Who are the Acadians?
- Descendants of French colonists who began settling in what are now the Maritime provinces in 1604
- Descendants of Loyalists from New York
- Métis people of Manitoba
- Scottish settlers of Nova Scotia
Answer: Descendants of French colonists who began settling in what are now the Maritime provinces in 1604
The Acadians descend from French colonists who started settling in what are now the Maritime provinces in 1604. Today Acadian culture is a lively part of French-speaking Canada. They are different from the Métis, who are of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry.
Learn more: Acadians and Quebecers
- The Acadians descend from French colonists who began settling in what are now the Maritime provinces in 1604.
- Between 1755 and 1763, during the war between Britain and France, more than two-thirds of the Acadians were deported.
- This deportation is known as the “Great Upheaval”.
- The Acadians survived, kept their identity, and Acadian culture is now a flourishing part of French-speaking Canada.
- Most Quebecers descend from 8,500 French settlers of the 1600s and 1700s and keep a unique identity, culture and language.
- In 2006 the House of Commons recognized that the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada.
- One million Anglo-Quebecers have a 250-year heritage in Quebec.