Canada and Its Key Sectors

Canada and the United States share the longest common border in the world. Officially known as the International Boundary, it is generally unmilitarized. It is 8,891 kilometres long including 2,477 kilometres shared with Alaska.

The Canadian economy is the seventh largest in the world and the Quebec economy is considered to be the 38 the largest in the world. These economies are highly integrated with the US economy. 79% of Canadian exports go to the United States which accounts for approximately 65% of their imports.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, as head of state, and a parliamentary democracy with a federal system of parliamentary government and strong democratic traditions.

Canada's constitution governs the legal framework of the country and consists of written text and unwritten traditions and conventions. The basic framework of the Canadian constitution is contained in the British North America Act 1867, renamed the Constitution Act 1867 in 1982. It states that Canada has a constitution "similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom" and divides the powers between the federal and provincial governments. The Constitution includes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees basic rights and freedoms for Canadians that, generally, cannot be overridden by legislation of any level of government in Canada. It contains, however, a "notwithstanding clause", which allows the federal parliament and the provincial legislatures the power to override some other sections of the Charter temporarily, for a period of five years.

The position of Prime Minister, Canada's head of government belongs to the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and their Cabinet are formally appointed by the Governor General (who is the Monarch's representative in Canada). However, the Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, and by convention, the Governor General respects the Prime Minister's choices. The Cabinet is traditionally drawn from members of the Prime Minister's party in both legislative houses, and mostly from the House of Commons, to which they are responsible. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and Cabinet, all of whom are sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, and become Ministers of the Crown. The Prime Minister exercises vast political power, especially in the appointment of other officials within the government and civil service. Julie Payette CC CMM COM CQ CD (CC: Order of Canada, CMM: Order of Military Merit, COM: Order of Merit of the Police Forces, CQ: National Order of Quebec, CD: Canadian Forces Decoration) is the present Governor General since October 2, 2017 and Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party, has been Prime Minister since November 4, 2015. 

The federal parliament is made up of the Queen and two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. Each member in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in a "riding" or electoral district; general elections are called by the Governor General when the Prime Minister so advises. While there is no minimum term for a Parliament, a new election must be called within five years of the last general election. Members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, are chosen by the Prime Minister and formally appointed by the Governor General, and serve until age 75.
Canada's four major political parties are the Conservative Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party (NDP), and the Bloc Québécois. The current government is formed by the Liberal Party of Canada. While the Green Party of Canada and other smaller parties do not have current representation in Parliament, the list of historical parties with elected representation is substantial.

Key sectors are those that our governments have decided to invest their resources into to improve the economy over the long term. The chamber’s main focus is exploring business opportunities in the common priority sectors between Hungary, Quebec and Canada. Our objective is to get government and industry to co-operate with each other to bring long term commercial benefits.

Key sectors in common between Hungary, Quebec and Canada include:

Automotive and Ground Transportation Equipment
Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Information Communication and Technology (ICT)
Electronics
Agri-Food
Other sectors of interest include:


Renewable Energy: as the cost of fossil fuels increase and becomes more difficult to procure this sector continues becoming more interesting
Service Sector: a Hungarian priority sector. Because of Canada’s experience in the Service Sector there should be a lot of opportunities for Canadian companies.
Specialty tourism

Both Hungary and Quebec could offer each other thematic tours. Such as hunting and fishing, bicycling, wine tasting, beauty and rehabilitation spas.By concentrating on these common priority sectors a common framework is established to be able to identify investment opportunities. The Hungarian Canadian Chamber of Commerce is always open to new ideas. For more information please feel free to contact us.

Canada has created a unique business environment that allows companies to grow on the world stage. To attract the best and brightest, Canada has focused its policies, business incentives and university support around key industries, including: