Migratory Movements (1791-1840)

The early 19^th century was a very difficult time in the United Kingdom in terms of social and economic conditions. The effects of poverty, unemployment, an overcrowded countryside, poor crops and epidemics were felt across the entire United Kingdom. Ireland suffered the worst of the crop losses, resulting in widespread famine.

To solve these problems, the British government strongly encouraged its citizens to emigrate to its North American colonies, particularly to Lower Canada, where it wanted to increase the number of British colonists. To do this, the government granted migrants land in the townships of both Canadas. Immigration agents encouraged people in the United Kingdom to go to the colonies. They organized their transport and settlement. As early as 1815, thousands of English, Scottish and Irish people embarked on the journey to North America with the hope of finding better living conditions.

British immigrants often crossed the Atlantic Ocean on ships that had carried timber from the colonies to the mother country. There was not always enough food and drinking water aboard, and immigrants were often crowded together in small, unsanitary and poorly ventilated spaces. These conditions allowed diseases such as cholera and typhus to spread rapidly. Some immigrants did not survive the crossing.

Europe also experienced a cholera epidemic in the 1830s. Lower Canada was a port of entry for immigrants, and Canadiens were concerned that these newcomers would bring diseases. In 1832, the government of Lower Canada established a quarantine station on Grosse-Île. Upon arrival, sick (or symptomatic) immigrants were quarantined on Grosse-Île for an average of 7 to 15 days. Despite this measure, cholera still spread in the colonies. In 1832 alone, cholera killed between 8000 and 12 000 people in Lower Canada.

While most British immigrants went to Upper Canada or the United States, about 50 000 immigrants settled in Lower Canada, mostly in Quebec City, Montreal and the Eastern Townships. In an effort to increase the number of Anglophones in the colony, the colonial authorities granted land in the Eastern Townships, and financial compensation was granted to immigrants who settled in Lower Canada.

In Lower Canada, the French Canadians, who were mainly farmers, were dealing with overcrowding in the seigneurial lands on top of an agricultural crisis. Many of them could no longer support themselves and left the seigneurial lands of the St. Lawrence Valley. They had three options:

1. Emigrate to the United States

2. Migrate to the colony’s cities

3. Colonize new regions

From the mid-19^th century to the mid-20^th century, around one million French Canadians emigrated to the United States, particularly to the New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. These states had a higher demand for industrial labour, making it easier for French Canadians to find work. French-Canadian immigrants often formed groups called Petits Canadas where they preserved French-Canadian culture for several generations.

The Catholic Church was displeased that French Canadians were leaving to move to cities or to the United States, concerned with losing members to a Protestant country. The clergy believed in preserving agriculture and traditionalism. Consequently, the Catholic Church joined forces with the colonial government, and together they attempted to stop French Canadians from leaving by selling them cheap land in new regions to be colonized. These new regions were the Laurentian Mountains, Saguenay, Mauricie, Outaouais and Témiscamingue. Even with their new land, settlers often could not provide for their families year-round. To do so, they commonly resorted to working in logging camps during the winter.