400+ years. As a Franco-Ontarian, you are part of a community going back more than 400 years. Starting in 1613, French explorer Samuel de Champlain travelled – and mapped – parts of Ontario.
How did the French come to Ontario?
The Impact of Industry
During construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 19th century,nickel was discovered in Sudbury and gold in Timmins. This drew many French Canadians to Northern Ontario. Between 1861 and 1901, Toronto’s French-speaking population grew from 500 to 3,000.
When did French people first come to Canada?
The French began to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the mid-16th century to explore the New World and settle there. They arrived in 1604 at Port Royal and colonized Acadia first. During the 1630s, about 20 families arrived from the Loudunais region along with soldiers and labourers (known as engagés in French).
Who was the first francophone in Ontario?
The beginning
However, the French presence in Ontario officially dates back to August 1, 1615 when Samuel de Champlain met with the Huron-Wendaat chief in Toanché (now Penetanguishene), In fact, Champlain first arrived in the region two years earlier.
How many years have the French been in Ontario?
History. The French presence in Ontario officially dates back to 1615 with the arrival of Samuel de Champlain. The Francophone population grew steadily in the 19th and early 20th centuries, mostly in eastern and northeastern Ontario as a result of the forestry, mining and railway industries.
When did the French leave Canada?
New France Was Conquered, But Also Abandoned
But with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, France chose to abandon Canada. This was mainly because the colony had cost more than it had returned.
When did French come to Quebec?
Permanent European settlement of the region began only in 1608, when Samuel de Champlain established a fort at Cape Diamond, the site of present-day Quebec city, then called Stadacona. A half century later the French settlement had a meagre population of some 3,200 people.
How many French Canadians are in Ontario?
Demographics. Franco-Ontarians constitute the largest French-speaking community in Canada outside Quebec. According to the province of Ontario, there are 622,415 francophones in Ontario, making up 4.7 per cent of the province’s population.
Why is Quebec French?
Major changes took place after the English conquered parts of Eastern Canada in the 18th century. … “Vocabulary was created to replace English words with French words.” The revolution inspired the passing of The Official Language Act of 1974, a law designating French as the sole official language of Québec.
Was Ontario a French colony?
The colony of Canada was a French colony within the larger territory of New France. It was claimed by France in 1535 during the second voyage of Jacques Cartier, when the land was claimed in the name of the French king, Francis I.
Does Ontario speak French?
Ontario. Although French is the native language of just over half a million Canadians in Ontario, francophone Ontarians represent only 4.7 per cent of the province’s population.
When was the first French newspaper introduced in Canada?
Montreal Gazette
He was released shortly after and, on 3 June 1778, published the first fully French-language newspaper in Canada, La Gazette du commerce et littéraire, pour la ville et district de Montréal.
Why is Canada French?
Canada’s two colonizing peoples are the French and the British. They controlled land and built colonies alongside Indigenous peoples, who had been living there for millennia. They had two different languages and cultures. The French spoke French, practiced Catholicism, and had their own legal system (civil law).