Canadian History

Canadian History - Pre-European Settlement

Long before the arrival of Europeans on North American shores in the late 1400s, the ancestors of the present native peoples of Canada had established themselves for centuries in every corner of the country.

Although these cultures were small in number, they were rich and diverse in their own right. From the fishers and the hunters on the West Coast, to the farmers on the East Coast, these were the first indiginous people of Canada.

Canadian History - European Settlement

The French were the first European settlers to establish any kind of permanent presence, when they landed at St. Lawrence Valley in the early 1700's. The name Canada (Kanata) was borrowed from the Iroquois and the inhabitants of the French colony became known as Canadiens.

In 1760, the British conquered Canada, giving rise to a new brand of nationalism among the 60,000 French settlers who had come to regard this land as their home. This feeling of nationalism from the French settlers has been carried through the ages, with prominent displays occuring in the Rebellion of 1837 and the separatist crisis of the 1970's. Still today there exists a strong sense of "Quebec Nationalism" among French Canadians.

After the British defeat of France in 1760, Canada became a British colony. The British allowed much of the Canadien identity to remain and French was still the primary language, and Roman Cotholisism, the main religion.

Despite various efforts by the Americans to enlist the help of the Canadiens in revolt against the British between 1775 and 1783, but were unsuccessful largely due to the indifference of the French Candiens.

Canadian History - The birth of English Canada

After the American revolution, the Northern colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and (French) Canada were overrun by refugees of the revolution in America.

Over the following decades, more British immigrants began arriving and settling in these colonies surrounding the old French colony, thus giving rise to English Canada and creating a linguistic barrier which continues till today.

The large colony of Canada was subdivided in 1791 creating two colonies: Upper Canada (today Ontario) and Lower Canada (today Quebec).

Canadian History - Confederation

The first significant discussions about confederation came about in the early 1860s. Despite strong opposition from the Atlantic colonies (Newfoundland and Price Edward Island who withdrew from the negotiations) and uneasiness in Canada East (Quebec), the act of Confederation was passed in 1867. As a result, modern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick) was born.

In the early 1870s, the vast western interior of the continent became part of Canada. This led to the eventual creation of the prairie provinces (Manitoba in 1870, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905). British Colombia joined in 1871 with the promise of a transcontinental railroad that would link them to the rest of the country.

Britain transferred its jurisdiction over Arctic lands to Ottawa in the 1880s.

In a 1949 referendum, Newfoundland voted to join by a very narrow margin . The union of all the old colonies was finally completed. Canada became the third largest country in the world, embracing an area of just under 10 million square kilometers.

Canadian History - Political Autonomy

The Statute of Westminster in 1931 legally dissolved, any subordination to the imperial parliament in London combined with increasing international realtionships and participation in both World Wars helped define the national significance and independence of Canada.

Canadian History - Modern Diversity

Over the last half-century, Canada's population has become increasingly diverse. Whereas British and French decendants accounted for over 90% of the population at the time of Confederation, 80% as late as 1946, they make up less than 50% today.