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A few words about Canada….

Throughout its history, people from different parts of the world have arrived in Canada to establish themselves permanently.  With the exception of the Native populations, most Canadians were immigrants at one time.  That is why Canada’s population is like a “mosaic” where the pieces are a mixture of nationalities and ethnic groups with different characteristics, traditions, and customs.  Multi-culturalism is greatly valued by Canadian society.

History…

On July 3, 1608 Samuel Champlain established the first permanent European settlement in Quebec.  French culture was the first kind of European culture in Canada. The English began to immigrate to Canada in 1613 and their settlements became part of their New England colony in 1620.

Both colonies (French and English) relied on fur trade for economic prosperity and improved Canada’s economic development.  After some years, the French and English had several conflicts about fur trade and control over power.  The “Seven Years’ war” broke between France and the United Kingdom from 1756-1763. With the defeat of France, the United Kingdom obtained complete sovereignty over Canada.

After the independence of the United States in 1776, many African-Americans and United Empire Loyalists came to Canada from the United States to seek asylum, and there was a growth in population.  In the beginning of the 19th Century, there was a significant immigration movement from China; these immigrants greatly contributed to the construction and completion of the transnational railway.

On July 1, 1867, the British Parliament passed the “British North America Act”, proclaiming the establishment of the Dominion of Canada, which was made up of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec). Meanwhile, the number of immigrants was increasing especially in the west of Canada. From 1870 to 1949, other provinces joined the Federation to create the country that exists today.

Before World War II, most immigrants arrived from the British Isles or Eastern Europe. After the war, there was an increase in immigration of Europeans who arrived in Canada and helped build the country’s post-war economy.   Since 1945, there has been a sharp increase of immigrants from many other parts of the world.