Giroux House |
Populating New France was the key to a balanced and profitable development. The Company of One Hundred Associates that had been given exclusive rights on fur-trade in New France, was the first to default on its promise to transport thousands of settlers to New France. As for France, who had forged the project to create a new prosperous society, honoured only a handful of the requests made by the governors and district administrators of the colony.
That is why far fewer French than originally planned emigrated to New France between 1608 and 1760.
Only 10,000 tradesmen or farmers from French villages and towns came on their own, spontaneously and freely to participate in the settlement of the St. Lawrence Valley.
In 1760, as the English flag waves over the city founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, 70,000 people originally from France live in the former French colony. In New England, at the same time, we find almost 2,500,000 people originally from Europe. Thirty-five times more than in Canada! |
