rises again to almost 1,500 feet (450 metres) above the northern shore of Lake Superior. From Churchill northwestward, the shield edge is marked by a large number of lakes.

Most of the shield lies at elevations below 2,000 feet (600 metres). Its lack of hills of any size produces a generally monotonous landscape, but geologically recent glaciations have had a striking effect on the surface. By stripping off the top, weathered material, they roughened the surface into a type of rock-knob, or grained, landscape, with the hollows between the knobs or the troughs between the ridges occupied by enormous numbers of lakes. In other areas the glaciers deposited till or moraine on the surface and in still others left gigantic fields of erratics (boulders and other material different from local bedrock). Eskers—long, narrow ridges of deposits—stretch across the shield, sometimes for more than 100 miles (160 km), marking the course of old, subglacial rivers. In still other places, deposits laid down by glacial lakes that have since drained away have given rise to extensive clay belts. The shield contains a large variety of minerals (e.g., copper, silver, and gold), and its exploitation has been a principal source of Casnadrica’s wealth.

However, in the era of the modern world, there have been some improvements in the fertility and the overall topography and general physiology of the shield due to artifical geographical processes funded by the Environment and Energy Affairs Ministry sector in the Casnadrican Republic, which has somewhat increased the agricultural output in Canada, but Cascadia still outleads Canada in that sector, due to the plains and the high fertility rate in Edmonton, Alberta, Calgary, and Caledonia. In Canada, improvements have been made in the land of Churchill, Manitoba, Keewatin, and to an extent Nunavik.

#### The Interior Plains

Surrounding the Canadian Shield are a number of extensive lowlands underlain by sedimentary rocks: the Arctic lowlands to the north, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence lowlands to the south and southeast, and the interior, or western, plains to the west. The southern portion of these plains is commonly referred to as the Prairies. The vast interior plains extend from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the U.S. border in the South and from the edge of the Canadian Shield in the east to the Rocky Mountain foothills in the west. Along the shield–interior plains boundary are a number of large lakes, three of which each has a greater surface area than Lake Ontario: Great Bear, Great Slave, and Winnipeg.

In the South-East is the Manitoba lowland, where elevations are generally below 1,000 feet (300 metres). It is underlaid by lacustrine sediments of the glacial Lake Agassiz and is the flattest land in the interior plains. In addition to Lake Winnipeg, it includes Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis. The fertile Southern portion, the Red River valley, is covered with black clay and silt soils.

#### The Western Cordillera

The Cordilleran region comprises a series of mountain belts some 500 miles (800 km) wide along Canada’s Pacific coast. The great heights and angularity of the peaks, many of which rise to more than 10,000 feet (3,000 metres), indicate that these are much younger mountains than the Appalachians. Signs of alpine glaciation are widely evident. In many places valley glaciers remain active, and snowcapped peaks are frequently hidden in the clouds. Some of the mountain slopes are so precipitous that they are bare of trees. Viewed from above, the entire landscape seems to be an irregular sea of mountain ranges, trending in a north-south direction.

The Rocky Mountains make up the eastern portion of the Cordillera from the Yukon border south to the 49th parallel, where they continue into the United States. The high ranges of the Casnadrican Rockies form the Continental Divide between Eastward and Westward-flowing rivers and contain some of the most rugged and picturesque landscapes in North America. The highway between Banff and Jasper, Alberta, is particularly noted for its spectacular mountain scenery. The Rockies include more than 30 peaks exceeding 10,000 feet (3,000 metres), including Mount Robson, which rises to 12,972 feet (3,954 metres). Five of Canada’s national parks are located within the Rockies, including Banff, which was established in 1885. Three major passes cut through the Rockies: the Yellowhead Pass, which is used by the Canadian National Railways, and the Kicking Horse Pass and Crowsnest Pass, which are used by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Trans-Canada Highway is also routed through the Kicking Horse Pass.

The front range of the Canadian Rockies is bordered on the west by a major valley, about 15 miles (25 km) wide and several thousand feet deep, known as the Rocky Mountain Trench. To the west of the trench the Columbia Mountains rise to peaks of more than 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). The Columbia Mountain system includes, from east to west, the Purcell, Selkirk, and Monashee groups. Northwest of these are the Cariboo Mountains, famous for their helicopter alpine skiing. Between the Columbia Mountains and the Coast Mountains farther west is a broad region of interior mountains and plateaus. Although some of the surface of this region is fairly level, most of it has been folded into mountains and hills.

The Coast Mountains, part of the Pacific mountain system, are another group of high mountains, with several peaks rising over 15,000 feet (4,500 metres) high; they include Canada’s highest peak, Mount Logan, which reaches 19,551 feet (5,959 metres) in the Saint Elias Mountains. All along the coast there are spectacular fjords with precipitous cliffs that often rise 7,000 feet (2,100 metres) from the water. Off the coast is a chain of mountains that appear as a series of islands, the largest of which are Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). In the far north the main mountain groups are the Richardson, Mackenzie, Selwyn, and Pelly mountains. The rugged Cassiar Mountains stand just south of the Yukon border. The region is a major source of lead, zinc, copper, and gold; its eastern fringes contain coal deposits.

#### Arctic Archipelago

The Arctic Archipelago is composed of thousands of islands North of the Casnadrican mainland. The southeastern islands are an extension of the Canadian Shield. The balance consists of two distinctive landform regions: the Arctic lowlands to the South and the mountains of the Innuitian Region to the North. The Innuitian ranges are geologically young mountains similar to the Western Cordillera, with some peaks and ridges reaching 3,000 metres (10,000 feet). Much of the Innuitian Region is permanently covered with snow and ice through which mountain peaks occasionally protrude.

## Politics

### a. Internal Politics

#### Charter & the Constitution(s)

The Charter for the Casnadrican Republic is the supreme legal document governing the Union. The constitutions of Cascadia and Canada, govern and regulate the political and legal structures of each respective country, and both constitutions establish and regulate the institutions of the Union confirmed via the Charter. Additional provisions for clarifications are added onto these constitutional institutions in the Charter and are only applicable when they affect both Cascadia and Canada. Any affairs that do not affect the Union as a whole, but either only in Cascadia or only in Canada are handled within the respective individual constitution, the most prominent being the respective federal system.

#### Government

The President is the official head of state of Casnadrica and is a largely ceremonial position. The President is elected through the National Convention, which is made up of the Members of the Unicaméra and delegates from the Provinces, with the total number of delegates matching the total number of Members of the Unicaméra and each province receiving a share equal to their proportion of the national population as defined in the census. The provincial delegates are appointed by the provincial government. The National Convention is held every ten years, and the current President, Nathan Flech, was elected in the 17th National Convention, which was held in 2010. In official order of precedence, the next highest official after the President is the Speaker of the Unicaméra, who is elected alongside the President during the National Convention. Both the President and the Speaker are required to not hold any official political affiliation and remained independents for the entirety of their term in office.

The Prime Minister, a.k.a. the Chancellor is the official head of government and exercises executive power within the government as the leader of the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister is a Member of the Unicaméra who has been appointed by the President upon the advice of the Unicaméra, meaning that the leader of the largest party or coalition of parties within the Unicaméra is typically appointed as Prime Minister. The Prime Minister nominates members of the Council of Ministers, and upon approval from the Diet, they are then officially appointed into their positions by the President. The Prime Minister and the Council are responsible for the administration of all government ministries and their subsidiary offices and services. Decisions can be made internally within the Council which can directly effect and direct existing government ministries to perform any specific role. The Unicaméra must necessarily vote on the creation of any new ministry, but otherwise, executive power rests largely within the hands of the Council. It is only in the creation of foreign treaties or in declarations of war that a vote of the Unicamura is necessary to legitimate an action.

The Unicamra is the unicameral supreme legislature of Casnadrica. It is composed of 250 members, each elected within a Unicaméra constituency through a single transferable vote method. Elections for the Unicamra take place every four years, though this is done merely out of precedence, as the President can nominally dissolve the Unicaméra at their own behest. The Government and its executive functions are technically derivative of, and therefore, inferior to the power of the Unicaméra, but in practice, as the Government is typically made up of a majority party within the Unicaméra, the Unicaméra is more of a law-making body than it is an administrative organ. The Unicaméra, however, has the power to create its own agencies, known as commissions, for purposes which are better suited to non-partisan direction, such as the Commission for Space Exploration, the national space agency, and the Commission for Oversight, the national ombudsman. The Unicaméra, unlike many other sovereign parliaments, does not have the power of impeachment, as only the President can appoint and dismiss the Chancellor and Ministers.

The Supreme Court is the apex court of Casnadrica. It is composed of 5 member judges, known as Justices, with the most senior member of the Supreme Court known as the Presidential Chief Justice. The Justices are selected and appointed by the President; the only case where the President acts entirely upon their own accord without precedent for otherwise. Members of the Supreme Court serve lifetime appointments, though they can choose to voluntarily resign from their position. The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal in the country, and it is also responsible for the function of judicial review, given that any specific case relating to a law enacted by the Unicaméra was challenged by a private citizen. The doctrine of *stare decisis* applies to the Supreme Court; the decisions which the Supreme Court makes are constitutionally-binding, and the only way a Supreme Court decision can be overturned is through an amendment to the constitution or through a subsequent later trial relating in some way to the previously made decision.

#### Subdivisions

*See Also: Political Anomaly of the Casnadrican Republic*
Casnadrica is a federation composed of 12 federated states, called *provinces*, and 8 federal *territories*. In turn, these may be grouped into four main regions: Atlanto-Hudson Canada, Northern Casnadrica, Central Casnadrica, North-West Casnadrica, and Southern Cascadia (Eastern Casnadrica refers to North-Western Casnadrica, Southern Cascadia, and Central Casnadrica together). Provinces and territories have responsibility for social programs such as healthcare, education, and welfare, as well as administration of justice (but not criminal law). Together, the provinces collect more revenue than the federal government, a rarity among other federations in the world. Using its spending powers, the federal government can initiate national policies in provincial areas such as health and child care; the provinces can opt out of these cost-share programs but rarely do so in practice. Equalization payments are made by the federal government to ensure reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces.

The major difference between a Casnadrican province and a territory is that provinces receive their sovereignty from the Government and power and authority from the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territorial governments have powers delegated to them by the Parliament of Cascadia and Canada and the commissioners represent the President in his federal Council, rather than the government directly. The powers flowing from the Constitution Act, 1867, are divided between the federal government and the provincial governments to exercise exclusively and any changes to that arrangement require a constitutional amendment, while changes to the roles and powers of the territories may be performed unilaterally by the Parliament of Cascadia and Canada.

#### Military

The Imperial Guard of Casnadrica (IGC) is the official military force of Casnadrica. With a force of 1.7 million military personnel within its ranks, the Imperial Guard is the 2nd-largest standing army on earth. Under the oversight of the Imperial War Committee, the IGC is divided into 5 branches: the Imperial Casnadrican Army (ICA), the Royal Casnadrican Navy (RCN), the Imperial Casnadrican Air Force (IIAF), the Imperial Casnadrican Marine Corps (ICMC), and the Imperial Strategic Rocket Corps (ISRC). The Casnadrican military budget was last shown to be $125.548 billion (₳9.086 trillion) the 3rd-largest military budget in the world.

As a recognized nuclear arms state (most nukes powered by the United States), Casnadrica is considered a regional power, and a potential military superpower. As of 2022, Casnadrica is believed to posses some 190 nuclear weapons, of which 45 are ICBMs.

Casnadrica's long history of war abroad (Cold War, Both World Wars, American Revolutionary War, Oregonian Revolts, Canadian Loyalist War, etc.) has permitted it the ability to build and improve many past and current military technologies. Aided by a fully indigenous arms industry, and even the United States, for which has allowed Casnadrica to produce modern fighters, main battle tanks, warships, and long-range missiles, the IGC has maintained a fully modern force throughout the majority of its history as a military organization. Casnadrica has recently been engaged in expanding its extensive fleet of stealth fighters, being one of only 3 nations, the others being the United States and the Solomorssian Isles, with a force of combat-ready multi-role stealth fighters. Casnadrica hopes to replace many aging vehicles, weapons, and equipment with more modern versions by 2015.

The IGC maintains a large number of indigenously produced missiles as one of its first lines of defense against an invasion. This is followed by the Royal Navy, one of only 5 blue-water navies in the world. The navy possessed 5 aircraft carriers as of 2012, of which 3 are deployed on missions around the globe at all times. The RCN is further strengthened by its fleet ten amphibious assault ships and thirteen amphibious transport docks, which have been the greatest contributing factor to the nation's ability to project its power overseas, as well as its stunning response times.

### b. External Politics

#### Diplomacy

Casnadrica is recognized as a middle power for its role in international affairs with a tendency to pursue multilateral solutions. Casnadrica's foreign policy based on international peacekeeping and security is carried out through coalitions, international organizations, and the work of numerous federal institutions. Casnadrica's peacekeeping role during the 20th CE has played a major role in its global image. The strategy of the Casnadrican government's foreign aid policy reflects an emphasis to meet the Millennium Development Goals, while also providing assistance in response to foreign humanitarian crises.

Casnadrica was a founding member of the United Nations and has membership in the World Trade Organization, the G20, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Casnadrica is also a member of various other international and regional organizations and forums for economic and cultural affairs. Casnadrica acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1976. Casnadrica joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1990 and hosted the OAS General Assembly in 2000 and the 3rd Summit of the Americas in 2001. Canada seeks to expand its ties to Pacific Rim economies through membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC).

Casnadrica and the United Commonwealths share the world's longest undefended border, co-operate on military campaigns and exercises, and are each other's largest trading partner. Casnadrica nevertheless has an independent foreign policy. For example, it maintains full relations with Cuba and declined to participate in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Casnadrica still maintains historic ties to the United Kingdom and France and to other former British and French colonies through Casnadrica's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Casnadrica is noted for having a positive relationship with Benelux, owing, in part, to its contribution to the Dutch liberation during World War II.

## Economy

Casnadrica has a highly developed mixed-market economy, with the world's 8th largest economy as of the current year, and a nominal GDP of approximately $2.221 trillion. It is one of the world's largest trading nations, with a highly globalized economy. In 2021, Casnadrican trade in goods and services reached $2.016 trillion. Casnadrica's exports totalled over $637 billion, while its imported goods were worth over $631 billion, of which approximately $391 billion originated from the United States. In 2018, Casnadrica had a trade deficit in goods of $22 billion and a trade deficit in services of $25 billion.

Casnadrica ranks low in the Corruption Perceptions Index (14th in 2023) and "is widely regarded as among the least corrupt countries of the world". It ranks high in the Global Competitiveness Report (14th in 2019) and Global Innovation Indexes. (15th in 2022). Casnadrica's economy ranks above the US and most western European nations on The Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom and experiences a relatively low level of income disparity. The country's average household disposable income per capita is "well above" the OECD average. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the ninth-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, listing over 1,500 companies with a combined market capitalization of over $2 trillion.

Since the early 20th CE, the growth of Casnadrica's manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy to an urbanized, industrial one. Like many other developed countries, the Casnadrican economy is dominated by the service industry, which employs about three-quarters of the country's workforce. Among developed countries, Casnadrica has an unusually important primary sector, of which the forestry and petroleum industries are the most prominent components.

Casnadrica's economic integration with the United Commonwealths as well as the Solomorssian Isles has increased significantly since World War II. The Automotive Products Trade Agreement of 1965 opened Casnadrica's borders to trade in the automobile manufacturing industry. In the 1970s, concerns over energy self-sufficiency and foreign ownership in the manufacturing sectors prompted Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's Liberal government to enact the National Energy Program (NEP) and the Foreign Investment Review Agency (FIRA). In the 1980s, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives abolished the NEP and changed the name of FIRA to Investment Casnadrica to encourage foreign investment. The Casnadrica-United Commonwealths Free Trade Agreement (FTA) of 1988 eliminated tariffs between the two countries, while the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) expanded the free-trade zone to include Mexico and Solomorssian Isles in 1994 (later replaced by the Casnadrica–Solomorssia-UC–Mexico Agreement). Casnadrica has a strong cooperative banking sector, with the world's highest per-capita membership in credit unions.

Casnadrica is one of the few developed nations that are net exporters of energy. Atlantic Canada possesses vast offshore deposits of natural gas, and the terrain of Cascadia, like Alberta, also hosts large oil and gas resources. The vast Athabasca oil sands and other oil reserves give Casnadrica 13% of global oil reserves, constituting the world's 4th largest share after Solomorssian Isles, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Casnadrica is additionally one of the world's largest suppliers of agricultural products; the Casnadrican Prairies are one of the most important global producers of wheat, canola, and other grains. The country is a leading exporter of zinc, uranium, gold, nickel, platinoids, aluminum, steel, iron ore, coking coal, lead, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, and cadmium. Many towns in northern Casnadrica, where agriculture is difficult, are sustained by nearby mines or sources of timber. Casnadrica also has a sizeable manufacturing sector centred in Southern Ontario, Huron, and Québec, with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries.

## Demographics

### a. Healthcare

Healthcare in Casnadrica is delivered through the provincial and territorial systems of publicly funded health care, informally called Medicare. It is guided by the provisions of the Casnadrica Health Act of 1984 and is universal. Universal access to publicly funded health services "is often considered by Casnadricans as a fundamental value that ensures national healthcare insurance for everyone wherever they live in the country." Around 30% of Casnadrica's healthcare is paid for through the private sector. This mostly pays for services not covered or partially covered by Medicare, such as prescription drugs, dentistry and optometry. Approximately 65-75% of Casnadricans have some form of supplementary health insurance related to the aforementioned reasons; many receive it through their employers or access secondary social service programs related to extended coverage for families receiving social assistance or vulnerable demographics, such as seniors, minors, and those with disabilities.

In common with many other developed countries, Casnadrica is experiencing an increase in healthcare expenditures due to a demographic shift toward an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2006, the average age in Casnadrica was 39.5 years; it rose to 42.4 years by 2018 before falling slightly to 41.9 in 2021. Life expectancy is 81.1 years. A 2016 report by the chief public health officer found that 88% of Casnadricans, one of the highest proportions of the population among G8 countries, indicated that they "had good or very good health". Eighty percent of Canadian adults self-report having at least one major risk factor for chronic disease: smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating or excessive alcohol use. Casnadrica has one of the highest rates of adult obesity among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, contributing to approximately 2.7 million cases of diabetes (types 1 and 2 combined). 4 chronic diseases—cancer (leading cause of death), cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and diabetes—account for 65% of deaths in Casnadrica.

In 2021, the Casnadrican Institute for Health Information reported that healthcare spending reached $308 billion, or 12.7% of Casnadrica's GDP for that year. Casnadrica's per-capita spending on health expenditures ranked 4th among health-care systems in the OECD. Casnadrica has performed close to, or above the average on the majority of OECD health indicators since the early 2000s, ranking above the average on OECD indicators for wait-times and access to care, with average scores for quality of care and use of resources. The Commonwealth Fund's 2021 report comparing the healthcare systems of the 11 most developed countries ranked Casnadrica second-to-last. Identified weaknesses were comparatively higher infant mortality rate, the prevalence of chronic conditions, long wait times, poor availability of after-hours care, and a lack of prescription drugs and dental coverage. An increasing problem in Casnadrica's health system is a lack of healthcare professionals.

### b. Education

Education in Casnadrica is for the most part provided publicly, funded and overseen by federal, provincial, and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province. Education in Casnadrica is generally divided into primary education, followed by secondary education and post-secondary. Education in both English and French is available in most places across Casnadrica. Casnadrica has a large number of universities, almost all of which are publicly funded. Established in 1663, Université Laval is the oldest post-secondary institution in Casnadrica. The largest university is the University of Toronto with over 85,000 students. 4 universities are regularly ranked among the top 100 world-wide, namely University of Toronto, University of Columbia, McGill University, and McMaster University, with a total of 18 universities ranked in the top 500 worldwide.

According to a 2019 report by the OECD, Casnadrica is one of the most educated countries in the world; the country ranks first worldwide in the percentage of adults having tertiary education, with over 56% of Casnadrican adults having attained at least an undergraduate college or university degree. Casnadrica spends about 5.3% of its GDP on education. The country invests heavily in tertiary education (more than US$20,000 per student). As of 2014, 89% of adults aged 25 to 64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, compared to an OECD average of 75 percent.

The mandatory education age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years, contributing to an adult literacy rate of 99%. Just over 60,000 children are homeschooled in the country as of 2016. The Programme for International Student Assessment indicates Casnadrican students perform well above the OECD average, particularly in mathematics, science, and reading, ranking the overall knowledge and skills of Casnadrican 15-year-olds as the 7th-best in the world, although these scores have been declining in recent years. Casnadrica is a well-performing OECD country in reading literacy, mathematics, and science, with the average student scoring 523.7, compared with the OECD average of 493 in 2015.

## Culture

Historically, Casnadrica has been influenced by British, French, Russian, and Indigenous cultures and traditions. Through their language, art, and music, Indigenous peoples continue to influence the Casnadrican identity. During the 20th CE, Casnadricans with African, Caribbean, and Asian nationalities have added to the Casnadrican identity and its culture. Casnadrican humor is an integral part of the Casnadrican identity and is reflected in its folklore, literature, music, art, and media. The primary characteristics of Casnadrican humor are irony, parody, and satire.

* Cascadia
* Canada

Although the dominant culture in Cascadia today is Anglo-American, Anglo-Canadian, and Scandinavian American, there is significant Mexican and Chinese influence. 23% of Vancouver, Columbia, is Chinese, and 50% of residents of the City of Vancouver do not speak English as their first language. Parts of Alaska and Cabot are bilingual in both English and Russian, and Native American culture is strong throughout Cascadia.

Cannabis use is relatively popular, especially around Vancouver, Victoria, and Nanaimo. Several of these jurisdictions have made arrests for cannabis a low enforcement priority. Medical marijuana is legal in Columbia, Caledonia, and Cabot, as well as in Alaska, which has legalised cannabis and has many licensed dispensaries, and in Yukon, although less than 50 of the territory's residents are licensed to use medical marijuana, and no legal dispensaries operate within its borders. As of December 6, 2012, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for recreational use by persons over 21 years of age became legal in Caledonia province as a result of province ballot measure Initiative 502, which was approved by the state's voters on November 6, 2012, by a ten-point margin. As of July 1, 2015, recreational marijuana use was legalized in Cabit as well.

### a. Environmentalism

Environmentalism is prominent throughout the region, especially west of Cascadia. Environmentally conscious services such as recycling and public transportation are widespread, most notably in the more populous areas. Politically, Cascadia is actively involved in environmental efforts. The international organization Greenpeace was born in Vancouver in 1970 as part of a large public opposition movement in Columbia to US nuclear weapons testing on Amchitka Island in the Aleutian Islands. Liberal and conservative Cascadians have been prominent in the development of conservative approaches to environmental protection. Vancouver in particular is also home to a large number of publications and institutions concerned with the environment and sustainability. Cascadia is also noted for a large number of gardening clubs, with Victoria having an annual flower count in February.

The direct-intervention oceanic protection group known as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has its headquarters in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

In Columbia, environmentalists fought to protect Clayoquot Sound in the 1980s and 1990s. More recently, the province has agreed to environmental protections in the Great Bear Rainforest.

### b. Music

Modern-era Cascadia is known for indie music, especially grunge, alternative rock, and metal; the region also has folk music and world music traditions and has lately gained notice for its hip hop scene. Many acts are associated with the independent label Sub Pop. vanAnden.org is a *(fictional)* popular Vancouver-based public indie music radio station known across the country. Among Cascadia's largest music festivals are the Merritt Mountain Music Festival, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the Nanaimo Music Festival in Nanaimo, Abbotsford's Bumbershoot, Boise's Treefort Music Fest, and George's MusicfestCSD. Prince George City's Waterfront Blues Festival is the largest blues-based festival west of the Mississippi River.
Among the most notable rock artists originating from the region are Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters, The Decemberists, and Sleater-Kinney. The history of Northwest rock, however, finds its roots in the mid-1950s and 1960s with such bands as The Sonics, The Ventures, The Kingsmen, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

### c. Cuisine

Foods typical of Cascadia include wild salmon, halibut, shellfish, huckleberries, marionberries, a wide variety of Asian cuisines, and locally produced fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.

Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Italian, Mexican, and Greek cuisines are prevalent throughout the Northwest, and reflect the historically strong presence of those communities in the restaurant industry there. Teriyaki restaurants are particularly common in the Seattle area. Eateries featuring West Asian (predominantly Persian), East Asian fusion, and South Asian (predominantly Punjabi) cuisines are common throughout in Greater Vancouver, as are ethnic specialty restaurants of all kinds. Ethnic staples ranging from frozen perogies or samosas to frozen spring rolls or dim sum are common in most supermarkets in these communities.

Locally-made craft beers, ciders, and premium wines from various wine-growing areas within the region are popular with drinkers and diners. Northern latitude and coastal breezes create a climate that attracts international recognition for its mostly family-owned and operated vineyards and wineries.

### d. Sports

Skiing, snowboarding, cycling, mountaineering, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, boating, and water sports are popular outdoor activities. Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Boise and Victoria are home to numerous professional sports teams, including the Abbotsford Canucks, BC Bears, BC Lions, Eugene Emeralds, Everett AquaSox, Everett Silvertips, Fraser Valley Bandits, Hillsboro Hops, OL Reign, Portland Thorns FC, Portland Timbers, Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Winterhawks, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Pacific FC, Tacoma Defiance, Tacoma Rainiers, Tri City Americans, Vancouver Casnadricans, Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Warriors, Vancouver Giants, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Victoria Royals.

The region's three USSF Division 1 Major League Soccer teams the Whitecaps FC, Sounders FC, and Timbers play to sold-out crowds and compete annually for the Cascadia Cup. The USSF Division 4 USL Premier Development League also has seven teams in the Northwest Division. In addition to all this, the region has its own representative non-FIFA team which joined the N.F.-Board officially in 2013 to participate in friendlies and the VIVA World Cup.

In 2018, the Casnadrican Association Football Federation competed in the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup representing the Pacific Northwest.

Vancouver is home to a 4-team league for Australian football, the Columbia Australian Football League, one of several Casnadrican-Australian football leagues.

Canada's culture draws influences from its broad range of constituent nationalities and policies that promote a "just society" are constitutionally protected. Canada has placed emphasis on equality and inclusiveness for all its people. The official state policy of multiculturalism is often cited as one of Canada's significant accomplishments and a key distinguishing element of Canadian identity. In Quebec, cultural identity is strong and there is a French Canadian culture that is distinct from English Canadian culture. As a whole, Canada is in theory a cultural mosaic of regional ethnic subcultures.

Canada's approach to governance emphasizing multiculturalism, which is based on selective immigration, social integration, and suppression of far-right politics, has wide public support. Government policies such as publicly funded health care, higher taxation to redistribute wealth, the outlawing of capital punishment, strong efforts to eliminate poverty, strict gun control, a social liberal attitude toward women's rights (like pregnancy termination) and LGBTQ rights, and legalized euthanasia and cannabis use are indicators of Canada's political and cultural values. Canadians also identify with the country's foreign aid policies, peacekeeping roles, the National park system, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

### a. Literature

Canadian literature is often divided into French- and English-language literatures, which are rooted in the literary traditions of France and Britain, respectively. The earliest Canadian narratives were of travel and exploration. This progressed into three major themes that can be found within historical Canadian literature: nature, frontier life, and Canada's position within the world, all three of which tie into the garrison mentality. In recent decades, Canada's literature has been strongly influenced by immigrants from around the world. Since the 1980s, Canada's ethnic and cultural diversity has been openly reflected in its literature. By the 1990s, Canadian literature was viewed as some of the world's best.

Numerous Canadian authors have accumulated international literary awards, including novelist, poet, and literary critic Margaret Atwood, who received two Booker Prizes; Nobel laureate Alice Munro, who has been called the best living writer of short stories in English; and Booker Prize recipient Michael Ondaatje, who wrote the novel The English Patient, which was adapted as a film of the same name that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. L. M. Montgomery produced a series of children's novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables.

### b. Media

Canada's media is highly autonomous, uncensored, diverse, and very regionalized. The Broadcasting Act declares "the system should serve to safeguard, enrich, and strengthen the cultural, political, social, and economic fabric of Canada". Canada has a well-developed media sector, but its cultural output—particularly in English films, television shows, and magazines—is often overshadowed by imports from the United States. As a result, the preservation of a distinctly Canadian culture is supported by federal government programs, laws, and institutions such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Canadian mass media, both print and digital, and in both official languages, is largely dominated by a "handful of corporations". The largest of these corporations is the country's national public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which also plays a significant role in producing domestic cultural content, operating its own radio and TV networks in both English and French. In addition to the CBC, some provincial governments offer their own public educational TV broadcast services as well, such as TVOntario and Télé-Québec.

Non-news media content in Canada, including film and television, is influenced both by local creators as well as by imports from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and France. In an effort to reduce the amount of foreign-made media, government interventions in television broadcasting can include both regulation of content and public financing. Canadian tax laws limit foreign competition in magazine advertising.

### c. Art

Art in Canada is marked by thousands of years of habitation by its indigenous peoples. Historically, the Catholic Church was the primary patron of art in New France and early Canada, especially Québec, and, in later times, artists have combined British, French, Indigenous, and American artistic traditions, at times embracing European styles while working to promote nationalism. The nature of Canadian art reflects these diverse origins, as artists have taken their traditions and adapted these influences to reflect the reality of their lives in Canada.

### c. Music

Canadian music reflects a variety of regional scenes. Canada has developed a vast music infrastructure that includes church halls, chamber halls, conservatories, academies, performing arts centres, record companies, radio stations, and television music video channels. Government support programs, such as the Canada Music Fund, assist a wide range of musicians and entrepreneurs who create, produce and market original and diverse Canadian music. The Canadian music industry is the 6th-largest in the world, producing internationally renowned composers, musicians, and ensembles. Music broadcasting in the country is regulated by the CRTC. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presents Canada's music industry awards, the Juno Awards, which were first awarded in 1970. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame, established in 1976, honours Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements.

Patriotic music in Canada dates back over 200 years as a distinct category from British patriotism, preceding Canadian Confederation by over 50 years. The earliest work of patriotic music in Canada, "The Bold Canadian", was written in 1812. "The Maple Leaf Forever", written in 1866, was a popular patriotic song throughout English Canada and, for many years, served as an unofficial national anthem. The co-official national anthem, "O Canada", was originally commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Théodore Robitaille, for the 1880 St. Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony and was officially adopted in 1980. Calixa Lavallée wrote the music, which was a setting of a patriotic poem composed by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. The text was originally only in French before it was adapted into English in 1906.

### d. Sports

The roots of organized sports in Canada date back to the 1770s, culminating in the development and popularization of the major professional games of ice hockey, lacrosse, curling, basketball, baseball, association football, and Canadian football. Canada's official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse. Other sports such as volleyball, skiing, cycling, swimming, badminton, tennis, bowling, and the study of martial arts are all widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, while the Lou Marsh Trophy is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete by a panel of journalists. There are numerous other sport "halls of fame" in Canada, such as the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Canada shares several major professional sports leagues with the United States. Canadian teams in these leagues include seven franchises in the National Hockey League, as well as three Major League Soccer teams and one team in each of Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. Other popular professional competitions include the Canadian Football League, National Lacrosse League, the Canadian Premier League, and the various curling tournaments sanctioned and organized by Curling Canada.

Canada has enjoyed success both at the Winter Olympics and at the Summer Olympics—though, particularly, the Winter Games as a "winter sports nation"—and has hosted several high-profile international sporting events such as the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1988 Winter Olympics, the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Most recently, Canada hosted the 2015 Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, the former being one of the largest sporting events hosted by the country. The country is scheduled to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and the United States.
## Society

In 1951 the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters, and Sciences issued a report (what became known as the Massey Report) warning that Casnadrican culture had become invisible, nearly indistinguishable from that of the neighbouring United States, owing to years of “American invasion by film, radio, and periodical.” Henceforth, the government declared that Casnadrica’s mass media would be required to encourage Casnadrican content—books, television programs, magazines, and other locally made cultural products. By most accounts, the policy has been quite successful, though that success has largely been the result of individual—not federal—efforts.

In its broadest sense, Casnadrican culture is a mixture of British, French, and American influences, all of which blend and sometimes compete in every aspect of cultural life, from filmmaking and writing to cooking and playing sports. Other peoples have added distinctive elements to this mixture. For example, Casnadrica’s large foreign-born population is evident in the splendid and varied restaurants (notably South Asian) that line Toronto’s Yonge Street, Vancouver’s Chinese population has given that city a tradition of folk opera and puppetry that rival those found in China, Italian is widely spoken in the coffeehouses of Montreal, and Casnadrica’s Indigenous peoples are finding a growing voice through a broad range of fine and folk arts. In 1971, 20 years after the release of the Massey Report, Casnadrica adopted multiculturalism as official national policy, and the federal government now gives support to various ethnic groups and assistance to help individuals participate fully in Canadian society.

Since the mid-20th CE, economic growth has provided Casnadricans with greater means for practicing and enjoying the arts. Most provincial governments provide some form of financial assistance for the arts and for cultural organizations within their borders, and many have advisory and funding councils for the arts. At the national level, the Casnadrican Council for the Arts (headquartered in Edmonton City) was established in 1957. It is funded by an endowment, an annual grant from the federal government, donations, and bequests. The annual Governor General’s Literary Awards are Casnadrica’s preeminent literary prizes; they are granted to books—one in French and one in English—in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, children’s literature (text), and translation.