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Canada has been inhabited for thousands of years by
various groups of indigenous people—for example the
Haida of the Pacific Coast, the Blackfoot, Ojibwa and oth-
er native nations of the plains, the Inuit of the far north,
the Cree of the subarctic, and the Algonquin, Iroquois,
Mi’kmaq and other nations in the east.
Beginning in the late 15th century, British and later French
expeditions explored the eastern and northern shores
of Canada. Permanent French settlements were estab-
lished in the early 1600s, settling much of what is now
the lower St. Lawrence River Valley and large portions of
Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
This colony—known as New France—grew slowly, with
sustenance provided through the cod fishery, fur trade
and farming. By 1759 there were approximately 65,000
colonists in New France. Throughout the 17th and 18th
centuries Britain and France were often at war. After the
Seven Years’ War (1754-1763) France ceded nearly all of
its colonies in North America to Great Britain.
Over the next hundred years many English-speaking
settlers migrated to Canada. On July 1st 1867 three of
Britain’s North American colonies were amalgamated as
a self-governing dominion of four provinces—Ontario,
Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The day of
Confederation—July 1st—is celebrated today as ‘Canada
Day’.
Over the next four decades five more provinces—Mani-
toba, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Alberta and
Saskatchewan—joined the Canadian federation, with
the tenth province—Newfoundland and Labrador—join-
ing in 1949.
Canada retained ties to the British crown after Confed-
eration. In the 20th century Canada obtained legislative
autonomy from the United Kingdom (1931), and had its
constitution patriated (1982).
Ontario Day to Day
Workbook 2010
7
HISTORY
• Canada’s birth rate is very low – 192nd out of 224 nations
• The life expectancy of a child born in Canada is 81.23 years;
ranking 3rd in the world among nations of at least 5 million
people.
DID YOU KNOW?
Canada is a land of immigrants. Many anthropologists,
archaeologists and other scientists believe that Canada’s
indigenous people migrated from Asia beginning more
than 13,000 years ago and, in the case of some Inuit
people of northern Canada, between the years 400 and
1200 CE.
There have been several waves of immigrants to Canada
in the modern era. The earliest occurred over two centu-
ries starting in the early 1600s with slow but progressive
French settlement of Quebec and Acadia. Smaller num-
bers of British military personnel and their families also
arrived in the 1600s and 1700s.
A LAND OF IMMIGRANTS
Which two countries have claimed Canada as a colony?
On what date did three of Britain’s North American colonies unite to form Canada?
EXERCISE