1608 — Je me souviens — Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City, the first permanent settlement of Europeans in New France, and the second-oldest permanent European community in present-day Canada. (St. John's in Newfoundland and Labrador was settled before 1583, when Sir Humphrey Gilbert declared the island of Newfoundland an English colony.) Earlier French attempts to establish colonies in North America had been unsuccessful: Fort Caroline, in Florida (1564); Sable Island, off Nova Scotia (1598); Tadoussac, in Quebec (1600); Île Sainte-Croix, in Maine (1604); and Port-Royal, in Nova Scotia (1605).
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How did Canada’s system of government come to be?
Canada's system of government is built on foundations that stretch far back in history. Explore some of the events, people and decisions that shaped Canada into what it is today.
Use the scroll bar to navigate through historic events that contributed to the evolution of Canada’s democratic system.
Canada’s Government Through the Years
