, popular vote to serve a maximum of
five-year terms starting in 2009 elections)
elections: House of Commons - last held 14 October 2008 (next to be
held 19 October 2009)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -
Conservative Party 37.6%, Liberal Party 26.2%, New Democratic Party
18.2%, Bloc Quebecois 10%, Greens 6.8%, other 1%; seats by party -
Conservative Party 143, Liberal Party 76, New Democratic Party 37,
Bloc Quebecois 50, other 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister
through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal
Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court
of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and
Court of Justice)

Political parties and leaders:

Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Conservative Party of Canada
[Stephen HARPER] (a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the
Progressive Conservative Party); Green Party [Elizabeth MAY];
Liberal Party [Stephane DION]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: agricultural sector; automobile industry; business groups;
chemical industry; commercial banks; communications sector; energy
industry; environmentalists; public administration groups; steel
industry; trade unions

International organization participation:

ACCT, ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), APEC,
Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS,
C, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), FAO,
G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAFTA, NAM (guest),
NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF
(partner), SECI (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael WILSON
chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740
FAX: [1] (202) 682-7701
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas,
Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix,
San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson
consulate(s): Anchorage, Houston, Philadelphia, Princeton (New
Jersey), Raleigh, San