Western Canada, defined politically

Western Canada, commonly referred to as the West, is a region of Canada normally including all parts of Canada west of the province of Ontario. National regions Provinces and territories are normally grouped into the following Regions (generally from west to east Northern Canada Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second largest country in total area. Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec From west to east, this comprises four provinces:

• British Columbia (20 July 1871)
• Alberta (1 September 1905)
• Saskatchewan (1 September 1905)
• Manitoba (15 July 1870)

The latter three are collectively the Prairie provinces, or simply the Prairies, though the term is increasingly used for Manitoba and Saskatchewan only. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America The Canadian Prairies is a region in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions natural or political

In some contexts, the term Western Canada may also include the territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, although these are now more commonly grouped as the distinct region of Northern Canada. Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. The Northwest Territories (ˌnɔrθˌwɛstˈtɛrɨtɔriz ( NWT or NT; French, les Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a territory Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northern Canada is the vast Northernmost Region of Canada variously defined by Geography and Politics.

Definitions

The source of this division of regions is the division of seats in the Canadian Senate, as set out in the Canadian Constitution.

Demographics

The combined population of Western Canada as of 2005 is nearly 10 million, including approximately 4. 1 million in British Columbia, 3. 3 million in Alberta, 1. 0 million in Saskatchewan and 1. 1 million in Manitoba. This represents about 30 per cent of the entire Canadian population (source: Statistics Canada, April 1, 2005 estimates).

Major population centres

Census Metropolitan Areas, 2005 population estimates^[1]

• Vancouver: 2,208,300
• Calgary: 1,079,310
• Edmonton: 1,034,900
• Winnipeg: 706,900
• Victoria: 334,700
• Saskatoon: 235,800
• Regina: 199,000
• Kelowna: 165,221
• Abbotsford: 162,800

Geography

Western British Columbia adjoins the Pacific Ocean but both Alberta and Saskatchewan are landlocked. The census geographic units of Canada are the Country subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Winnipeg (ˈwɪnɨpɛg is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and 7th largest municipality in Canada with a population Victoria (vɪkˈtɔɹiə is the capital city of British Columbia. Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River, with a Regina (rɨˈdʒaɪnə is the capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. Kelowna (2007 population 106707 metropolitan population of 165596 is a City on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia Abbotsford ( is a Canadian city in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, adjacent to Metro Vancouver. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions A landlocked country is commonly defined as one enclosed or nearly enclosed by land Manitoba is almost landlocked but for a small coastal area of Hudson Bay on the north east border, where the port of Churchill is located. Churchill ( 2006 Population 923 is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, situated at the Estuary of the Churchill

The coast of British Columbia enjoys a moderate oceanic climate due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean, with temperatures similar to those of the British Isles. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate and maritime climate) is the Climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan Winters are typically wet and summers relatively dry. These areas enjoy the mildest winter weather in all of Canada, as temperatures rarely fall much below the freezing mark. The Interior of the province is drier and has colder winters and substantially hotter summers.

Alberta borders the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the southern portion benefits from frequent moderate climatic conditions known as "chinooks" where warm winds raise the winter temperature sufficiently to allow a full range of winter sports and the occasional game of golf. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. Alberta's weather is exceptionally changeable, and short-sleeve weather can occur in January and February, or conversely it can (albeit rarely) snow in July and August.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba have a continental climate and experience extremes in weather. Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America Winters in both provinces can be classified as harsh with Arctic winds and −40 °C temperatures possible. The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. Winter temperatures in both provinces average between −10 °C and −15 °C. The very cold Manitoba winters have led to the capital city Winnipeg being nicknamed "Winterpeg, or Manisnowba". In contrast summers can be hot with temperatures sometimes exceeding 35 °C, although it rarely occurs. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada was 45 °C, observed in 1943 at the weather stations of Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan and neighbouring Cedoux. Yellow Grass economy Yellow Grass has a primary agrarian economy with most of the residents working as farmers or providing services to farmers

Politics

In Canadian politics, the term "the West" is used as shorthand for the Conservative leanings of Western Canadians, as contrasted with the greater likelihood for candidates from either the Liberal Party of Canada or the New Democratic Party (NDP) to be elected in Central Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada ( Parti conservateur du Canada) colloquially known as the " Tories " is a conservative The Liberal Party of Canada ( Parti libéral du Canada) colloquially known as the Grits (originally " Clear Grits " is a major Canadian political Principles policies and electoral achievement The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots Exceptions exist, particularly in British Columbia, as well as in the prairie cities of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Regina, Saskatchewan, where the Liberal Party currently hold seats, as well as in other major urban centres such as Edmonton, Alberta, where Liberal and NDP candidates have been elected in recent history. Winnipeg (ˈwɪnɨpɛg is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and 7th largest municipality in Canada with a population Regina (rɨˈdʒaɪnə is the capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The social democratic NDP had its origins on the Canadian Prairies and enjoys support in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left

Regarding provincial politics, as of March 2008, the British Columbia Liberal Party formed the provincial government in British Columbia, the Progressive Conservatives held a large majority in the Alberta legislature, the Saskatchewan Party, a small-c conservative party, holds power in Saskatchewan and the NDP forms the government in Manitoba. The British Columbia Liberal Party (also referred to as the BC Liberals) is the governing Political party in British Columbia, Canada. The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial right-of-centre party in the Canadian province of Alberta. The Saskatchewan Party is a Centre-right Political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

The western provinces are represented in the Parliament of Canada by 92 Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons (BC 36, Alberta 28, Saskatchewan and Manitoba 14 each) and 24 senators (6 from each province). The Parliament of Canada (Parlement du Canada is Canada 's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and Of the 92 western MPs in the Commons, 66 are Conservatives, 13 are Liberals, and 13 are New Democrats. David Emerson, the current Minister of International Trade in the federal cabinet, was elected as a Liberal in his BC riding but crossed over to the Conservative Party shortly after the election. David Lee Emerson, PC, MP (born September 17 1945, in Montreal Quebec) is a Canadian Politician, who was The Minister of International Trade (Ministre du Commerce international is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet is the head of the federal government's

The West has been the most vocal in calls for reform of the Senate, in which Ontario, Quebec, and particularly Atlantic Canada are seen by westerners as being over-represented. The Senate of Canada (Le Sénat du Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the sovereign (represented by the governor general Atlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the region of Canada comprising four provinces located on the Atlantic coast: The population of Ontario alone (12. 5 million) exceeds that of all the Western provinces combined, and the population of Quebec (7. 6 million) has significantly less population than the combined population of the West. The total population of Atlantic Canada, however, is 2. 3 million, and this region is represented by 30 senators. Westerners have advocated the so-called Triple-E Senate, which stands for "equal, elected, effective. The Triple-E Senate (standing for equal, elected, and effective) is a topic of Constitutional debate in Canada and a proposed " They feel if all 10 provinces were allotted an equal number of senators, if those senators were elected instead of appointed, and if the Senate were a body that had more direct political power (for example via an arrangement more similar to the structure of the Australian Senate or the United States Senate rather than the UK model), then their region would have more of its concerns addressed at the federal level. The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Other westerners find this approach simplistic and either advocate keeping the status quo or may support other models for senate reform. The combination of all of these issues has led to the concept known as Western alienation, as well as calls for Western Canada independence by various fringe groups. Western alienation, in Canadian politics, is the concept of the Western provinces, namely British Columbia (B Throughout the history of Canada, there have been movements seeking secession from Canada.

Climatic and economic conditions contributed to a net out-migration from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Alberta and British Columbia, which have stronger economies. The population of Saskatchewan is only slightly larger than it was in 1931. This trend of net out-migration in Saskatchewan is reversing due to a lower cost of living than its western neighbours, strong job growth and a vibrant economy.

See also

• Eastern Canada
• Northern Canada
• Central Canada
• Atlantic Canada
• List of regions of Canada
• Secessionist movements of Canada - Includes several movements in Western Canada
• History of the west coast of North America

Notes