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 French come to 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.
When did Canada start using French?
Important dates. 1867: The Constitution Act recognizes the use of two languages, English and French, in Parliament and before the federal courts.
Why do they speak French in Ontario?
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).
What percentage of Ontario is French?
4.7%
In 2011, this number stood at 611,500. The Francophone population has increased by 10,915 since 2011, up by about 2%. Francophones make up 4.7% of the Ontario population, down slightly (-0.1%) since 2011.
Chart 1 – Ontario’s Francophone population.
| Year | Francophone Population | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 622,415 | 4.7% |
Who lived in Canada before the French?
An estimated 200,000 First Nations people (Indians) and Inuit were living in what is now Canada when Europeans began to settle there in the 16th century. For the next 200 years the Indigenous population declined, largely as a result of European territorial encroachment and the diseases that the settlers brought.
What is Ontario’s first language?
Census Profile, 2016 Census Ontario and Canada
| Characteristic | Ontario [Province] | Canada [Country] |
|---|---|---|
| Data quality Map Change geography | Data quality Map Change geography | |
| English and French | 1,490,390 | 3,144,740 |
| Neither English nor French | 326,935 | 383,045 |
| First official language spoken |
Who arrived in Canada first French or English?
In 1604, the first European settlement north of Florida was established by French explorers Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain, first on St. Croix Island (in present-day Maine), then at Port-Royal, in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia). In 1608 Champlain built a fortress at what is now Québec City.
Is French Canada’s first language?
English is the first official language spoken by just over three in four Canadians. This proportion increased from 74.8% in 2016 to 75.5% in 2021. French is the first official language spoken by an increasing number of Canadians, but the proportion fell from 22.2% in 2016 to 21.4% in 2021.
When did Canada stop being French?
1763
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, in the name of the French king, Francis I. The colony remained a French territory until 1763, when it became a British colony known as the Province of Quebec.
Why were French Canadians angry with Ontario?
They felt little attachment to the Imperial mother country and viewed the Canadian army as an almost entirely English Canadian institution. French-English tensions were already running high; French Canadians were still enraged that Ontario has banned French as a language of instruction in its schools in 1913.
Why is French declining in Canada?
The relative decline of French in Quebec can be explained partly by a younger anglophone population, immigration from non-Francophone countries, and Quebec losing fewer English speakers to other parts of the country, according to a Statistics Canada analysis of Wednesday’s data.
Is Ontario British or French?
English is Ontario’s official language, though there are several French-speaking communities across the province. French language rights have been extended to the province’s legal and educational systems. Government services are provided in English and French in many designated regions across the province.
What is the most French city in Ontario?
Franco-Ontarians are mainly concentrated in eastern and northeastern Ontario in key Francophone cities like Ottawa, Sudbury, North Bay and Timmins. East of Ottawa, the counties of Prescott-Russell and Stormont Dundas Glengarry are rich in Francophone culture.
Is Toronto more English or French?
While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, over 160 languages are spoken in the city.
Is Canada becoming less French?
The proportion of Canadians who mainly speak French at home continues to decline in nearly all provinces and territories, including Quebec, the latest census release shows.
Who were the first settlers in Ontario?
The earliest known inhabitants of the Ontario region included the Iroquoian-speaking agricultural Huron, Tionontati, and Erie peoples of the south and the Algonquian-speaking hunting Algonquin, Ojibwa, and Cree peoples of the north.
Who were the 1st people in Canada?
“Indigenous peoples” is a collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. Often, “Aboriginal peoples” is also used. The Canadian Constitution recognizes 3 groups of Aboriginal peoples: Indians (more commonly referred to as First Nations), Inuit and Métis.
Who was in Canada before aboriginals?
The coasts and islands of Arctic Canada were first occupied about 4,000 years ago by groups known as Palaeoeskimos. Their technology and way of life differed considerably from those of known American Indigenous groups and more closely resembled those of eastern Siberian peoples.
Is Ontario mainly 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.
Was Ontario created by the French?
In the summer of 1604, a group of settlers which included Samuel de Champlain founded a French settlement in North America, on Sainte-Croix Island, Sainte-Croix River (Bay of Fundy). Champlain founded Quebec four years later and, in 1610, the first French explorers came to what is now Ontario.