History History

On 24 July 1534, the Malouin Jacques Cartier left Saint-Malo with three boats: the Grande Hermine, the Petite Hermine and theEmerillon. He disembarked at Gaspé, explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence, sailed upriver to Hochelaga (Montreal) after stopping at the village of Stadacona (Quebec), came into contact with the Iroquois during three expeditions that lasted until 1542, and took possession of all these territories in the name of the King of France, François I. It was he who gave Canada its name (from Kanata, meaning "village"). But he was soon disappointed by the land, which he considered inhospitable, icy and uninteresting. France therefore abandoned Canada until the end of the 16th century.

Born in Saint-Malo and nicknamed "the discoverer of Canada", this navigator set out in search of a new route to the Indies and in 1534 reached Newfoundland and the Labrador coast (already discovered by John Cabot in 1497), before landing at Gaspé to take possession of Canada in the name of the King of France,^{François Ier.} He made two more voyages to Canada.

Without spices, Europeans discovered another treasure: furs. France then decided to create a vast network of trading posts (places where the French traded with the Amerindians) on the shores of the St. Lawrence. In 1599, the first temporary trading post, known as a tabagie, was established in Tadoussac.

Throughout the 17th century, the fur trade remained the colony's main economic activity, with a monopoly of this trade held by several companies - including the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France - which, in exchange, promised the King of France to populate the country, maintain the missionaries and ensure the defence of the territory.

To organize the French fur trade, Samuel de Champlain docked on July 3, 1608, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River and founded the first permanent trading post at Kebek, an Algonquin word meaning "place where the river narrows". A slow process of colonization then begins.

Born in Brouage, Saintonge, this explorer and colonizer was sent by Louis  XIII in 1603 on a reconnaissance mission to Canada where he explored the St. Lawrence River as far as the Lachine Rapids. On a second voyage, he explored the Atlantic coast of Canada (1604-1607), before establishing a French colony in Quebec City in 1608, allying himself with the Algonquins and Hurons against the Iroquois. During his stay in Canada, he explored part of the Great Lakes (Lakes Nipissing, Huron, Ontario and Champlain) in 1615-1616, but devoted himself mainly to organizing the colony, of which he was appointed lieutenant-governor by the Duke de Montmorency in 1619.

The English want to take the new colony of the Americas from France. We then witness the first conquest, led by the Kirk brothers. They first occupied Tadoussac before laying siege to Quebec City, pushing Champlain to surrender and leave the colony. They occupied Quebec for three years until the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was signed between the kings of France and England, which returned the land to the French Crown.

Attended by various Amerindian peoples and visited by Jacques Cartier, it was Samuel de Champlain who was truly interested in Trois-Rivières' strategic position, particularly for the fur trade. He will be invited by the Montagnais Capitanal chief to settle there permanently and will mandate Laviolette for this mission. On July 4, he arrived there and founded the first French dwelling in this place.

It was as mandatary of the Société de Notre-Dame that Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, established the first handful of Frenchmen on the island of Montreal on May 17, 1642. This first establishment, named Ville-Marie, was created with the avowed goal of converting the Indians, or "savages" as they were then called, to Catholicism. What would later become the metropolis of Canada had, at its beginnings, about forty settlers. The founder of Montreal, standing, brandishing the banner of France, stands on the Place d'Armes, opposite Notre-Dame Basilica, a meeting place for tourists. At the foot of this monument, a masterpiece by Louis-Philippe Hébert, an Iroquois warrior, Jeanne Mance, Le Moyne and Lambert Closse, historical figures of Montreal, keep him company.

The rivalry between the French and the English, particularly in the fur trade, would accentuate the enmity between the Hurons and the Iroquois, tribes living around the Great Lakes. Grouped into a powerful confederation of the Five Nations, the Iroquois, allies of the English, attacked the Hurons, Montagnais, Algonquins, all allies of the French. The Iroquois eventually crushed the Hurons, who fled to Quebec City, before turning against the French, ruining their harvests, causing the decline of the fur trade and that of the young French colony.

By decision of Louis XIV, Neuve France, or New France, became a French province attached to the royal domain: it was administered by a governor, responsible for military affairs, a steward, responsible for justice and finance, and landowners. Farmers then represent 80% of the population.

As there were not enough women in the colony, Louis XIV sent the Daughters of the King, young bachelors who married the settlers to start families. Hundreds of them left for New France during this decade.

Foundation of the Hudson's Bay Company, which became an important rival to the trappers of New France.

On August 4, the Treaty of the Great Peace of Montreal was signed by Louis-Hector de Callière and 39 Amerindian nations in order to put an end to the intermittent wars of the 17th century and improve Franco-Amerindian relations.

Franco-British conflicts in Europe had repercussions on the colonies: the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession, allowed the British to annex the territories of Hudson Bay, Newfoundland and Acadia, renamed Nova Scotia.

The Franco-British War of 1741-1748 would end with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which would restore the status quo.

In 1755, the British colonel Sir Charles Lawrence ordered the deportation of the Acadians, farmers from Poitou, Touraine and Berry, who had been settled around the Bay of Fundy (present-day Nova Scotia) since 1604. In their place, he planned to settle English farmers: the Great Upheaval, which took place from 1755 to 1763, affected more than 10,000 Acadians. Many of them would eventually settle in Louisiana. In Quebec, they settled mainly in the Magdalen Islands and in the Lower North Shore region.

The French, led by General Montcalm, were defeated in front of Quebec City by the British under General Wolfe, at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759), which led to the surrender of Quebec City and then, in 1760, the capitulation of Montreal. New France had only 80 000 inhabitants of French origin, while the British, numbering two million, had only one idea: to drive out the French.

The Treaty of Paris ceded New France to Great Britain. France has definitively lost its Canadian possessions, except for the archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. The result of this military conquest was that the French, Catholics and subjects of an absolute monarchy, were forced to cohabit with the English, Protestants and subjects of a constitutional monarchy.

The Quebec Act organized the new British colony, Quebec. It maintains English criminal laws, restores French civil laws, and guarantees Canadians the free exercise of their religion.

Britain recognizes the independence of the United States, its former American colonies. The first American Loyalists, who remained loyal to the British Crown, arrived in Canada and took refuge in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

The Constitutional Act establishing a representative government divides the country into two provinces: English-speaking Upper Canada (Ontario) and French-speaking Lower Canada (Quebec).

During the 19th century, the French Canadian Party, led by Louis-Joseph Papineau, was constantly confronted with the authority of a British governor and a Legislative Council that rejected, most of the time, the laws introduced in the House. British policy, aggravated by the social crisis and the exasperation of French nationalist Canadians, led to the Montreal-area Patriot Rebellion in 1837-38, when the 1791 Constitution was suspended

In an attempt to restore the situation, British Governor General Lord Durham proposed the union of Lower and Upper Canada, known as the Act of Union, to create United Canada.

The British North America Act created the Canadian Confederation, bringing together the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The new state, also known as the Canadian Dominion, gained complete control of its foreign affairs. The British Crown remained represented, but Quebec was guaranteed to maintain its French and Catholic character.

The Indian Act, which concerns only First Nations, was introduced by the federal government and aims to eradicate the culture of the Amerindians and promote their assimilation into Euro-Canadian society. It is this same Act, unfortunately still in force today, that governs the reserves where they live across the country.

In the early 1900s, the debate over Canada's autonomy and the French language, threatened with regression (effective outside Quebec) by the country's commercial development and industrialization, gave rise to a new nationalist impetus under the impetus of French-speaking journalist Henri Bourassa. Bourassa demanded greater autonomy for Canada within the British Empire and for the provinces within the Canadian Confederation. For his part, Lionel Groulx defended the triple identity of French Canadians: Catholic, Francophone and rural.

La Grande Noirceur is the second term of Prime Minister Maurice Duplessis. Founder and leader of the political party National Union, he advocates conservatism and old traditional values. He is known for his populist approach and dubious manoeuvres, a real epidemic within his government.

Quebec adopts its provincial flag. Blue, with crosses and white lily flowers, it bears witness to the French ancestry of the majority of Quebecers. Some would like to trade the fleur-de-lis (not available in Quebec) for the iris versicolore, which is more representative of the local flora. The maple leaf, which had been the emblem of French Canada at ^{XIXe siècle}, became the central element of the Canadian flag in 1965.

Beginning of the Quiet Revolution: the Government of Quebec takes important economic, social and cultural measures.

Composed of three sessions, the États généraux of French Canada are held in Montreal. They decided on an orientation towards the self-determination of the French-Canadian people in Quebec and the categorical rejection of Canadian federalism.

General de Gaulle, then on an official visit to Quebec, pronounced the famous "Long live the free Quebec! "at the end of his speech in Montreal, which triggered a political crisis between Canada and France. However, it also makes Quebec and its political situation known around the world, especially since the Universal Exposition is being held in Montreal from April 28 to October 29.

A former Liberal MP, René Lévesque founded the Parti québécois, a nationalist formation of social-democratic inspiration from the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association (MSA) and the Ralliement national (RN). This party was responsible for the creation of the Charter of the French Language. That same year, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, resolutely hostile to separatism, became Prime Minister of Canada.

Finally, Aboriginal people in Quebec are granted the right to vote under the Act to grant Aboriginal people the right to vote. Unfortunately, it is the last Canadian province to do so.

Founded in the early 1960s, the Front de libération du Québec - or FLQ - is an underground movement working for Quebec's independence, often violently. It committed several terrorist acts as early as 1963 and even kidnapped in October 1970: British Trade Commissioner James Richard Cross, who was released two months later, and Quebec Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte. The latter was found dead a week after his abduction. These events are known as the October Crisis.

While Hydro-Québec was being entrusted with the exploitation of the immense hydroelectric potential of the northern regions, the James Bay Cree and the Inuit asserted their land claims. In November, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement was signed, the very first agreement to settle Aboriginal land claims in Canada. Under this agreement, the Amerindians and Inuit gave up some of their rights in exchange for benefits: exclusive hunting, fishing and trapping rights in strictly defined areas, the creation of autonomous management councils in regional and municipal administrations, participation in decisions concerning the hydroelectric development project, not to mention substantial financial compensation paid by the governments of Canada and Quebec.

Montréal is hosting the Games of the XXI Olympiad of the Modern Era from July 17 to August¹. Canada will do very poorly, ranking 27th (out of 37) with 5 silver and 6 bronze medals. The competitions are held over 800 km, from Toronto to Quebec City, most of them within a 10 km radius of Montreal's Olympic Village.

A few months later, on November 15, the Parti Québécois won the provincial election and René Lévesque became Premier of Quebec.

The "PQ" government (of PQ, the Parti Québécois) passed the famous Bill 101 (Charter of the French Language), a real charter defining the status of the French language and its use in the fields of legislation, justice, administration, commerce and education.

First referendum on Quebec sovereignty, organized on the initiative of the PQ government. The result was a failure: 59.56% voted no. It was at this point, on the evening of May 20, that René Lévesque declared his famous phrase: "If I understood you correctly, you are telling us next time! ».

Having been excluded from the negotiations, Quebec has never formally approved the Constitution Act, 1982, which allowed Canada to finalize its independence from the United Kingdom.

Old Quebec becomes the first North American urban center to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Failure of the Meech Lake agreement: the Canadian provinces refused to grant Quebec a separate status, and Quebec maintained its refusal to adhere to the 1982 Constitution.

Official creation of Nunavik, home of the Inuit, in the extreme north of the province.

A real estate project and the expansion of a golf course on disputed land where a Mohawk cemetery is located provoke a crisis of major proportions between Mohawk protesters and the provincial police and the Canadian army: the Oka crisis. The siege, which lasted 78 days, resulted in one death on the law enforcement side and the cancellation of projects on ancestral lands.

Montreal celebrates the 350th anniversary of its founding.

On October 30, the second referendum on Quebec sovereignty was held. The "no" vote wins by only a few tens of thousands of votes.

The sponsorship scandal broke out at the federal level. The former and current Liberal governments are accused of embezzling funds to finance their party through communications agencies that are supposed to restore the image of the federal government in Quebec, which makes the case doubly painful for Quebeckers. This is one of the largest corruption cases in the country's history.

Quebec City is celebrating with great pomp and circumstance the 400th anniversary of its foundation.

The Charbonneau Commission was created to investigate the award and management of public contracts in the construction industry over the past 15 years. Following the final report submitted in 2015, bills, directives and measures taken by both the public and private sectors attempt to promote transparency and integrity. No more, unfortunately.

Quebec is experiencing a real social crisis that begins with the student strike against the increase in tuition fees. It is known as the Maple Spring. The images of the demonstrations travel around the world for several months. This was followed by the establishment of Law 12 (possibly repealed by decree), a law deemed repressive for the entire population (control of demonstrations, fines, etc.), which was criticized by many international organizations, including the UN. A general election was then called, bringing the Parti Québécois to power. Pauline Marois thus became the first female Premier of the province. But the election night ended badly when a shooting and a fire broke out in Montreal's Métropolis, the meeting place for Parti Québécois supporters. The result: one dead and one seriously injured

A year filled with festivities as Canada celebrates the 150th anniversary of Confederation from coast to coast and Montreal celebrates the 375th anniversary of its founding.

On October 17, Canada became the second country in the world to legalize and regulate the recreational use of cannabis. The legal sale of cannabis is handled by the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC).

The new provincial government, the Coalition Avenir Québec, is implementing two controversial bills: one to reform the immigration system and the other on the secular nature of the State. Despite popular discontent, the majority of Quebecers are in favor of passing the two new laws.

Joyce Echaquan's death in a Joliette hospital is the last straw. The young Atikamekw woman's Facebook Live, filmed before her death and showing the treatment she received from certain members of the nursing staff, shone a spotlight on the systemic racism faced by Aboriginal people. A public inquiry was held the following year, and the coroner's report stated bluntly that the Legault government must "acknowledge the existence of systemic racism" and make "a commitment to contribute to its elimination". "The racism and prejudice faced by Ms. Echaquan were certainly contributory to her death".

At the end of January, Ottawa, the Canadian capital, was besieged for nearly a month by the Freedom Convoy, a protest movement against health measures, including mandatory border vaccinations for truckers. The sieges spread to several provinces, and the movement was echoed almost everywhere in the country, and even internationally

At the end of May, the famous Bill 96 was adopted in the National Assembly, allowing the reform of the Charter of the French Language. The Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French, came into force on June¹, creating the new Ministère de la Langue française.

From July 24 to 29, Pope Francis visited Canada as part of a reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Aboriginal peoples. Among other things, he went to Quebec City for a walk on the Plains of Abraham and presided over a mass at the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

At the end of September, the storm Fiona hit maritime Quebec and the Atlantic provinces hard. The damage was considerable but fortunately only two deaths were reported. In Quebec, the Magdalen Islands were the most affected area.

The year 2023 was marked by several natural disasters, starting with the freezing rain storm that hit southwestern Quebec in April, the worst since 1998. The following month, several regions suffered major flooding, an event repeated in July. The summer of 2023 is remembered for the record number of forest fires raging in the province and across the country. The smoke will travel as far as the southern United States and even Europe.