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Countertrade, see BARTER.

The Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs was established in 1967 to bring together under one minister the administering of federal policies regulating the marketplace.

Canadian consumers obtain consumer credit whenever they purchase goods or services on account, or whenever they borrow funds to finance purchases already made. The most common type of consumer credit arrangements involve cash loans, usually to finance retail purchases on instalments.

Consumer standards are documents describing acceptable characteristics or usage for products, materials and services used by individual consumers. They may specify dimensional, performance or safety requirements for household products.

Continentalism is a term used to describe the theory of closer ties (eg, in the form of closer trade links, energy sharing or common water-use policies) with the US.

Consumer Price Index, a monthly measure of changes in the retail prices of goods and services purchased by Canadians in communities of 30 000 or more across the country.

The Continental Bank of Canada, with head offices in Toronto, began operations as a subsidiary of a finance company, IAC Limited (founded in 1925 as Industrial Acceptance Corp Ltd). In 1981 it absorbed IAC and was chartered as a bank.

Construction is one of Canada’s largest and most important industries. From houses to skyscrapers, schools, hospitals, factories and shopping centres, construction also involves a wide variety of engineering projects including highways, nuclear power stations, dams, dredging, petrochemical plants and pipelines.

De Havilland Dash 7, DHC-7, STOL aircraft designed for efficient transport from city centres. It first flew March 1975 after a long development costing $120 million, four-fifths of which was paid by the federal government. Its

De Havilland Caribou, DHC-4, twin-engined STOL aircraft capable of taking off in only 220 m. It was characterized by the sharp upward angle of the rear fuselage, providing access for large loads. It first flew July 1958, and was used mostly in a military role.

The dollar became the official monetary unit of the Province of Canada on 1 January 1858 and the official currency of Canada after Confederation.

The Cunard group became a public company in 1878, adopting the name Cunard Steamship Company Limited. It ultimately absorbed Canadian Northern Steamships Ltd and its competitor, the White Star Line.

Coureurs des bois were itinerant, unlicenced fur traders from New France. They were known as “wood-runners” to the English on Hudson Bay and “bush-lopers” to the Anglo-Dutch of New York. Unlike voyageurs, who were licensed to transport goods to trading posts, coureurs des bois were considered outlaws of sorts because they did not have permits from colonial authorities. The independent coureurs des bois played an important role in the European exploration of the continent. They were also vital in establishing trading contacts with Indigenous peoples.

Crop Insurance An all-risk crop-insurance program is available to Canadian farmers under the authority of the federal Crop Insurance Act (of 1959) and through concurrent and complementary legislation enacted by each province.

In the 1890s, when rich mineral deposits were discovered in the Kootenay region of southern BC, American developers began to move into the region and extend rail lines northward from their transcontinentals.

Fruit growing is an important part of Canada’s food industry. Growing is usually restricted to areas where winter temperatures do not go much below -20°C.

Dome Petroleum Limited was a Canadian energy company with head offices in Calgary. Started in 1950 as Dome Exploration (Western) Ltd, the company became Dome Petroleum Limited in 1958 and grew by making acquisitions in the energy industry.

Domtar Inc is a Canadian manufacturer of paper products with headquarters in Montréal. Founded in 1929 as the Dominion Tar and Chemical Company Ltd to acquire the assets of a former business of the same name, the company became Domtar Ltd in 1965 and adopted its present name in 1977.

Dominion Stores Limited/Les Supermarchés Dominion Ltée, with head offices in Toronto, is a Canadian food distributor and merchandiser incorporated in 1919. The company was so named from 1976 to 1986, when it adopted the name Domgroup Ltd.