Agriculture

Canada is part of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). NAFTA is an agreement signed by Canada, the United States and Mexico that created rules for trading between the countries. The agreement, signed into effect on January 1, 1994, brought the immediate elimination of tariffs on more than one-half of Mexico's exports to the U.S. and more than one-third of U.S. exports to Mexico. Most U.S.-Canada trade was already duty-free. NAFTA also seeks to eliminate non-tariff trade barriers and to protect the intellectual property right of the products.

Source: http://www5.agr.gc.ca/resources/prod/Internet-Internet/MISB-DGSIM/ATS-SEA/images/5489001-eng.gif

This graphic shows the different products associated with each province and territory of Canada. Dairy products and grains are the most commonly cultivated crops in Canada.

Source: http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/images/ressources/quotidien/agriculture-eng.jpg

The 2011 Census of Agriculture found fewer than 1% of Canadians are farm operators. Yet, all Canadians participate in the agri-food sector when they go grocery shopping and make food choices.

Source: http://www.nongmoproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Bilingual-300x145.jpg

Much like in the USA, genetically modified foods are an area of controversy in Canada. Canada regulates products derived from biotechnology processes as part of its existing regulatory framework for “novel products.”  The focus is on the traits expressed in the products and not on the method used to introduce those traits. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for regulating genetically modified (GM) plants and approving GM feed for animals.  Health Canada is mandated to assess the safety of foods for human consumption, including genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in foodstuff, and for authorizing them to be sold in Canada. Advertising or labeling the presence of GMOs in particular food is voluntary unless there is a health or safety concern.

sources: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/canada.php, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/96-325-x/96-325-x2014001-eng.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement

Human Development

What is human development? Human development is about bettering the lives of society, allowing people to live long, flourishing lives. Different countries value different characteristics of human development. Some were countries depend more on economic factors to determine the well being of their societies. However, human development is about more than just economic advances and faults. Here is a video that explains this in more detail.

Canada is a country with very high human development. As mentioned above, human development is measured in many different categories. Here are three important characteristics in the human development of Canada.

1. Precent of population over 65
2. Prison population rate
3. Adolescent birth rate

Canada and the United States of America are often compared because of their proximity to each other and their cultural similarities. However, in these three aforementioned human developmental statistics, the two North American countries are vastly different. 

Population of Elderly

In Canada, as of 2013, the elderly (65 and older) make up only 5.3% of the population, while in the United States, the elderly make up almost 45% of the population. This is a troubling factor for the United States for economic, healthcare and societal reasons. 

Prison Population Rate



In Canada, as of 2013, per 100,000 people, there are 118 inmates. The United States is very much an outlier in this category. In the US there are 716 inmates per 100,000 people. This is another troubling factor for the US, which has been in the news for it's issues with its Justice and Law Enforcement departments. 

Adolescent Birth Rate



As you can see from the graph, teen pregnancy is a problem in many countries throughout the world, but most countries do not have a life expectancy as high as Canada and the United States. This means that in lesser developed countries, people are having babies at an earlier age not only because maybe their relationships move at a faster pace than in counties where you will probably live until you are 80, but also because in developing countries, preventing pregnancy is not as easy.