Atlantic Canada: A Brief History

The first Europeans to settle in Canada were the Vikings at Lans Aux Meadows Newfoundland around the year 1000CE.  It was almost 500 years until Europeans once more landed on Canadian shores, when John Cabot landed again in Newfoundland in 1497 claiming its rich fishing grounds for England. (heritage moment video) Subsequent explorers visited Newfoundland and possibly Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia in the early 16th century.  In 1534 Jacque Cartier explored the coasts of Newfoundland and the other Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec, and claimed the territory for France. Throughout the late 1500’s and early 1600’s settlements were created in all the Atlantic provinces and Quebec. It was not until many years later that permanent settlements were created in the rest of Canada, especially the west coast. In 1755 the Acadians (French inhabiants of the Atlantic Provinces) were ordered to deport by the English. This deportation was termed the “Expulsion of the Acadians”, and has had a strong influence on their culture and history. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were part of the first four provinces to join the Dominion of Canada under the first Prime Minister, John A MacDonald, the other two provinces being Quebec and Ontario. The first first meeting outlining the Articles for Confederation and the creation of Canada was held in the capital of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, but the island did not join until six years later. Despite being the first land discovered in Canada by the British, Newfoundland did not join Confederation until 1949. In 1773 Scottish settlers reached Nova Scotia. In 1773, right before the end of the American Revolutionary war, thousands of United Empire Loyalists arrived in Atlantic Canada. They were of mostly British, Dutch, Irish and Scottish decent. In the 1840’s thousands of Irish immigrants settled in Canada escaping the potato famine. Between 1830 and 1850 60% of the immegrants to Canada were Irish. Many settled in Atlantic Canada. 2006 Canadian census showed that 23.3% of Atlantic Canadians were of Irish decent, higher than all other regions of the country. This Irish influence is extremely apparent in the folk music. Scottish influence can also be seen, which makes sense given an also very high Scottish origin population, especially in the three Maritime Provinces where they made up 31% of the population. Nineteen percent of the Atlantic Canadian population is of French decent (30% in New Brunswick-mostly Acadian). The majority of the ramaining population is of British decent.