Is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 98 million square kilometres 3

Foreign relations and military
Main articles: Foreign relations of Canada, Canadian Armed Forces, and Military history of Canada

The Canadian delegation to the United Nations Conference on International Organization, San Francisco, May 1945
Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in international affairs with a tendency to pursue multilateral solutions.^[212] Canada's foreign policy based on international peacekeeping and security is carried out through coalitions and international organizations, and through the work of numerous federal institutions.^[213][214] Canada's peacekeeping role during the 20th century has played a major role in its global image.^[215][216] The strategy of the Canadian government's foreign aid policy reflects an emphasis to meet the Millennium Development Goals, while also providing assistance in response to foreign humanitarian crises.^[217]
Canada was a founding member of the United Nations and has membership in the World Trade Organization, the G20 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).^[212] Canada is also a member of various other international and regional organizations and forums for economic and cultural affairs.^[218] Canada acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1976.^[219] Canada joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1990 and hosted the OAS General Assembly in 2000 and the 3rd Summit of the Americas in 2001.^[220] Canada seeks to expand its ties to Pacific Rim economies through membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC).^[221]
Canada and the United States share the world's longest undefended border, co-operate on military campaigns and exercises, and are each other's largest trading partner.^[222][223] Canada nevertheless has an independent foreign policy.^[224] For example, it maintains full relations with Cuba and declined to participate in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.^[225]
Canada maintains historic ties to the United Kingdom and France and to other former British and French colonies through Canada's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.^[226] Canada is noted for having a positive relationship with the Netherlands, owing, in part, to its contribution to the Dutch liberation during World War II.^[95]
Canada's strong attachment to the British Empire and Commonwealth led to major participation in British military efforts in the Second Boer War (1899–1902), World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945).^[227] Since then, Canada has been an advocate for multilateralism, making efforts to resolve global issues in collaboration with other nations.^[228][229] During the Cold War, Canada was a major contributor to UN forces in the Korean War and founded the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in cooperation with the United States to defend against potential aerial attacks from the Soviet Union.^[230]

A Canadian McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet in Cold Lake, Alberta
During the Suez Crisis of 1956, future prime minister Lester B. Pearson eased tensions by proposing the inception of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, for which he was awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize.^[231] As this was the first UN peacekeeping mission, Pearson is often credited as the inventor of the concept.^[232] Canada has since served in over 50 peacekeeping missions, including every UN peacekeeping effort until 1989,^[88] and has since maintained forces in international missions in Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, and elsewhere; Canada has sometimes faced controversy over its involvement in foreign countries, notably in the 1993 Somalia affair.^[233]
In 2001, Canada deployed troops to Afghanistan as part of the U.S. stabilization force and the UN-authorized, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.^[234] In February 2007, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Russia announced their joint commitment to a $1.5-billion project to help develop vaccines for developing nations, and called on other countries to join them.^[235] In August 2007, Canada's territorial claims in the Arctic were challenged after a Russian underwater expedition to the North Pole; Canada has considered that area to be sovereign territory since 1925.^[236] In September 2020, Canada joined the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) program, which aims to ensure equal access to a potential COVID-19 vaccine for all member countries and to help lower-income countries secure doses.^[237]
The nation employs a professional, volunteer military force of approximately 79,000 active personnel and 32,250 reserve personnel.^[238] The unified Canadian Forces (CF) comprise the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Canadian Air Force. In 2013, Canada's military expenditure totalled approximately CA$19 billion, or around one percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).^[239][240] Following the 2016 Defence Policy Review, called "Strong, Secure, Engaged", the Canadian government announced a 70 percent increase to the country's defence budget over the next decade.^[241] The Canadian Forces will acquire 88 fighter planes and 15 naval surface combatants based on the Type 26 frigate design, the latter as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.^[242][243] Canada's total military expenditure is expected to reach CA$32.7 billion by 2027.^[244] Canada's military currently has over 3000 personnel deployed overseas, including in Iraq, Ukraine, and the Caribbean Sea.^[245]