CANADA’S MULTICULTURAL PATCHWORK

In order to understand our culture of today, we must first begin to

look at where the people of Atlantic Canada came from.

The First peoples

People have lived in Canada for a very long time. Some scientists think that Native peoples came from South America and have lived on this continent for thousands of years.

Others believe that these people came from Asia across a strip of land that once joined the land masses.

Today many Native groups live in Canada, each with their own traditions and language.

In Eastern Canada there are different groups of native peoples that make up some of the ethnic background of the region.

The first peoples....

The Maliseet, Algonquin, Iroquois, Micmac, Huron, and Ojibwa are the main groups who lived and continue to live in this region. These groups have created a lot of cultural traditions and have helped to form Atlantic Canada’s personality.

The French The first Europeans to settle and remain

here were the French.

In 1605 an explorer named Samuel de Champlain started a small settlement near Port Royal in what is now Nova Scotia.

Climate was very harsh in the cold winters, and many French settlers went back to France.

This Brave explorer Champlain started a new settlement on the shores of the St. Lawrence river. Despite some problems the settlement was a success, it is known today as Quebec City which is the capital of the province of Quebec .

Settlement The French King offered large areas of

farmland to people to convince them to move to this new colony. These people were called habitants.

Hard work

These people cleared the land and planted fields to grow crops, they took up fur trading and the population began to grow rapidly

This is where some of the French roots, culture, and heritage came from. With other influences, it has formed some of the culture base of Atlantic Canada.

French Canada Today Today 27 percent of Canada’s population

is of French heritage. Most live in Quebec, however, many have made homes in Ontario, New Brunswick, and Manitoba.

French Canadians are very proud of their heritage . Many of their traditions and customs date back to the habitant days.

On every Quebec license plate you will find the phrase “Je me souviens” which means.........?

“I remember”

This reminds French Canadians of their history in Canada.

The British

More than two thirds of Canadian citizens are English – speaking and 40 % are of British descent.

The largest group of British immigrants, known as the United Empire Loyalists, came to Canada from the thirteen colonies between the years 1775 and 1791.

A British and American Soldier

The Loyalists

We have already discussed the Loyalists in class, do you remember the story of Hannah Ingram and her family?

Families such as Hannah`s were given large plots of land for their loyalty to the King and the British Empire

The American War of Independence forced many people loyal to the British king to move north to the Maritimes and some other provinces.

These provinces were:

Ontario

Quebec

New Brunswick

Prince Edward Island

Nova Scotia

Settlement

After the Loyalists began to settle in Canada and the Maritimes, many others began to arrive from Ireland, Scotland, and England.

Canada Today

As a result of this , much of our Canadian and Maritime culture reflects this multicultural element. Many of the holidays, language and traditions in our country are similar to those held in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia.

Bilingual Canada

Both the French and British sustained these two language influences, and so the Canadian government has declared Canada a bilingual country.

Every product is sold in both French and English.

All government services are available in both languages.

This is a great example of how cultural influences are passed down from generation to generation. Also how things that happened many years ago influence our culture today.

African Canadians African Canadians have lived in Canada

for almost 400 years. The first were taken from Africa to work

as slaves in French-Canadian households. Hundreds more came to Canada with the

Loyalists. Some were slaves to wealthy families, while others were free men and women who were loyal to Britain.

This is an example of how another cultural group ended up in Canada.

In 1834, Canada enacted a law making slavery illegal. African Canadians did not enjoy the same advantages as those people from a European decent, but this was a positive step in the right direction.

These people were just happy to be free.

Underground Railroad

Who knows anything about the underground railroad??

Something we will talk more about when we begin to discuss racism is the underground railroad. But for our purposes here, this was one way that many people of various cultural backgrounds came to Canada.

The underground railroad was a network of people who helped slaves escape from the American South

Cultures from around the world

Since 1670 Canada had been trading fur in an area known as Rupert’s Land.

This was a major section of land stretching from the western border of Ontario out to British Columbia.

Rupert`s Land

Settlers of the West Canada wanted people to farm the

western lands. So the government advertised cheap plots of farmland to people who lived in eastern Canada, the United States and Britain.

Originally Canada wanted english - speaking people of European descent to settle the west, but only a few were willing to make the journey.

In 1896 the Canadian government began to advertise land to non-English-speaking Europeans as well.

Thousands of Russians Rumanians Belgians Austrians Scandinavians Mennonites Ukrainians And other Europeans flocked to western

Canada

Many of these various cultural groups settled their families on the prairies. They established farms and grew crops and began a life in this new and vast land.

Cultural Diversity

Until not too long ago, Canada did not allow people who were not of European background into the country.

However, more recently our country has opened its doors to immigrants from other parts of the world like, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America.

Some of these peoples were refugees fleeing their countries because of issues like hunger and war. Some others came here for a chance to live in a wealthier land.

Most often these immigrants come to Canada and settle in the bigger cities like Toronto and Vancouver.

In conclusion

We know how and why many of the various cultures that exist in our country today, came to Canada.

We can see instances of these elements all around us, even in this school and among our friends and families.

This helps to explain why Canada has such a rich multicultural society.

We are extremely lucky to live in a country with such a diverse population.

In terms of Atlantic Canada, we now can see that our main influences all came from these four main ethnic and cultural groups.

Native peoples

The French

The British

African Canadians

Canada`s multicultural policy not only exposes us to other culture, it helps us to better understand our own.

The End