Editing French language in Canada (section)

==History and evolution==
=== 16th century ===
In 1524, the Florentine navigator [[Giovanni da Verrazzano]], working for Italian bankers in France, explored the American coast from [[Spanish Florida|Florida]] to [[Cape Breton Island]]. In 1529, Verrazzano mapped a part of the coastal region of the North American continent under the name Nova Gallia ([[New France]]). In 1534, King [[Francis I of France]] sent [[Jacques Cartier]] to explore previously unfamiliar lands. Cartier found the [[Gulf of Saint Lawrence]], sealed an alliance with the local people and obtained passage to go farther. During his second expedition (1535–1536), Cartier came upon the [[Saint Lawrence River]], a path into the heart of the continent. However, Cartier failed to establish a permanent colony in the area, and war in Europe kept France from further colonization through the end of the 16th century.<ref name="Atlas Universalis 1996 p.57">Atlas Universalis (1996), Tome 2, p. 57</ref><ref>Atlas Universalis (1996), Tome 5, p. 23</ref>

===17th century===
At the beginning of the 17th century, French settlements and private companies were established in the area that is now eastern Canada. In 1605, [[Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons|Pierre Dugua]] with [[Samuel de Champlain]] founded [[Port-Royal (Acadia)|Port Royal]] ([[Acadia]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pierre Dugua de Mons |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pierre-du-gua-de-monts |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca |language=en}}</ref> and in 1608, Champlain founded [[Quebec City]]. In 1642, the foundation of Ville Marie, the settlement that would eventually become [[Montreal]], completed the occupation of the territory.

In 1634, Quebec contained 200 settlers who were principally involved in the fur trade. The trade was profit-making and the city was on the point of becoming more than a mere temporary trading post.

In 1635, [[Jesuits]] founded the secondary school of Quebec for the education of children. In 1645, the Compagnie des Habitants was created, uniting the political and economic leaders of the colony. French was the language of all the non-native people.

In 1685, the revocation of the [[Edict of Nantes]] by [[Louis XIV]] (1654–1715), which had legalized freedom of religion of the [[Reformed Church]], caused the emigration from France of 300,000 [[Huguenots]] (French Calvinists) to other countries of Europe and to North America.<ref>Atlas Universalis (1996) Tome 4, pp. 837–838</ref>

===18th century===
With the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] in 1713, the British began their domination of eastern North America, some parts of which had been controlled by the French. The British took mainland [[Nova Scotia]] in 1713. Present-day [[Maine]] fell to the British during [[Father Rale's War]], while present-day [[New Brunswick]] fell after [[Father Le Loutre's War]]. In 1755 the majority of the French-speaking inhabitants of Nova Scotia were deported to the [[Thirteen Colonies]]. After 1758, they were deported to England and France. The [[Treaty of Paris (1763)]] completed the British takeover, removing France from Canadian territory, except for [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] at the entrance of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

The French language was relegated to second rank as far as trade and state communications were concerned. Out of necessity, the educated class learned the English language and became progressively bilingual, but the great majority of the French-speaking inhabitants continued to speak only French, and their population increased. Anglicization of the French population failed, and it became obvious that coexistence was required. In 1774, [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]] passed the [[Quebec Act]], restoring French civil laws and abrogating the [[Test Act]], which had been used to suppress Catholicism.<ref>Atlas Universalis (1996) Tome 4, pp. 838–839</ref>

===Canada as a federal state===
In 1791, Parliament repealed the Quebec Act and gave the king authority to divide the Canadian colony into two new provinces: [[Upper Canada]], which later became Ontario, and [[Lower Canada]], which became Quebec.
 
In 1867, three colonies of British North America agreed to form a federal state, which was named [[Canada]]. It was composed of four provinces: 
* [[Ontario]], formerly Upper Canada
* [[Quebec]], formerly Lower Canada
* [[Nova Scotia]]
* [[New Brunswick]], former Acadian territory

In Quebec, French became again the official language; until then it was the [[vernacular language]] but with no legal status.<ref>Atlas Universalis (1996) Tome 4, pp. 840–842</ref><ref>Atlas Universalis (1996) Tome 19, pp. 397–404</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bourhis |first1=Richard Y. |last2=Lepicq |first2=Dominique |date=1993 |chapter=Québécois French and language issues in Quebec |title=Trends in Romance Linguistics and Philology. |volume=5: Bilingualism and Linguistic Conflict in Romance |editor-first1=Rebecca |editor-last1=Posner |editor-first2=John N. |editor-last2=Green |publisher=Mouton De Gruyter |location=New York |isbn=311011724X}}</ref>