- Canada East
: "For the
rugby union team that competes in theNorth America 4 Series , seeCanada East (rugby team) .Canada East ( _fr. Canada-Est) was the eastern portion of the United
Province of Canada . It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province ofQuebec , and was primarily a French-speaking region.Formerly a colony called the Province of
Lower Canada , based on Lord Durham's report it was merged with the Province ofUpper Canada (present-day southern portion of the Province ofOntario ) to create the United Province of Canada.The most important farm products were potatoes, rye, buckwheat, maple sugar, and livestock. When it came time to confederate the Francophones were nervous because they did not want to lose their French heritage.Fact|date=November 2007 They were afraid that it would be overwhelmed by the English. At the time of confederation, 1867, Montreal was the biggest city in the British North American colonies.Fact|date=November 2007
Due to heavy immigration, the population of English-speaking residents of Canada West soon outstripped Canada East. Under the Act of Union, 1840, however, the seats in the house were evenly divided between Canada East and Canada West.
By the late 1850s all the land of Canada West had been bought.Fact|date=November 2007 The next frontier was west of
Lake Superior . However, this land was owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Most in Canada East resisted the takeover of this land, as it would have changed the balance of the seats in the legislature.The
St. Lawrence River was full of ice for half the year. For that half of the year goods had to be transported on American railways. A railway through Canada East to Halifax would provide an all-British route for trade and defence.By the 1860s, the
Grand Trunk Railway was about $72 million in debt.Fact|date=November 2007 Its annual income was about $200.Fact|date=November 2007 Partly because of this, the Province of Canada pulled out of the negotiations for theIntercolonial Railway .Only 20% of Canada East's residents lived in the cityFact|date=November 2007, the rest were all farmers or "
habitant s" as they called themselves. They made their own stone houses and wooden furniture. Their clothes were homemade and their food was grown on the farms.At the time of Confederation (1867) Montreal was the largest city of the British North American colonies, with a population of 107,225.Fact|date=November 2007 Some of the richest people in Canada lived in Montreal.
There was a danger of
Fenian raids along the Canadian-American border south and east of Montreal.Lumber was the most important natural resource of Canada East. In the woods, hundreds of workers cut down trees, then floated the logs down the St. Lawrence River during the spring floods. Sawmills turned the logs into planks and boards to sell to the Americans. There were also factories in the District of Canada East that made windows, shingles, washboards, and door frames.
See also
*
Canada West
*Act of Union 1840
*History of Canada
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