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Sep 26, 1500
The First Occupant's Economy
There were different production systems according to each different group. There would be trade network between families, groups, and various tribes. The different trading systems would be the barter system or the value of objects according to what the other one needs. The economic activity impacted the means of transportation (canoes and snowshoes). Each person had a role in the economy, the men were hunters, the women farmed, and the elderly watched after the children. -
Period: Sep 26, 1500 to
Economy and Development
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The Fur Trade
After the first trading post was set up, the fur trade had a huge effect on the economy and the population. There was a lot of exploration and enlargement of territory to find for more and more furs. New France's territory expanded constantly. The establishment of different trading posts founded the towns of Quebec and Three Rivers. -
Alliances, Rivalries and Organization of the Territory (Natives)
Alliances and rivalries definitely had an effect on the economy. For example the Europeans could be pulled into a conflict between two Native groups and the Natives could be pulled into battles for the European control of resources. The territory was huge with very little people. -
Chartered Companies
The company of 100 Associates had a huge effect on the future of their economy. 100 Associates was the only charted company system with rights to the fur trade. The goal for 100 Associates were to develop the colony. The impacts of the company kept the population small and mostly male. Also they didn't develop the company. -
The Colonies Effect from Mercantilism
Before mercantilism, New France started small but grew in size, they had a small population and their only purpose was to export natural resources back to their mother country (France). For 13 colonies, they stayed the same size but they had a much bigger population. They were focused on farming, for example, cotton, indigo, and tobacco. They also focused on the fur trade. -
Economic Policies (French Regime)
Mercantilism is a financial organization theory. Most European countries thought it was important to have as much gold as possible so they would export more than import. They would take in natural resources from colonies you controlled and sell the finished product of it. In summary, the raw material would be shipped to their mother countries and those countries would sell the finished product back to the colonies. -
Fur Activity in the British Regime
In 1760, the fur trade economy was passed into the hands of the English. They created the North-West Company in 1783 after the American Revolution. In 1821, they merged the North-West Company with the Hudson's Bay to make more profit. In the beginning of the 19th century, there was a declination in the fur trade. -
Timber Activity in the British Regime
In 1806, there was a rise in the demand for timber. The Bank of Montreal was created in 1817 to allow people to invest their money and earn credit. The demand for timber also created more jobs, for example lumberjacks, loggers and sawmills. Timber was useful for the development of transportation, canals, railroads and steamships. -
Economic Policies (British Regime)
The trade with Britain was doing very well until Britain ended the protectionist treatment with Canada. This happened because Britain wanted to explore new markets, they also established free trade which meant there were no customs or duties. Since Canada needed a new trade alliance they signed a Reciprocity treaty with the USA in 1854. For Canadian Producers, this was a huge advantage because the states were a huge market. -
Economic Policies (Contemporary Times)
In 1878, John A. MacDonald created the National Policy which introduced three main ideas. 1.There would be an increase in custom duties. Which meant that the government would promote Canadian Industries by making sure that Canadians would buy Canadian goods. 2.Construction of railways, there would be a railway from coast to coast which was meant to unify people and increase trade. 3.They would encourage immigration, mostly in the west, they did this because the bigger population, bigger market. -
First Phase of Industrialization
The first phase of industrialization started with skilled craftsmen working in factories. Factories were very efficient but it was a very dangerous work environment and it was boring work. These factories were powered by steam engines which ran from coal. There were a lot of industries in Montreal, Dairy, wood, textiles and food processing. -
Industrial Development
The first phase of industrialization was specialized in making shoes or jackets, then when it hit the second phase, industries main attraction were raw materials, like ore, minerals, etc. During the second world war, women started working in factories since the men went of to the war. Ever since 1970, when the James Bay Project was into play, Quebec has been selling electricity to Toronto and the States -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression all started when the stock market crashed in 1929. The cause of the market crash was because so many people were buying shares in companies and when debts were called in all of the stocks went down. The "baby boom" that occurred after the 1st world war came to an end for this reason. Since nobody had much money, families would try to buy as little as possible, which caused companies to go even more down and have to fire employees. -
The Government's Solutions
In hopes to end The Great Depression, the government created these work camps where people would work there for the government. They also would put in public work projects where you do any kind of work given on a public property. The government also encouraged farming so those people wouldn't have to pay for food. Once World War 2 started, there was a huge economic boost and the depression came to an end. -
The Quiet Revolution
This all started with the electoral defeat of the Union Nationale run by Jean Lesage and his Liberal Party. To increase Quebec's economic and social development, Hydro-Quebec became government owned, trans-canada grew, and so did the Montreal Metro. To modernize the educational system,the government also created free public school until 16 years old and a parent's committee. And lastly, they weakened the influence of the Church and ended Quebec's political insolation.
