Comparison of Canada and China - Essay Example

What the different between China and Canada Canada is a nation in North America and the second largest in the world in total area after Russia. The nation is situated in the northern part of the continent; it spreads from the Pacific to Atlantic and northward into all the way to the Arctic Ocean. The country has ten provinces and a total of three territories with its headquarter at Ottawa and largest city being Toronto (Fairbank et al., 24). As a country Canada has a lot of unique aspects that is worth exploring from Canadian culture to religion, society, politics, history and geography. Compared to the republic of China which is the country of my origin they are different in all aspects. In order to examine these differences, the paper shall look at the countries differently while considering the differences that the two countries have (Hayes, 54). One aspect that differentiates the two countries is on population. On one hand studies indicate that China is the worlds most populous country with more than 1.3 billion people as of mid-2011. China represents a full 20% of the worlds population so one in every five people on the planet is a resident of China. Chinas life expectancy for men stands at 73 years and that of women at 77years (Fairbank et al., 56). The percentage of those over the age of 65 is 9.4% and that of those under the age of 15 is 17.1% as at 2014, studies show that the birth rate is estimated at 12 births per every 1000 population. Chinas death rate is estimated to be 7 out of every 1000 individuals in the population. Its population growth rate stands at 0.44 as at 2014. On the other hand, Canada is the world’s second largest nation after Russia and has a population of 35.1 million as at 2014 (Hayes, 90). The largest city of Canada is Toronto closely followed by Montreal then Vancouver followed by Ottawa-Hull and then Edmonton. 76.6% of the population of Canada live in towns while just 23.4% live in rural areas. Studies show that 31% of this population lives in the cities of Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. The life expectancy of Canadian women is slightly higher than that of China women since it stands at 80 years as opposed to 77years of China. Life expectancy for men in Canada stands at 73 years. In Canada, for every 100 men there are 104 women making the population of women to override that of men. As of 2011, the city of Ontario was the most populated and the least populated was the city of Nunavut. Canada’s population growth and death rates differ in the various provinces with the growth rate being higher in the province of Alberta by the year 2013 and lowest in the Northwest Territories. Death rates are recorded higher in the province of Saskatchewan (Marks, 54). The second difference between the two countries is in education sector. On one hand, studies show that 51 percent of Canadas adult population had a tertiary qualification. From the year 2000, the tertiary attainment degree in Canada rose by 11%. Canada was one of the countries where tertiary attainment degree for women has been higher than that for men in the past few years. On the other hand, education in China is a system run by the Education Ministry. Every citizen is compelled to go to school for at least nine years, and that is funded by the government. These nine years include six years of primary schooling and another three years of junior secondary schooling (Marks, 75). However, this differs in some provinces whereby you find that in these provinces children attend five years of basic education and four years for middle education. It’s reported that 99% of the population attend primary school, and 80% attend both primary and middle schools. In the year 1985, the government did away with tax-funded higher education therefore it was a requirement for those who applied for university chances to compete for scholarships (Ford, 76). The final difference between Canada and China can be seen in the government structure and how individual governments are run. For instance in Canada, there are three arms of government working independently. That is sovereign, parliament and judiciary. Under the sovereign, there is the governor general who under him the Prime Minister works. The Prime minister supervises the cabinet with ministers. Separately there is a parliament with House of Commons and the senate. The Parliament of Canada is a bicameral national legislature situated on Parliament Hill in the capital of Ottawa, and then finally there is the judiciary that works independently. The judiciary has the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of Canada holds nine justices appointed by the governor general who is currently The Right Honorable David Johnston on recommendation by the prime minister. The Supreme Court is the nations court of last resort and led by the Chief Justice of Canada. The court hears appeals from decisions by the several appellate courts from the territories and provinces. It works in conjunction with Tax Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. In China, the government is different to that in Canada. The presidency serves as head of state and is the ceremonial office for a period of five years. It represented China Republic in foreign relations and charged with receiving foreign diplomats. The state council oversees subordinate peoples governments and is the chief authority. The supreme peoples court supervises lower courts in local municipalities and is the highest court of the land (Ford, 56). The chief justice is an appointee of the national peoples congress. Other judges and justices are nominated by the chief justice and are appointee of the standing committee of the Chinese national peoples congress. The national peoples congress exercised the highest authority of the government and charged with appointing president, the state council, and judges. It facilitates policy differences of the government and party, amends the Chinese constitution, and also supervises the enforcement of the constitution. The national peoples congress is composed of 2987 members, indirectly elected by the regional legislatures (Ferroa et al., 78). In a conclusion, differences exist between Canada and China and this is not only from their cultures but stretches to the aspects of religion how government is run, and the education system that the two countries have. Work cited Fairbank, John K, and Merle Goldman. China: A New History. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006. Print. Ferroa, Peggy G, and Elaine Chan. China. New York: Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, 2002. Print. Ford, Richard. Canada. London: Bloomsbury, 2012. Print. Ford, Richard. Canada. New York: HarperCollins, 2012. Internet resource. Hayes, Derek. Canada: An Illustrated History. Vancouver: Douglas & Mcintyre, 2008. Print. Marks, Robert. China: Its Environment and History. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012. Print. Read More