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Sep 26, 1500
First occupants
Trading system and notion of ownership : barter system or the value of objects defined according to one’s needs.
Trade network between families, groups, and the various tribes
Economic role of individuals (men=hunters, women=farmers, elderly watched after the children).
Means of transportation: The canoe and snowshoes -
Period: Sep 26, 1500 to
Economy and development
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French Regime: economy based on fur trade
The effects of the economy based on the fur trade:
Insufficiently dense population, required the Natives alliance to do the hunting.
Exploration and enlargement of territory to search for more and more furs. New France was constantly expanding.
Establishment of trading posts: foundation of the towns of Quebec and Three Rivers. -
French regime: alliances and rivalries
Alliances with certain aboriginal groups meant that the Europeans were at times pulled into Native conflicts and the other way around the Natives were pulled into battles for European. -
French regime:chartered companies
Charted company system was based on privileges (were the only ones with rights to the fur trade) and obligations (they were supposed to administer and develop the colony)
They kept the population small and mostly male. They ignored the development of the colony. -
French regime:Organization and occupation of territory
The impact of the economic activity on the organization of the society and the territory was an immense territory with few people. -
French regime: economic policies
Mercantilism: European Countries thought it was important to possess as much gold as possible. This was accomplished by exporting more than you import. Take in natural resources from colonies you had control over and sell finished goods.
New france has a small population with a growing territory, with the purpose to export natural resource back to France.
13 Colonies Remained focused on diverse farming as well as fur trading. territory stayed the same with a large population -
French regime: agricultural activity
Subsistence agriculture…planting just enough to provide for your family.
Attempts to diversify the economy by Jean Talon (triangular trade) would fail. There was simply too much demand for the fur trade and not enough people with different skills to diversify -
British regime: economy based on fur trade
Fur-trade economy passes into the hands of the English.
Creation of the North-West Company (1783) after the American Revolution and merge with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821.
Decline in the fur trade by the beginning of the 19th century. -
British regime: economy based on timber
Blockade by Napoleon in 1806 and the rise in the demand for timber.
Creation of the Bank of Montreal in 1817 to allow people to invest and obtain credit.
New jobs: lumberjack, loggers, sawmills.
Improvement and development of transportation: canals, railroads, steamships. -
British regime: economic policies
Trade with Britain was doing extremely well until:
-Britain ends it’s preferential/protectionist treatment with Canada in order to explore new markets, they establish Free Trade. (no customs or duties)
Canada needed a new trade alliance and looked to its neighbor:
-Canada signs a Reciprocity treaty with the USA in 1854 (to last 10 yrs). This treaty meant customs/duties between the two countries temp. ceased. Proved advan. For Canadian producers, because the states were such a large market. -
British regime: Opening of regions of colonization
Overpopulation of seigneuries, led to the opening up of new regions.
Timber industry causes the development of new Regions (Mauricie, Outaouais, Laurentides). -
British regime: first phase of industrialization
Came to Qc. in late 19th century
Skilled craftsmen using costly/time consuming methods to factories, first assembly lines, more efficient, dangerous, boring work.
These first manufacturing industries were powered by coal/steam engines
Many industries in Montreal (food processing)(Quebec stopped farming wheat and specialized in Diary, textiles, wood) -
Contemporary period: exploitation of resource
The impact of exploitation of resources on the organization of the society and territory.
Exploitation of resources by sector and by period (agriculture, forest, mining, hydroelectricity, etc.). natural resources are exploited (ore, pulp & paper)
Source of capital in different economic sectors.
Birth of Crown corporations. (company owned by king) -
British regime: beginning of industrialization
The impact of industrialization on the organization of the society and of the territory: the origins of the capital($) came from Britain.
There were two phases of industrialization in quebec -
Contemporary period: industrial developpement
The impact of industrial development on the organization of society and territory.
The phases of industrial development.:
- 1st phase (1867-1900)
- 2nd phase (1900-1930)
- war period (1939-1945)
- post-war period (1945-1970) World war 2
- since 1970
Source of capital was now from the USA -
British regime: population chages
From 1871-1901 Pop. of Qc & Cdn. rose 30-49%
People kept leaving Que. (Farms still over crowded)
Better jobs elsewhere so we saw large emigration too.
Unions and strikes were looked down on. If you could form one, it would be better working conditions
The rich lived well but most did not.
Pollution was everywhere, no piped water, poor sanitation, diseases were rampant, most of the working class were malnourished.
1/3 of children didn’t live to their first birthday, there was a high death rate. -
Contemporary period: 2nd phase of industrialization part 1
The second phase of industrialization in Canada was characterized by a rapid expansion of industries that developed because of new sources of energy: hydroelectricity and oil
Canadian industries had to They had to keep their costs low to compete with American and British industries.
To lower production costs, they built factories close to the source of material (near forests, mines)
Development of railways allowed the products to be distributed at a lower cost. -
contemporary period: 2nd phase of industrialization part:2
There were 3 conditions that caused economic growth during 2nd phase of industrialization: Wheat, Foreign investment and First World War (Canada’s participation in the war was what stimulated the economy, Canada was a major supplier for the allied troops, Mining, iron and steel, clothing industries all grew and Agriculture benefited as there was more demand for wheat and pork) -
Contemporary period: the great depression
Cause: The stock market crash of 1929
How did it happen? People were buying shares in companies on borrowed money, when debts were called in the stocks plummeted!
“Black Thursday”Stocks dropped below zero, people were ruined.
The boom that had occurred as a result of the first world war came to an abrupt end, the 1930’s are characterized as the Great Depression for this reason.
Most sectors of the economy were hit hard (Wheat Farmers esp., made worse by drought/plague of insects) -
Contemporary period: gouvernement solution to the great depression part 1
Public works projects to boost economy:
Work Camps
Direct Aid
Encouraged Farming
Finally the start of WWII in 1939 led to a huge economic boost and the depression ended.
After the war there was an economic boost and period of traditionalism/ conservatism under Maurice Duplessis -
Contemporary period: the quiet revolution
The Quiet Revolution, also known as La Révolution Tranquille, began in Quebec in 1960 with the electoral defeat of the Union Nationale by Jean Lesage and his Liberal Party. It can be best described as a rapid and far-reaching process of social, economic, and political reform in Quebec from the early to the late 1960s. It can be called the beginning of the welfare state, where we see a massive increase in government intervention -
Contemporary period: urban expansion
The impact of urban expansion on the organization of society and territory.
Development in the cities ; concentration of services (transportation, hospitals, education…), infrastructure (aqueducts, sewers).
Development of suburbs.
Rural exodus. -
Contemporary period: worker's demand
The impact of workers’ demands on the organization of society and territory.
Development of unions: the first unions (CTCC) to the larger central unions (CSN, FTQ, CSQ).
The nature of the demands (working conditions, living conditions…).
The strikes and lockouts -
Contemporary period: opening of new regions
The impact of the opening of new regions on the organization of society and territory.
Regional development linked to the development of different industries and the explotation of resources.. (Abitibi, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Mauricie, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie…). -
Contemporary period: economic cycles
An economic cycle is the natural fluctuation of the economy between periods of expansion and contraction.
Phases of economic growth (1st and 2nd phase of industrialization, 1st World War, Roaring twenties, 2nd World War and the Post-war period, Quiet revolution, positive effects of globalisation).
Phases of recession (Economic crises: 1873-1879, 1929, The 30s, oil crisis of 1973, recession since the years 1980 and 1990, negative effects of globalization). -
Contemporary period: economic policies
The impact of economic policies on the organization of society and territory.
The Nationalist politics of MacDonald (1878).
Three Main Points:
-Increase Custom Duties: Protect/Promote Canadian Industries by ensuring Canadians bought Canadian goods.
-Build Railways: The Canadian Pacific Railway was to run coast to coast, unify people, increase trade.
-Encourage Immigration: Especially in Western Canada, bigger population = bigger market. -
Contemporary period: government changes
To make the Quebec gov’t the major force behind Quebec's social and economic development by greatly increasing the role of the state in both of these sectors (Hydro-Quebec became gov’t owned, trans-canada expanded, Montreal Metro).
To modernize Quebec's educational system and to allow it to catch up to the other provinces in Canada. (Parent Committee, free public school till 16, MEQ created)
To weaken the influence of the Church and to end Quebec's political isolation. -
Contemporary period: job changes
Overall Quebec is in a period of modernization jobs moved away from rural or hard labour, you have more intellectuals, university trained specialists (technocrats). Union membership also doubled, as commissions were established to promote industries like steel, mining, compensation funds.
However Quebecers are upset that they aren’t getting paid equal amounts as the Anglophones, and don’t have the same job opportunities as English.
