on, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Romeo LeBLANC (since 8 February 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November
1993)
cabinet : Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the
members of his own party sitting in Parliament
elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general
appointed by the queen on the advice of the prime minister; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House
of Commons is automatically designated by the governor general to
become prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the
Senate or Senat (a body whose members are appointed to serve until
reaching 75 years of age by the governor general and selected on the
advice of the prime minister; its normal limit is 104 senators) and
the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (295 seats; note - number
of seats will rise to 301 at the time of the next election; members
elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Commons - last held 25 October 1993 (next to be
held by 3 November 1998)
election results: percent of votes by party - Liberal Party 41%,
Reform Party 19%, Tories 16%, Bloc Quebecois 14%, New Democratic Party
7%, other 3%; seats by party - Liberal Party 177, Bloc Quebecois 53,
Reform Party 52, New Democratic Party 9, Progressive Conservative
Party 2, independents 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the prime
minister through the governor general

Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN]; Bloc
Quebecois [Michel GAUTHIER (until March 1997)]; Reform Party [Preston
MANNING]; New Democratic Party [Alexa MCDONOUGH]; Progressive
Conservative Party [Jean CHAREST]

International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer),
APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE
(observer), EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G- 7, G-
8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO,