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Nov 3, 1500
First Occupants Era (~ 1500)
Before the Europeans, the Amerindians had a unique culture of their own. They had various myths and legends to explain phenomena and the role of Shaman was very important. They also had unique charms such as dreamcatchers. They didn't have a concept of private property and believed everything has a spirit. Traditions were incredibly important to them, as was respect or elders as well as the concept of the Circle of Life. Everything was passed on orally, due to the lack of a written language. -
French Regime, Part One (1608 - 1760)
During this regime, the influence of Catholicism on culture was immense. The clergy was everywhere, running all the schools, hospitals and parishes. The brightest were trained to become priests, everyone was extremely religious the art in New France was religious. The funding came from the church tax (tithe). While the King still controlled the colony, he could not be physically be there, so the Canadians gradually developed their own culture. and the people lost their connections with France. -
French Regime, Part 2 (1608 - 1760)
Settlers in New France had happy lives despite the large amount of physical labour it required. It forced them to become self-dependent and autonomous. By 1760, they were referred to as Canadiens because of how distinct they were from the people of France. They were in constant contact with the natives and chose their way of life, especially voyagers and "couriers du bois". There weren't even any police in the colony and the King's control was limited, encouraging this independent spirit. -
British Regime (1760 - 1867)
Once the British took over, the culture of the French Canadians didn't die out. They stayed in Canada as they has nowhere else to go, and this decision would lead to conflicts in the future. Outside of Quebec, the culture there was very similar to that of Britain's, with it being influenced by liberalism, which promotes personal freedom, anticlericalism, which advocates for the separation of church and state and imperialism, which is the policy of the rule of an empire over many nations. -
Canadian Federation (1867 - Now)
During this era, French and English Canadian nationalism gained lots of traction, as newspapers such as Le Devoir spoke out against imperialism and events such as the conscription crisis occurred. Eventually, Canada became independent once it attained the status of Westminster. Liberal ideas spread throughout the nation and Canada became very capitalistic, especially once the industrial revolution hit. Quebec nationalism hit peaks in 1980 and 1995 with the independence referendums. -
World War I
During World War I, Canada was forced to support Britain's war effort since they were a colony. Because of Canada gaining recognition due to their fantastic soldiers as well as events such as the conscription crisis of 1917, French-Canadian and English-Canadian nationalism (devotion to one's own nation and its interests over those of other nation) gained traction. On top of that, the feminist movement started due to women starting to work in factories while their husbands were off at war. -
World War II
Around this time, World War 2 broke out in Europe. Adolf Hitler's NSDAP rose to power in Germany and later invaded Poland, triggering Great Britain to declare war on them. Once again, feminism got more popular since women were working to support the war effort, and this presence of women in the workplace would continue after the war. While Facism, the idea that a dictator (single person) should control the entire country, gained popularity in Europe, it was not popular in Canada. -
Quiet Revolution
During the Quiet Revolution, Quebec's culture went through drastic changes. It went from being a society with a conservative, agriculturalist culture to being more liberal and open to the world. Equal rights and sexual liberty became popular among the Quebec population. The government took over areas once controlled by the church (school, hospitals, etc.) and even enacted a socialist (government owning the means of production) policy when they nationalised the hydroelectric sector. -
Current Status
At the moment, Canada is a very liberal and progressive society. The country is very ethnically diverse ever since Pierre E. Trudeau abolished our once discriminatory immigration policies. Quebec nationalism doesn't have much of a presence anymore, and our current PM Justin Trudeau, who has a majority government as of writing, has claimed that Canada is a "post-national country". We are capitalistic, although there is some socialist influence. Our culture is also heavily influenced by the US.
