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Sep 2, 1500
Bering Land Bridge
The Bering land bridge existed during the ice age. It was located between the eastern Russian coast and Alaska, linking Eurasia with North America. It is assumed that the humans crossed this bridge due to animals crossing it, as humans were nomadic at the time. As the ice age ended, so did the land bridge, leaving the humans who migrated left on the continent. -
Sep 1, 1534
Mapping of the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Jacques Cartier explored and mapped the St. Lawrence Gulf, reported that there was lots of natural resources. Originally, he thought he was in India, as his mission was to find a route to Asia. Sadly, he did not arrive in Asia and since there wasn't any gold, the King of France originally ignored the land. -
First attempt to establish a colony
Due to the other superpowers at the time establishing colonies in North America, the king of France sent a voyage to establish a settlement in Nova Scotia called Port Royal. It failed, as the colony was too far from the natives so trade with them was difficult. Among the men on the voyage was Samuel de Champlain. -
Establishment of Quebec
Samuel de Champlain returned to Canada in 1608 and successfully established a trading post near Stadacona (Quebec) at an area where the river narrows. This was the beginning of New France, which grew quickly due to fur trade. -
French Regime (1608 - 1760)
Once France started the colony, they made a deal with the Company of One Hundred Associates. The Royal Government gave the company a complete monopoly over the fur trade, and in return the company had an obligation to populate the colony. In the end, the Company of One Hundred Associates only brought over 3000 people to France, with most of them being men, as populating the colony didn't make them any profits. -
Arrival of the Filles du Roy
Between 1663 and 1675, the king of France sent over about 800 young women for the men at the colony to marry, as there was a distinct lack of women at the colony which meant that there were no babies being born, which also hindered the colony's development. -
Arrival of Jean Talon
Jean Talon arrived as the intendant of New France after the king took control of the colony. Due to the failure of the Company of 100 Associates duty to populate the colony, Talon was sent in to rectify the situation. He succeeded, as the population of New France went from 3,000 in 1663 to 70,000 in 1760. These were thanks to his policies, such as payments to couples who married young and fines to fathers of unmarried girls as well as to bachelors over 21. -
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
During this battle, the British took over Quebec City from the French, and then took over New France. After the battle, the British gave the French in the colony 18 months to leave if they wanted to. The rich French businessmen left the colony, and were quickly replaced by rich British businessmen. The rest of the colony's population stayed as they had no ties to France. As a result, the colony was 99% French, while being only 1% British. -
British Regime (1760 - 1867)
During this era, Great Britain gained control of Canada, and as a result the British began to immigrate starting in 1763. To boost their population, the British encouraged immigration using propaganda in Europe while also having policies such as granting land to shipping and railroad companies and sending immigration aids. This resulted in the British population eventually getting larger than the French Canadian one. New establishments used the township system instead of the seigniorial system. -
American War of Independance
The American War of Independence caused a large wave of immigration between 1779 and 1783. In the US, still known as the Thirteen Colonies at the time, revolutionaries were fighting for independence. However, the loyalists wanted to live under British rule, and so about 36, 000 loyalists came to Canada due to its proximity to the Colonies. 6000 of those settled in Quebec, where they established the Eastern Townships. Due to the wave, the population became 10% British and 90% French Canadian. -
The Great Famine (Ireland)
In Ireland, an enormous famine occurred due to the harvest of potato, the staple crop in Ireland, being poor that year. As a result, a wave of Irish immigrants came over to Canada during the famine so they wouldn't die of starvation. On the boat, many Irish got sick due to poor conditions on the boat resulting in a quarantine policy where Irish immigrants had to stay on Grosse Île temporarily. Most of them immigrated to Quebec, as the French Canadians there were catholic just like the Irish. -
Canadian Federation (1867 - Now)
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Indian Act
The Amerindians had it rough from day 1 of European immigration. The Europeans brought many diseases over to the Americas; diseases the Natives never encountered. As a result, their population had become tiny by 1876. Then, the Indian Act came along. The Indian Act aimed to fully integrate the Natives into the now British society. It also was responsible for the creation of the reserves that are still present today. This strained relations between the British and the Amerindians. -
Industrialisation of Canada
Around this time period, the industrial revolution reached Canada. Because of automation, there were less jobs available in rural areas, causing an exodus to urban areas such as Montreal. Eventually, the cities in Quebec began to get overpopulated, causing French Canadians to immigrate to Ontario, Western Canada and the U.S as they had better living conditions and jobs that payed more. The overpopulation also led to the openings of new regions in Quebec (Mauricie, Outaouais, Laurentides, etc.) -
Statute of Westminster
On December 11th, 1931, Canada was granted full autonomy by Great Britain. -
World War II
During World War II, Europe was being destroyed resulting in large waves of European immigration into Canada. We got people from almost every European country coming in during the war, resulting in a large population boom. Among the Europeans, there were also some Jewish immigrants as well. At the end of the war, discriminatory immigration policies were abolished, resulting in the diversification of Canadian immigration. -
Current Status
Currently, Canada has a very diverse population. Ever since the 1970's, immigrants from all over the world have come to the country. The Canadian government encourages this, citing our dwindling birthrates as a reason. In some cities such as Vancouver, a large portion of the population is not of European origin. The majority of the population is still of British Descent, however. Outside of Quebec, French Canadians are not that common, nor is the French language spoken much outside of Quebec.
