Even though the first European meeting with Canada in the era of the great voyages of discovery was done by a Briton – the mariner John Cabot – the very first permanent European settlement in Canada was French. This settlement was founded in 1608 at Quebec – at a time, when the Great Powers of Europe were taking new land all over the World. Colonies were founded wherever the Europeans arrived, and in 1663 France governed Quebec where they established the Crown Colony New France. But also Great Britain was interested in this abundant territory, and they too expanded northwards from their colonies on the American Eastcoast. Therefore England and France became the two ,,founding fathers” of Canada. And since then France and England have fought for the power in Canada.
At first both England and France settled in the east of Canada, especially along the Atlantic seaboard. But because the French wanted to get furs (in the beginning the British wasn’t very interested in furs) the early French colonialists moved westwards into the very heart of North America. In this respect the French expedition up the Mississippi river in 1682 was important, because it gave them the claim of a huge area all way up the middle part of the North American continent. Great Britain countered by capture the strategically important area around the Hudson Bay (the Hudson Bay Company had been founded in 1670). At this time the French had the lead in the fight for the Canadian territory, and the period from 1534 to 1760 is considered The French Regime Period.
The struggles between the French and the British Crown Colonies in America were a part of a world-wide fight between England and France for the economic power in Europe. Therefore they couldn’t just let the other country get a good territory – the hegemony over North America was very important.
In Canada there were many riches, especially furs, but also gold. The early French immigrants, who came to Canada in order to hunt, made friends with the First Nation’s Peoples – to a certain extent unlike the Brittish – they often married Indian women, and they became well integrated into the New World and the life overthere. Still today there is a minority of Métis – the half French, half Indian people – in Canada, and especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, there were some fights between these people and the British rulers.
The original immigration in Canada consisted mainly of French and British soldiers and trappers and to that fishermen and whalers along the Atlantic coast, religous groups driven away from their home countries and in the course of time also farmers. The big waves of poor people chasing luck were yet to come.

Comparison between the original immigration in Canada and the original immigration in the US
As we said the French-British fight for land and ressources concerned all North America. But in the territory which later on should become the USA there were also colonies from other countries e.g. Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. All these nations were however gradually retreating from North America at the time, when Canada was colonialized. From the late 17th century to the mid 19th century England and France were the two Great Powers of Europe and all the World. In the US, too, trapping and farming attracted a number of Europeans, and in the southern part of the territory the climate was good, so of course the territory which now is USA was of great importance to both nations.
With the Seven Years’ War and the Treaty of Paris all the French colonies in North America were surrendered to Great Britain. But why did the conflict between the ethnic groups of the Canadian society continue? – in the US there hasn’t been any attempts at seceding states/provinces, even though the history of the original immigration was quite the same. In that respect it is of course important that the French make up such a big part of the total population in Canada – they are actually able to establish their own country. But it is also of a considerable importance, that the French in Canada as destinct from the French in the US were ruled and repressed by annother nation (and into the bargain by their hereditary enemy); just 20 years after the end of the Seven Years’ War the US, and thereby the French in the US – as is well known – became independent from Great Britain. The French in Canada had to hold together in the conflict with the British regime – and in some way the defiance against the British rule was uniting.