Central Canada
Only a few swirls of ice in remain in Hudson Bay, Canada, on July 22, 2003. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of Canada also shows numerous large fires (red dots) burning in Manitoba (far left) and Ontario (center). At right is Quebec.
Central Canada (sometimes the Central provinces) is a region consisting of Canada’s two largest and most populous provinces: Ontario and Quebec. Geographically, they are not at the centre of the country but instead overlaps with Eastern Canada toward the east.
Due to their high populations, Ontario and Quebec have traditionally held a significant amount of political power in Canada, leading to some amount of resentment from other regions of the country. Before Confederation, the term “Canada” specifically referred to Central Canada. Today, the term “Central Canada” is less often used than the names of the individual provinces. This has led to a sense of Western alienation. Combined, the two provinces have approximately 23 million inhabitants which represents 62% of Canada’s population. They are represented in the House of Commons of Canada by 199 Members of Parliament (Ontario: 121, Quebec: 78) out of a total of 338. The southern portions of the two provinces — particularly the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor — are the most urbanized and industrialized are
