production. Since
World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining,
and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural
economy into one primarily industrial and urban. Canada started the
1990s in recession, and real rates of growth have averaged only 1.1%
so far this decade. Because of slower growth, Canada still faces
high unemployment and a large public sector debt. With its great
natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant,
however, Canada will enjoy better economic prospects in the future.
The continuing constitutional impasse between English- and
French-speaking areas is raising the possibility of a split in the
confederation, making foreign investors somewhat edgy.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $694 billion (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate: 2.1% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita: $24,400 (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 26%
services: 72% (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (1995 est.)

Labor force: 13.38 million
by occupation: services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%,
construction 3%, other 4% (1988)

Unemployment rate: 9.5% (1995)

Budget:
revenues: $90.4 billion
expenditures: $114.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY94/95 est.)

Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products,
wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish
products, petroleum and natural gas

Industrial production growth rate: 5.9% (1994)

Electricity:
capacity: 108,090,000 kW
production: 511 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 16,133 kWh (1993)

Agriculture: wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables;
dairy products; forest products; commercial fisheries provide annual
catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug
market; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large
quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; growing role as a
transit point for heroin and cocaine entering the US market

Exports: $185 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum,
machinery, natural gas, aluminum, motor vehicles and parts;
telecommunications equipment
partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, China

Imports: $166.7 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities: c