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Sep 9, 1500
Bering Land Bridge
Is the most common theory on how the First Nations traveled their way to America. The sea levels were lower during the ice age which exposed the bridging of Siberia and Alaska, which is now submerged in water today. The theory states that the First Nations crossed this land bridge during a time where this land bridge was exposed. -
Period: Sep 9, 1500 to
Population
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Sep 9, 1534
Jacques Cartier's 1rst Voyage
In 1534, Jacques Cartier was sent by the King of France to find a route to Asia in order to find precious metals, spices as well as claiming new land for the King of France. Instead, Jacques Cartier meets a group of Micmacs when passing by Gaspé. He meets with Chief Donnacona and exchanges furs for various metal tools. Before leaving, Jacques Cartier builds a wooden cross to show that this land was claimed by the King of France. -
Sep 9, 1535
Jacques Cartier's 2nd Voyage
On his second voyage, Jacques Cartier sails into the St. Lawrence river and travels upstream past Stadacona and arrives in Hochelaga. Upon learning that winter was coming, he set sail to return to the Atlantic, however, the thick ice only let him go as far as Chief Donnacona's village. He is forced to stay there during the winter and many of Cartier's men die of scurvy. Luckily, Donnacona shares a potion with the French which consists of the white cedar tree that cures their scurvy. -
Foundation of Québec (Stadacona)
Samuel de Champlain founded Québec in 1608. Québec is France's first official settlement in the New World, commencing a string of French colonies to be established along the St. Lawrence River. -
Seigneurial System (Placement)
The seigneurial system was a method of organizing the territory created by the French. The territory was devised into long rectangular strips that were perpendicular to water. It is also key that these strips have access to the water source in order for the land mass to be easily accessible as boats were the main form of transportation. In addition, being close to water allows for fertile land for agriculture. -
Seigneurial System (Social Hierarchy)
The King of France granted these masses of land called seigneuries to seigneurs(Also known as Lords). It was their job to distribute this land to peasants(Also known as censitaires) who would then live and work on the land for a fee that he must pay to the seigneur. This fee was mandatory in order for the peasant to remain on the land.
(The social organisation at this time was heavily related to the seigneurial system's.) -
Company of 100 Associates
The Company of 100 Associates was interested in making profit from the fur trade in New France. The King of France offers them the monopoly of the fur trade they want. However, in exchange they must help bring settlers to colonize the territory. This ends up failing because, among other things, the Company invests all of their profits into the fur trade rather than putting it into bringing settlers. -
Foundation of Ville-Marie (Hochelaga)
In 1642, Paul de Comedy de Maisonneuve founded Ville-Marie with the assistance of Jeanne Mance. The creation of Ville Marie was in order to help with the evangelization of the First nations to catholicism. -
Jean Talon's Immigration Policies
Jean Talon(Intendant) was in charge of the settlement and planning of the territory. Jean Talon increased the population by offering money and free land to the 'Thirty-six Months' (Apprentices who were hired for a 3 year period to become master craftsmen). Also, there was a troop of soldiers called the Carignan Salières that was sent to establish peace with the Iroquois. Soon after, the King sent the Filles du Roy to increase the female population and to get these women(often orphans) to marry. -
Jean Talon's Birth Incentives
Jean Talon also implemented birth incentives to encourage population growth furthermore. These incentives included:
1. A monetary reward for men who got married at the age of 20 or less and women that got married at 16 or less.
2. A large monetary reward to fathers with 10 children or more.
He also added punishments to discourage single life in the colony These punishments included a taxation on fathers who had single sons that were 20 years or older and daughters that were 16 or older. -
British Regime
When the British took over, only the rich french left therefore leaving the rest of the french population in the British colony which equated to about 99% of the colony(British population of 1%). The french in the colony were born there and had no life in France, the colony was their home and since they were mostly farmers or traders, they could not afford to start a new life in France. Soon, wealthy British businessmen arrive in order to take advantage of the highly profitable fur trade. -
Immigration of the Loyalists
During the American revolution, people of the Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to the British Crown(15-20%) left the United States because they were not wanted in the territory. These loyalists therefore moved North where a British colony still was. Many of them settled south of the St. Lawrence River and divided the territory into townships. This region became known as the Eastern Townships. The loyalists settling in the colony helped increase the English population from 1% to 10%. -
Major Irish Migration Flow
Beginning in 1815, large waves of Irish settlers began immigrating to Canada due to a disease contained in the potatoes. This made them inedible and since potatoes were the Irish's main source of food, many starved and many died from the disease. About one million Irish died of starvation or the potato disease, while about one million migrated from Ireland to Canada. -
French Canadian Emigration to the United States and the West
Starting in 1830, there was a French Canadian exodus from Canada East. This was caused by the seigneuries becoming overpopulated. They had to therefore find a place to work elsewhere. However, since the villages in Canada East had few factories to provide jobs, the French Canadians were encouraged by the church to emigrate to the forest regions such as Outaouais in Western Canada. In addition, they emigrated to the United States as well as it offered many job opportunities. -
Act of Union
The french Canadian rebel group wanted better representation for french speaking people but ultimately failed to the english speaking Canadians. This Act that followed united Upper and Lower Canada into one. This Act aided in the assimilation of the french population due to the fact that upon forming a single Canada, English became the official language and the French now became the minority. -
British North America Act
This Act, signed in 1867, created the Dominion of Canada by joining together 5 provinces. These provinces include Quebec, New Brunswick, Ontario and Nova Scotia. -
First Canadian Census
In 1871, the first ever Canadian census took place. The results of this census found that Quebec had a total population of 1 191 516 inhabitants, 1 000 000 of which were French Canadian. This large population of Quebec represented 30% of the entire population of the Dominion of Canada at the time. -
Relationships with the First Nations
The government gives land to be used exclusively by the Natives in 1876 with the Indian Act. However, they do not keep to their word and exploit the region's natural ressources regardless of what the treaty says. The fact that the government does not ask for permission upon doing this causes frustration in the Natives which will lead to many negotiations between the First Nations and the government. -
Urban Sprawl
The development of industries and the introduction of machinery in agriculture(farms no longer needing much manpower) motivated people to leave the farms and move to the city. Later in the 20th century, however, people living in the city began to move to the suburbs. This is known as Urban Sprawl and created some problems such as the newly created houses and roads are taking up fertile land that could have been used for farming. -
Baby Boom
After the Second World War ended, a combination of the troops returning and economic prosperity led to a massive growth in population. Marriages increased and so did the birth of children. In fact, during this period, the fertility rate was 3.84 children per woman. -
Immigration Act
This document specified the criteria that would be used to allow or deny the immigrant's entry into Canada. British subjects, French citizens, residents of the U.S as well as Asians that already had family in Canada were prioritized. However, the Act excluded certain people who could have had a hard time assimilating such as Indians, Pakistanis and Asians without family already living in Canada. However, this criteria was enforced depending on the Canada's needs. (Missing jobs in economy, etc.) -
Birth Rate Decrease
The birth rate significantly decreased beginning in the 1960s due to the fact that contraception was now easily accessible to the public. Some reasons why contraception was used included:
1. Women were now getting jobs and didn't have time to take care of children full time.
2. Parent's desire to improve the quality of life and education of their children (Couldn't afford to give that to too many children) -
The White Paper on Immigration
This immigration policy created in 1966 changed the previous criteria that would allow or deny immigrants into Canada. The government tried to sound less racially discriminatory and therefore created new criteria which was based on skills, knowledge of French and English as well as their level of English. Unfortunately, this did not change the variety or number of immigrants that were coming because if you live in a country that doesn't speak English or French, you would rarely be allowed in. -
Immigration Act (Update)
In 1976, an Immigration Act was created in order to encourage population growth in Canada. In addition to this, this Act would facilitate the immigration of immigrants from various countries by creating a selection process with non-discriminatory criteria in order to be accepted. Therefore, family reunions would be easier to plan and Canada's cultural heritage would be enriched. -
Aging Population
Baby Boomers are getting older, so changes come to Quebec's society in order to accommodate the older population. These changes include increased costs of healthcare and the abolition of a mandatory age of retirement(This is necessary because we will be missing workers in the work force.). With age comes fragility and the government must also supply the population with more infrastructures like hospitals and residences to take care of the increased amounts of people that will be attending them.
