Family practice in Canada is significantly different in many ways from practice in the United States and is similar in others. This article describes Canada's comprehensive, government-controlled health care system, in which patients have free access to care, and most physicians are still paid on a fee-for-service basis. The status of medical manpower in Canada and medical education for future family physicians in the 16 Canadian medical schools are described. The multiple roles of the College of Family Physicians of Canada are outlined. The article concludes with a description of the nature of family practice in Canada, comparing it with the United States.