Canada - Far North

Canada has an area of almost four million square miles, and has an estimated population of almost 35 million people. The greater majority of the people living in Canada reside within two hundred miles of the United States border.

Canada has two official languages — English and French — and therefore many of its citizens are bilingual. The Canadian government welcomes many new immigrants from almost every nation on a regular basis. Therefore, Canada is extremely multicultural, and takes pride in the many different ethnic groups which are represented within its borders.

Canada is made up of ten provinces and three territories. The province on the west coast of Canada is British Columbia. A large percentage of those living in the southern part of this province are of Chinese origin. Canada's third largest city, Vancouver, British Columbia, is among those cities whose population is tremendously multicultural.

The province located to the east of British Columbia is Alberta. Alberta, along with Saskatchewan and Manitoba make up the three Prairie Provinces of Canada. The Prairie Provinces are known mainly for their large areas of flat farmland, which produce large amounts of grain and beef. As we think of the grain that is harvested from these provinces, we are reminded of the large harvest of souls needing to be reaped for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The next province to the east of the Prairie Provinces is Ontario, home of the popular and majestic Niagara Falls. Also located in this province is Canada's fourth largest city, Ottawa, which is the capital of Canada. Roughly one-third of Canada's residents call Ontario their home, making Ontario the highest populated province in the country. Toronto is the capital of Ontario, and is the location of the famous CN Tower. Along with being the largest city in Canada, Toronto is probably the most multicultural city as well.

East of Ontario is the province of Quebec — a province proud of its French heritage. One way in which this pride is manifested, is in the speaking of French as their official language. Their French heritage is also displayed through their deep rooted loyalty to the Roman Catholic religion. Quebec is Canada's largest province in size, and the second largest in population. Although this province's population exceeds seven million people, it has only a handful of Independent Baptist Churches.

As we move toward the Atlantic Ocean, we find the last four Canadian provinces. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island are the three provinces which make up the Maritime Provinces. When the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is added to the Maritime Provinces, the four provinces together are given the title of the Atlantic Provinces. All four of the Atlantic Provinces have many little towns and villages which need men and women of God who are willing to go and be faithful church planters.

The northern region of Canada includes the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The three northern territories make up approximately one-third of Canada's land mass, but only about 100,000 people live there. This area of Canada is remote but reachable. Has God designed you to serve in this part of His harvest field?

The task of proclaiming the Gospel to all of Canada is bigger than the land itself. Canada's diversity calls for an army of diverse men and women who are up for the challenge of getting the salvation message into every village, town, and city. Of course, this can only be accomplished one village, one town, and one city at a time. The missionary who goes to a large, multicultural city in Canada has the unique opportunity to minister to the many different nations of the world in that one location. Or perhaps a missionary could minister to a specific ethnic group in one particular city, such as the Cantonese in Vancouver, or the French in Montreal, or the Filipinos in Toronto. Additionally, people who are from areas of the world which are officially closed to missionary activity can be freely reached in the larger cities of Canada .

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