Doing Business In - Canada
Background
Key Socio-Demographic Highlights
The second biggest country in the world geographically, Canada has a population of 33 million, which means consumers and audiences are generally spread out and less concentrated than in many other countries around the world.
It takes as much time to fly from coast to coast in Canada as to fly from Montreal and/or Toronto to Europe. Demographic concentration is on average three inhabitants per km2, which is one of the lowest concentrations in the Western world. However, the population is concentrated within 160 kilometres (100 miles) of the US border—90 per cent of the Canadian population lives within this area.
The major business centres are Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. The most populated provinces are Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. The population of the 11 provinces varies from 30,000 in Nunavut to 13 million in Ontario.
Officially created in 1867 as a British influenced Parliamentary Democracy, Canada has a Federal Government and Parliament and 11 Provincial governments with their own Provincial legislatures. Each level of government has specific powers, so it is useful for businesses to understand each level’s area of responsibility to identify which level of government they need relations with and to inform of their business issues.
Canada has two official languages: English and French. The federal government and its institutions communicate with citizens in each community’s language: French is overwhelmingly spoken in the Province of Quebec, where it is the official language, while English is predominant in the other provinces. A large English community resides in Montreal and French speaking citizens are present in the province of New Brunswick.
In fact, there are approximately 750,000 English speaking citizens/consumers in Quebec or 10 per cent and approximately 650,000 predominantly French speaking citizens in the predominately Anglophone provinces or 2.8 per cent. Businesses should be aware of the linguistic components of their audiences in Canada before engaging in communication and/or marketing activities. For example, product labels must be in both official languages in Canada.
In spite of some political and linguistic tensions between the French and English speaking communities, Canada is typically viewed by international observers as a very democratic and stable society, where differences can be publicly and openly discussed.
Economic Overview
Canada is ruled by a free enterprise business system and is one of the world’s most open countries to free trade among nations. An active member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Canada is also a party to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the US and Mexico. Businesses coming into Canada should understand the possibilities NAFTA creates for them: the United States accounts for 70 per cent of Canada’s total exports.
Canada is a member of the G8 and is regularly declared by the United Nations as one of the best countries to live in. Canadians enjoy a high standard of living with an average GDP of $1.335 trillion dollars and an average annual total household income of $68,860.
Traditionally known as a resource based economy because of its incomparable array of natural resources (wood and forestry, mining and metallurgy, petroleum products, hydroelectric energy, etc.), Canada has evolved into one of the most technically developed countries in the world. Today it is considered one of the world leaders in telecommunications, transportation, aeronautics, engineering, biotechnology, financial services, information technology management and consulting with world leaders such as BCE, TELUS, Bombardier, CN, Air Canada, Power Corporation, Onex, RBC, CGI, Manulife Financial, Encana, Imperial Oil, Petro-Canada, Canadian Natural Resources, Rio Tinto Alcan, Shell Canada, Weston, Suncor, Magna International, TransCanada, etc.
Financial institutions are strong and backed by a very well managed, ethical and sophisticated securities industry. Canada has two of the twenty most important stock exchanges in the world. The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) is viewed by the international financial community as a very important market specializing in stocks, whereas the Montreal Exchange specializes in derivatives and futures. Western Canada’s TSX exchange concentrates mostly on venture capital and small caps.
Today, Canada has a quite diversified economy, with a well-balanced mix of traditional natural resources strengths and new economy components.
Culture and Values
Canadians are definitely North American in style and substance. Most of their values and beliefs are very close to those of their fellow neighbours from the USA. However, Canadians continue to perceive themselves as different from US citizens in some important areas and do not generally agree to be considered as exact replicas of their US friends by businesses who consider Canada as a "domestic market". They take pride in being different, even though they generally consider their American colleagues as the best business partners and friends in the world.
While Canadians strongly believe in the free enterprise system, they also strongly support public sector involvement in key areas such as education, healthcare and welfare. Canadians see the universal public health care system as a key component of this cultural difference between Canadians and Americans.
Canadians also have access to higher education at a very reasonable cost compared to their US counterparts and benefit from generous government assistance to help pay for their education.
The attitude towards the ownership of guns and accessibility to firearms is another key difference between the two countries, Canadians being very favourable to stringent rules concerning gun control.
Attachment to values and beliefs which place collective concerns and issues at center stage constitute a key differentiator with their American counterparts. Canadians view themselves as having a better balance of the needs of the collective population rather than a complete focus on the rights of the individual. In this way, they often feel closer to certain European cultures.
The strong desire of Canadians to respect the language and cultural values of all the different groups composing the Canadian mosaic (Native People, French speaking Canadians and Quebecers, the new Canadians originating from all over the world) is called multiculturalism and contrasts with the US melting pot approach.
Canadians also generally accept a higher level of government involvement in key areas of human activity including the economy, than their US counterparts. These social, cultural and language issues increase Canadians’ sense of distinction from Americans.
Foreign companies or organizations doing business in Canada should not automatically think they can implement communications and marketing programs and/or public relations initiatives as they would in the United States—Canadian communications counsel is well advised.
Quebec
Quebec (The Province) is home to the first European settlements in Canada and is one of the cultural hearts of the Francophone community in America. With approximately seven million people, it is the second most populous province in the country, after Ontario, with 23 per cent of Canada’s total population.
Linguistic demographics are as follows: only 37.8 per cent of Quebeckers are bilingual, speaking both French and English (49.7 per cent in the Montreal area). The English-speaking minority in Quebec represents 11 per cent of the population, located mostly in the Montreal area.
Mass market communications in Quebec must be conducted in French and English, both for practical reasons and because it is required by law. All product labels and documentation have to be available in French in Quebec, as well as software, DVD’s and other types of products and services. The notion of the "domestic market" that Canada enjoys from a US business perspective can lead to serious image and reputation problems if it neglects the French factor.
English media are numerous, in disproportion to the demographic weight of Anglophones, as many Francophones enjoy the diversity of media in both languages.
All companies and organizations must be aware of the distinctiveness of the Quebec society, not only for linguistic reasons but also for its culture and values: European savoir-vivre, American savoir-faire and Latin laissez-faire!
Its social values are more liberal than in the rest of Canada. For example, tolerance towards common law relationships, homosexuality or sexually-provocative advertising is significantly higher than in the rest of Canada. Quebec leads the way in the consumption of imported cheese, red wine and Port in North America. Quebecers are more loyal to brands than other Canadians, spend more on lotteries than other Canadians and they buy more life insurance and less prescription drugs.
Public relations activities in Quebec must take into account the need to address the public’s interest for local creation and local celebrities in show business, culture and sports. Quebec has its own entertainment industry and is uniquely loyal to locally produced prime time fiction and non-fiction television.
Western Canada
Western Canada is a diverse, vibrant, and growing region, whose population is approaching one-third of the national population. The West is made up of the coastal province of British Columbia (separated from the rest of the country by the Rocky Mountains, and frequently considered a region in its own right), and the three Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. British Columbia and Alberta are the dominant provinces in terms of population and economic influence. (This section will not address considerations specific to the three sparsely populated northern territories— Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon).
The West, generally speaking, has a shorter history of non-aboriginal settlement and economic development than Central and Eastern Canada. The region continues to have a relatively high level of dependence on resource extraction. A sense of ‘western alienation’—characterized by the view that the region is not equitably treated by the federal government and other institutions dominated by Central Canada—is frequently expressed. This is likely to be a less potent force in the future, as the region’s population, and corresponding economic and political clout, continue to grow.
Companies doing business in the West need to be mindful of regional sensitivities. Westerners often identify particularly strongly with regional or provincial interests and ways of life. Relatively high degrees of social conservatism, and a strong commitment to self-reliance and free enterprise, are frequently evident in this region. Social and business relations also tend to be conducted on a somewhat less formal basis than in other parts of Canada.
Politically, Western Canada has been the birthplace of populist political movements on both sides of the political spectrum. This includes the New Democratic Party (a moderate social democratic party, and the right-wing Reform Party which eventually merged with the Conservative party (currently the ruling party in a minority federal parliament). The region has tended to favour federal parties which have been in opposition, further fuelling a sense of alienation from national institutions.
English is the dominant language throughout the region, although a wide diversity of ethnic backgrounds is represented within the population. A number of cities in the Prairie Provinces have large and growing percentages of aboriginal (‘First Nation’) residents.
The high degree of segmentation that characterizes the national media in Canada is also evident in the West. The degree of influence of the national English-language dailies (the Globe & Mail and the National Post) is somewhat less here than in other parts of Canada. A number of public relations firms, whose operations are national in scope, are able to serve client needs in this region, typically from offices in Vancouver and Calgary.
British Columbia
British Columbia has a population of some 4.5 million, spread over a landmass of 950,000 km2. Vancouver (BC’s largest and Canada’s third largest city) is located on the Southwest coast and is an important Pacific port with strong Asian economic links and cultural influences.
The provincial economy is dominated by resource industries (forestry and mining foremost), tourism, and growing high tech and TV and film production industries.
The province has built considerable infrastructure to capitalize on its position as the Pacific gateway. Coupled with the successful hosting of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, BC weathered the 2008 economic meltdown better than the rest of Canada and the US.
Provincial politics are characterized by high degrees of polarization. Debates over land use and environmental protection have frequently been intense, and ongoing efforts to resolve outstanding aboriginal land claims are one of the most significant public policy issues. The province has been governed by the BC Liberals since 2001. The leadership of both the BC Liberals and the opposition NDP are being contested at the time of this writing (Jan. 2011) and an election must be held by 2013.
Alberta
The second most populous province in the West (3.7 million people, and a landmass of 660,000 km2), Alberta is widely considered to be the most economically vibrant part of the region.
The province is noted for an especially strong commitment to free enterprise and cohesive politics—the Progressive Conservatives have governed the province since 1971. Oil and gas is an important part of the provincial economy, with agriculture and other natural resource sectors making important contributions. Diversification is occurring, with growth in manufacturing and telecommunications.
Calgary is a particularly important economic centre, with a high concentration of major corporate head offices. The provincial economy has performed well in recent years, and is expected to benefit further from recent rises in world oil prices. The Oil sands, a type of unconventional petroleum deposit, have attracted interest from both oil companies and environmental protest groups.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Significantly smaller than the other two western provinces (with populations of 1 million and 1.2 million, respectively), Saskatchewan and Manitoba are less significant players on the national political and economic scene. Agriculture remains central to both provincial economies. Transportation, manufacturing and mining are significant in Manitoba; while mining and forestry are important sectors in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Party, a centre-right coalition of conservative and liberals, was formed in 1997, was returned to power in Saskatchewan in 2007, while the NDP govern in Manitoba.
Ontario
Approximately one-third of Canada’s population (more than 13 million people) lives in the province of Ontario, with a high concentration in southern Ontario, namely Toronto and its surrounding regions of Peel, York, Halton, and Durham. This area is called the "Greater Toronto Area" or "GTA".
Half of Ontario's population lives along the western end of Lake Ontario between St. Catharines and Oshawa. This agricultural, commercial, and industrial belt is called the 'Golden Horseshoe' and more than 100 million Americans live within one day's drive.
Over 7.6 million Ontarians speak English as their first language, while another 464,000 claim French as their mother tongue. In fact, Ontario's French speaking community is the biggest in Canada outside Quebec.
Immigration has been a major factor in Ontario's population growth and has changed Ontario into a multicultural centre. Its effects are seen everywhere, from the languages heard on the street, to the foods in stores and restaurants, to the political issues of the day. The major language groups include Chinese, Italian, German, Portuguese, Indo-Iranian, Greek, Polish, Spanish, Dutch and Ukrainian.
Recent immigrants born in Asia (including the Middle East) make up the largest proportion (58.3 per cent) of newcomers to Canada. The provincial economy is dominated by manufacturing, agriculture and service industries such as banking, insurance, accounting, investment, law, education, hospitality, computers, health care, tourism, and recreation.
The province is the third largest trading partner of the U.S., which accounts for 89 per cent of Ontario's international exports. Toronto is the country’s financial centre, largest city, and home to more corporate head offices than anywhere else in Canada.
With the only national daily newspapers (Globe and Mail and National Post) and television networks (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CTV) based in Toronto, the city is also considered the media capital of the country.
In the last few decades the Ontario Liberal Party, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and social-democratic Ontario New Democratic Party have all ruled the province at different times. Ontario is currently under a Liberal government headed by Premier Dalton McGuinty. The present government, first elected in 2003, was re-elected on October 10, 2007. While health care reform, tax cuts and labour issues dominate the government agenda, the province is generally pro-business and enjoys political stability.
The second biggest country in the world geographically, Canada has a population of 33 million, which means consumers and audiences are generally spread out and less concentrated than in many other countries around the world.
It takes as much time to fly from coast to coast in Canada as to fly from Montreal and/or Toronto to Europe. Demographic concentration is on average three inhabitants per km2, which is one of the lowest concentrations in the Western world. However, the population is concentrated within 160 kilometres (100 miles) of the US border—90 per cent of the Canadian population lives within this area.
The major business centres are Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. The most populated provinces are Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. The population of the 11 provinces varies from 30,000 in Nunavut to 13 million in Ontario.
Officially created in 1867 as a British influenced Parliamentary Democracy, Canada has a Federal Government and Parliament and 11 Provincial governments with their own Provincial legislatures. Each level of government has specific powers, so it is useful for businesses to understand each level’s area of responsibility to identify which level of government they need relations with and to inform of their business issues.
Canada has two official languages: English and French. The federal government and its institutions communicate with citizens in each community’s language: French is overwhelmingly spoken in the Province of Quebec, where it is the official language, while English is predominant in the other provinces. A large English community resides in Montreal and French speaking citizens are present in the province of New Brunswick.
In fact, there are approximately 750,000 English speaking citizens/consumers in Quebec or 10 per cent and approximately 650,000 predominantly French speaking citizens in the predominately Anglophone provinces or 2.8 per cent. Businesses should be aware of the linguistic components of their audiences in Canada before engaging in communication and/or marketing activities. For example, product labels must be in both official languages in Canada.
In spite of some political and linguistic tensions between the French and English speaking communities, Canada is typically viewed by international observers as a very democratic and stable society, where differences can be publicly and openly discussed.
Economic Overview
Canada is ruled by a free enterprise business system and is one of the world’s most open countries to free trade among nations. An active member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Canada is also a party to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the US and Mexico. Businesses coming into Canada should understand the possibilities NAFTA creates for them: the United States accounts for 70 per cent of Canada’s total exports.
Canada is a member of the G8 and is regularly declared by the United Nations as one of the best countries to live in. Canadians enjoy a high standard of living with an average GDP of $1.335 trillion dollars and an average annual total household income of $68,860.
Traditionally known as a resource based economy because of its incomparable array of natural resources (wood and forestry, mining and metallurgy, petroleum products, hydroelectric energy, etc.), Canada has evolved into one of the most technically developed countries in the world. Today it is considered one of the world leaders in telecommunications, transportation, aeronautics, engineering, biotechnology, financial services, information technology management and consulting with world leaders such as BCE, TELUS, Bombardier, CN, Air Canada, Power Corporation, Onex, RBC, CGI, Manulife Financial, Encana, Imperial Oil, Petro-Canada, Canadian Natural Resources, Rio Tinto Alcan, Shell Canada, Weston, Suncor, Magna International, TransCanada, etc.
Financial institutions are strong and backed by a very well managed, ethical and sophisticated securities industry. Canada has two of the twenty most important stock exchanges in the world. The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) is viewed by the international financial community as a very important market specializing in stocks, whereas the Montreal Exchange specializes in derivatives and futures. Western Canada’s TSX exchange concentrates mostly on venture capital and small caps.
Today, Canada has a quite diversified economy, with a well-balanced mix of traditional natural resources strengths and new economy components.
Culture and Values
Canadians are definitely North American in style and substance. Most of their values and beliefs are very close to those of their fellow neighbours from the USA. However, Canadians continue to perceive themselves as different from US citizens in some important areas and do not generally agree to be considered as exact replicas of their US friends by businesses who consider Canada as a "domestic market". They take pride in being different, even though they generally consider their American colleagues as the best business partners and friends in the world.
While Canadians strongly believe in the free enterprise system, they also strongly support public sector involvement in key areas such as education, healthcare and welfare. Canadians see the universal public health care system as a key component of this cultural difference between Canadians and Americans.
Canadians also have access to higher education at a very reasonable cost compared to their US counterparts and benefit from generous government assistance to help pay for their education.
The attitude towards the ownership of guns and accessibility to firearms is another key difference between the two countries, Canadians being very favourable to stringent rules concerning gun control.
Attachment to values and beliefs which place collective concerns and issues at center stage constitute a key differentiator with their American counterparts. Canadians view themselves as having a better balance of the needs of the collective population rather than a complete focus on the rights of the individual. In this way, they often feel closer to certain European cultures.
The strong desire of Canadians to respect the language and cultural values of all the different groups composing the Canadian mosaic (Native People, French speaking Canadians and Quebecers, the new Canadians originating from all over the world) is called multiculturalism and contrasts with the US melting pot approach.
Canadians also generally accept a higher level of government involvement in key areas of human activity including the economy, than their US counterparts. These social, cultural and language issues increase Canadians’ sense of distinction from Americans.
Foreign companies or organizations doing business in Canada should not automatically think they can implement communications and marketing programs and/or public relations initiatives as they would in the United States—Canadian communications counsel is well advised.
Quebec
Quebec (The Province) is home to the first European settlements in Canada and is one of the cultural hearts of the Francophone community in America. With approximately seven million people, it is the second most populous province in the country, after Ontario, with 23 per cent of Canada’s total population.
Linguistic demographics are as follows: only 37.8 per cent of Quebeckers are bilingual, speaking both French and English (49.7 per cent in the Montreal area). The English-speaking minority in Quebec represents 11 per cent of the population, located mostly in the Montreal area.
Mass market communications in Quebec must be conducted in French and English, both for practical reasons and because it is required by law. All product labels and documentation have to be available in French in Quebec, as well as software, DVD’s and other types of products and services. The notion of the "domestic market" that Canada enjoys from a US business perspective can lead to serious image and reputation problems if it neglects the French factor.
English media are numerous, in disproportion to the demographic weight of Anglophones, as many Francophones enjoy the diversity of media in both languages.
All companies and organizations must be aware of the distinctiveness of the Quebec society, not only for linguistic reasons but also for its culture and values: European savoir-vivre, American savoir-faire and Latin laissez-faire!
Its social values are more liberal than in the rest of Canada. For example, tolerance towards common law relationships, homosexuality or sexually-provocative advertising is significantly higher than in the rest of Canada. Quebec leads the way in the consumption of imported cheese, red wine and Port in North America. Quebecers are more loyal to brands than other Canadians, spend more on lotteries than other Canadians and they buy more life insurance and less prescription drugs.
Public relations activities in Quebec must take into account the need to address the public’s interest for local creation and local celebrities in show business, culture and sports. Quebec has its own entertainment industry and is uniquely loyal to locally produced prime time fiction and non-fiction television.
Western Canada
Western Canada is a diverse, vibrant, and growing region, whose population is approaching one-third of the national population. The West is made up of the coastal province of British Columbia (separated from the rest of the country by the Rocky Mountains, and frequently considered a region in its own right), and the three Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. British Columbia and Alberta are the dominant provinces in terms of population and economic influence. (This section will not address considerations specific to the three sparsely populated northern territories— Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon).
The West, generally speaking, has a shorter history of non-aboriginal settlement and economic development than Central and Eastern Canada. The region continues to have a relatively high level of dependence on resource extraction. A sense of ‘western alienation’—characterized by the view that the region is not equitably treated by the federal government and other institutions dominated by Central Canada—is frequently expressed. This is likely to be a less potent force in the future, as the region’s population, and corresponding economic and political clout, continue to grow.
Companies doing business in the West need to be mindful of regional sensitivities. Westerners often identify particularly strongly with regional or provincial interests and ways of life. Relatively high degrees of social conservatism, and a strong commitment to self-reliance and free enterprise, are frequently evident in this region. Social and business relations also tend to be conducted on a somewhat less formal basis than in other parts of Canada.
Politically, Western Canada has been the birthplace of populist political movements on both sides of the political spectrum. This includes the New Democratic Party (a moderate social democratic party, and the right-wing Reform Party which eventually merged with the Conservative party (currently the ruling party in a minority federal parliament). The region has tended to favour federal parties which have been in opposition, further fuelling a sense of alienation from national institutions.
English is the dominant language throughout the region, although a wide diversity of ethnic backgrounds is represented within the population. A number of cities in the Prairie Provinces have large and growing percentages of aboriginal (‘First Nation’) residents.
The high degree of segmentation that characterizes the national media in Canada is also evident in the West. The degree of influence of the national English-language dailies (the Globe & Mail and the National Post) is somewhat less here than in other parts of Canada. A number of public relations firms, whose operations are national in scope, are able to serve client needs in this region, typically from offices in Vancouver and Calgary.
British Columbia
British Columbia has a population of some 4.5 million, spread over a landmass of 950,000 km2. Vancouver (BC’s largest and Canada’s third largest city) is located on the Southwest coast and is an important Pacific port with strong Asian economic links and cultural influences.
The provincial economy is dominated by resource industries (forestry and mining foremost), tourism, and growing high tech and TV and film production industries.
The province has built considerable infrastructure to capitalize on its position as the Pacific gateway. Coupled with the successful hosting of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, BC weathered the 2008 economic meltdown better than the rest of Canada and the US.
Provincial politics are characterized by high degrees of polarization. Debates over land use and environmental protection have frequently been intense, and ongoing efforts to resolve outstanding aboriginal land claims are one of the most significant public policy issues. The province has been governed by the BC Liberals since 2001. The leadership of both the BC Liberals and the opposition NDP are being contested at the time of this writing (Jan. 2011) and an election must be held by 2013.
Alberta
The second most populous province in the West (3.7 million people, and a landmass of 660,000 km2), Alberta is widely considered to be the most economically vibrant part of the region.
The province is noted for an especially strong commitment to free enterprise and cohesive politics—the Progressive Conservatives have governed the province since 1971. Oil and gas is an important part of the provincial economy, with agriculture and other natural resource sectors making important contributions. Diversification is occurring, with growth in manufacturing and telecommunications.
Calgary is a particularly important economic centre, with a high concentration of major corporate head offices. The provincial economy has performed well in recent years, and is expected to benefit further from recent rises in world oil prices. The Oil sands, a type of unconventional petroleum deposit, have attracted interest from both oil companies and environmental protest groups.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Significantly smaller than the other two western provinces (with populations of 1 million and 1.2 million, respectively), Saskatchewan and Manitoba are less significant players on the national political and economic scene. Agriculture remains central to both provincial economies. Transportation, manufacturing and mining are significant in Manitoba; while mining and forestry are important sectors in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Party, a centre-right coalition of conservative and liberals, was formed in 1997, was returned to power in Saskatchewan in 2007, while the NDP govern in Manitoba.
Ontario
Approximately one-third of Canada’s population (more than 13 million people) lives in the province of Ontario, with a high concentration in southern Ontario, namely Toronto and its surrounding regions of Peel, York, Halton, and Durham. This area is called the "Greater Toronto Area" or "GTA".
Half of Ontario's population lives along the western end of Lake Ontario between St. Catharines and Oshawa. This agricultural, commercial, and industrial belt is called the 'Golden Horseshoe' and more than 100 million Americans live within one day's drive.
Over 7.6 million Ontarians speak English as their first language, while another 464,000 claim French as their mother tongue. In fact, Ontario's French speaking community is the biggest in Canada outside Quebec.
Immigration has been a major factor in Ontario's population growth and has changed Ontario into a multicultural centre. Its effects are seen everywhere, from the languages heard on the street, to the foods in stores and restaurants, to the political issues of the day. The major language groups include Chinese, Italian, German, Portuguese, Indo-Iranian, Greek, Polish, Spanish, Dutch and Ukrainian.
Recent immigrants born in Asia (including the Middle East) make up the largest proportion (58.3 per cent) of newcomers to Canada. The provincial economy is dominated by manufacturing, agriculture and service industries such as banking, insurance, accounting, investment, law, education, hospitality, computers, health care, tourism, and recreation.
The province is the third largest trading partner of the U.S., which accounts for 89 per cent of Ontario's international exports. Toronto is the country’s financial centre, largest city, and home to more corporate head offices than anywhere else in Canada.
With the only national daily newspapers (Globe and Mail and National Post) and television networks (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CTV) based in Toronto, the city is also considered the media capital of the country.
In the last few decades the Ontario Liberal Party, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and social-democratic Ontario New Democratic Party have all ruled the province at different times. Ontario is currently under a Liberal government headed by Premier Dalton McGuinty. The present government, first elected in 2003, was re-elected on October 10, 2007. While health care reform, tax cuts and labour issues dominate the government agenda, the province is generally pro-business and enjoys political stability.