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Post by tchell on Sept 30, 2010 11:15:17 GMT -5
I think it is very interesting how much the French people of Quebec and Acadia in the 1700s had an influence on Canada's future. When the English gained control over Acadia in 1704, there were still French people living in Acadia. The English could not send the French away because the English relied on the French for food and protection. Without the French settlers the English would either starve or fall under attack from the Mikmac. For these reasons the English had to find a way to gain the French's loyalty but they had to accommodate the French way of life. This accommodation paved the way for Canada to become the way it is today. It makes you think, what would Canada be like today without the influence of the French acadians.
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Post by Mr. Delainey on Sept 30, 2010 15:33:43 GMT -5
Probably to be accurate we should say Canada is today what it is not just because of the presence of the French in Acadia but because of the overall, general French presence there and in Quebec.
What would Canada be like without the French? You know I'm thinking at some point immigration would've inevitably made Canada something of a multicultural nation. The country is so vast to people it would've required a significant proportion of English speaking peoples to move here. Now this really is only relevant for Canada from 1880 to 2010. What about Canada from 1700 to 1880? What would be different?
With no Canada there'd be no need to accomodate Catholics. There'd be the same religious intolerance here as there was in Europe and the United States. There would have been no need or attempt to protect language rights of another people (or their culture). Since there was a sizable French population their language and identity had to be protected. All other peoples--by extension--received similar security eventually. Lots to ponder...
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